the conservationist - volume 1 issue 1

apping more than a century of wildlife restoration in New

Mexico, the State Game Com-mission delisted the desert bighorn sheep during its Nov. 3 meeting in Farmington. Desert bighorn sheep were listed as a state endangered species in 1980 when the population was estimated at fewer than 70. Today the population is esti-mated to be 645 animals, far more than

what was needed to achieve delisting under the Wildlife Conservation Act.

Currently, three herds exceed 100 ani-mals each. The current population ex-ceeds the criteria for delisting accord-ing to the Department’s recovery plan, and is expected to top 700 in 2012.

This historic achievement was achieved by multiple transplant opera-tions and selective control of cougars. Although most of the transplanted animals came out of a captive herd at the Red Rock Wildlife Management Area, the first wild capture of desert bighorns occurred in October on the Armendaris Ranch.

Department biologists credit a program of desert bighorn transplants and cou-gar control for the recovery. Since being listed in 1980, about $5 mil-lion has gone into the program, with sportsmen paying the bills through sales of hunting licenses and special auction and raffle tags.

Federal excise taxes on hunting equip-ment charged at the manufacturing level also helped pay for the recovery.

Increased viewing opportunities and an additional 16 hunting licenses will be available in the 2012 hunt season, a tremendous boost for our sportsmen and sportswomen.

January 2012 l Vol.1 No. 1

DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP DELISTEDRestoration Effort 31 Years In Making

Marking a historical success for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, desert bighorn sheep became New Mexico’s first wildlife species ever to be removed from the state threatened and endangered lists.

Photo by Mark Birkhauser, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

TABLE OF CONTENTS

l Director’s View ............. Page 2

l Northwest Area ............ Page 3

l Fisheries ...................... Page 4

l Department News ......... Page 5

l Go Paperless ................ Page 9

l Events Calendar .......... 0

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish revived the historic name, “The Conservationist,” for our newsletter to showcase the excellent conservation work our dedicated professionals do in the field of wildlife management. Conservation, often misconstrued as preservation, is the wise use of our resources. The Department is dedicated to the long-term well-being of New Mexico’s fish and wildlife and the benefit to the people of this great state. It is our Mission, to provide and maintain an adequate supply of wildlife and fish within the state of New Mexico by utilizing a flexible management system that provides for their protection, conservation, regulation, propagation, and for their use as public recreation and food supply.

By Darrel WeybrightWildlife Management Division, Acting [email protected]

C

he New Mexico Depart-ment of Game and Fish has a long history of managing

the resources of the state to produce some of the world’s best hunting and fishing. To that end, the De-partment employs professionals who have dedicated their careers to being active managers and stewards of New Mexico’s natural resources. Those professionals are the key to the contin-ued success and relevance of the Department within the context of changing societal values and continued pressure to properly manage wildlife resources that have a deep intrinsic value to each and every one of us.

As the new director, I am excited to lead a Depart-ment that is poised to manage the resource and work with our customers in a way that maintains and fosters the foundation of hunters, fisher-men and trappers that funds the conservation of wildlife resources for all New Mexicans. Under the current funding structure of the agency, the cost of management of both game and non-game species of fish and wildlife in New Mexico con-tinues to be borne by the landowners of the state, by those who buy licenses from the Department, and those who purchase hunting and fishing gear from retail stores across the country. To reiter-ate, sportsmen-based funding is the model upon which successful wildlife management has been accomplished.

Unfortunately, this successful model has not pro-tected the traditions upon which it stands from the attacks of protectionist groups who actively work against the fundamentals of sound wildlife management. These groups, under the auspices of ‘conservation’ and being ‘environmentalists’, have become very effective in the dissemination of misleading information and half-truths through popular media and within our school systems. To counter misinformation and better educate our

youth, the Department will increase its efforts to integrate a conservation education message into school systems throughout New Mexico. Con-servation officers and other staff will dedicate a portion of their time toward educating our youth about the importance of sound scientific wildlife management and the role of traditional land uses of hunting, fishing and trapping in future manage-ment direction and decisions.

The primary goal of the conservation education curriculum will not be recruitment of hunters, anglers or trappers. The goal will be long-term recruitment of voters who have a basic under-standing of the natural resources we often take for granted, and an understanding of sound wildlife management by state agencies. The children we reach today will hold the future of wildlife man-agement in their hands as laws are proposed that have the potential to impact the way our wildlife resources are managed well into the future. I intend for the Department to be instrumental in building a foundation for those children to make wise and well-informed decisions.

We often overlook the fact that wildlife manage-ment as employed by the Department’s profes-sionals has resulted in monumental conservation success stories in New Mexico including the resto-ration of elk, wild turkeys, river otters, peregrine falcons and desert bighorn sheep, to name a few.

Future success will depend on our ability to continue to hire the best professionals in the na-tion and ability to effectively communicate our conservation message and mission with the public and with those in positions to effect change. As we start a new year, I look forward to assisting the Department in working toward those ends.

l The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST

The New Mexico DeparTMeNT of GaMe & fish NewsleTTer is published by thePublic Information and Outreach Division, N.M. Department of Game and Fish. Contact The New Mexico DeparTMeNT of GaMe & fish for permission to reprint content. Printed in the United States under contract with the State of New Mexico.

Martin FrentzelEditor

Lance CherryChief of Publications

Letters may be sent to:

New Mexico wilDlife

P.O. Box 25112Santa Fe, NM 87504-5112

Telephone (505) [email protected]

Volume 1, Number 1

New Mexico DeparTMeNT of GaMe aND fish

Jim LaneDirector

R. J. KirkpatrickAssistant Director for Resources

Patrick BlockAssistant Director

for Support ServicesMike SloaneFisheries Chief

Darrel WeybrightWildlife Management, Acting Chief

Matt WunderConservation Services Chief

Dan BrooksLaw Enforcement Chief

Martin FrentzelPublic Information and Outreach Chief

Alexa SandovalAdministrative Services Chief

Sonya QuintanaHuman Resources Chief

Robert McGeeInformation Services Chief

area chiefs

Ray Aaltonen / Las CrucesChris Neary / Raton

Leon Redman / RoswellBrian Gleadle / Albuquerque

sTaTe GaMe coMMissioN

Jim McClinticChairman, Albuquerque

Thomas “Dick” Salopek Vice-chairman, Las Cruces

Tom Arvas Albuquerque

Scott Bidegain Tucumcari

Robert V. Hoffman Las Cruces

William “Bill” Montoya Alto

Robert Espinoza, Sr.Farmington

Please visit our Web site,www.wildlife.state.nm.us

DIRECTOR’S VIEW

TJim Lane with wife, Beth, son Christian and daughter Allison.

By Jim LaneNew Mexico Department of Game and Fish, [email protected]

ach year, profession-als within the natural resource conservation

community are nominated by their top administrators to compete for one of 36 fellow-ship spaces at the National Conservation Leadership Institute.

The training is considered a world-class leadership development experi-ence that prepares leaders of the future by challenging assumptions, teaching skills, facilitating networking and strengthening confidence.

Game and Fish Sergeant Donald Jaramillo of Belen recently attended a two-week training session through the Institute in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. According to Jaramillo, the training was very intense and taught him how to deal with adaptive chal-lenges by looking at the big picture. He said that although the class took him outside his comfort zone many times, it was very beneficial and will

help him in the future when working through issues on a professional level as well as in his personal life.

Through June 2012, Jaramillo will further develop skills learned in the first session by working on a project selected by the agency’s administra-tion that focuses on evaluating current Game and Fish officers’ work assign-ments to ensure that they are able to meet current and future needs.

• NorthwestofficersfromFarming-

ton to Chama worked extra hours last December to combat poaching of mule deer. During the “rut,” bucks are on lower-elevation winter ranges, which make them more accessible and vul-nerable to those who choose to illegal-ly kill them. Since Thanksgiving Day, at least seven mule deer were illegally killed, and in some instances only the heads were taken for their trophy ant-lers. One group of poachers has been caught and will face charges in court that could include illegal killing, illegal possession and hunting with the aid of artificial light.

• Despitesomepoorwinterdrivingconditions, the 7th annual youth-only pheasant hunt on the Casa Colorada Waterfowl Area south of Belen was another great success. Department officers and Bernardo Waterfowl Area employees assisted 12 youth hunters this year. The event was sponsored by the New Mexico Conservation Officer’s Association, which donated the funds used to purchase pheasants for release on the property.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST l

NWA’SJARAMILLOSELECTED AMONG ELITE

NORTHWEST AREA

Northwest Area Sergeant Donald Jaramillo was selected as one of 36 fellows to participate in the National Conservation Leadership Institute’s development training in Shepherdstown, WV. Above, Jaramillo and Department staff prepare to translocate turkey near Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area.

Photo byDan Williams, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

Donald Jaramillo, NWA Sergeant

By Ross MorganPublic Information and [email protected]

E


team effort starting with the State Game Commission Chair-

man and working across multiple divisions has created something new and special in the Braids area on the San Juan.

I know the San Juan is not new. But, after the project recently completed in the Braids, it is a whole new place.

The Department was appropriated $250,000 to make improvements to the river. The agency then lost the funding as the state budget spiraled down. Through the dedication and persistence of State Game Commission Chairman Jim McClintic, we were one of the few agencies to get the money back and be able to move forward with the project. Marc Wethington worked with Riverbend Engineering to get a design and then with Bureau of Reclamation, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , and State Parks to get through environmental compliance in record time. Albuquer-que contractor AUI, Inc., started work October 10, 2011, and completed the work December 8, nearly 30 days ahead of schedule. Marc was there every day to fine-tune the design as it came together in the river.

What did we get for our money? The least glamorous part of the project is a

much needed sediment retention pond on the Rex Smith Wash. The pond will prevent sediment from entering the Kiddie Hole and moving downstream thereby improving overall habitat con-ditions. The more significant change to the river occurred in the Braids. The Braids was largely unfishable because of low flow and depth. The project redistributed water by install-ing a rock diversion at the head of the Braids and punched 21 new pools into the bedrock. The plan also included placing fill between some of the braid-ed islands to create channels that have enough depth and complexity to hold fish and grow bugs. Add to all of this some large woody debris (big chunks

of cottonwoods from within the park) and a few artificial beaver dams and the entire area is transformed into a completely different place.

Within minutes of the track-hoe completing a pool, fish would move in – the ultimate San Juan Shuffle! Dur-ing our last tour of the site with the Chairman and Director Jim Lane, we saw fish in every pool and in one pool there were more than 150 fish. Anglers already were fishing the various holes and could not have been more positive about the changes. So, grab the family or your fishing buddy, and head up to the Braids to fish the newest water on the San Juan.

TEAM EFFORT CREATES NEW FISHING OPPORTUNITIES ON THE SAN JUAN

FISHERIES DIVISION

Trout moved into the new pools in the Braids of the San Juan as quickly as the track-hoe moved out, and anglers could not be more positive about the changes made to this famous river.

Photo by Dan Williams, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

By Michael SloaneFisheries Division, [email protected]

A


he Department is making a small change that is really

big – implementing a new uniform shirt. Department officers and employees have been wearing blue shirts for more than three decades. The New Mexico Conservation Officers Association approached the Department administration with the idea of changing the Department uniform color. The initial proposal was to change to an earth tone such as green, coyote (khaki) or gray.

Most state wildlife agencies have some color scheme that is a natural tone, reflec-tive of the down-to-earth nature of the outdoors occupation of conservation of-ficers, biologists and hatchery workers.

Officers sometimes need to remain con-cealed as they assess dynamic situations in the field and move up to a scene or area where some commotion or enforcement need dictates. However, there is also the need to maintain a visible and professional image as a state officer or employee.

The end result was easy: The Department is going gray.

The Department’s administration and Director liked the gray uniform shirt. The

gray shirt goes well with the black pants and jackets of the Department’s uniform.

NORTHEAST ACCESS IMPROVES THROUGH OPEN GATE PROGRAM

Access to public lands in Unit 48 is limited by suitable roads, interspersed public and private lands, and remoteness of the area.

In August, the Department reached agree-ments with lessees of State Trust lands and the New Mexico State Land Office to allow licensed hunters to camp in designated areas.

This fall, as in past years, the Depart-

ment also leased access across private land through the Open Gate Program to provide hunters with vehicle access to inaccessible trust lands for hunting.

There were a handful of violations this fall that Game and Fish officers investigated and issued citations. But overall, 2011 seasons in Unit 48 have run smoothly.

SHOOTING PROGRAM MAKESSTRIDES IN THE SOUTHWEST

The Department of Game and Fish is an active partner in developing the Dona Ana County 4-H shooting sports program, and local Youth Hunter Education Challenge

GOING GRAY

DEPARTMENT NEWS

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officers are sporting a new look as the traditional blue shirts have been replaced with new, earth-tone gray shirt and improved Department patch.

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

By Department StaffNew Mexico Department of Game and [email protected]

T


teams (YHEC).

To encourage youth shooting, the Depart-ment provides financial support for YHEC teams and ammunition for a 4-H group. In Dona Ana County, more than 150 kids participate in both programs.

Dona Ana County teams performed ex-tremely well at the National 4-H champi-onships in San Antonio, Texas, in 2011. Sierra Salopek, a certified Department of Game and Fish junior hunter educa-tion instructor, placed in the top 10 in the hunting skills division. New Mexico teams ranked in the top 10 in small bore rifle, small bore pistol, muzzleloader, air rifle, and hunting skills.

Las Cruces YHEC teams did well at the National championships in Raton. Tyler Gardner, a certified junior hunter educa-tion instructor from Dona Ana County, was national champion in the Hunter Safety Trail course.

PITTMAN-ROBERTSON FUNDSREINVESTED IN SHOOTERS

Excise taxes on ammunition, sporting arms, archery equipment and handguns helps pay for wildlife management in New Mexico and other states. It also funds Hunter Education and a Department-sponsored shooting program.

A shooting program manager eventually will be hired, but in the mean time Depart-ment staff has worked to supply am-munition to young shooters. The agency conducted training sessions for 60 coaches who can bring young shooters into the Amateur Trapshooting Association’s AIM Program.

That stands for Academics, Integrity and Marksmanship. Currently, AIM teams are in Aztec, Gallup, Albuquerque, Los Ala-mos, Mora and Raton.

Late-summer, fun shoots were staged for the teams in Los Alamos and Albuquer-que, with plans for a shoot in Las Cruces in 2012.

• TheDepartmentpurchasedthreetrapsfor the shotgun ranges at the Butterfield Shooting Range in Las Cruces. The traps are state property on long-term loan to the City of Las Cruces, and youth shooters do receive discounts at the range.

SOUTHEAST ANTELOPE HUNTIS GREATLY APPRECIATED

Assistant Chief Mike Perry received the following letter from a happy hunter.

Good morning Mike,

The Antelope Female-immature in GM # 32 was awesome! My 80-year-old partner and I harvested our animals before 9:15 a.m. We saw several large groups of animals. One group of 25 head ran onto hay field to es-cape from us. These animals had left the hay fields, watered and were going back toward the hay when we spotted them.

I appreciate the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish allowing us to hunt this area

and remove problem antelope.

With YOUR assistance the hunt was a huge success, and I will apply for this exciting hunt again if offered by the NMDGF. Your service to our state and the hunting public is greatly appreciated.

Respectfully,Lee Mallett

PRIVATE LAND PROGRAMSTARTING A NEW EFFORT

Privately owned lands comprise about 45 percent of New Mexico; most are valuable to wildlife.

For generations, New Mexico farmers and ranchers have provided valuable resources to wildlife. The Department recognizes and desires to reward good stewardship for wildlife by offering increased avenues for landowners to improve productivity.

The Wildlife Management Division has de-

The 2011 New Mexico’s 4-H Shooting Sports Contest High Point Team winners for .22 pistol and muzzleloading.

Photo Courtesy of Dona Ana County Extension


signed programs to provide incentives for operators who make wildlife part of their operation. Private land biologists soon will be working directly with landowners to design and implement wildlife habitat improvements. Call (505) 476-8044 to get more information.

Big Game A three-year study of black bears in the Sangre de Cristo and Sacramento moun-tains will begin the spring of 2012. This collaboration with the New Mexico Co-operative Fisheries and Wildlife Research Unit will sample bear DNA throughout these ranges to determine bear density, distribution and movements.

Game Birds Joseph Sands assumed the duties of Game Bird Programs Manager in the Santa Fe office in September. Originally from Days Creek, Oregon, Joseph graduated with an Honors Bachelors of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University (2004), a Masters of Science in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (2007) and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Science at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (2010). Prior to joining the Department, Sands worked as a research associate for the Caesar Kle-berg Wildlife Research Institute, at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

• Currently,theDepartmentisprepar-ing for spring lek surveys of lesser prairie chickens, and the 11th Annual High Plains Prairie Chicken Festival is scheduled April 20-22 in Milnesand.

HABITAT IS SURVIVAL KEYFOR LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKEN

The Lesser Prairie Chicken is a species endemic to the United States and found in five states in the Southern Great Plains. It has endured many changes to its habitat including large-scale land conversion to agriculture, expansion of oil and gas explo-ration and habitat fragmentation.

The State Game Commission holds title to more than 25,000 acres of lesser prairie chicken habitat in southeast New Mexico,

and recent habitat enhancement efforts included replacement or repair of more than 21 miles of fencing to control trespass grazing, and repairs and upgrades to 11 water catchments, including a new catch-ment on Gallina Wells 2.

Cooperating partners include Southeast New Mexico Wildlife, Inc.; the Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District, and The Nature Conservancy. The Bureau of Land

Management reclaimed 7.5 miles of unnec-essary roads on various PCAs in 2010, with an additional nine miles of road reclamation planned for the Milnesand PCA.

AGENCY AUDIT PASSESWITH FLYING COLORS

The Department completed its annual audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. Overall, revenues exceeded expenditures and the Department continues to support healthy fund balances.

The Department is in very good financial standing and will continue to be judi-cious in how money is spent throughout the agency. The Department will work throughout fiscal year 2012 to provide the services the public expects and manage the resources hunters, anglers and trappers enjoy in our great state.

The Department generates most of its revenue through license sales and federal reimbursements. The Department did not receive any general fund money to support

Lesser Prairie Chickens on the Milnesand Prairie Chicken Area.Photos by Dan Williams, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

Bull elk sparring during the fall rut on the Valles Caldera National Preserve.


program activity during fiscal year 2011 and does not expect any general fund ap-portionment in the near future.

The total revenue received during fiscal year 2011 is more than $37 million with total expenditures of slightly more than $32 million. Of the revenue received, $24.6 million is for services (license and per-mit sales) and $12.6 million is for federal grant reimbursement. Of the $32 million in expenditures, nearly $30 million is for resource conservation which is made up of personal services and employee benefits, contractual services and other costs.

The “Other Costs” are about $2.3 million depreciation on capital assets owned by the State Game Commission.

The Department expects expenses to increase next fiscal year because of the continued effort to fill vacant positions and hiring the best qualified individuals.

HUNT APPLICATION PROCESS CHANGES EXTENSIVELY IN 2012

Major projects always keep the Depart-ment’s Information Systems Division busy, but it’s usually not as busy as the months leading up to January 2012 when the on-line application system went live.

The Applications Section made major changes in accordance with a new law passed by the New Mexico Legislature. “The changes were extensive,” Supervisor Carl Sylvia said.

Major changes include the addition of the new “Game Hunting” and “Game Hunting and Fishing” licenses, which customers will be required to purchase online before applying for draw hunts. The new law also changed the quotas for resident, nonresi-dent, and guided hunters.

Also new for the upcoming license year, paper applications no longer will be accepted. More than 80 percent of appli-cants already had been using the online system, and the Operations Section set up an in-house call center for our customers to phone in their online applications and

harvest reports. Computer training op-portunities will be offered across the state during the application period.

GAME COMMISSION MEETINGSAVAILABLE THROUGH WEBCAST

New Mexico Game Commission meet-ings are now being broadcast live over the Internet. Webcasting the meeting aligns with Gov. Susana Martinez’s initiative to make state government more accessible and transparent. The public can access the live webcast from the governor’s website, http://www.governor.state.nm.us/Webcast.aspx. Information about how to view the streaming video is available on the website.

POSTER CONTEST CELEBRATES LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKENS

Artists of all ages are invited to try their hand at depicting one of New Mexico’s most colorful birds as a participant in this year’s High Plains Prairie Chicken Festi-

val poster contest. The contest is among several events that will celebrate the 12th annual festival in and around Milnesand in eastern New Mexico. The festival, lim-ited to the first 100 registrants, sold out in record time in 2011. The deadline for original artwork submissions to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is March 1, 2012.

ONLINE TRAINING AVAILABLEFOR YOUNG OHV RIDERS

The New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Pro-gram is offering an online training course that will fulfill the safety training require-ment for riders younger than 18. New Mexico law requires anyone younger than 18 to have passed an approved OHV safety training course before riding on public lands. Two approved courses are available at www.B4uRide.com. Both courses cost $25. For more information about the OHV Program and safety training requirements, please call (505) 476-8140.

The 2011 Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival poster contest winning entry. The deadline for this year’s contest is March 1, 2012.

Watercolor painting by Burt Calkins


2012 DEPARTMENT EVENTS CALENDARFEBRUARY

Bob Gerding’s OutdoorAdventure Show9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Feb. 10-12Manual Lujan Building

Expo New MexicoAlbuquerque

Contact Lance Cherry(505) 476-8003

_____________________

State Game CommissionMeeting

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.Feb. 23Hobbs

www.wildlife.state.nm.usContact NMDGF(505) 476-8000

MARCH

Hunter Education MonthEntire Month of March

Log in to your accounton the Department wesite

for locations and class detailswww.wildlife.state.nm.us

StatewideContact Jennifer Morgan

Hunter Education Program(505) 222-4731

_____________________

Prairie Chicken FestivalPoster Contest

Deadline for SubmissionsMarch 1

NM Dept. of Game & FishOne Wildlife Way

Santa Fe, NM 87507Contact Dan Williams

(505) 476-8004_____________________

Annual Tingley Beach Fishing Derby7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Mar. 10Tingley BeachAlbuquerque

Contact Rebecca Houtman(505) 248-8514

APRIL

Prairie Chicken FestivalApril 13-15-

MilnesandContact Tish McDaniels

(505) 762-6997_____________________

NM NASPVirtual Tournament

April 15Statewide

Contact Brian Guzman(505) 231-4375

_____________________

MAY

Northern NM Hunting & Fishing Conservation Expo

May 11-12Red River

Contact NMDGF(800) 348-6444

_____________________

Catch a Special Thrill10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Jan. 6-8Navajo Lake State Park

Navajo DamContact NMDGF(505) 476-8000

JUNE

Free Fishing DayJune 2

Watch Department websitefor locations and detailswww.wildlife.state.nm.us

Contact NMDGF(505) 476-8000

_____________________

NRA State Youth Hunter Education Challenge

June 1-3NRA-Whittington Center

RatonContact Rick Andes

(800) 762-4864_____________________

AUGUST

New Mexico Outdoor Expo10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Aug. 18-19 City of Albuquerque

Shooting Range State ParkAlbuquerque

Contact Jennifer Morgan Hunter Education Program

(505) 222-4731AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

National Hunting & Fishing Day

Sep. 22Fenton Lake State Park

www.wildlife.state.nm.usContact NMDGF(505) 476-8000

_____________________

See Something Missing? Send your event information to

Lance Cherry,[email protected].

the conservationist - volume 1 issue 1

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