New Mexico Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights

Acorn by Shiran PasternakFlickrEvery New Mexico child should have the opportunity to:

  1. Play outside and freely explore.
  2. Watch wildlife in the quiet outdoors.
  3. Wade in a clean river, creek, lake or pond.
  4. Catch a fish and hunt for food.
  5. Camp out under the stars.
  6. Plant a seed and visit farms and ranches
  7. Travel a trail.
  8. Explore New Mexico parks, nature centers and wildlife sanctuaries.
  9. Actively care for land, water, and wildlife.
  10. Dig in the dirt and learn about the world from the ground.
  11. Use their imaginations to draw, dance, sing and play outdoors

The Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights was a memorial passed by the New Mexico House and Senate in 2012. It asks the state to recognize the rights of children to have access to outdoor activities, and encouraging state agencies to develop outdoor programs for children.

EEANM helped lead a statewide effort, along with the Leave No New Mexico Child Inside Coalition and Wild Friends, to engage legislators and rally support for this important foundation for future environmental education legislation. Thank you to Wild Friends for all of their support and hard work on the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

Thank you to Bernalillo County Open Space for designing this poster of the New Mexico Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights for all to print out and use: childrens-bill-of-rights-poster-2