New Mexico Wildlife magazine Conserving New Mexico's Wildlife for Future Generations
In the summer of 2018, a pair of fish biologists and a pair of horse packers embarked on an arduous 13-hour trek through a remote section of the 3.3 million-acre Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico, not far from the Arizona border. “We rode mules the first five or …
December, 2020
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30 December
A fishy community focused on the long game
Fishing, especially fly-fishing, is often a solo activity. Even if you travel to a fishing site with a group of people, you park, grab your equipment and everyone quickly breaks off heading in their own direction. A day on the water can be peaceful, you can hear the birds chirping …
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30 December
Fire as a management tool: Agencies and private landowners collaborate to provide benefit to prairie grasslands
Fire. A word that when usually heard can lend itself to panic and alarm, and rightfully so in the setting of a cityscape or catastrophic wildfire. But for a moment, let’s stop to speculate: is fire always a bad thing? In regards to wildlife and habitat, fire has been a …
July, 2020
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29 July
Returning Rio Grande cutthroat trout to New Mexico’s waters
Have you ever wondered why Rio Grande cutthroat trout conservation is important? Rio Grande cutthroat trout are not only New Mexico’s state fish, they are also native only to northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The presence and abundance of native trout on the landscape helps maintain a healthy and …
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29 July
More about Rio Grande cutthroat trout
A Q&A with Tucker Brauer, Rio Grande cutthroat biologist In an interview with New Mexico Wildlife, Tucker Brauer, Rio Grande cutthroat biologist with the Department of Game and Fish, talked about the reintroduction of this important species to our state. Brauer, who is originally from Idaho, received an associate’s degree …
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29 July
Trout in a Tote
Have you ever seen trout swimming in a backpack? It sounds odd but on a recent trip with the Department’s Rio Grande cutthroat trout biologist, Tucker Brauer, that’s exactly what I saw – several hundred cutthroat trout swimming in dozens of backpacks. It’s a stocking technique utilized by fisheries biologists …
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29 July
A Growing Pack of Mexican Wolf Recovery Partners
Mexican wolf recovery in New Mexico received a boost last fall when the New Mexico State Game Commission voted unanimously to once again become a lead cooperating agency in the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. “It is only appropriate for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to have a …
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17 July
Watch a prescribed fire
Fire as a management tool, when planned and controlled by professional wildland fire specialists, can be an extremely efficient and practical way for habitat biologists and land managers to promote positive change in a habitat and yield numerous benefits on the landscape. Before human intervention fires helped shape landscapes and …
May, 2020
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14 May
Stay bear aware: Protect yourself and bears by removing potential food sources
Human nature can lead us to believe that when we feed wild animals we are helping them. In reality we are causing them more harm than good. In the natural world, bears are very good at finding food sources on their own that help them maintain a balanced diet, without …
February, 2020
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14 February
Legislature Passes State Wildlife Corridors Act
In February 2019, the New Mexico Legislature passed Senate Bill 228, the New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Act, sponsored by Senator Mimi Stewart and Representatives Joanne Ferrary and Georgene Louis. The Act was signed into law by Governor Lujan-Grisham March 28. The Act directs the New Mexico Department of Game and …