Outdoor Reporter: Fall 2018 Edition

FA L L 2 0 1 8 E D I T I O N

Outdoor R E P O R T E R

LINES IN THE WATER AND CROSSHAIRS ON THE CRITTERS GABE VASQUEZ PAGE 19

NEW EVENTS ENGAGE SPORTSWOMEN IN NEW MEXICO SUSAN TORRES PAGE 6

ONE EARTH, ONE CHANCE

HUNTING IN THE US VS. EUROPE

BY FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

ALLIE D'ANDREA

MICHELLE DANIELA RAMIREZ PAGE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SUPPORT GROWS FOR ANTIQUITIES ACT 2018 3 TIME RUNS OUT FOR THE LAND AND WATER 4 CONSERVATION FUND

SUPPORT GROWS FOR ANTIQUITIES ACT 2018

NEW PROGRAMS ENGAGE SPORTSWOMEN 6 OF NEW MEXICO BIRDS AND BEETLES DON’T BELONG IN OUR 8 NATIONAL DEFENSES BILL

BY SOPHIE SHEMAS | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

NEW MEXICO COLLEGE STUDENTS 10 SWAP IN TENNESSEE LESSONS PASSED DOWN FROM WALKS IN THE WOODS

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Last summer, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke led an unprecedented attack on our public lands, initiating a review of national monuments all over the country in an attempt to undermine the Antiquities Act of 1906.

HUNTING IN EUROPE VS THE UNITED STATES 14 SUPPORT GROWS FOR AN OFFICE 15 OF OUTDOOR RECREATION NUESTRA TIERRA PODCAST 16 DRAWS IN NEW LISTENERS

While in New Mexico, we’re stuck waiting to see what the administration’s proposed management changes might mean for Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monuments, the ramifications of the national monument review are already unfolding elsewhere.

NATIVE YOUTH COMMUNITY ADAPTATION 17 AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ONE EARTH, ONE CHANCE 18 LINES IN THE WATER AND 19 CROSSHAIRS ON THE CRITTERS SLOT LIMITS SELECTIVE HARVEST 20 YIELD TROPHY FISH HOME ON THE GILA: 22 OUR DUTY TO PROTECT OUR HERITAGE

New Mexico sportsmen and women protecting our outdoor way of life since 1914

NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION STAFF

The Outdoor Reporter is a bi-annual publication of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit organization working to protect the rights and traditions of New Mexico hunters and anglers since 1914. For more information or to join us, visit our website at www.nmwildlife.org. To advertise in the Outdoor Reporter, email storres@nmwildlife.org.

Acting Executive Director

Todd Leahy

Communications Director

Susan Torres

Community Relations Director

Gabe Vasquez

Finance Coordinator Wendy Sandidge Public Lands Fellow Sophie Shemas

(505) 299-5404 • www.nmwildlife.org 6100 Seagull St. NE Suite B-105, Albuquerque, NM 87109 facebook.com/nmwildlife • @nmwildlife

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In Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are being dismantled, with Bears Ears shrunk by 85% and Grand StaircaseEscalante cut nearly in half. While lawsuits questioning the legality of these cuts are ongoing, the administration is already pushing through new management plans without substantive public input. New development is already being ushered in. In June, it was revealed that a Canadian copper and silver mining firm had filed a new mining claim on lands previously protected within Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Under this pressure, New Mexico’s Congressional delegation has stepped up to fight back. Back in January, United States Senator Tom Udall introduced the ANTIQUITIES Act of 2018, a bill designed to protect and enhance national monuments while reinforcing the integrity of the Antiquities Act of 1906. He was joined by Senator Martin Heinrich as a cosponsor. Then in

July, Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham introduced a House counterpart to Senator Udall’s bill, joined by Congressman Ben Ray Luján as a cosponsor.

The ANTIQUITIES Act of 2018 officially declares Congress’ support for the 51 national monuments established by presidents between January 1996 and April 2017 under their authority established by the Antiquities Act of 1906. It reinforces that national monuments designated by presidential proclamation can only be altered by an act of Congress, ensuring all monuments affected by the 2017 review will not be reduced in size.

The New Mexico Wildlife Federation would like to thank Senators Udall and Heinrich as well as Congresswoman Lujan Grisham and Congressman Luján for their continued dedication to the protection of our state’s public lands.

Not only would this bill protect against monument size reductions, it would increase protections for several national monuments. It would expand the boundary of Bears Ears National Monument to roughly 1.9 million acres, the original size proposed by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition back in 2013. Here in New Mexico, the bill would designate over 249,000 acres wilderness in Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monuments, building on the protection of some of our state’s most revered landscapes.

Office Manager Susan Calt

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outdoor reporter Rio Grande del Norte National Monument has benefitted from LWCF when funds were utilized to purchase private land from a willing seller to open up more public lands access to hunters, anglers, and anyone who enjoys getting outside.

TIME RUNS OUT FOR THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND

BY SUSAN TORRES | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION It’s no secret that we live in politically divided times.

Maybe this is nothing new, or maybe we’re entering a new state of political discourse, it’s hard to see where we’re heading. But I do know that working in conservation gives an amazing opportunity for people of all political inclinations to come together and agree on a host of issues.

Poll after poll of Western residents shows that conservation, protecting public lands, and outdoor recreation is a nonpartisan issue. According to a 2017 - 2018 poll conducted by Colorado College, 61 percent of New Mexicans oppose state takeover of public lands, 86 percent visited public lands in the past year, and 77 percent consider themselves outdoor enthusiasts. Clearly, the outdoors is a place

where most New Mexicans - and Americans - can agree even if they don’t see eye to eye on literally anything else.

A great example of what should be a nonpartisan conservation issue is the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It’s a conservation tool that many Americans don’t know about, even though almost every American has been impacted by it. That’s not an exaggeration - almost every single Congressional district in the United States has received money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). So why doesn’t the average citizen know about it? Maybe because, amazingly, it comes at no cost to taxpayers. That’s right. LWCF uses money from offshore oil and

gas leasings and holdings and puts that money to opening up public lands access, maintaining city and state parks, building public pools, and supporting restoration projects in our forests.

The city park you walk to after work with your kids could have received maintenance money from LWCF, making this green space open and safe for communities. The state park where families can spend a night camping out of the city probably got LWCF money at some point to address maintenance issues. Or maybe you’re going on a backcountry hunt. Yep, there’s a good chance LWCF had something to do with that too. For example,

So LWCF sounds pretty great right? Unfortunately, LWCF has turned into an unnecessary political battle in the past couple of years. Signed into law in 1964 the fund was originally designated for a 50 year time period. Since then Congress has had to extend the program when the fund expires, usually opting for only a couple years extension at a time which was never the original intention of the fund. No action was taken before the September 30th deadline so LWCF has officially expired. The New Mexico Wildlife Federation is calling on all our Congressional representatives to support permanent reauthorization so we can avoid these political battles over such a successful program in the future.

Expiration is not the only threat to LWCF. In the beginning of 2018 the Trump administration proposed a 90 percent cut to the program. Sadly, LWCF having it’s funding cut or raided is nothing new - although this does seem to be a more

aggressive attack than usual. LWCF should be funded at $900 million, but that rarely happens as elected officials often pilfer the fund for their own purposes. That’s why in addition to calling on our elected officials to permanently reauthorize LWCF, NMWF is also requesting full funding for the program so it can live up to its potential.

New Mexicans are lucky to have strong advocates for LWCF at every level of government. Over the past couple of months the city of Santa Fe, the town of Mesilla, Bernalillo County Commissioners, and the Albuquerque City Council have all passed resolutions showing their support for full funding and permanent reauthorization.

Representatives Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham and Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich have all been fighting to save the fund. NMWF has joined our partners across

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the state hosting film viewings, hikes, activities, and petitions getting New Mexicans educated and advocating about LWCF. But there’s always more that we can do. Your elected officials need to hear from their constituents about this issue. Even if you know your representative supports LWCF it’s still important for them to hear from you so they know this is a high priority issue!

As of print time, it’s unclear what’s going to happen to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. But we do know that an outpouring of support from the public will go a long way in saving this amazing conservation tool. Check back on our website, nmwildlife.org, for updates on the status of LWCF. And head down to your local park to enjoy the benefits of LWCF so we know what we’re protecting for future generations.

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NEW PROGRAMS ENGAGE SPORTSWOMEN OF NEW MEXICO

BY SUSAN TORRES | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

I often find myself getting jealous of lifelong New Mexicans. It seems like everyone I meet who grew up in New Mexico has spent their entire life outdoors. Hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, all of that just seems to be a natural part of growing up in the Land of Enchantment. It’s easy to see the outdoor knowledge being passed down from generation to generation.

That’s not how I grew up. Growing up on the East Coast with few public lands and a family who by no stretch of the imagination could be labeled “outdoorsy” I can count on one hand the amount of outdoor experiences I had in my first two decades.

In elementary school I was lucky to have access to an environmental center where our science classes often went on field trips for walks in the forest, bug identification, and leaf collecting. Our entire

6th grade class was even brought on a week long camping getaway which included an overnight hike one day. Maybe it was these experiences that instilled a love of the outdoors in me.

hiking in the Catskills or Adirondacks. Now that I’m in New Mexico, hiking has never been easier.

It’s so easy my husband and I go to the Sandias almost every weekend for a morning hike.

As I got older I made outdoor recreation more of a priority. In college I joined a hiking and camping club, and after moving to New York City would head upstate as often as I could to go camping and

But without that lifelong experience I often feel like I’m playing catch up when it comes to outdoor recreation. While I’ve met plenty of people who have patiently taught me first aid basics, rudimentary fly

fishing tips, and taken me on my first hunts, it can still be pretty intimidating to try and take on any of these activities on my own. I still feel like I have a lot to learn, and the more I meet people the more I realized a lot of other women felt the same way.

For years the New Mexico Wildlife Federation has been having regular sportsmans meetings. These are informal gatherings usually held at a brewery where hunting and fishing stories are shared and NMWF staff will give updates on relevant policy issues.

When I first started at NMWF I simply renamed the meetings Sportsmen and Women’s Meetings and we instantly had women in attendance - for the first time! This gave me an idea to have a women only meeting, which finally came to fruition in May of this year.

Finally, we decided it was time for a little practice.

At the end of August NMWF and BHA hosted a ladies only archery night at Hit or Miss in Albuquerque. Hit or Miss kindly gave us a discount and even kept their doors open late to let everyone shoot more! About 18 women attended of all skill levels, which was great to see! One attendee said at the end that it was a great environment to practice in and really appreciated the opportunity.

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We’re looking to host more sportswomen only events to create a community of outdoor women in Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico.

If you have any ideas for topics, want to help out, or want to offer space email storres@nmwildlife.org.

For our first “sportswomens” event we partnered with Artemis Sportswomen. The event was held at Bow and Arrow brewery, a female and locally owned brewery in Albuquerque. Christine Gonzales, one of the founders of Artemis, did a fishing gear demonstration. About 16 passionate women showed up for this first event, excited to get to know other women interested in learning more about the outdoors and connecting to go fishing or hunting together.

In attendance at this first meeting was Katie DeLorenzo Katie DeLorenzo an avid public land hunter who works as the Southwest Coordinator for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA). She said that she had also been interested in doing more events focused around getting women involved in hunting and other outdoor activities, so we decided to team up!

NMWF’s next event and first teaming up with BHA was a backcountry survival intro, Leave No Trace overview, and DeLorenzo went over “what you need in your pack.” It was great to see another passionate group of ladies exchange numbers at the end of the night and vow to keep in touch!

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BIRDS AND BEETLES DON’T BELONG IN OUR NATIONAL DEFENSES BILL

BY MARY ANN HENDRICKSON

easier to drill public lands in its habitat. Approval of the amendment that would prohibit adding sagegrouse to the endangered species list would remove a powerful incentive to keep conservation efforts on track. The prospect of a listing encouraged federal and state agencies, sportsmen and women, landowners and oil and gas representatives to sit down and help forge a hard-won compromise. This was a local solution to a local problem, instead of a federal solution.

This isn’t the first time the sage-grouse rider has been added to the National Defense Authorization Act.

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The must-pass legislation is a convenient vehicle for measures that might not stand on their own. In the past, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has kept the sage-grouse rider out of the bill. This time might be different. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, who is filling in for McCain, has indicated he might support keeping the rider in.

lose situation. The local solution that supports both Department of Defense and conservation needs, has become a situation that endangers passing of a must pass bill that supports active duty and veterans and also endangers wildlife unnecessarily. We shouldn’t be using the defense bill to do an end-run around the sage-grouse conservation effort, one of our country’s largest-ever conservation projects.

Americans should demand a clean defense bill and use the occasion to make clear that we’re tired of D.C. politics as usual.

That would be a big mistake. We shouldn’t be playing politics with something as crucial as the national defense bill. Where will it stop? The rider changes a win-win situation into a potential lose-

Few things stir as much passion in me as the freedoms, liberties and traditions of our country that inspired me to serve 26 years in the military, retiring as a U.S. Navy commander.

One of the American traditions I especially value is our ability to enjoy public lands where we can hunt, fish, watch wildlife, hike and camp without having to join an exclusive club or pay private landowners to spend time in the countryside. There’s nothing more soul-rejuvenating than roaming with my dogs on public lands that are part of every American’s birthright.

That’s why I was willing to take some time away from my home in southern New Mexico to travel to a very different world – Washington, D.C. I joined other veterans July 11 and 12 to talk to our elected representatives about the need to honor our men and women in uniform and maintain our military readiness. We also touched on the need to conserve the wildlife and public lands that distinguish this country from others around the world.

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And we cautioned lawmakers against mixing these two important issues. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what has happened with the National Defense Authorization Act. A conference committee is working through the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

A big difference is that the House version injects a totally unrelated matter into the bill – the plight of the greater sage-grouse. It also takes aim at the lesser prairie chicken and American burying beetle.

An amendment by Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah would bar the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from placing sage-grouse on the endangered species list for 10 years. He says military operations on sites that overlap with sage-grouse habitat could be hindered if the bird is listed. However, defense

officials have said they don’t anticipate problems complying with conservation measures and could seek exemptions, if necessary, in the case of national security. So far, the military hasn’t deemed this 5-pound bird that is found only in Western sagebrush lands a national security threat.

But the bird, whose numbers have been in decline for decades, is at the heart of a tug-of-war over management of our public lands. Bishop and other supporters of the sage-grouse amendment are no fans of plans finalized in 2015 by the Bureau of Land Management to rebuild sage-grouse populations and conserve sagebrush lands.

Neither are current Interior Department officials, who support changes to the plans that would weaken safeguards for sage-grouse and make it

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SWAP STUDENT PROFILES Mariela Estrada, New Mexico State University

NEW MEXICO COLLEGE STUDENTS SWAP IN TENNESSEE

BY GABE VASQUEZ | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

A group of 16 college students from New Mexico got an experience of a lifetime this August, as they explored, researched, and experienced the biodiversity of Southeast Tennessee during a weeklong student exchange experience sponsored in part by the New Mexico Wildlife Federation (NMWF).

The Student Wildlands Adventure Program (SWAP), originated from an idea between New Mexico U.S. Forest Service biologist Daryl Ratajczak and Cleveland State Community College professor Robert Brewer. The two biologists used to work together in Tennessee before Ratajczak moved to New Mexico to take a job working in the Santa Fe National Forest.

It turns out that NMWF was the ideal grantee to help coordinate the program, and now in it’s second year, the program has proved to be a huge success.

“This is probably the most well-run and beneficial student exchange program I’ve seen, especially because it deals with issues directly related to conservation and the environment,” said NMWF Community Relations Director Gabe Vasquez. “It was a privilege to spend a week in Ocoee with the future conservationists of New Mexico, more than a dozen students who are hungry and eager to learn and have a strong desire to work in and give back to our state.”

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The SWAP students were purposefully selected from Pueblo, rural, and underserved communities across New Mexico to offer them an educational experience they may not otherwise get.

Activities for the students included trips to Hiwasee Refuge Cherokee Removal Park, aquatic organism passage demonstrations on Sina Branch, wild hog trapping demonstrations and presentations at the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area, trout hatchery operations and challenges at Tellico Trout Hatchery, snorkeling and fish species identification in Ocoee River and Daddy’s creek, and wildlife habitat management in a variety of different ecosystems found across the Cherokee National Forest and southeast Tennessee. The students also got to observe bears and learn about human-bear conflicts and bear management in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“There is no place in New Mexico that students can get these type of opportunities, and I’m incredibly grateful to the organizers, participating

institutions, and public agencies that help make SWAP a huge success,” Vasquez said. “We look forward to hosting a group of students from Tennessee next year and showing them every bit of hospitality, educational experiences, and New Mexican culture as our counterparts were gracious enough to offer. These young students are the future of conservation in New Mexico and I’m grateful they had this opportunity.”

In addition to the Youth Engagement Grant from the U.S. Forest Service, more than $4,000 was collected in donations to pay for food, lodging, and other expenses to make this opportunity available to students. A donation of more than 40 pounds of venison was also very welcome, as it fed the students for more than a week.

If you want to make opportunities like this available to more students across New Mexico, please consider donating your lightly used gear to the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. 6100 Seagull Street Suite B-105 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109. nmwildlife.org

Pedro Muñoz Jr. , University of New Mexico

Mariela is from Las Cruces and is majoring in range science at New Mexico State University.

Originally an early childhood education major, Mariela was turned on to range science after being invited to hike and recreate on public lands in New Mexico. Now she wants to work on conservation and range science outreach and education in Hispanic communities.

Pedro is majoring in Native American studies with a minor in management and wants to make an impact on water and natural resources conservation in New Mexico and beyond. Pedro applied for the NMWF/USFS/ Cleveland State CC program to get a different perspective on conservation issues in another state.

“My favorite part of the SWAP was when we were talking about feral hogs and how people can really get upset when decisions get made too quickly without any input.”

“So far, snorkeling in the Ocoee River and seeing the bears in the Great Smoky Mountains has been my favorite part.”

Chasity Gonzales, Highlands University Chasity is from Las Vegas, New Mexico and is majoring in Forestry Management. An avid angler, Chasity’s favorite outdoor activity is bass fishing at Conchas Lake. After college, Chasity wants to focus on water conservation issues in New Mexico and the Southwest.

“Coming on this trip changed my mind about what to do, and I think I want to focus on water. My advice to students in New Mexico would be to take as many opportunities as you can and venture out and make new connections with people. I hope I get the opportunity to stay in New Mexico and work locally to help solve water issues.”

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Charlene Juanico, New Mexico State University Charlene is from Zia, Acoma, and Jemez Pueblos and is majoring in wildlife conservation and administration and public policy.

After college Charlene says “I want to make a change. I want to go to our Pueblos and protect the environment and wildlife. I want to be able to gather the youth and teach them about hunting and conservation. And I want to branch out to other Tribal areas and expand my work beyond New Mexico.”

Serena Natonabah, Colorado State University Serena is Navajo and is majoring in human dimensions of natural resource management and is pursuing a career working with Native youth education. She’s worked as a mentor for two different Native youth camps to get youth excited about STEM careers.

“My favorite part of SWAP was visiting Cade’s Cove at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and learning about bear management from NPS wildlife technician Ryan Williamson.”

Felix Yepa, Colorado State University Felix Yepa of Jemez Pueblo is majoring in natural resources and environmental economics with a minor in global and environmental sustainability. Before joining the Student Wildlands Adventure Program, Felix was in the Arctic working on a research project to examine ecosystem responses to climate change.

“I would like to get my degree and find a job working in New Mexico that can impact my family. I want to focus on wildlife and resource management in Jemez so that it can be stronger than when it was before and resilient to fire. I would like to restore our historical sites and build a cleaner Jemez.”

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LESSONS PASSED DOWN FROM WALKS IN THE WOODS

I was younger or that I hope to instill in my son.

But it’s my son that gets me up in the morning, often way too early, and we watch the sun come up over the Sandias. He’s awed by “morning time” and the colors of the sky, he full of questions about the birds, the stars, and everything else he sees. All too soon those moments come to an end and I’m off to work. I tell him that I do what I do for him. He doesn’t understand, yet.

BY TODD LEAHY | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

I’m not a rich man. I don’t come from a rich family.

I won’t leave my son a corporation or a Scrooge McDuckesque money bin. But I will leave him the experiences we share and will share on our public lands. I will leave him the red stone broken mesas, the snow-capped peaks, and the arid deserts. And I will, like my father did me, leave him with a single burning question, “at what cost?”.

We were an hour into our hike when he heard the noise. Something was moving in the brush ahead of us. I walked on unphased. My dad froze, only his arm shot out to grab me as I tried to make my way past him. He didn’t look at me. He didn’t speak.

He pointed toward the bushes where we heard the noise. I looked and didn’t see a thing. He dropped down into a catcher’s stance and pointed again. I got down beside him and still didn’t see anything.

I tried to get up and walk away. He pulled me back down and whispered, “Look close. You’ll see it.” I stared into that bush for what felt like days until I finally saw the head of a whitetail doe. When the doe walked out from behind the brush I was in awe; not close enough to touch, but close enough to see clearly. We had been in the woods hundreds of times, it was the first time I had seen a deer. I was 5 years old.

We were nearing the end of our hike when I saw them. Two deer moving along a path through the brush barely visible to the eye. I froze in my tracks and dropped down into a catcher’s stance. I grabbed my son by the arm and pointed. He looked at me.

I pointed again and he looked in the direction of finger wondering why dad was pointing at trees that looked like the other trees right over there. I pulled him close and whispered, “look close. They’re big.

You’ll see them when they move.” He dropped down into a catcher’s stance though he wasn’t yet 3 feet tall. Then he gasped! “I see it daddy. I see it. What

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is it?” We hadn’t been in the woods that often (for him), it was the first time he saw a deer. He was 3 years old.

This is my public lands experience. I grew up in the East where public lands were few and far between, but near my home was a wildlife refuge that served mostly as a stop for migrating Canada Geese. My dad took me and my friends there almost every weekend. Sometimes we took in what we were seeing. Sometime we were too busy pretending to be Army Rangers on rigorous hikes looking out for “the Russians.” What my dad knew was that no matter what we were doing we were doing it outside and that would make all of the difference.

My parents divorced when I was still young and my dad didn’t have a lot of money. What he gave me were experiences and a way of looking at the world. While my mother’s family went to a big church with an ornate altar, my dad didn’t seem to attend church at all. When I asked him why he didn’t go to church, he took me to see the geese.

When I asked him why we didn’t go out to eat like we did when I was with mom, he showed me

turkey. When I asked why he didn’t buy new stuff all the time like mom, he showed me trees, landscapes, waterfalls, and rivers. “Those things have a cost son and someone has to pay it.” He said that a lot.

Most of the time I probably rolled my eyes and had no idea what he meant by it. Sometimes it was the short version, “At what cost?” he would ask. I would give some grunt in response, he would know I was lost, we would keep walking.

I have no idea, couldn’t even begin to count the miles I’ve walked with my dad in the woods. The wildlife refuge is still there, but the surrounding woods are slowly giving way to houses for people who work in the city but want to “live in the middle of nowhere.”

If you can see your neighbor and there’s a WalMart within a 10 minute drive, you ain’t nowhere. When I see these childhood places again a single refrain echoes in my head, “at what cost?”.

When I got older I went West. I grew up there in a different way. Something about the wide open spaces, the ability to see for miles, and tiny towns

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that always dotted the back road from a distance appealed to me. I don’t really do East anymore.

But the lesson learned in those white- tail-woods moved West with me and now I have a son of my own. I take him out every chance I get, even if they don’t come as often as I would like. I talk with him about the birds, tell him stories about what the birds do for us and how we live in their world. We talk about the rabbits, squirrels, and other animals we see along the way, we stop to notice the signs of their presence, I show him mountains, waterfalls, and what passes out here for a river. He loves most it, but I still end up carrying him for some part of the hike. He just turned 4. I pray that he looks back on these times in the wild the way I do those with my dad.

I now have a job people would kill for. On any given day, I’m as likely to be hiking, fishing, rafting, or hunting as I am to be sitting in an office. When the outdoors is your job it’s hard to connect to those emotional (spiritual?) ideas that I had when

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SUPPORT GROWS FOR AN OFFICE OF OUTDOOR RECREATION

HUNTING IN EUROPE VS THE UNITED STATES

BY ALLIE D’ANDREA | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

First, allow me to paint a picture in your head. It’s an hour before sunrise on a crisp fall morning, you arrive at that “secret” trailhead and quietly close the door to your pick up. Anticipation is high, blood is pumping, euphoria is the only way to describe the moment.

Now let me pause and take a second to acknowledge what makes this possible for the majority of us hunters in the United States, PUBLIC LAND! Without organizations such as the New Mexico Wildlife Federation supporting our nation’s greatest resource none of this would be possible, just ask our hunting companions in Europe. On a recent trip to Croatia I was lucky enough to do just that.

Here are few things that I learned, and others that I was re-assured of…

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The concept of hunting public lands is, for the most part, unique to our country. It does not exist universally around the world.

In the United States, wildlife is “owned” by the general public, not landowners. In many European countries, the wildlife is privately owned and hunting is reserved for the upper class.

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The average hunter in Europe spends between 25,000-30,000 Euro per year to hunt (1). An average hunter in the United States spends $2,800 USD every year to hunt (2).

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Theodore Roosevelt set the stage for America’s public land management 100+ years ago, which propelled the US model in a drastically different direction than our European ancestors.

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In the US, sportsmen and women contribute significantly to wildlife funding through state license and tag sales, the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the DingellJohnson Act, but numbers were hard to come by for Europe, leading me to believe the numbers aren’t significant.

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Next time you step out of your truck onto a piece of publicly managed land, stop for a moment. Realize that as a US citizen, you have hunting opportunities unlike those internationally, including access to 640 million acres of wild space to roam and explore. I am proud of the success of our American model for hunting and conservation and hope to see the fruits of its continued success for many years to come.

1. Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation. Produced for the National Shooting Sports Foundation in partnership with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 2012 Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/biology/resources/pubs/ wildlife/HuntingEconomicImpacts-NSSF-Southwick.pdf 2. How Europe Turned Hunting into a ‘White Collar’ Sport. S.H.BLANNELBERRY. 2016 Retrieved fromhttps://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/huntingeurope-white-collar/

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BY SUSAN TORRES | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

New Mexicans are fortunate to have amazing outdoor recreation opportunities in practically every corner of our state. Compounding our unparalleled forests, desert, mountains, and valleys is a long season of unmatched weather that allows us to enjoy the outdoors longer than other Western mountain states.

It’s no secret that New Mexico has an economic problem, however. Now a growing number of organizations and legislators are looking to our outdoor resources to boost our economy in a new way - by creating an Office of Outdoor Recreation.

A growing number of states are setting up Offices of Outdoor Recreation to highlight the booming industries around outdoor activities. There’s no reason New Mexico can’t benefit from promoting outdoor focused businesses as well.

Outdoor recreation and ecotourism is a massive $887 billion industry in the United States that sustains 7.6 million full time jobs for Americans and generates $59.2 billion in state and local taxes. It is one of the fastest growing sustainable industries.

New Mexico’s outdoor recreation and ecotourism industry currently generates just under $10 billion annually, with $623 million in state and local taxes, and employs approximately 100,000

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New Mexicans. While these numbers are impressive, it’s important to point out that our outdoor recreation industry is one of the smallest of any Western states. Compare these numbers to Colorado’s $30 billion dollar industry with $2 billion in state and local taxes and 300,000 full time jobs. Or California’s staggering $90 billion dollar industry with $6.2 billion in state and local taxes, and an astounding 600,000 direct full time jobs.

By not having an office dedicated to promoting outdoor recreation, New Mexico is losing out on potential growth in this area. The need for this tool is especially important for New Mexico because of the struggles of the last decade to grow economic opportunity and jobs in rural parts of the state.

Due to the advantages of proximity to public lands, outdoor recreation can be an important tool for rural communities in New Mexico. Given our weather, cultural resources, and abundance of public lands, there is no reason New Mexico can’t compete with Colorado, California, Utah, and the growing number of states who have tapped into the outdoor industry market.

The good news is there is growing support for such an office. At a Water and Natural Resources Committee meeting in August, there wasn’t a single legislator voicing opposition to the idea for creating an Office of Outdoor Recreation. Bipartisan support is growing so now is the time to keep the momentum going. Contact your state elected official today and tell them you support creating an Office of Outdoor Recreation!

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FALL 2018

outdoor reporter

outdoor reporter

NUESTRA TIERRA PODCAST DRAWS IN NEW LISTENERS

NATIVE YOUTH COMMUNITY ADAPTATION AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

BY GABE VASQUEZ | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION New ears are perking up and tuning in to the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Podcast, an effort of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Latino Outdoors, and the Friends of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks.

Following on the success of the grassroots organization program by the same name that focuses on outdoor recreation and conservation education, the Nuestra Tierra Podcast targets a statewide and national audience of Hispanic listeners and other stakeholders in the conservation community.

“The idea behind Nuestra Tierra has always been to expand the reach and influence of the program beyond southern New Mexico to the entire state, across the West, and with this podcast, nationally, and internationally,” said NMWF Community Relations Director Gabe Vasquez. “If we are intentional about engaging more diverse audiences to learn and experience conservation issues that matter to them and their communities, we have to invest in resources like Nuestra Tierra and the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Podcast. This is part of our small role in making a positive impact in conservation education and advocacy in New Mexico and beyond.”

EPISODE 1

EPISODE 2

In the inaugural episode of the Nuestra Tierra podcast, host Gabe Vasquez sits down with Las Cruces archaeologist and conservation advocate Angel Peña; past NMWF president, Deming resident, and sportsman Ray Trejo; binational wildlife biologist and small business owner Fernando Clemente of Santa Teresa; and one of New Mexico’s strongest conservation champions, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, to discuss the proposed border wall on New Mexico’s border.

In episode 2, Gabe Vasquez sits down with allstar crew of Latina women making an impact in conservation and outdoor recreation in New Mexico and across the country. Guests include New Mexico State Representative Angelica Rubio; brand coordinator, climber, and Latino Outdoors coordinator Maricela Rosales; National Parks Conservation Association Field Representative Laura Navar, Latino Outdoors San Antonio Ambassador Josie Gutierrez, and New Mexico Wildlife Federation Communications Director Susan Torres. This an episode not to miss, as Latina women across the country are making a huge impact in the conservation and protection of our natural resources and outdoor recreation experiences.

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Trejo on the border wall: “It’s very untamed and wild and that’s what I appreciate about it. People from New York City, Chicago, or Washington D.C. don’t have a full understanding of the landscape along the border.”

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Peña on the border wall: “Here on the borderland we have some of the last intact Chihuahuan Desert grasslands, and there are species here that are unique only to this part of the world, and they’re already disappearing. There are species here that have already disappeared that my daughter will never get to see.”

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Clemente on the border wall: “It’s a big ecosystem that is very fragile. Anything you do can lead to changes to the actual habitat, and has a big impact on the wildlife species. The ecosystem is huge but it’s more susceptible to damage from human interaction. You’re going to stop migration and diversity.”

Heinrich on the border wall: “It’s a place I’ve gone to recreationally for many years. I hunt down there and camp with my family down there. It’s a really special place. It’s an incredibly biologically diverse place.”

FALL 2018

BY SUSAN TORRES | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION For the second year in a row, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation was excited to partner with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Conference (NYCALC). This week long conference brings Native youth from across the country to the USFWS training center in West Virginia to learn about each other’s cultures, explore careers in conservation and environmental work, get outside, and work on projects relevant to their community based around climate issues.

EPISODE 3 Ever thought about building a brand or small business related to outdoor recreation? These guys are doing it right. In this episode, Gabe Vasquez talks with Pablo Lopez, co-creator of the Monumental Loop and bike shop manager; Gregg Flores, videographer and owner of Where the River Runs; and Felix Hernandez, a hunter, environmental science teacher, and creator of New Mexico Avid Hunters. What do they all have in common? Tune in.... and find out!

To access the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Podcast, visit www.nuestra-tierra.org or search for “Nuestra Tierra Conservation” on your Apple iTunes/Podcasts app.

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a long way in making sure the students, many of whom have never left their village or home town, have a positive experience at the conference.

night. From the hip hop artist Frank Waln to entrepreneurs, and a comedian the students had a jam packed week!

Students came from Alaska, New York, Hawaii, American Samoa, New Mexico, and everywhere in between for this opportunity. On the first day students discuss topic ideas for their week long project and break themselves into small groups.

Students spend a lot of the week working on these projects which focus on cultural beliefs and practices, political activism, and a changing environment. The project outlines are very open ended and the students got really creative! At the end of the week each group presented and the projects were amazing - especially given the short time to work on them. One group created a fake political ad about the importance of voting, another read poems they wrote about their topic, and another highlighted cultural practices around the land from each of their communities.

As the partner organization, it was the responsibility of the NMWF staff to make sure students got to and from the facility safely, chaperoned service projects and field trips, assisted our amazing resident nurse Ashley Davis, and added a helping hand wherever we were needed. The week was a great opportunity to get to know students from across the country and learn more about how federal agencies operate.

In addition to working on projects the students also participated in a service day, a day on the Potomac, and had guest speakers almost every To make this project a success and running smoothly for the students, a lot of work goes into the planning.

Months before any students arrive, NMWF staff mostly our Development Director Wendy Sandidge and Office Manager Susan Calt - organize travel for the 90 plus students and their chaperones, read through applications, and coordinate schedules with USFWS staff. This work leading up to the week goes

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NMWF will be facilitating this trip for the next four years. If you know Native youth interested in the trip, please email wendy@nmwildlife.org.

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FALL 2018

outdoor reporter

outdoor reporter

LINES IN THE WATER AND CROSSHAIRS ON THE CRITTERS

Throughout the spring semester, NMWF partnered with Freedom High School in Albuquerque to implement a “Decision Makers Curriculum.” Freedom High School student Michelle Daniela Ramirez recounts her experience with the program and the trip below:

ONE EARTH, ONE CHANCE

BY GABE VASQUEZ | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION This summer and fall, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation made good on its promise to help educate the next generation of hunters and anglers in New Mexico.

BY FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MICHELLE DANIELA RAMIREZ Our world our legacy and our future are all things that we as humans tend to avoid once we know we’re heading on a dark path, we seem to always destroy something and then try to bring it back with quick temporary fixes. My name is Michelle D. Ramirez I am a first generation American, both of my parents are from the deepest parts of Mexico and I was born and raised in Albuquerque. As a first-generation American, there are many things you have to deal with growing up, learning English, and dealing with racism and inequality, so global warming is not something you would put at the top of your to do list although growing up my father has always taught me to appreciate the small things like bees, trees, and most importantly clean water.

Before my trip to the Valles Caldera we had been studying and researching global warming, environmental issues due to different kinds of populations, and basically getting a general idea of what we are going to be dealing with if these circumstances don’t change. We also had a guest speaker who has been really helping us understand the concept of the issue. For example we talked about many national parks and their backgrounds on their vegetation, population and how the government has influenced these parks. Growing up my father always told us about these parks and how it was very important for us to keep these parks clean and and keep their legacy alive but my father has always been a very outspoken

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man, he would inform us that the National parks are not the only places that need to be kept preserved, we need to treat this whole world like this. My father would go on and on about how the government has even taken over our national parks I never really knew what he meant until a couple months ago when we began this project.

My love for the outdoors has always gotten to the best of me, throughout the years I have fallen deeply in love with nature and the beautiful world we live in, it was about 6 years ago when I was introduced to the smartest women alive Ms. Anderson, she was my inspiration in reducing my carbon footprint! She introduced me to the topic of global warming and we made change, as a class we recycled we reused and we reduced on a daily basis, but I always wanted more, so I joined the garden club, the recycling team and organized over a dozen community and school clean ups. As I’ve gotten older my love for our lovely planet has grown as well I aspire to do as much as possible and base all my life choices knowing my lifestyle might influence others and we could make even more of a difference.

Our trip to the Valles Caldera was interesting, we arrived early morning in hope of gaining more information on how we can help and the consequences of what mankind has done to this beautiful piece of land. First we spoke with

FALL 2018

a very kind forest ranger, she spoke of how the environment has changed over time and how its predicted to look in future years. We talked about how trees are growing closer together, underbrush, and these two factors are making some controlled fires get out of hand. Throughout the last of couple of weeks we have been told that controlled fires are good for the environment but shouldn’t a controlled fire be controlled? Hiking up the mountain a certain sadness came over me, a type of emotion you know you can’t control , taking a look around you can see all dead trees, all the leftover burnt ash, everything was charcoal black dead and lifeless. We hiked for about half an hour to an hour until I got upset and walked down the hill.

I can’t possibly stress how much we need to fix this issue, in my opinion it’s like a virus we find vaccinations to help the ease the disease but not completely rid of then, and I feel that’s how we treat or fires, we start these fires and only find temporary solutions and not completely find a solution personally I feel as if we need to rebuild we need to stop letting our government corrupt our nation’s forest and national parks, we need to stand up unite and make change! Our world our legacy and our future something we need to think about to save our future generations, it’s an issue that myself my teacher my peers and the natural wildlife federation are all coming together to fix.

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Department of Game & Fish Hobbs youth Fishing Derby

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Santa Ana family fishing day at Tingley Beach

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Las Cruces Boys & Girls Club Fishing Day at Caballo Lake

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Franklin Mountains State Park (El Paso) twilight hike and interpretive guide

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Student Wildlands (SWAP)

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Las Cruces High School Rio Grande Fishing Trip

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Native Youth Climate Adaptation Leadership Conference (NYCALC)

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This spring, summer, and fall, we had the opportunity to organize, sponsor, and engage in the following youth events and programs:

Rio Grande floating and kayaking for Latino Conservation Week

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Hatch Upward Bound Camp wildlife education program at Radium Springs

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Guided youth barbary sheep hunt in Otero Mesa

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Spring turkey hunt with youth in the Lincoln National Forest

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Unit 32 mule deer youth tag give-away presentation in Roswell

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...and more!

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Unit 21 mule deer youth hunt in Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument

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Unit 52 pronghorn youth hunt in Rio Grande del Norte National Monument

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3-day camping and fishing trip in the Cliff-Gila Valley with Las Cruces youth

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Department of Game & Fish Roswell youth Fishing Derby

NMWF is one of the only New Mexico-based organizations that actively and publicly advocates for hunting and fishing and does so by continuing these traditions with youth and New Mexico residents who are new to the sport.

How and why you say?

The answer is simple, we believe that when we help new anglers dip their lines and set their hooks and new hunters scout, hunt, and field dress a game animal, we’re protecting our traditions, helping to conserve habitat and wildlife, and fulfilling the mission of our organization.

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Adventure

Program

So there you have it -- we can’t create the next generation of conservationists, anglers, and hunters, without investing time and resources into the young people of our state, and New Mexico Wildlife Federation remains committed to its mission statement: “Inspiring New Mexicans to conserve public landscapes, watersheds, and wildlife for our children’s future.”

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FALL 2018

outdoor reporter

outdoor reporter

SLOT LIMITS SELECTIVE HARVEST YIELD TROPHY FISH

BY DUTCH SALMON

Perhaps it’s a rite of passage . . . at different times in my fishing life I’ve been a trout snob, where nothing but trout would draw my interest or praise, a bass snob, and just to be contrary, a catfish snob.

Each time it was an above average specimen of its kind that turned my head in a new direction: a 22” smallmouth on a brown wooly bugger from the Gila Wilderness; a 19” Gila trout on a Pistol Pete; a 47 lb blue catfish on cut bait, a real brute from the deep South. And while I like them all about the same now, I’m looking at two management techniques that could produce even larger fish: slot limits, and selective harvest.

species. The statewide bass regulation allows you to keep 5 bass per day with a minimum size limit of 12” for smallmouth bass (14” at Ute Lake) and 14” for largemouth bass statewide. This protects the

younger fish but means the bigger bass -- up to 5 per day -- may be killed. One wonders if some sort of slot limit might leave us with more big bass?

An example of a protective slot would be: you must protect by release all bass within the slot (say 12”– 16”) but you can keep 5 bass below or above the slot (less than 12” or more than 16”). An example of a keeper slot would be roughly the opposite: you can keep 5 bass between 12 - 16 inches but must release all bass less than 12 or more than 16 inches.

The protective slot would yield more bass of medium size but anglers would tend to keep the trophies. Big bass – 18” and up - would become scarce.

A keeper slot makes more sense for the “big game” angler. One place a keeperslot is being tried is the Winnibigoshish chain of lakes in Minnesota. There a limit of walleyes between 12 and 17 inches may be kept, but smaller and larger fish must be released. A recent report says that the Minnesota state fisheries people are finding the yield of 19 inch plus walleyes going from 20 percent to 40 percent of the take under the keeper slot.

Often employed to improve a bass fishery, the idea of the slot limit is either to protect, or harvest, the fish within a particular size range in order to improve fish numbers, or fish size, or fish “recruitment” (reproduction and growth to reproductive age). Or better yet all three in a given pond, lake, or stream.

And it seems that large fish will produce even larger fish. A study from the State University of New York at Stony Point was reported a few years back by Bob Marshall in Field & Stream.

“Researchers worked with three tanks of Atlantic silversides (a minnow-sized fish averaging about 6” long),” Marshall wrote. “They removed the largest 90 percent from one tank, the smallest 90 percent from another tank, and a random selection from the third.

Most states have some sort of slot limit for bass on at least some of their lakes or rivers but here in New Mexico we do not have slot limits for any of our sport 20

I fish the Gila River often for smallmouth bass.

By my experience, the river is full of 6-9 inch smallmouth, indicating good recruitment. There is the occasional lunker bronze bass -- 18+ inches.

When I catch one that size I let it go, but anecdotal evidence tells me that many anglers will keep and eat a big Gila bass. There’s nothing to stop anglers at Elephant Butte from killing and eating a bunch of trophy-size bass either. How might a slot limit affect bass size and numbers in Elephant Butte or the Gila River? The first thing to know is that there is both what I call a protective slot limit and a keeper slot limit and they can have markedly different results.

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After four fish generations the average weight in the group where the largest fish were removed was 1.05 grams, compared to 3.17 grams in the random selection and a whopping 6.47 grams in the tank where only the smallest fish were removed.”

FALL 2018 approach could be with a New Mexico native that few of our residents have ever caught – the big Blue Catfish.

And I can reveal there appears to be an exciting change in catfish demographics in New Mexico.

Thus, it would seem that the protection of trophysize silversides, or bass, coupled with the removal (or selective harvest call it) of smaller individuals would yield even bigger silversides, or bass, in subsequent generations.

“Along about 2003,” Eric Mammoser of New Mexico Game & Fish in Las Cruces told me, “we began to see more blue catfish in our electro-fishing surveys in the two reservoirs (Elephant Butte and Caballo).”

Mammoser said the takeover by blue cats from the formerly plentiful channel catfish was dramatic.

Selective harvest has worked this way on the Red River of the North that splits North Dakota and Minnesota on the way to Manitoba, Canada.

There, native channel catfish up to 40 pounds were discovered some decades ago. But it got popular with anglers, and they were keeping these trophies. The average fish size went way down.

What to do?

“By 2007 our surveys were turning up more blues than channel cats,” Mammoser said, “and by 2013 we counted 50 channel cats and 452 blues electrofishing at night at The Butte in coves and flats in 3 to 10 feet of water.” He added, “They come in there, in the shallows, at night to feed.” And he said the big ones were up around “forty pounds; but they get bigger than that . . . the state record is 54 pounds.”

The two states got together and said: “You can keep 3 catfish per day but only one of these can exceed 24 inches.” In Manitoba, none of the channel cats kept could exceed 24 inches. With this simple regulation in place average catfish size began to climb year by year and this river is now the number one destination in North America for trophy channel cats.

And this trend continues. Last summer my son Bud and I fished the Butte for catfish and easily caught more blues than channel cats. No big ones, though!

The blue cat USA record is 143 pounds from Buggs Island Lake in Virginia. Keep in mind that Virginia didn’t have any blue catfish until an introduction in the 1970s. Now the Potomac River running right through the nation’s capital is growing record breaking big blues! Virginia has a simple limitation on blue cat: per license, only one blue cat per day over 32 inches may be kept. And the record is broken every few years! Similar selective harvest of blues at the Butte could yield New Mexico’s first 100 pound fish.

Following this lead on the Gila, we could remove the bag limit on smaller bass (under 12”) but rule you can only keep one per day over 18 inches, or better still . . . none! The result? Fewer small bass but more lunkers.

Where might we set up such a slot limit for bass? The 7 miles of the Gila River between the Turkey Creek confluence and Mogollon Creek confluence, a lovely stretch of bass habitat with white water, deep blue-green pools, no vehicular traffic would be an obvious choice for smallmouth bass. And Elephant Butte and/or Caballo would be an obvious choice for the right slot limit for largemouth bass.

But the most spectacular gains in size and trophy status through the selective harvest and slot limits

The trend in fishing is away from the goal of a stringer full of dead fish and towards the capture of a trophy fish that is returned to the waters. Based on what I’ve seen so far, a keeper slot or that simple variation as on the Red River would work best for the Butte. And the Gila River, where natural reproduction and recruitment of bass doesn’t seem to be a problem, might be the best place for an experimental look at a slot limit, that could reduce the population of small bass in the river, but produce more trophy bass.

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outdoor reporter

FALL 2018

outdoor reporter

FALL 2018

THE GILA DIVERSION

HOME ON THE GILA:

OUR DUTY TO PROTECT OUR HERITAGE

BY GABE VASQUEZ | NEW MEXICO WILDLIFE FEDERATION

The New Mexico Wildlife Federation has a long and storied history working on behalf of New Mexican sportsmen and women to protect wildlife, habitat, and opportunity for all.

Under a 2004 settlement agreement with Arizona, New Mexico has rights to some 14,000 acre-feet of water from the Gila and one of its tributaries. But as part of the same settlement agreement, local southwest New Mexico governments were given an option to fund alternative water conservation projects that would not draw new water from an already depleted Gila River.

For several years, water experts, engineers, and even the former director of the state’s Interstate Stream Commission (ISC), have testified that a proposed diversion of the Gila River not yield the amount of water projected by the ISC, that it would be too costly to taxpayers, and that other water projects should be strongly and seriously considered to meet Southwest New Mexico’s future water needs. NMWF agrees.

Since the ISC and New Mexico Central Arizona Project (NMCAP) entity decided to pursue a Gila Diversion using federal taxpayer money, they have spent more than $15 million in flawed engineering studies, multiple diversion projects that have since been scrapped, and consulting and attorney’s fees that have all fell flat, all seemingly under the public radar.

Aldo Leopold came to New Mexico with the U.S. Forest Service around 1910 and fell in love with the Southwest, the Gila in particular.

Before the Gila Wilderness existed, Leopold hunted there, made his home there, and studied the natural world in this pristine and wild landscape. As is evident in the Sand County Almanac, Leopold, with his round-frame glasses, rifle, and tobacco pipe, was a student of conservation right here in southwest New Mexico.

During his time in New Mexico, he began to see the impacts overhunting were having on game populations. So by 1914, Leopold and other

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conservation-minded sportsmen created the New Mexico Game Protective Association, and began working on behalf of wildlife and the hunters and anglers who relied on it. Using the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation as a guide, they worked to bring many species back from the brink of extinction. Eventually their organization changed its name and became the New Mexico Wildlife Federation (NMWF).

The Gila is not only one of the most revered landscapes to hunters and anglers in New Mexico, but also across the West, and thousands of sportsmen and women believe that every acre foot of water in this river should be conserved for the use and enjoyment of future generations.

Consider the following information: •

The Gila River watershed in New Mexico is the nation’s first designated Wilderness Area and the last main-stem river in New Mexico without a major dam or diversion. It is home to the Gila trout which was recently opened to legal fishing, is carefully controlled, and has become a game fish on the bucket list of many an out-of-state as well as in-state fly fishers.

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The Gila is generally considered the only warm water trout fishery in America and is the only river in America where you can catch a wild trout and a flathead catfish out of the same pool. Such attributes move, challenge, and lure sportsmen and sportswomen to the Gila.

and opportunities to pursue the outdoor traditions that helped make America what it is today.

In 2018, our work continues in the Gila, in a way not much different than the times of Leopold.

And so for over a century, NMWF has been working on behalf of sportsmen and women, advocating for sound wildlife management, access to public lands, protection of our waters,

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Conserving the Gila River as it is today will also ensure that farmers, ranchers, irrigators, and sportsmen and women are able to pass down their businesses and traditions to future generations, a mutual benefit to all Gila River users.

NMWF strongly encourages using the remaining Arizona Water Settlement money to fund other badly needed water conservation projects in Deming and the mining district in Grant County, which would directly positively impact all of the residents of the area, not just a handful of irrigators in the upper Gila Valley.

“With more than 13,100 signatures from sportsmen and women across New Mexico, we hope that our legislators will finally hear loud and clear that the citizenry does not want this costly and ineffective diversion,” said NMWF Community Relations Director Gabe Vasquez. “We depend on the ecological integrity of this river for recreation, as do the neighboring communities of the Gila River, and we’re tired of taxpayer money being wasted in this state for the benefit of a few. Let’s keep our Gila River wild, our outdoor economy booming, and let’s instead fund common-sense water conservation projects that benefit all Southwest New Mexico residents.”

As of the printing of this edition of The Outdoor Reporter, NMWF has submitted comments during every public input period, encouraging the respective decision-making bodies to consider alternatives to the Gila diversion. We will keep you updated as the process continues.

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