A recent poll shows nearly three-in-five voters in New Mexico and other Western states believe potential rollbacks to conservation laws are an extreme or very serious problem.

Findings from the 16th annual “Conservation in the West” poll reveal concerns by voters over land, water and wildlife issues have increased significantly in the past few years.

Pollster Lori Weigel, principal at New Bridge Strategy, said voters of all stripes rank conservation high even when compared with other top issues such as the economy, health care and education.

“In fact, it has increased,” she said. “The first time we asked this was in 2016, and so when you look at that change over time, it’s gone up 10 points in terms of those saying that it’s at least somewhat important from one decade ago.”

Weigel said Western voter concerns about rollbacks to conservation laws increased 10 percentage points from 2019 to 2026. The new data comes as the Trump administration takes significant steps to reduce public lands protections and expand fossil fuel extraction, mining, and logging on public lands.

Of the eight Western states polled, respondents in New Mexico and Arizona expressed the greatest concern about their state’s water supply.

“For Latino communities, Black communities, Indigenous voters in particular,” said Maite Arce, president and CEO of the Hispanic Access Foundation, “conservation’s not simply about a policy issue, it’s about our identify, and our heritage and our way of life.”

The poll showed voters in all states oppose expansion of resource extraction on public lands and say leaders should make renewables such as solar and wind a higher priority. In New Mexico, 72% of respondents oppose fast-tracking oil and gas projects and 87% say gas companies, not taxpayers, should pay for cleanup and restoration after drilling is finished.

Conservation support has increased across eight Western states was first published by Public News Service and was republished with permission.