Eric Moffat has been hiking his whole life. Colorado is where he fell in love with the activity, but New Mexico is where he discovered the great outdoors on another level.
“From the deep desert to the alpine forests to the juniper plateaus — I don’t know of anywhere else where the landscape is so varied within such a small amount of distance,” said Moffat, who’s lived in New Mexico on and off since the ‘90s. “I love how empty it is here and how vast. I think the fact that it’s still fairly unknown is one of its greatest aspects.”
It’s those experiences, and years of seeing the damage left behind by trekking poles, that fueled Moffat’s latest business idea.
“I thought, there’s got to be a way to help people have a better time out hiking, inspire their curiosity as to what animals live out there and also mitigate the impact on the land,” Moffat said.
Thus, Preservation Dogs was born. Founded in 2023, the business designs and manufactures pole tips that feature shapes inspired by nature, such as paw prints, and are made using recycled tire materials. Moffat, based in Santa Fe, launched the business with a partner familiar with three-dimensional design, Alec Kerr.
Today, the business sells its products online and donates 10% of its profits to habitat preservation. Its products are also carried in Santa Fe’s REI store and in outdoor gear shops throughout the state and in Colorado.
Right now, the business’ only product is a tip shaped like an arctic fox paw print, but more products featuring different animals could be coming soon — potentially with help from an event coming up in November.
A $3.6 billion industry
Preservation Dogs is one of five outdoor recreation businesses from across the state selected as semifinalists competing for a chance to win $15,000 in cash awards during a pitch competition at this year’s Adventure Pitch Fest. It’s an annual event hosted by the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division in partnership with Activate New Mexico.
State officials and event organizers said the showcase is a celebration of the businesses that fuel New Mexico’s outdoor recreation industry, which generated $3.6 billion and supported 31,454 jobs in 2024, according to the most recent federal data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
This year marks Adventure Pitch Fest’s second time as a standalone event at the Albuquerque Rail Yards. Founded in 2022, the event previously coincided with the state’s Outdoor Economics Conference.
After drawing 240 attendees last year with burros and llamas, the event is looking to grow with city of Albuquerque support, extended hours and the addition of goats and potentially other animals.
“It’s kind of like a state fair for outdoor recreation,” said Devin Bader, event manager for Activate New Mexico.
If you go
When: Friday, Nov. 6, from 4-8 p.m.
Where: Albuquerque Rail Yards at 777 First SW
More information: Tickets are free and can be reserved at bit.ly/adventurepitchfest
More than 20 businesses have registered to showcase at the event thus far, but organizers expect the final number to land above 30. The five businesses participating in the pitch competition were selected out of a pool of 26 applicants — a 20% uptick from last year, organizers said.
In 2025, the competition saw eight businesses go head-to-head, giving 60-second pitches and answering questions from a panel of judges across three rounds. At the end, three winners received $10,000, $3,000 and $2,000.
This year, all entrepreneurs will have three minutes to make their pitch before receiving questions from the judges, who will then select two finalists. The second round will feature a rapid Q&A before the judges select the first- and second-place winners, slated to receive $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
“We’re saving that pitch battle for the very last round, so that every company that’s pitching gets a chance to tell their whole story,” Bader said.
The adjustment came as a relief to Moffat, who also pitched in last year’s competition but was eliminated after the first round.
“We’re hoping to do better,” Moffat said, adding that he plans to “have a lot more fun” with this year’s pitch.
But last year wasn’t a total loss. The company that knocked Preservation Dogs out — FishSki Provisions — actually ended up helping Moffat discover and establish more wholesale accounts.
“You’re competing while you’re doing the pitch, but in all other respects, it really feels like you’re just there to help each other out and support each other,” Moffat said.
The business is now exploring local production partners. Moffat said the pitch competition’s prize money would support that expensive effort and advertising.
Global attraction
Another business in the running is The Sisu Way, an Albuquerque-based business led by Angus Peacock, who’s from London but followed his wife back to her home in New Mexico in January.
An author, military veteran and former endurance athlete, Peacock spent years organizing sports events in China, where he once crossed the Taklamakan Desert’s “Sea of Death.” Now, he hopes to bring that work to the Land of Enchantment.
“I think I’m fated to do this because it’s a beautiful environment,” Peacock said. “It’s also a real rush to see people achieve more than they think they can achieve, and I think New Mexico is a great place for that.”
So far, The Sisu Way — a name inspired by the Finnish concept of resilience in extreme adversity — is pre-revenue, but Peacock’s vision is to host events that showcase the state’s outdoors and spur adventure tourism. He thinks the events will appeal not only to New Mexicans, but to people across the world.
“High-desert environments are unique. They’re globally attractive,” Peacock said.
“My brother and his wife came over from London and they said, ‘Wow! No one in the UK knows New Mexico’s here. What a place to live,’” he said. “They had such a great time, so that’s got me thinking, yeah, I’m going to get people from the UK to, instead of going to Florida or California like they normally do, let’s get them into New Mexico and have a unique experience.”
Peacock hopes the prize money from Adventure Pitch Fest will help him launch his business, but he’s also looking to test his idea, make connections and learn more about the state and its outdoor recreation industry.
‘We just want to make a difference’
The other three semifinalists will come from across the state to make their pitches. They include Desert River Guides from Farmington, The Ranch @ Rio Nutrias Adventures from Las Nutrias near Tierra Amarilla in northern New Mexico and Elknrut Packgoats & Homestead from Carlsbad.
The Farmington business offers guided rafting and camping trips on the Animas and San Juan rivers and is seeking to invest in gear and expand its offerings. Owners of The Ranch @ Rio Nutrias Adventures are aiming to open up their working ranch to guests, offering farm stays and agricultural experiences.
Exposure is the goal for Carlsbad’s Allen Perez. Perez and his goats offer guided hunts and hikes, as well as skin products made from goat milk. Perez has more than 20 goats, which he trains to transport up to 60 pounds of gear through the wilderness.
While the hunting excursions are where the business earns most of its revenue, the hikes are where Perez finds the biggest rewards. The business offers leadership-building hikes geared toward youth and “reset” hikes for first responders, said Perez, a Carlsbad Police Department captain with 17 years of law enforcement experience.
Winning the pitch competition would help Perez make investments in gear, equipment and vehicles that would allow him to continue his work.
“We just want to make a difference,” he said. “When you get people outdoors, they see a whole different light of life.”
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her atkgarcia@abqjournal.com.
