Mary Katherine Ray,
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Wildlife Chair
The wild needs more wolves!
You have probably seen that the end-of-year count for Mexican wolves has declined for the first time in several years. Managers found only 97 wolves this year, compared with 113 last year.
More wolves need to be released into the wild – and soon – to give our lobos a boost.
Over time, the population of lobos, which is now completely wild-born, has become more inbred. The captive population has a greater genetic diversity than the wild one. To rescue the lobo population and improve the wild gene pool, more releases into the wild are needed this year! Every year that passes without this genetic ...
By Mary Katherine Ray, Wildlife Chair, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
The New Mexico Game Commission has announced a special meeting to be held this Friday, Feb. 26, in Albuquerque to consider one agenda item: allowing the private Ladder Ranch to have a permit to temporarily house Mexican wolves who are on their way to Mexico.
Please attend if you can to show support for our iconic southwestern wolves, which need all the help they can get!
What: New Mexico Game Commission meeting to consider allowing the Ladder Ranch to hold wolves on their way south of the border
When: 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26
Where: Albuquerque Marriott, Acoma Room 2101 Louisiana Blvd. NE, Albuquerque
You may have an opportunity to ...
Please join us for New Mexico Land-Water-Wildlife Day at the Roundhouse!
Meet with representatives from dozens of conservation organizations. Attend a lobby training session to learn how you can talk with legislators and be a crucial part of the law-making process to protect our natural heritage. Join us at the Rotunda for a press conference with legislators who work to protect our public lands, water resources and wildlife.
This is an opportunity for everyone who cares about the environment to demonstrate to elected officials that public lands, rivers and wetlands, and wildlife conservation have overwhelming public support.
What: Sierra Club Land-Water-Wildlife Day at the Roundhouse
Where: Roundhouse (State Capitol) in Santa Fe
When: Thursday, Feb. 11:
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Jody Benson,
Pajarito Group Newsletter editor
Los Alamos County Council almost joined Doña Ana and Santa Fe counties in approving a resolution requiring the state and Congress to fully fund the Endangered Species Act.
White Rock resident Donald Jones introduced the citizens’ petition at the Council meeting on November 17. It reads, “The County fully supports the Endangered Species Act and strongly encourages Congress to continue full funding and enforcement without interfering with science-based decisions about the level of endangerment or protection of individual species.”
We say “almost joined” because, as often happens with the County Council in issues regarding environmental protections, the county kicked the issue into the future, sending it back to staff, with Susan O’Leary (D) recommending ...
By Mary Katherine Ray,
Rio Grande Chapter Wildlife Chair
Trapping season officially opened on November 1, but trappers usually are most active from December through February. That is when animal pelts are the thickest and most lucrative for sale. And it is when hikers are most likely to encounter traps while recreating on public land. Already we have had reports of traps near Santa Fe, Jemez and Las Cruces. At least three dogs have been caught. Traps need only be 25 yards from roads and trails — not more than a few bounds for a dog. Unofficial trails and user-created roads don’t count.
Legally, only the trap owner may interfere with his or her own trap, including any animal that ...
by Mary Katherine Ray
Rio Grande Chapter Wildlife Chair
(575) 772-5655
The Game Commission made some terrible decisions about carnivores and wolves last year, but your presence and protests showed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that we support them. This federal agency has promised to uphold the Endangered Species Act and proceed with wolf reintroduction in New Mexico regardless of state Game Commission attempts at obstruction.
This time, commissioners will be issuing a final vote on the Ladder Ranch’s permit to import and hold Mexican wolves awaiting release into the wild. Releases of more wolves is urgently needed to bolster the wild population.
At its last meeting, the commission also failed to adopt the State Wildlife Action Plan, turning down millions ...
By Teresa Seamster, Northern Group chair
The 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan took two years to develop and was prepared with the cooperation of many state partners, such as Natural Heritage New Mexico at UNM, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at New Mexico State University, state Forestry and the Surface Water Bureau.
A simple request for a 10-year renewal of federal funding for the Wildlife Action Plan suddenly took on aspects of a showdown between Game commissioners and the Game and Fish Department when staff biologists presented the plan at the November commission meeting in Roswell.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife funding is offered to all 50 states plus U.S. territories to help state wildlife departments monitor and develop ...
At its November meeting, the New Mexico Game Commission decided not to decide on the Ladder Ranch permit to hold endangered Mexican gray wolves.
Previously, the commission denied the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a permit to import and release wolves into New Mexico. But because the Endangered Species Act is a federal law, it trumps state and local laws, according to the U.S. constitution. The U.S. Department of the Interior has given the green light to the Fish and Wildlife Service to release wolves into New Mexico anyway, because these releases are critical to the genetics and future viability of the Mexican wolf.
The Commission also had denied a permit to the Ladder Ranch to hold Mexican wolves in ...
