11.8.24 NM State Game Commission Recap

The meeting gathered at Las Cruses. Five Commissioners were present in the room at the beginning of the meeting (Chair Stump, Vice Chair Sharon Salazar Hickey, Dr. Sabrina Pack, Tirzio Lopez, Fernando Clemente Jr.), while Commissioner Gregg Fulfir joined virtually. I attended this meeting virtually due to travel issues and a COVID diagnosis. As usual, the meeting began with a Call to Order, Roll Call, Pledge of Allegiance, Introduction of Guests, Approval of the Agenda, and Approval of ther Consent Agenda.
Because the agenda included a planned, and advertised, Commission Listening Session, there were a large number of members of the public present in the room. I could not see all on the video, but there were more than 20 in the room, and at least a similar additional number present virtually. (The Commission Listening Session was for public comments on The Mexican Gray Wolf Management in New Mexico—a concern that is widely regarded as important.) There were 4 additional agenda items that were planned before the Listening Session was to begin. Instead, however, immediately after the Consent Agenda was approved, the Chair asked to go into Executive Session to meet around issues of land acquisition and sales, litigation updates, and limited personnel matters. The Chair and one other Commissioner indicated that this would take about 2 hours (the Chair indicated that he needed to leave the meeting at noon). This decision was not very comfortable for some other commissioners, but was approved. Members of the public in person or virtually then needed to determine how dedicated they were given the delay. A sign on the screen clarified the need to wait, but not for how long.

The Executive Session did take 2 hours, then the commission moved to several additional  items:
- Chief Stewart Liley provided a summary the most recent depredation and wildlife nuisance statistics, which indicated that 98.7% of those complaints had been resolved. + Chief Stewart also offered the approval of the Biennial Review of at risk or threatened wildlife. That motion was approved by the Commission.
- Chief James Pitmann provided an overview of the considerable efforts that NMDGF are engaged in to construct, and market the new website. Those present indicated that this work was valuable.
- Chief James Pitman then described the effort being focused on in the Off Highway Vehicle Program. The emphasis is mostly educational; I did comment here on the New. Mexico BHA Illegal Motorized Use Reward Program offering rewards of up to $500 for reports or information leading to a citation for illegal motorized use, developed to encourage sportsmen and public land users to continue our longstanding tradition of policing our own ranks.  (https://www.backcountryhunters.org/illegal_motorized_use_reward_program) 

-An extended overview by Dr. James Cain, of the NMSU Cooperation Research Unit, which has initiated more than 200 projects totaling 30 million dollars in financial support from state, federal, university, and private cooperators. Not surprisingly, given the program for the day, questions about wolves arose; he reported on that research while indicating that if found any evidence of attacking cattle, that case is immediately shifted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Chair necessarily had to leave before the Listening Session began, so this was chaired by Vice-Chair Sharon Salazar Hickey. Approximately 50 citizen comments were shared; the range of opinions offered including those from ranchers, sportsman, and those wishing for further release areas, moving families as units. It is worth looking at that part of the video of the meeting (listed below) both to understand the current range of opinions, but at least to my eye, l the comments from those attending were generally respectful. (My brief comment stated that BHA has no established position on the management of wolves in NM, I did indicate that those present should be aware that the family Canidae [all current wolves on earth] originated about 40 million years ago; homo sapiens around 300,000 years ago; wolves are and have always been part of our world.)

Commission meeting video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUdNLggfhqw 
About Mark Mattaini

Activist Social Worker/Behavioral Systems Scientist; Editor, Behavior Science Perspectives on Culture and Community, Author, Strategic Nonviolent Power: The Science of Satyagraha

See other posts related to New Mexico news