New Mexico Wildlife magazine Conserving New Mexico's Wildlife for Future Generations
SANTA FE — Each year, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s Share with Wildlife program supports efforts to address the many conservation-related needs of our Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
The program funds innovative research and habitat enhancement and education projects conducted by universities and non-profit organizations and supports important wildlife rehabilitation efforts across our state at licensed rehabilitation centers.
Share with Wildlife is funded primarily through public donations, and the people who generously contribute to the program are the ones who make all of these projects possible. Public donations to the program are matched by federal dollars to maximize project funding. During the past 10 years, more than $2.2 million has gone to research, habitat enhancement, education and rehabilitation projects. All public donations are dedicated to funding projects, not program administration.
One way the public can support Share with Wildlife is by purchasing one of the unique wildlife art license plates offered by the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). There currently are four attractive designs available (quail, mule deer, Rio Grande cutthroat trout and roadrunner), and MVD will release a new design later this month just in time for Halloween. The newest license plate features a magnificent orange-and-black Gila monster lizard.
The Gila monster is an iconic animal of desert habitats in the American southwest. It is rarely seen by the public despite being brightly colored and the largest native lizard in the United States at about 21 inches long, primarily because it spends most of its life in underground burrows. One of only two venomous lizards in North America, Gila monsters appear to use their venom primarily for defense. Interestingly, a component of their venom is also used by humans; in synthetic form, this component is a key ingredient in a life-saving Type-2 diabetes medication.
“The Department has developed a species recovery plan and funded research on the Gila monster in New Mexico for many years,” said Karen Gaines, the Department’s Share with Wildlife program coordinator. “Its charisma makes it a natural choice to feature on our newest wildlife license plate.”
The Gila monster depicted on the license plate was illustrated by W. Howard Brandenburg, a third-generation New Mexican artist. In addition to creating studio paintings, Brandenburg is an accomplished scientific illustrator with decades of experience in realistically rendering various wildlife species, including many of New Mexico’s native fishes.
“We are grateful to Mr. Brandenburg for creating such an attractive image,” Gaines said. “His Gila monster really is a work of art that looks ready to walk right out of the license plate!”
The purchase of a Share with Wildlife license plate helps support a number of projects. In 2024, the program funded university research on three species of rosy finches, as well as genetics research on the federally endangered peppered chub, field surveys for northern leopard frogs and the development of educational resources that are being delivered to Albuquerque schoolchildren and community members of all ages in Las Cruces, focusing on Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
Share with Wildlife has also helped fund the operation of wildlife rehabilitation centers in Española and Carlsbad that provide high-quality veterinary care to injured or orphaned wild animals before releasing them back into suitable habitats.
All of the wildlife art license plate designs can be purchased directly from MVD Online. Click on the “Replace my Vehicle Plate” link in the “Vehicles” box to see the wildlife art design options and choose your favorite.
Please visit the Department’s Share with Wildlife webpage or contact Karen Gaines directly at karenh.gaines@dgf.nm.gov for more information on the Share with Wildlife program.
