The effects of climate change in the Southwest are increasingly becoming clear — whether it be through extreme weather events or scorching hot temperatures.
Now, increased drought, reduced snowpack, and widespread wildfires are fundamentally changing the landscape of outdoor recreation as we know it.
Kyle Klain is the President of the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society, a mountain biking club with over 300 members.
“There's been more downed trees because we've had more extreme wind events,” Klain said. “And then in those burn scars areas we get these massive monsoons, which carved [trails] out quite a bit.”
Groups like these invest money, equipment and volunteer their free time to maintain and clean up the trails for everyday New Mexicans when they feel the itch to go outside.
However, Klain has started to notice a drastic shift in the landscape as recreators start using upper-mountain trails earlier in the year when the areas are supposed to be under heavy snowpack.
“And I think that's part of the bigger message that, if you love this stuff, boy, you better start paying attention,” Klain said.
As warming temperatures continue to alter the ecosystems around us, researchers point to a greater need for long-term planning and closer collaboration among recreational users and agencies to save the industry.
Other data from the Environmental Protection Agency highlights the dire situation in the Southwestern United States and how small fluctuations in temperature can spell disaster for both people and the landscape itself through heavy monsoon rains, extreme drought and wildfire.
In fact, every part of the Southwest experienced higher-than-average temperatures between 2000 and 2020 than the long-term average from 1895–2020. Some areas even saw temperatures 2°F warmer than average.
That’s especially relevant for New Mexico, as the state’s outdoor recreation sector continues to increase.
According to the Economic Development Department, the industry generated $2.3 billion or 2.1% of the state gross domestic product in 2021 — an increase of $400 million over 2020.
And it’s only expected to grow in the future as state officials look to diversify the economy away from oil and gas production.
