As we say goodbye to 2023, it brings me great satisfaction to reflect on all the successes of the past year. We worked tirelessly with one of the most diverse conservation coalitions in the country to pass Senate Bill 9 "The Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund." This transformative fund provides New Mexico with a dedicated source of funding for land and water conservation. We also passed Senate Bill 72 which created New Mexico's first ever "Wildlife Corridors Fund" which will provide the money needed to build critical wildlife crossings. Increased habitat connectivity supports more robust wildlife populations. Developing safe passage routes for wildlife to cross our roadways increases motorist safety. Both of these funds have plenty of room to grow and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation will be working on exactly that at the NM State legislature as the session begins next month.
2023 was quite the year for public access in New Mexico. It was with great appreciation that we observed Attorney General Raul Torrez take a strong stance on behalf of New Mexico residents in his unwavering commitment to ensure that the public will not be illegally blocked from accessing our public waters. Whether you prefer to raft or kayak or wade fish on New Mexico's rivers, the rivers belong to you and you have a right to enjoy them. We quickly sprang into action to prevent the sneaky and inappropriate closures of multiple county roads across the state. In one instance, a public road was gated and locked by private landowners in an action we believe to be unlawful. NMWF didn't hesitate to engage in legal action to challenge this closure. We hope that the road will soon be open again to the public as this road provides very important public access to the Aldo Leopold Wilderness. We're confident that Mr. Leopold, who founded this organization back in 1914 would be proud to see that more than 100 years later we continue to inspire New Mexicans to conserve public landscapes, watersheds, and wildlife for our children’s future.
In addition to working on access to public lands and waters, NMWF remains committed to fighting for equitable access to New Mexico's public wildlife for the benefit of New Mexico residents. Programs like EPLUS that allow our public elk to be sold, bartered, auctioned and otherwise distributed by private individuals with an eye on maximizing personal profits must be reformed. Our "Take Back Your Elk" campaign has been a powerful tool to educate the people of New Mexico about the details and the results of this unfair tag allocation system. We're excited for the release of "Take Back Your Elk Version 2.0" in the coming months. The NM State Game Commission is the trustee of our public trust wildlife. They must be held accountable for their fiduciary responsibility to manage our trust assets for the benefit of the beneficiaries of the trust, who are the residents of New Mexico. The dysfunction of this commission has been on full display for five years now. Because of this, we supported a bill in 2023 that would have reformed the structure of this vitally important board of trustees. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan and bicameral support. Not surprisingly, the governor chose to pocket veto the bill therefore avoiding any requirement to even explain her reason for the veto. We will continue to work on game commission reform in an effort to provide the insulation between politics and wildlife management as was intended when the commission was originally formed back in 1921.
Our youth program, Nature Niños, has educated over 400 kids in outdoor spaces this year. With the completion of the pivotal “Mi Tierra Salvaje” project funded by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Nature Niños shared their findings of the best practices of youth and family engagement programming in marginalized communities at various conferences across the country. Their programs Investigating the Outdoors, Tiny Trees, and Outdoor Adventure Camp, as well as their partnerships with Albuquerque charter schools, are focusing on the needs of our youth to connect with nature in a time when we are all so disconnected. Our newest program was created this fall - an internship for high school students from the Native American Community Academy’s high school. The Nature Niños program is cultivating New Mexico’s next generation of land and water stewards and our educators are working to bridge the gap between learning about our world and caring about our world.
We couldn't have accomplished all we have if not for the strong support and participation of all the individuals who send us emails or call into the office to notify us of issues that matter to them. If it weren't for our members and supporters being willing to take action and send an email or make a phone call to our decision makers we would not have the collective influence necessary to protect the things we love. Without the generous financial support of everyone who made a donation in 2023, our work would not be possible. Because of all of you, last year NMWF was named "Affiliate of the Year" by the National Wildlife Federation which has 52 state and territory affiliates. Thank you all very much for another exceptional year! As 2023 fades away in the rear-view mirror our eyes are intently focused on the windshield and the year ahead. Buckle up. It's going to be one heck of a ride!
Jesse Deubel
Executive Director