HB 219 establishes Slot Canyon Riverlands State Park as a new state park in Dona Ana County, directing the State Parks Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to develop and designate the park on the riverside and upland parcels of the Broad Canyon ranch study area. The bill requires the park to be developed in a manner consistent with the third alternative from the feasibility study referenced in Senate Memorial 38, and it specifically instructs the division to maximize recreational opportunities, protect wildlife habitat, restore ecosystems, connect park trails to existing trail systems such as the Rio Grande Trail, complete a natural resource management plan, and remove salt cedar from specified areas.
The bill also places restrictions on the disposition of state-held land in the park area. The division is prohibited from selling, trading, bartering, gifting, or otherwise exchanging its holdings in the riverside and upland parcels of the Broad Canyon ranch study area. At the same time, the division is authorized to acquire additional property and assets to expand the park, but not through eminent domain, and may accept gifts and bequests of money, assets, or other property.
The bill appears to have broad legislative support. It passed the House on March 13, 2025, by a vote of 48-16 and passed the Senate on March 20, 2025, unanimously, 40-0. With no committee transcript available, the voting record suggests the measure was generally viewed favorably as a parks, conservation, and recreation initiative.
Any contention likely centered on land-use policy and the limits the bill places on future disposition of park lands, as well as the decision to create and manage a new state park in a specific county and study area. The prohibition on sale or exchange of the designated parcels and the ban on eminent domain for acquisitions may have been the main points of concern for those wary of restricting future flexibility, while supporters likely emphasized public access, habitat protection, trail connectivity, and restoration of the riverlands area.
HB 219 would add a new state park to New Mexico law and direct the State Parks Division to manage and develop it according to specified conservation, recreation, and restoration goals. It also constrains how the state may handle the designated park lands by barring sale or exchange of the covered parcels and limiting acquisitions to voluntary transfers, gifts, and bequests rather than eminent domain. The bill therefore affects state parks administration, land management authority, and conservation planning in Dona Ana County.
The overall sentiment appears positive and supportive, based on the bill’s strong floor votes in both chambers. The House approved it by a comfortable margin, and the Senate passed it unanimously, indicating little visible opposition at final passage. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into detailed debate, but the voting history suggests the bill was broadly accepted as a park development and land conservation measure.
The main potential contention points are the bill’s land-use restrictions and its specific direction to the State Parks Division. Critics could object to locking in the disposition of the Broad Canyon ranch parcels, limiting future sale or exchange options, and prohibiting eminent domain for park expansion. Others may have questioned the costs or management obligations associated with creating a new state park, while supporters likely focused on recreation access, trail connectivity, habitat protection, and ecosystem restoration.