The NM Citizen Advisory Committee* met with NMDGF staff on August 15th in Santa Fe to determine priorities for Habitat Stamp funding among 11 collaborative submissions. Eight of the nine Advisory Committee members were physically present; the other joined the meeting virtually. At the previous public meeting on July 15, 2024, in Las Cruces, each of the project submissions was presented by NMDGF staff, the FS or BLM staff, or both, responded to questions or comments from Committee members or the public. Each project submitted was developed and outlined jointly by staff partners from NMDGF staff and local divisions of either the Forest Service or BLM. (All project presentations are available at https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/conservation/public-land-user-stamp/).
The August 15th public meeting was organized for the Committee to determine priorities for funding among the applicants. Prior to this meeting, Committee members individually studied detailed materials for each of the submissions, and submitted a ranking (from 1 to 11) for each application based on analyses of the relative values and costs of each. Early in the meeting, NMDGF staff indicated that available funds are expected to be about $3,000,000, while total requests totaled $4,800,000. After introductions and a summary of the work to be completed, the Committee discussed each submission, commenting on each based on the application materials and their own expertise, with every member discussing and offering rankings for each submission. This required approximately 4 hours.
A chart (below) was then assembled, with entries for each submission including (a) project category (fish, wildlife, or both*), (b) estimated budget, and (c) final rank based on the averaging of individual rankings by Committee members. Beginning with the highest ranked, determinations were made of how far down the list funding could be made available, should some of the recommended projects fail to be initiated or sustained. For example, if critical staff were not available, or costs were lower than expected, funding could then be allocated to the next project(s) on the list.
Rather than summaries of the meetings, the NMDGF has provided full video of both the July and August meetings available online at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA63311FA230A4ED4
* Members are listed here
* At least 50% of funds are required to be directed toward fisheries.
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