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2023 New Mexico Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Local EQIP Fund Accounts

The Local Working Group (LWG) recommendations are the basis for the proposal submitted by the NRCS District Conservationist for the county level fund accounts.  The Local Working Group membership should be diverse and focus on agricultural interests and natural resource issues existing in the local community.  Membership includes agricultural producers representing the variety of crops, livestock, and poultry raised within the local area; owners of nonindustrial private forest land, as appropriate; representatives of agricultural and environmental organizations; and representatives of governmental agencies carrying out agricultural and natural resource conservation programs and activities.

Local working groups are normally chaired by the appropriate soil and water conservation district (SWCD) and meet at least once a year to discuss the conservation needs at the local level.  The meetings are open to the public and individuals attending the local working group meetings will be given the opportunity to address the local working group.  Opportunity to address non-agenda items will be provided if time allows at the end of the meeting.  Presenters are encouraged to provide written records of their comments to the chairperson at the time of the presentation but are not required to do so.  Written comments may be accepted if provided to the chairperson no later than 14 calendar days after a meeting.

The LWG proposal for each field office are below.  The ranking questions submitted by the LWG are revised by the District Conservationist, NRCS Area and State Office, if necessary.  The final ranking criteria that will be used to rank the applications are listed below according to the local sub-accounts.

The ranking criteria may also include the screening criteria used to assign High, Medium and Low priority to each application.  Screening worksheets are listed below for those field offices that will screen applications using a worksheet.  Not all field offices will be screening applications prior to ranking.  If applications are screened, the High priority applications are funded first, then those with medium priority, followed by Low priority.  The applications in each priority category are selected for funding based on the ranking score.  The applications with the highest-ranking scores are selected first according to the amount of funds available.  In the event of a tie, a random number may be assigned and the application with the higher number is selected.  Some offices will use a tie-breaker question in place of generating a random number, and these tie-breaker questions are specified in the LWG proposal.

Applications are ranking in the fund accounts that the applicant and/or land are eligible for, and that the participant has selected to be considered under.  Fund accounts are generally divided by land type, such as Grazed Range, Irrigated Crop and Forested.  Fund accounts may also group applications that are in a high priority watershed, that will install specific conservation practices or that will improve habitat for high priority wildlife species.  The local fund accounts may change each year.

Each fund account may specify a practice cap to limit the amount of funding provided for practices that are typically high-cost practices.  Practice caps that will be implemented are listed in the Field Office LWG proposal.

Field Office LWG Proposals  

TEAM 1

Aaron Reynolds, Acting District Conservationist
Phone: (505) 287-4045 x105
Aztec, Grants, Gallup and Crownpoint

Team 1 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets: 

TEAM 2 

Nikolas Goodman, District Conservationist
Phone: 505-807-3567
Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Cuba

Team 2 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 3

Vernon Mirabal, Acting District Conservationist
Phone: (575) 741-3138
Chama, Hernandez, Santa Fe, Taos

Team 3 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 4

Anthony Arnhold, District Conservationist
Phone: 
575-445-9541
Las Vegas, Mora, Raton

Team 4 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 5

Kenneth Lujan, District Conservationist
Phone: (505) 355-2448 x3
Estancia, Fort Sumner, Mountainair, Santa Rosa

Team 5 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 6 

Relissa Nials, District Conservationist
Phone: (575) 461-3612 x3004
Clayton, Roy, Tucumcari

Team 6 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 7

Matt Wiseman, District Conservationist
Phone: (575) 546-9692 x105
Deming, Lordsburg, Silver City

Team 7 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 8

Stan Towner, District Conservationist
Phone: (575) 322-3266
Datil, Carrizozo, Socorro

Team 8 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 9

Kristi Wright, District Conservationist
Phone: (575)437-3100 x3100

Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences

Team 9 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 10

Raquel Chacon, District Conservationist
Phone: (575) 887-3506
Carlsbad, Roswell, Lovington

Team 10 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

TEAM 11 

D'Llaynn Bruce, District Conservationist
Phone: (575) 762-4769 x3
Clovis, Portales

Team 11 LWG Proposal:

Ranking Criteria and Screening
Worksheets:

Team 11 Ranking.pdf (125.68 KB)