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WE NEED GAME & FISH REFORM TO

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WILDLIFE CONDITIONS

IMPROVE

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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:

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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
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WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
SUCCESS STORIES:

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

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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)

21st CENTURY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT FOR NEW MEXICO:

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

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Sustain our hunting and fishing traditions

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Fix the State Game Commission

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Improve wildlife conditions

CONTACT

Judy Calman

Audubon Southwest
judy.calman@audubon.org

Jesse Deubel

New Mexico Wildlife Federation

jesse@nmwildlife.org

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