It was the passionate work of the TrapFree New Mexico coalition, the genuine leadership of state legislators, the courageous testimony of trap victims from around the state and, ultimately, the governor’s signature that turned this tragedy – and countless others like it – into a positive outcome for New Mexico. Roxy’s Law will make public lands safer for everyone.

It is likely that millions of animals in New Mexico have been tortured, maimed and killed by cruel, limb-crushing traps and strangulation snares. This indiscriminate slaughter continued for so long because one state agency – the Department of Game and Fish – kept it going despite massive, clearly stated opposition. This self-serving department operates with state authority, but without any real accountability to the constituents it is supposed to serve, the people of New Mexico. The behavior of the Game Department illustrates a basic failure of governance in our state.

With its relentless “hunting is conservation” propaganda, the Game Department essentially operates New Mexico as a pay-to-kill game farm, selling the state’s wildlife as “products” on its website. Let’s be clear: killing wildlife is not conserving wildlife. This is the same state agency that did nothing to stop the obscene coyote-killing contests. The state Legislature had to step in and stop that slaughter.

The Game Commission that ostensibly oversees the Game Department has positions for seven commissioners, only one of whom represents conservation interests. Commissioners are appointed by the governor, but are not required to have any training or expertise in wildlife, biological sciences or public trust duties, and can be removed at any time without cause. This is a purely political exercise that is subject to abuse. Wildlife management should never be politicized.

Wildlife is a public trust in which all New Mexicans have a legitimate interest, not just those who hunt and fish. But the 95% of New Mexicans who do not hunt or fish are systematically excluded from state wildlife policy. This arrangement is profoundly anti-democratic and lacks basic legitimacy.

Basic components of good governance include accountability, inclusivity, responsiveness and transparency. New Mexico state wildlife management lacks all four. The Game Department’s backward policies are badly out of step with mainstream society and show little sign of improving. There is no reason we should allow any state agency to pursue an agenda that is clearly at odds with what most New Mexicans want for the state’s wildlife: respectful coexistence. Without deep reform and repurposing of state wildlife management, we can and should expect the abuse to continue.

Banning traps, snares and poisons on public lands is a victory for basic decency in our relationship with each other and what remains of our wildlife. There is no reason we should tolerate the cruel, indiscriminate killing of our companion animals or wildlife. There is no excuse for repeating the mistakes and abuses of the past, no matter how longstanding.

Read this piece in the Albuquerque Journal »

The post Roxy’s Law a win, but wildlife governance needs reform appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

It was the passionate work of the TrapFree New Mexico coalition, the genuine leadership of state legislators, the courageous testimony of trap victims from around the state and, ultimately, the governor’s signature that turned this tragedy — and countless others like it — into a positive outcome for New Mexico. Roxy’s Law will make our public lands safer for everyone.

It is likely millions of animals in New Mexico have been tortured, maimed and killed by cruel, limb-crushing traps and strangulation snares. This indiscriminate slaughter continued for so long because one state agency — the Department of Game and Fish — kept it going in spite of massive, clearly stated opposition. This self-serving department operates with state authority but without any real accountability to the constituents it is supposed to serve, the people of New Mexico. The behavior of the department illustrates a basic failure of governance in our state.

With its relentless “hunting is conservation” propaganda, Game and Fish essentially operates New Mexico as a pay-to-kill game farm, selling the state’s wildlife as “products” on its website. Let’s be clear: Killing wildlife is not conserving wildlife in any sane sense. This is the same state agency that did nothing to stop the obscene coyote killing contests. The state Legislature had to step in and stop the slaughter.

The State Game Commission that ostensibly oversees Game and Fish has positions for seven commissioners, only one of which represents conservation interests. Commissioners are appointed by the governor but are not required to have any training or expertise in wildlife, biological sciences or public trust duties and can be removed at any time without cause. This is a purely political exercise that is subject to abuse. Wildlife management should never be politicized.

Wildlife is a public trust in which all New Mexicans have a legitimate interest, not just those who hunt and fish. But the 95 percent of New Mexicans who do not hunt or fish are systematically excluded from state wildlife policy. This arrangement is profoundly anti-democratic and lacks basic legitimacy.

Basic components of good governance include: accountability, inclusivity, responsiveness and transparency. New Mexico state wildlife management lacks all four of these critical components. The department’s backward policies and management objectives are badly out of step with mainstream society and show little sign of improving. There is no reason we should allow any state agency to pursue an agenda that is clearly at odds with what most New Mexicans want for the state’s wildlife: respectful coexistence. Without deep reform and repurposing of state wildlife management, we can and should expect the abuse to continue.

Banning traps, snares and poisons on public lands is a victory for basic decency in our relationship with one another and what remains of our wildlife. There is no reason we should tolerate the cruel, indiscriminate killing of our companion animals or wildlife. There is no excuse for repeating the mistakes and abuses of the past, no matter how longstanding. Tradition is no excuse for abuse.

Read this My View in the Santa Fe New Mexican »

The post Roxy’s Law makes public lands safer — now reform Game and Fish appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Senate Bill 32, The Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, had four committed sponsors, including Sen. Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales and Rep. Christine Chandler, both of whom represent Los Alamos; as well as Sens. Brenda McKenna and Matthew McQueen.

Forty-five years ago my family came upon a trapped animal during a Christmas Tree outing in the Jemez mountains. I have never forgotten the sickening horror associated with that incident. Those who truly believe that mankind was created in the image of God must also believe that they are obliged to behave with the same compassion and grace as our Creator. I have seen with my own eyes that there is nothing graceful nor compassionate about trapping.

Passing the Wildlife Conservation and Safety Act was long overdue. I appreciate and thank all of those who helped make it happen.

Read this Letter in the Los Alamos Reporter

The post Passage Of Wildlife Conservation and Safety Act “Roxy’s Law” Long Overdue appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Many people are surprised to learn that fur trapping—the exploitative relic of the 1800s—still goes on today in our crowded, fragile world. Worse, the steel-jawed devices and wire neck-snares that trappers still use can be hidden on our public lands, including national forests, Bureau of Land Management and state trust lands, where they may harm hikers, wildlife watchers and others. Trappers seek to profit from the capture and killing of the public’s wildlife—animals like bobcats, foxes, coyotes and badgers—by selling their pelts into the international market. But, every year in New Mexico, traps also slam shut on unintended victims: dogs walking with their people, birds like ravens and even endangered species like the Mexican wolf.

So far in only the four weeks that the trapping season has been open in New Mexico this year, three dogs have been ensnared. And those are only the incidents we at TrapFree New Mexico know about. There is no database or official place to report these traumas, so the actual figure is likely much higher.

Sometimes the owners can act quickly and are able to extricate their dog with a minimum of injury, which almost always involves the dog’s screaming in pain, swelling where the trap landed and biting of the rescuers. On Thanksgiving Day, when a hiker’s highly trained search-and-rescue dog was trapped near Jemez Springs, people got her out with difficulty, but after only a short time. Thankfully, the incident occurred on a walk for pleasure, not a search mission.

The weekend before that, hikers stumbled upon a dog that did not belong to them, languishing in a steel leg-trap in northern Santa Fe County. The only way they could tell the dog was still alive was that she blinked when they approached. They were unable to remove the trap and, after giving the animal water and turkey jerky, had to leave it alone overnight before they could get help. Imagine the torment of having to walk away from an animal in agony.

At first light the next morning, a NMDog rescue party made the two-hour hike back to the dog, expecting the worst. Miraculously Mahlia was still alive. She’s going to be okay after several thousand dollars in veterinary expenses that included surgery to amputate the destroyed part of her foot. The trapper is not required to pay these expenses.

In the case of wire neck-snares, the outcome can be much more tragic. In 2018, a hiker held his ensnared dog, Roxy, while she suffocated to death in his arms. He was unable to figure out how to work the release mechanism of the wire crushing her windpipe in time to save her.

That year, a bill was introduced at the state legislature that prohibited the setting of traps and poisons on New Mexico public lands. The bill was fittingly named “Roxy’s law.” It passed both of its House of Representative committees, but did not make it to the floor before the session expired. Similar legislation had been introduced three times previously, but had never progressed even that far.

Surely the time has come to end the awful carnage traps inflict, not just on companion animals, but also on our native wildlife. Despite repeatedly asking the New Mexico State Game Commission to better regulate traps, this past year the commission adopted only an incremental change that increased the distance where a trap can be set near an official trailhead or campground to one half-mile. Traps can still be placed a mere 25 yards from an official trail or road. User-created roads or wildlife trails don’t meet the definition for even that modest restriction.

There are still no bag limits on any “furbearing” species. Trappers can kill an unlimited number of bobcats or foxes or coyotes. This is why a hiker in Doña Ana County was horrified to come across dozens of skinned and dumped coyote carcasses the Friday before Thanksgiving. It looked like a scene from a horror movie. Trapping dismisses the importance these animals have in nature in maintaining the balance of the food web. The attitude that they are expendable is ignorant and arrogant.

Our neighboring state of Arizona passed a measure banning traps and poisons on public lands more than 25 years ago. Colorado to our north adopted a complete statewide ban on these devices a couple of years later. Statewide bans also exist in California and Washington state and a few states in the East. New Mexico depends on tourism revenue, and we are at a distinct disadvantage when we place visitors wishing to explore the Land of Enchantment in harm’s way. Especially now during the pandemic, when being outdoors is one of the safest forms of recreation still available to us, the continuing assault caused by hidden traps is unforgivable.

The legislature meets again in January. Will this be the year our public lands become trap free? You can help to make that happen. Please visit trapfreenm.org to learn more, sign our  petition and contact your state senator and representative. (You can find their names and contact information at www.nmlegis.gov.) Ask them to support Roxy’s law. A hike on our public lands should not end in trauma or tragedy. The animal species that “bear fur” have value to nature far and above their pelt price.

Read the Guest Column in the Sierra County Sun »

The post Sierra County Sun: New Mexico: Land of Entrapment appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Shooting wildlife with cameras has far more sustainable financial potential than hunting or the egregious trapping—still legal in New Mexico.

Please consider that 99.9% of the state’s population is not actively engaged in licensed, legal trapping. Trapping has virtually no limits on killing fur-bearing species, and virtually no consequences for trapping/killing non-target species including companion animals, endangered species, or livestock. Legal trapping is virtually impossible to regulate with a very limited number of conservation officers, further complicated by a large percentage of those officers actually trapping themselves. Trappers pay no gross receipts taxes and no royalties for extracting a public resource—the state wildlife.

The economic future of New Mexico will be increasingly dependent upon tourism—as it is now. The total annual state trust lands grazing fees are a small fraction of the revenue generated by Indian Market.

As a resident who is part of a generation that has failed miserably being responsible for the environment, I offer my sincere apologies. I hope younger generations will learn from our mistakes and become better guardians and advocates for the environment.

Joe Newman
Santa Fe

The post Don’t Trap, Photograph! appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

This letter was published in the Santa Fe New Mexican on December 10, 2019

New Mexico has a problem with traps on public lands. The ongoing destruction inflicted by hidden, baited, steel jaw traps is well-documented. Public lands users, companion animals and wildlife, including endangered species, continue to suffer the harm from these cruel, indiscriminate devices. In response to this crisis, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has proposed closing 0.5 percent of New Mexico’s public lands to trapping.

The post Letter to the Editor: Statewide Traps appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent of New Mexicans do not trap, and 70 percent of New Mexicans oppose trapping on public lands. Public lands should be safe for everyone to explore and enjoy without the risk of a lethal encounter. It is clear that trapping is incompatible with public safety and that the destruction will not stop until traps are removed from public lands. In light of the ongoing and escalating conflicts, removing traps from public lands is long overdue.

Charles Fox
Santa Fe

Read the Letter to the Editor in the Santa Fe New Mexican »

The post Long overdue appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.