Uniting the state’s outdoor industry » Albuquerque Journal

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Earlier this month, I caught a brown trout in the Middle Box of the Rio Grande Gorge.

The small silvery, speckled fish was not particularly notable – browns especially are common in this stretch of the Rio, part of one of the best cold-water fisheries in the U.S. – other than marking a few personal firsts. I’ve never fly-fished, I’d never scrambled down to that slice of the gorge, and I’d certainly never caught a trout. Ecstatic doesn’t begin to describe it.

I’d like to pretend to have some latent fly-fishing ability. But really, the place, the fishing gear, and the trout all came about entirely due to Nick Streit, owner of Taos Fly Shop and the Reel Life in Santa Fe. For a good four hours, Nick patiently read the seams, riffles and light to flawlessly direct my rod to the biting fish.

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I’m sure many of you know Nick personally, a Taoseño who grew up fly-fishing with his dad, Taylor, on New Mexican waters. Not only is he a business leader within New Mexico’s growing outdoor industry (a $2.4 billion powerhouse), employing dozens of local guides in Taos and Santa Fe, he is also a tireless advocate for rivers, wildlife and recreationists. He’s a member of the state’s first outdoor recreation business trade alliance, endeavOR New Mexico, and Taos Fly Shop is one of the first groups to list on the Outdoor Recreation Division’s new business directory.

Nick’s holistic, proactive, engaged approach is a necessary asset, needed from all New Mexico outdoor businesses, organizations and individuals in order to keep advancing the state’s outdoor economy. When Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Outdoor Recreation Division into law two years ago, she did so knowing that outdoor recreation presented a critical opportunity to diversify New Mexico’s economy, create jobs and grow outdoor access – key to our mental and physical health.

The Middle Box of the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos. (Courtesy of Nick Streit)

So far, her gambit has paid off. Under the leadership of the governor and Economic Development Department Secretary Alicia J. Keyes, the state’s outdoor economy has grown almost 6% since 2018 — about 60% faster than the country as a whole. The Outdoor Recreation Division’s 2021 budget for programs and infrastructure has increased eightfold year over year, meaning more investment to the first-of-its-kind Outdoor Equity Fund, as well as to trails, boat ramps, bike parks, and more throughout the state.

Those broad investments speak to a fundamental truth about the outdoor economy: We can’t focus myopically on GDP percentage points when it comes to boosting this sector. We must also invest in equitable outdoor access, especially for kids from underserved communities (as the Outdoor Equity Fund does). We must also invest in the state’s lands and waters through dedicated funding and policy. We must come together as employers, agencies and recreationists to build a sustainable economy that offers living-wage jobs for more New Mexicans.

That is the work Nick helps lead, alongside other active outdoor business owners who have united behind organizations like the Outdoor Recreation Division and endeavOR to advocate for the state’s outdoors. We need this wholesale approach to keep up the momentum and ensure a human-centric outdoor recreation movement now and into the future.

So where can you start as a business owner? First, register to be included in the Outdoor Recreation Division’s business directory (it’s free and takes about 30 seconds). Then check out endeavOR New Mexico’s website and read about how you can join the larger statewide movement. Tribes, nonprofits and other agencies are eligible to apply for the outdoor programming and infrastructure grants, which open to applicants on May 3.

And finally: If you are new to fly-fishing, please hire a New Mexican guide to take you to the river!