Wildlife & Habitat Conservation

January, 2019

  • 7 January

    WMA Waterfowl Hunting

    Wetlands and waterfowl hunting opportunities on WMAs It was an early Saturday morning in mid-May at the Bernardo Wildlife Management Area (WMA) south of Albuquerque. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish staff from the wildlife management and field operations divisions were already hard at work preparing tools and equipment. …

  • 7 January

    Tale of the Cooter

    The Western River Cooter is a species of turtle that is of particular interest to the department. State-listed as threatened, very little is known about where it is found, what kind of habitat it needs at different life stages, and how it is doing in New Mexico. It is currently …

April, 2017

  • 13 April

    Bear-resistant dumpsters

    Bob Osborn, assistant chief of private land programs for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, affixes a “Be Bear Aware” sticker to one of the new bear-resistant dumpsters installed at the Los Alamos Medical Center. NMDGF photo by Zen Mocarski, New Mexico Wildlife magazine Spring 2017 Vol60, Num1, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

    Bear-resistant dumpsters benefit wildlife, people There is a difference between unintentional and intentional or negligent feeding of wildlife. Unfortunately, the end result is often the same. Bears are notorious for becoming quickly conditioned to human surroundings and habituated to human foods after consuming enticing treats found in garbage. Following such …

  • 13 April

    Mimbres River restoration

    Listed as threatened in 1983, the Chihuahua chub is native to the Mimbres River in New Mexico. Adults are dark on both the head and snout. NMDGF photo, New Mexico Wildlife magazine Spring 2017 Vol60, Num1, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

    Restoration on Mimbres River expected to help threatened chub The Mimbres River is the only place in the country the threatened Chihuahua chub calls home, and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish biologists are working to make sure they’ll always feel that way. Department personnel recently completed almost $500,000 worth …

  • 13 April

    Rio de los Pinos

    The scenic Rio de Los Pinos Wildlife Management Area, top, in northern New Mexico boasts impressive scenery in a quiet, remote location. NMDGF photos by Karl Moffatt, New Mexico Wildlife magazine Spring 2017 Vol60, Num1, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

    Improved aquatic habitat expected to improve angling at Rio de los Pinos For years, the remote New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Management Area was best known among anglers for its solitude and scenery, not the fishing. That could change now that the department has …

  • 13 April

    Ears, not eyes

    Kirsten Cruz-McDonnell, chief biologist for Envirological Services, Inc., walked a predetermined route in the Santa Fe National Forest, stopping at up to 20 points for 10 minutes identifying different bird species primarily by their calls. Photo by Zen Mocarski, New Mexico Wildlife magazine Spring 2017 Vol60, Num1, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

    Ears, not eyes critical in documenting small birds Walking through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the Santa Fe National Forest offers the opportunity to see wildlife diversity. Sometimes, however, seeing isn’t the best option. When trying to identify small birds, there are times it helps to close your eyes, …

  • 13 April

    Gould’s wild turkey

    New Mexico is home to Merriam’s, Rio Grande and Gould’s turkeys. The Gould’s, the largest of the three birds, was first documented in the state in 1892. Photo by Chuck Schultz, New Mexico Wildlife magazine Spring 2017 Vol60, Num1, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

    Gould’s wild turkey in New Mexico The wild turkey is a popular game bird throughout the United States, with their excellent eyesight and cautious behavior making for a challenging hunt. The excitement of calling in a tom or hearing the first gobble of the morning will create a lifelong memory. …

  • 13 April

    Citizens in conservation

    Aptly named, the eastern barking frog sounds like a domestic dog when bellowing for a mate. Unlike any other amphibian in New Mexico, eastern barking frogs do not have a tadpole stage. Instead, they metamorphose within the egg, so there is no aquatic stage in the life cycle. Photo by James Stewart, New Mexico Wildlife magazine Spring 2017 Vol60, Num1, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

    Opportunity for citizens to aid in conservation In some areas of New Mexico, the anxious sound of a dog might just be … a frog. The two share a common trait: They both bark. The word is even in its common name, the eastern barking frog. Found in the Chihuahuan …

October, 2016

  • 28 October

    Elk calf survival rates

    Shawn Carrell, Jemez conservation officer for the Department of Game and Fish, looks on after releasing a cow elk. The elk was fitted with a GPS collar and a vaginal implant transmitter. The transmitter is designed to be expelled during birth, allowing biologists to locate the calves quickly to affix radio tags. NMDGF photo by Nicole Quintana. Photo by Nicole Quintana, New Mexico Wildlife magazine, NMDGF.

    Wildlife management can be challenging, especially when research data has yet to be collected and a theory needs scientific support. While wildlife surveys can provide New Mexico Department of Game and Fish biologists with insight to population trends, they don’t provide answers when a decline is documented. So, when biologists …

  • 28 October

    Finding elk calves

    An elk calf lies still after researchers attached an ear transmitter. Calf survival has been low in the Mount Taylor area and researchers are trying to understand the reason. In the event of a death, researchers can respond to the scene quickly to identify the cause. Photo by Katelyn Shanor, New Mexico Wildlife magazine, NMDGF.

    As dawn broke over Chivato Mesa, a group of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish biologists, conservation officers and volunteers fanned out in search of calving elk. They climbed hilltops and used binoculars and spotting scopes to scan the vast meadows and clusters of scrub oak that dot the …

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