February 19, 2025
Time in nature wouldn’t be the same without the countless native wildlife species you encounter along the way. A scenic hike in the West would not be complete without songbird calls, the screech of a red-tailed hawk, glimpses of mule deer, and the chatter of a fox squirrel. Wildlife doesn’t just enhance the outdoors; they are a part of its very foundation.
To preserve thriving wildlife populations, humans have actively managed them for centuries, ensuring that the environment remains healthy and maintains a sustainable food supply for our communities.
Today, state fish and wildlife agencies — like the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department — are meant to be the principal and impartial stewards of these fish and animal species.
While the details vary by state, these agencies typically oversee the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, set hunting season limits based on the best available science, manage habitats, and work with stakeholders to resolve and prevent conflicts between wildlife and people.
State wildlife agencies are a cornerstone in effective conservation policy. These agencies need to be well funded, well organized, fully staffed, sheltered from outsized partisan influence, and empowered with the proper authority to manage each state’s unique wildlife for generations to come.
The Challenge in New Mexico
New Mexico is one of the top five most biodiverse states in the nation, and New Mexicans both cherish their wildlife and rely upon it for a stable food supply. From the roadrunner to the black bear to the javelina to native bees, New Mexico’s wildlife is deeply tied to the state’s cultural traditions. It also helps sustain a growing $3.2 billion outdoor recreation economy through hunting, fishing, birdwatching, hiking, and more.
Unfortunately, despite the good work of its staff, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is operating under an outdated wildlife management system, and it’s leaving many species vulnerable to worsening wildfire, flooding, and drought.
That’s why WRA, in partnership with a broad coalition of hunters and anglers, conservationists, animal rights groups, and good government advocates, is working to pass a reform package in the 2025 session — Senate Bill 5 (SB5), sponsored by Senators Pete Campos, Peter Wirth, and Crystal Brantley, and Representatives Matthew McQueen and Nathan Small.
New Mexico’s wildlife needs a 21st century management system, and now is the time to set it in statute.
Goal 1: Update the Department’s Mission
SB5 seeks to update the Department of Game and Fish’s mission to keep pace with the evolving ways New Mexicans connect with and appreciate their wildlife, and to more accurately reflect the conservation work the agency does today.
Founded in 1912, the Department has grown beyond its initial charge to manage the state’s fish and game species to ensure a sustainable food supply. For decades, wildlife management in the state has disproportionately focused on game species, leaving many creatures that aren’t hunted or fished without durable protection.
While the Department already works to conserve a broad range of wildlife, it lacks clear legislative authority to manage most animals outside game species, leaving gaping holes in the state’s wildlife management policies. SB5 seeks to update the Department’s official name and mission to more accurately reflect the work it does today and to empower it with clear authority to manage additional species in New Mexico — and the discretion not to — as it sees fit.
Updating the mission will allow the state’s wildlife management system to keep pace with today’s accelerating environmental challenges.
Goal 2: Fix The State Game Commission
The Department of Game and Fish is overseen by the New Mexico State Game Commission — a governing body originally charged with shielding wildlife management from politics — that has been in a state of disarray for years.
Right now, commissioners are appointed by the governor, with no required qualifications in wildlife management, and they can be removed at any time, for any reason. The Commission often lacks a quorum — the minimum number of members needed to make proceedings valid — so critical decisions are delayed meeting after meeting, and year after year. This overly politicized system has led to an unstable and ineffective Commission, where swings in ideology as administrations change puts wildlife, and the people who rely on them, on the backburner.
Today, legislators across the aisle agree the Commission is broken and needs to be fixed.
SB5 would establish specific qualifications for education and experience for commissioners and would ensure qualified commissioners cannot be removed without cause. It would create a bipartisan nominating committee to select strong candidates but leave appointment power with the governor.
The bill seeks to balance rural and urban interests, ensuring the unique voices of farmers, ranchers, hunters, anglers, biologists, Tribes, and wildlife conservationists are all represented.
The Commission should be reformed so that it is balanced, science-driven, and representative of all New Mexicans.
Goal 3: Secure New Funding
To make matters worse, there is a funding crisis at the Department of Game and Fish. The agency doesn’t receive any money from the legislature and is instead funded primarily by hunting and fishing license fees.
While this system reflects the original mission of the Department, those fees haven’t changed in almost 20 years, and it’s putting wildlife in the red. The Department needs new sources of funding so that conservation costs don’t rest solely on the backs of hunters and anglers.
New Mexico’s landmark conservation finance legislation, the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund — led in large part by WRA — gave the Department a much needed revenue boost. While this seed money marked a critical investment in the state’s wildlife, the Department needs more staff and resources to continue carrying out comprehensive, science-based conservation work.
To alleviate the problem, SB5 proposes modest hunting and fishing license fee increases — already widely supported among sportsmen’s groups — and seeks to establish new, sustainable funding sources to ensure healthy populations of game, fish, and other wildlife for future generations. This can be rolled out in a phased-in and equitable approach that won’t break the bank.
Thanks to Rep. Small, the Department will also see a $10.5 million investment — $3.5 million for the next three years — from the state’s new Government Results and Opportunity Fund, a legislative initiative to support promising statewide programs. This investment will help the Department recover at-risk native species, so they don’t end up on the federal threatened or endangered species list, which costs the state more in the end. If the Department can demonstrate measurable results, this funding could become a permanent part of the state budget.
The Path Forward
The effort to reform New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish and State Game Commission is years in the making, but now is the time to pass this essential legislation. The bill has already received broad support at the Roundhouse in the Senate Rules and Senate Conservation committees and heads to its last committee, Senate Finance, this week.
New Mexicans deserve an effective and efficient wildlife agency that is poised to tackle today’s challenges; meet the needs of the state’s hunters, fishers, and recreators; and preserve the unique natural heritage of the West — our stunning landscapes and thriving wildlife.
