WE NEED GAME & FISH REFORM TO

WILDLIFE CONDITIONS
IMPROVE

From black bears to native trout, roadrunners, and Gila monsters, New Mexico ranks in the top five states for biodiversity nationwide. Historically, our Department of Game & Fish has focused on hunting and fishing, but this does not reflect New Mexicans’ growing appreciation for watching, photographing, and otherwise enjoying wildlife through non-consumptive means.
FOR ALL POSITIONS:
PROBLEM
1
The Department of Game & Fish lacks clear legislative authority to manage all wildlife species.
2
There is a biodiversity crisis in New Mexico, with many wildlife populations in decline and losing critical habitat.
3
The Department has a funding shortage that leaves wildlife unprotected and vulnerable to new threats like wildfire, flooding and drought.
SOLUTION
Update the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish's mission to clarify existing statutes and fix our patchwork of laws that leave many wildlife unprotected.
Support a $10.5 million appropriation through the Government Results and Opportunity (GRO) Fund.
FUNDING FOR A 21ST CENTURY
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:

HUNTING & FISHING
LICENSE FEES
FEDERAL
MATCHING DOLLARS
GRO FUNDS
GAME & FISH REFORM WOULD:
-
Leverage additional federal dollars
-
Improve habitats where wildlife live, breed & migrate
-
Support additional conservation work for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
-
Help recover native species so they don’t get put on the federal threatened or endangered list
-
Ensure conservation funding is balanced more equally among hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers and non-consumptive users
-
Not change any existing laws affecting hunters, anglers, or private landowners
-
​Protect our food supply by ensuring healthy populations of pollinators, which are important for honey, agave, and other industries
Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): On the Rise in New Mexico | 2017 | 2025 |
---|---|---|
AMPHIBIANS | 14 | 15 |
BIRDS | 72 | 145 |
CRUSTACEANS | 30 | 31 |
FISHES | 29 | 39 |
MAMMALS | 24 | 57 |
MOLLUSCS | 46 | 86 |
REPTILES | 20 | 40 |


WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
SUCCESS STORIES:

Birds: 46% of bird species in New Mexico are vulnerable to extinction by the end of the century(3)

Pollinators: ¾ of the world’s plants and more than â…“ of all food crops depend on animal pollinators(4).
WILDLIFE VULNERABILITIES & THREATS:
Beavers: once threatened with extinction in the 1860s, New Mexico’s beaver population now ranges between 6,000 and 12,000 thanks to conservation work; beavers dams help improve water quality, avoid major flooding and fight wildfires(1)
Otters: through a successful reintroduction program, the population has grown from 33 to between 80-100 otters and have been spotted in places from Taos to Cochiti Lake to Corrales(2)
1: Defenders of Wildlife: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d6e8348568e34526b50345bfd000b53d
2: NM Dept. of Game & Fish
3: Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/climate/survivalbydegrees
4: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/initiatives-and-highlighted-programs/peoples-garden/importance-pollinators
21st CENTURY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT FOR NEW MEXICO:

Update the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish’s mission

Sustain our hunting and fishing traditions

Fix the State Game Commission

Improve wildlife conditions