New Mexico is joining a handful of Western states that have limited trapping on public lands, with supporters saying the move will help protect endangered species such as the Mexican gray wolf and prevent household pets from walking into traps amid efforts to promote outdoor recreation and tourism.

The New Mexico measure, dubbed “Roxy’s Law,” was approved in 2021 following several failed attempts by animal advocates over the years to rein in a practice they have described as archaic and indiscriminate.

Chris Smith with the group WildEarth Guardians was among those who lobbied for the change. He called the law a momentous win for public lands and wildlife, saying it marks a shift away from seeing native animals as a nuisance.

“Native species are critical to ecosystems and cultures alike; and we are finally protecting and respecting them accordingly,” Smith said in a statement.

Trapping and snaring triggered emotionally charged debates during legislative sessions and state Game Commission meetings, with proponents and critics often being separated by a rural-urban divide.

Rural residents and wildlife conservation officers had argued that trapping was an important tool for managing wildlife and protecting livestock. They unsuccessfully pleaded with lawmakers to allow more time for rules that were adopted by state wildlife managers in 2020 to work before imposing the sweeping trapping ban.

The law allows continued use of traps on public lands for purposes of scientific research, ecosystem management and rodent control. It also exempts Native American religious observances that may involve harvesting wildlife.

The law does not affect activity on private property or apply to Native American lands.

Violating the statute can result in a misdemeanor, with each trap, snare or poison application constituting a single violation of the law.

Following the 2020-2021 trapping season, environmentalists and animal advocates had counted at least nine dogs that had been caught in privately set traps and snares on public land in northern New Mexico. In February, a dog walking with its owner was caught in a snare and leg hold trap near the community of El Rito.

California and Washington have limits on trapping, but advocates say New Mexico is joining neighboring Arizona and Colorado with more restrictive rules.

In Colorado, a constitutional amendment in 1997 prohibited trapping, snares and poison on public and private land — though 30-day exceptions are granted when landowners show that livestock or crop damage can’t be prevented by sanctioned or non-lethal methods. Arizona in the 1990s banned the use of foothold traps and snares on public land with few exceptions.

Read this article on KRQE.com 

The post Trapping ban to take effect on public lands in New Mexico appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

New Mexico is joining less than a handful of Western states in either prohibiting or limiting trapping on public lands, with supporters saying the move will help protect endangered species such as the Mexican gray wolf and prevent household pets from walking into traps amid efforts to promote outdoor recreation and tourism.

The New Mexico measure, dubbed “Roxy’s Law,” was approved in 2021 following several failed attempts by animal advocates over the years to rein in a practice they have described as archaic and indiscriminate.

Chris Smith with the group WildEarth Guardians was among those who lobbied for the change. He called the law a momentous win for public lands and wildlife, saying it marks a shift away from seeing native animals as a nuisance.

“Native species are critical to ecosystems and cultures alike; and we are finally protecting and respecting them accordingly,” Smith said in a statement.

Trapping and snaring triggered emotionally charged debates during legislative sessions and state Game Commission meetings, with proponents and critics often being separated by a rural-urban divide.

Rural residents and wildlife conservation officers had argued that trapping was an important tool for managing wildlife and protecting livestock. They unsuccessfully pleaded with lawmakers to allow more time for rules that were adopted by state wildlife managers in 2020 to work before imposing the sweeping trapping ban.

The law allows continued use of traps on public lands for purposes of scientific research, ecosystem management and rodent control. It also exempts Native American religious observances that may involve harvesting wildlife.

The law does not affect activity on private property or apply to Native American lands.

Violating the statute can result in a misdemeanor, with each trap, snare or poison application constituting a single violation of the law.

Following the 2020-2021 trapping season, environmentalists and animal advocates had counted at least nine dogs that had been caught in privately set traps and snares on public land in northern New Mexico. In February, a dog walking with its owner was caught in a snare and leg hold trap near the community of El Rito.

Read this article in the Las Cruces Sun News »

The post Trapping ban to take effect on public lands in New Mexico appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

MILESTONE MOMENT FOR NEW MEXICO’S ANIMALS

SANTA FE, N.M.—Last night, by a vote of 35-34, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed Senate Bill (SB) 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, aka “Roxy’s Law,” sponsored by Senator Bobby Gonzales (D-Ranchos de Taos) and Senator Brenda McKenna (D- Corrales) in the Senate and Representative Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) and Representative Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos).

SB 32 prohibits the use of traps, snares, and poisons on public lands (with several important exemptions). Having passed the New Mexico Senate by a vote of 23-16 last month, Senate Bill 32 now advances to the desk of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

“I am proud that we have passed Senate Bill 32 to end an archaic, cruel, and unnecessary practice on public lands,” said Representative Matthew McQueen. “I am grateful for the support of my colleagues and my co-sponsors for shepherding Senate Bill 32 through to the Governor’s desk. This bill is supported by the majority of New Mexicans and will contribute to New Mexico’s bright outdoor recreation future.”

“Tonight’s final vote to ban leg-hold traps, snares, and poisons on New Mexico public lands is historic. Starting April 1, 2022, we will know there will be fewer wolves, dogs, coyotes, cats, elk, fox, birds, beavers, and other animals that will experience terror, pain, permanent injury, and even death,” said Senator Brenda McKenna. “We will not read about people retelling their excruciating experiences of trying to free their four-legged family members from the devices that are designed to incapacitate while they are on a hike at any of our public federal, state, or municipal lands. I thank the bill co-sponsors, wildlife scientists, and dedicated advocates who helped carry the baton to the finish line.”

Animal Protection Voters, WildEarth Guardians, and the members of the TrapFree New Mexico coalition commend the New Mexico Legislature for passing SB 32, a culmination of decades- long work to draw attention to and to restrict the ability for private individuals to take and sell unlimited numbers of New Mexican wildlife for their own personal, commercial gain and to do so through barbaric, outdated methods, causing suffering, and mortal danger to wildlife, companion animals, and the general public.

“We are grateful to New Mexico legislators for taking this momentous step forward to make New Mexico’s public lands safer, more humane, more ethical, and more beautiful,” said Jessica Johnson, APV’s Chief Government Affairs Officer. “The Wildlife Conservation & Public Safety Act has received support from New Mexicans of all walks of life.”

Traps, snares, and poisons are indiscriminate, able to injure or kill non-target animals unlucky enough to trigger the devices. Nearly 150,000 native creatures have been killed by private trappers since 2008 including the endangered Mexican gray wolf called Mia Tuk who was caught in a trap and bludgeoned to death by a trapper in 2015. At least two wolves have been injured in traps in New Mexico in the past 6 months.

The victims of trapping, snares, and poisons on public lands include more animals than the fur-bearing or destructive wildlife the devices are nominally set to ensnare. Roxy’s Law was named in honor of a beloved dog who, in 2018, was strangled to death by a trapper’s snare while hiking with her human. Since the 2020-2021 trapping season began, at least 9 dogs been caught in privately set traps and snares on public land. The most recent incidents occurred near Abeyta, Pecos, Rowe Mesa, Cloudcroft, and Dixon and don’t include the unknown numbers who are not reported or tragically never found.

APV celebrates last night’s vote with other organizations who have supported and worked to pass SB 32, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Voters New Mexico, Defenders of Wildlife, the Endangered Species Coalition, New Mexico Wild Action Fund, New Mexico Veterinary Medical Association, Project Coyote, the Southwest Environmental Center, the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, and WildEarth Guardians.

Additional Quotes From Sponsoring Organizations:

“The legislature’s thoughtful and humane vote will spare so many vulnerable animals,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Silver City. “Bobcats, foxes, badgers and ringtails play vital ecological roles and don’t deserve horrific deaths just so their pelts can be sold internationally. And I’m particularly grateful that banning these traps means we won’t see any new three-legged Mexican wolves limping through the Gila National Forest.”

“New Mexico’s wildlife is held in the public trust, yet it is currently being stripped from public lands, for private profit. SB 32 is a common-sense solution that allows the public to hunt, fish, hike and work on publicly owned lands without the danger of steel traps, snares, and poisons,” said Greg Peters, Public Lands & Wildlife Advocate, Conservation Voters New Mexico. “This bill allows New Mexico to modernize the state’s trapping regulations and adopt a progressive level of coexistence with wildlife, leading to a safer, more equitable approach to management of our natural resources. We are thankful for the leadership of the bill’s sponsors and for the support from House and Senate members who voted to pass this long-needed legislation.”

“The passage of Roxy’s Law is a victory for the recovery efforts of endangered Mexican grey wolves, and a huge win for the gente of New Mexico and their safety while enjoying public lands,” said Eddie Estrada, New Mexico Field Representative, Endangered Species Coalition.

“New Mexico Wild supports the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which promotes the principles that wildlife is held in public trust, should not be commercialized, should be managed scientifically, and should not be used frivolously. The use of traps on public lands is inconsistent with that model,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild. “Traps have the potential to indiscriminately catch, maim, or kill domestic pets and wildlife that are not intended to be caught, including the Mexican gray wolf. New Mexico needs to fully commit itself to implementing a science-driven, holistic, 21st century stewardship model for all wildlife and we are proud to support SB 32.”

“With this momentous legislation prohibiting traps, snares and poisons, the Land of Enchantment has joined a class of enlightenment along with more than 80 countries and a handful of other US states,” said Michelle Lute, PhD in wildlife science and National Carnivore Conservation Manager for Project Coyote. “Thanks to the support of many champions for this bill from across New Mexico, wildlife management in our state is now more enlightened, science-based and effective in protecting wildlife and healthy ecosystems.”

“We are so proud that the New Mexico legislature stood up for compassion, wildlife conservation, and public safety with the passage of Roxy’s law and we fervently hope the Governor will now sign the bill into law recognizing the wishes of the majority of New Mexicans and bringing our state into line with our neighboring Arizona and Colorado,” said Mary Katherine Ray, Wildlife Chair for the Rio Grande Chapter Sierra Club.

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the legislators who supported this legislation and recognize the importance of safe and accessible public lands and the need to respect native wildlife on those lands,” said Chris Smith, southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “We look forward to Governor Lujan Grisham finalizing this bill’s journey and boosting New Mexico’s reputation with better wildlife policy.”

The post Senate Bill 32 AKA “ROXY’S LAW” Passes the NM House appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Contacts:
Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, 505-395-6177, csmith@wildearthguardians.org
Jessica Johnson, Animal Protection Voters, 505-220-6656, jessica@apvnm.org

Senate Bill 32, AKA “Roxy’s Law,” advances to the House

SANTA FE, N.M.—Today by a vote of 23 to 16, the New Mexico State Senate passed Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, aka “Roxy’s Law.”

Senate Bill 32 makes critical strides towards protecting all those who enjoy the outdoors, humans and animals, by prohibiting traps, snares, and poisons on public lands (with a few important exemptions). The bipartisan vote demonstrated strong legislative backing for a bill that is supported by the majority of New Mexicans, from hunters and nature enthusiasts to dog walkers and park visitors.

Bill sponsor Senator Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales (D—Ranchos de Taos) said, “With the passage of SB 32, New Mexico is helping to protect outdoor enthusiasts, wildlife, companion animals, and all New Mexicans who use public lands. Economic growth and stability come from increased, safe outdoor recreation and other activities on public lands. The dangerous methods of trapping, snaring, and poisoning on public lands have kept us from moving forward like we should and now we are at a point that our neighboring states have enacted similar bills, making them more likely to benefit from outdoor dollars. I am proud to sponsor Senate Bill 32 so that we can move forward in prosperity and in protecting our animals and people.”

Senator Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales) said, “I am proud to be a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 32—alongside Senator Bobby Gonzales, Representative Matthew McQueen, and Representative Christine Chandler and thank my colleagues for their votes in support of the bill. We as a society can no longer condone the barbaric practice of using traps, snares, and poisons on public lands. I have, for years, supported outlawing usage of these cruel methods, especially since I myself once purchased a leghold trap for under $20 and could not open it without carefully using my feet. Imagine trying to free a pet or yourself under highly stressful and incredibly painful circumstances! I look forward to stewarding this bill through to the Governor’s desk, to protect the animals of the state and so we can all enjoy the outdoors in New Mexico.”

Traps, snares, and poisons are not just archaic and cruel, they are also indiscriminate, killing any creature unlucky enough to get too close to them. These victims include not just the fur-bearing or destructive wildlife the devices are nominally set to ensnare but also companion animals like Roxy, the beloved dog who in 2018 was strangled to death in front of her human. Since the 2020-2021 trapping season began, at least 9 dogs been caught in privately set traps and snares on public land. The most recent incidents occurred near Abeyta, Pecos, Rowe Mesa, Cloudcroft, and Dixon and don’t include the unknown numbers who are not reported or tragically never found.

SB 32 will also save untold numbers of endangered wildlife. Nearly 150,000 native creatures have been killed by private trappers since 2008 including the endangered Mexican gray wolf called Mia Tuk who was caught in a trap and bludgeoned to death by a trapper in 2015. Two wolves have been injured in traps in New Mexico in the past 6 months.

“It’s past time this archaic mass killing ended,” said Chris Smith, southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Public lands should be safe, wildlife should be respected, people should not be afraid to take their dogs or children on a hike. The solution is simple—the House now needs to follow the Senate’s example.”

“Traps are like landmines, catching and harming any creature unlucky enough to step on them,” said Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center. “It’s time to get them off our public lands.”

“As a wildlife biologist, I can say definitely that trapping is not a legitimate form of wildlife management,” said Michelle Lute, PhD, national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote. “Our public lands and the wildlife that live on them must be protected from such cruel and wanton waste.”

“No one who visits our public lands should be subjected to finding suffering wildlife in traps or the trauma of their own beloved dog being harmed,” said Mary Katherine Ray, Wildlife Chair of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, who has experienced the anguish of both.

“New Mexico Wild Action Fund believes that wildlife is held in public trust for the protection and continued enjoyment of all New Mexicans and should not be commercialized. We applaud Senators Gonzales and McKenna and Representatives McQueen and Chandler for their efforts to end the practice of trapping on our public lands,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild Action Fund.

Animal Protection Voters’ Chief Government Affairs Officer, Jessica Johnson, noted, “New Mexicans overwhelmingly agree that it is past time for New Mexico to join our neighboring states of Colorado and Arizona and say goodbye to traps, snares, and poisons on the public lands we share. Let’s not wait for more or bigger tragedies to happen before taking action.”

“Mexican gray wolves are the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf in the world. Despite steady population growth over the past 20 years, trapping continues to hinder our ability to recover this important species,” says Michael Dax, New Mexico representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “The time has come to get traps off our public lands.”

“Trapping on public lands is indiscriminate and an ineffective tool for wildlife management, killing thousands of unintended animals instead of targeted predators; it’s primary motive is private profit from a public trust resource,” said Greg Peters, Public Lands & Wildlife Advocate for Conservation Voters New Mexico. “By ending trapping on our public lands, we will make them safer for NM residents and NM wildlife – creating more equitable access to nature while benefiting our local outdoor economy.”

“Today’s vote gives us hope that very soon, rare and beautiful animals will no longer fall victim to cruel and indiscriminate leghold traps and strangulation snares,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Silver City. “These killing devices should never have been allowed on public lands.”

Senate Bill 32 will now cross over to the House of Representatives, where it will be championed by co-sponsors Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) and Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos).

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The post Majority of NM Senate agrees with majority of New Mexicans, says no more traps, snares, and poisons on public lands appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Contacts:
Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, 505-395-6177, csmith@wildearthguardians.org
Jessica Johnson, Animal Protection Voters, 505-220-6656, jessica@apvnm.org

SANTA FE, N.M.—Today Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act a.k.a. “Roxy’s Law,” passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 5 to 1. Senate Bill 32 makes important strides towards protecting all those who enjoy the outdoors, human and animals, by prohibiting traps, snares, and poisons on public lands (with a few important exemptions).

The vote demonstrated strong legislative backing for a bill that is supported by the majority of New Mexicans, from hunters and nature enthusiasts to dog walkers and park visitors.

Senator Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales) said, “I am proud to be a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 32—alongside Senator Bobby Gonzales, Representative Matthew McQueen, and Representative Christine Chandler—and thank my colleagues for their votes in support of the bill. We as a society can no longer condone the barbaric practice of using traps, snares, and poisons on public lands. I have, for years, supported outlawing usage of these cruel methods, especially since I myself once purchased a leghold trap for under $20 and could not open it without carefully using my feet. Imagine trying to free a pet or yourself under highly stressful and incredibly painful circumstances! I look forward to stewarding this bill through to the Governor’s desk, to protect the animals of the state and so we can all enjoy the outdoors in New Mexico.”

The bill will save unsuspecting companion animals and their human families from prolonged suffering. Since the 2020-2021 trapping season began, at least 9 dogs are known to have been caught in privately set traps and snares on public land across the state. The most recent incidents occurred near Abeyta, Pecos, Rowe Mesa, Cloudcroft, and Dixon.

Senate Bill 32 would also spare untold numbers of New Mexican wildlife from being killed via outdated and inhumane methods on public lands—nearly 150,000 native creatures have been killed by private trappers since 2008.

“It’s past time this madness ended,” said Chris Smith, southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Public lands should be safe, wildlife should be respected, people should not be afraid to take their dogs or children on a hike. The solution is simple—the legislature needs to act.”

“Traps are like landmines, catching and harming any creature unlucky enough to step on them,” said Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center. “It’s time to get them off our public lands.”

“As a wildlife biologist, I can say definitely that trapping is not a legitimate form of wildlife management,” said Michelle Lute, PhD, national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote. “Our public lands and the wildlife that live on them must be protected from such cruel and wanton waste.”

“No one who visits our public lands should be subjected to finding suffering wildlife in traps or the trauma of their own beloved dog being harmed,” said Mary Katherine Ray, Wildlife Chair of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, who has experienced the anguish of both.

“New Mexico Wild Action Fund believes that wildlife is held in public trust for the protection and continued enjoyment of all New Mexicans, and should not be commercialized. We applaud Senators Gonzales and McKenna and Representatives McQueen and Chandler for their efforts to end the practice of trapping on our public lands,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild Action Fund.

Animal Protection Voters’ Chief Government Affairs Officer, Jessica Johnson, noted, “New Mexicans overwhelmingly agree that it is past time for New Mexico to join our neighboring states of Colorado and Arizona and say goodbye to traps, snares, and poisons on the public lands we share. Let’s not wait for more or bigger tragedies to happen before taking action.”

“Mexican gray wolves are the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf in the world. Despite steady population growth over the past 20 years, trapping continues to hinder our ability to recover this important species,” says Michael Dax, New Mexico representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “The time has come to get traps off our public lands.”

“Trapping on public lands is indiscriminate and an ineffective tool for wildlife management, killing thousands of unintended animals instead of targeted predators; it’s primary motive is private profit from a public trust resource,” said Greg Peters, Public Lands & Wildlife Advocate for Conservation Voters New Mexico. “By ending trapping on our public lands, we will make them safer for NM residents and NM wildlife – creating more equitable access to nature while benefiting our local outdoor economy.”

“Today’s vote gives us hope that very soon, rare and beautiful animals will no longer fall victim to cruel and indiscriminate leghold traps and strangulation snares,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Silver City. “These killing devices should never have been allowed on public lands.”

Senate Bill 32 will next be voted on by the full Senate before it can cross over to the House of Representatives.

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The post “Roxy’s Law” bill to outlaw traps, snares, and wildlife poisons on public land passes Senate Judiciary Committee appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

This dog was in severe pain, dehydrated and slowly dying. But these two visitors were determined to save her and managed to find a rescue group willing to come out after hours to help. It was early morning before they found her, and she survived-minus several toes.

“Mahlia” was lucky. Mia Tuk wasn’t; neither was Roxy. In 2018 the 8-year-old cattle dog got caught in a trapper’s snare and strangled to death in front of her human companion. Can you imagine this happening to you?

Mia Tuk, a young, endangered Mexican gray wolf, who was being monitored by federal wildlife officials, lost her life in 2015 when she was caught in a trap on public land, and then bludgeoned to death with a shovel by her trapper.

Referred to by many as archaic and cruel, these devices are also indiscriminate, “catching and harming any creature unlucky enough to step on them,” (Kevin Bixby, executive director of Southwest Environmental Center.) Targets become baby animals who die in front of their mommas and vice versa, endangered wildlife (including nearly 50 endangered Mexican wolves trapped since 2002,) birds (including eagles and ravens) and pets.

Victims lay trapped and terrified, starving, dying from infection, dehydration or predation — unless or until the trapper comes back and finishes them off, by bludgeoning for example, to their final death.

In 1994 and 1996 respectively, Arizona and Colorado passed laws banning trapping on public lands. This year, New Mexico has the chance to do the same. On Feb. 2, Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, also known as “Roxy’s Law,” passed the Senate Conservation Committee by a vote of 7-2.

This bill would outlaw traps, snares and poisons on public lands, with exceptions for humane intervention by state and federal agencies for ecosystem and wildlife management, scientific research and human health and safety. It would also protect sovereign tribal religious and cultural practices. These same exemptions exist in the Arizona and Colorado laws.

We lost more than 8,000 wild animals in New Mexico from 2019 to 2020. Most were killed for their fur and sold to manufacturers in other states. One senator’s secretary told me she’s even heard of people from other states coming here to trap and steal our wildlife.

As a New Mexican, I feel completely disrespected by that, and I couldn’t find a word stronger than “despicable” in the dictionary to describe it. Janet Evans, chairwoman during the 1994 ruling in Arizona stated, “It should not be our responsibility to provide the raw materials for the east coast fur industry at the expense of wildlife diversity on our land.”

A former trapper from Santa Cruz County in Arizona declared, “Trapping is an archaic form of animal harvest and should be eliminated.”

Many hunters and fishers alike also despise the practice of trapping, believing it casts a black mark on their reputation and ethics.

While reading the stories, history and debates around this issue, I noted the arguments against these laws were founded not on science or truth, but on a plethora of thinking errors, like assuming, wishful thinking, denial and justification. For example: “Trappers help manage wildlife populations by preventing overpopulation.” Truth: traps are indiscriminate — there is no intention. They trap anything and everything, and may actually result in “mismanagement of wildlife populations” (Garrett Vene Klasen, New Mexico Wild.)

“Trappers help limit the spread of disease.” Truth: again, traps don’t target any creature in particular, sick or well. Moreover, a sick animal that is eaten by another may actually spread disease further.

“Trapping is part of our “heritage.” Truth: So was owning slaves. We finally figured out that wasn’t ethical either.

Richard McKee, of the Sierra Club, called trapping “a cruel and unnecessary hobby,” adding that most don’t rely on trapping for their livelihood. Surely, when your hobby causes suffering and death, it’s time to find a new hobby.

Roxy’s Law will help make our beautiful state safer for us, and for the tourists we hope will help our economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. But our slogan must not include, “Beware of traps, snares and poison …”

We need Roxy’s Law to pass. Visit APVNM.org/NoTraps to learn more about Roxy’s Law and how you can contact and inspire your lawmakers to vote yes! Thank you, and be well.

Read this article in the Valencia County News-Bulletin »

The post Making New Mexico safer with Roxy’s Law appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

My entire life, identity and work has centered around New Mexico’s incredible array of public lands and the diverse wildlife inhabiting those lands. We New Mexicans are truly blessed. It’s no surprise that so many of us, including myself, flock to the soul-nourishing outdoors seeking respite from the pandemic.

Our public lands, and the wildlife they support, are integral to New Mexico’s culture, history, ecosystems and economy. They are the present and future of a sustainable outdoor recreation economy. They anchor functioning ecosystems. And without wildlife, these landscapes are much-diminished.

I’m a third-generation hunter and angler, and I feed my family with the fish and game I harvest each year. One activity I do not partake in nor support on public lands is trapping. Trapping is a leftover from a bygone era when commercial hunting and trapping decimated wildlife populations. Current laws allow trappers to place unlimited numbers of traps on public lands and take unlimited numbers of furbearing species under minimal regulations to sell their pelts in commercial markets.

Both New Mexico law, which prohibits the sale of game animals taken by hunters, and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation – held in high esteem by many wildlife managers and sportsmen like myself – wisely prohibit commercial exploitation of wildlife today. Trapping remains a rare and inexplicable exception, putting our own enjoyment of wildlife and public lands at risk.

The fatal flaw with traps and snares on public lands is that they all have the potential to indiscriminately catch, maim or kill wildlife and domestic pets that are not intended to be caught. A prime example are the 43 critically endangered Mexican wolves accidently trapped in New Mexico since 2002. Many wolves suffered amputations or death due to the traps. The potential for mismanagement of wildlife populations and increased mishaps with pet owners is simply too great to continue utilizing trapping as a legitimate method of wildlife stewardship.

There are specific instances where individual animals are causing serious and possibly life- or property-threatening damage or depredation. There are also specific instances where state or federal wildlife managers are trying to re-introduce threatened or endangered species and need to control species adversely impacting reintroduction efforts. In these special cases, wildlife professionals should still use certain types of trapping – if deemed absolutely necessary – on a limited basis.

But statewide commercial fur trapping on our public lands undermines every hunter, hiker, angler, backpacker, wildlife watcher – every other safe and prosperous use of public lands.

New Mexico’s diverse wildlife enlivens our landscapes. Native species keep plant and wildlife communities in balance. They clean our water and recycle nutrients in our soils. Wildlife populates the stories that we tell our kids and the legends around which we build our cultures. Hunters and anglers ethically take carefully managed game species with reverence so that we can have meat in our freezers, but not money in our pockets. Wildlife is there for all New Mexicans to enjoy, whether we see and hear them or we simply benefit from their quiet work to make our ecosystems function.

The widescale, unlimited trapping and killing of native species runs counter to all of this. And when a few people stand to profit at the expense of the whole, that is wrong, undemocratic and unjust.

The day of recreational trapping in my mind should come to an end in New Mexico. As an avid hunter and conservationist, the only purpose trapping serves is to give a black eye to sportsmen’s and sportswomen’s reputations. I want the court of public opinion to view us as ethical, humane and responsible.

That’s why I support state legislation called “Roxy’s Law,” Senate Bill 32, which would restrict private commercial use of traps and snares on public lands, and help not only protect people, but also the health of our ecosystems.

Trapping simple doesn’t fit into New Mexico’s future. It’s time for Roxy’s Law to pass.

Read the Guest Column in the Albuquerque Journal »

The post It’s time to end trapping in New Mexico appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

New Mexicans have worked hard over the years to do right by the animals in our state. We have banned cockfighting, horse tripping and coyote-killing contests. We have made dog fighting a fourth-degree felony. We have created a dedicated funding stream for low-cost spay and neuter services.

And now it is time we finally stop allowing the brutal, indiscriminate use of traps on our public lands.

For a paltry $20 permit, members of a small and vocal minority are allowed to litter our amazing public lands with as many leg-hold, body-gripping and cage traps, snares and poisons as they want. There is no limit to the number of animals they can maim and kill. No requirement they take only a certain species or gender or quickly put a suffering animal out of its misery. They can leave their traps unchecked for up to two days as anything suffers in them.

And since Nov. 1, three pet dogs have been caught in these traps (including Jesse, a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd who suffered minimal injuries from a trap in the Jemez National Recreation Area on Thanksgiving, and Mahlia, a black lab who lost many of her toes in a trap in northern Santa Fe County). Meanwhile, a hiker in Doña Ana County found a gruesome pile of more than a dozen skinned coyote carcasses, many with obvious trapping wounds on their legs. A map from TrapFree New Mexico shows incidents of traps catching people, pets and the wrong kind of animal stretch across our national forest, BLM and state trust lands.

Put that on a tourism ad.

The window dressing of “updates” the feckless state Game and Fish Department adopted last year to make trapping more palatable was just that, and real reforms are past due.

Jessica Johnson of Animal Protection Voters New Mexico says that once again, her group and others will advocate for Roxy’s Law, aka the Wildlife Protection and Public Safety Act. (It is named for family dog Roxy, an 8-year-old blue heeler-mix that strangled to death in a neck snare at Santa Cruz Lake in 2018. Her owner desperately, unsuccessfully, tried to save her.)

Versions of this reasonable legislation died in the 2017 and 2019 legislative sessions, so it is important to emphasize again to lawmakers and the public alike that it:

• Pertains only to public land, not private property.
• Does not affect hunting with firearms, archery, fishing or falconry equipment.
• Still allows trapping of mice, rats, pack rats, gophers, prairie dogs, moles, voles, rock squirrels, birds or fish.
• Provides exceptions for bona fide scientific research as well as government agencies to prevent/mitigate threats to human health and safety and address livestock depredation.
• Allows cage traps to capture wildlife and feral and domesticated animals that cause damage to property, crops or livestock, as well as to recover a domesticated animal or trap-neuter-release a feral animal.
• Exempts members of federally recognized Indian nations, tribes and pueblos for religious or ceremonial purposes.

New Mexico has long been an outlier on trapping. Colorado and California have banned it statewide, and Arizona and Washington have banned it on public land. That’s because they recognize trapping is indiscriminate, cruel, threatens recreationists and tourists, kills our threatened and endangered species (at least eight Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico) and, because there are no bag limits, presents a real threat to our already threatened ecosystem.

Trapping is in no way “New Mexico True.” New Mexico needs to make 2021 the year it adds a ban on trapping on public lands to its important list of successful animal and wildlife legislation.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.

Read this Editorial in the Albuquerque Journal »

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State wildlife managers suggested they tried to strike a balance, but trappers argued the changes will be burdensome, requiring them in some instances to walk a mile round trip to set a trap.

Environmentalists also were displeased with the decision, calling the practice inhumane and indiscriminate. They had pushed for the commission to end trapping altogether, saying pets and endangered species such as the Mexican gray wolf have been inadvertently caught.

Friday was the first time the State Game Commission, charged with overseeing hunting and fishing regulations and managing wildlife across New Mexico, had met following a shakeup over a dispute on a rule limiting public access to rivers and streams that flow through private property.

Former Game Commission Chairwoman Joanna Prukop ran afoul of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in the fall when she and other commissioners voted to reconsider the contested rule.

The commission under Prukop’s leadership had the support of sportsmen groups, conservationists and members of Congress when it voted in November to begin sorting out the quagmire. However, the Governor’s Office told Prukop she would not be reappointed when her term expired at the end of 2019.

Sharon Salazar Hickey was tapped by the governor this week to replace Prukop.

Hickey, a program manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory, was elected chairwoman of the commission Friday.

Given the shakeup, it’s unclear how soon the commission could began moving again on the stream access issue.

The new trapping prohibitions, designed largely to reduce the hazard of traps to hikers and their dogs, include mountainous areas east of Albuquerque, along with swaths of national forest along mountain highways leading to ski areas near Santa Fe and Taos. In the southern part of the state, it includes the eastern portion of the Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Trapping and snaring triggered emotionally charged debates during last year’s legislative session. A bill dubbed “Roxy’s Law” after a dog that was strangled by a poacher’s illegal snare on a trail near Santa Cruz Lake would have banned traps, snares and animal poison on public land with few exceptions. It never came to a floor vote.

Jessica Johnson, chief legislative officer for Animal Protection of New Mexico and Animal Protection Voters, said until the Legislature acts, “our outdoor recreation, tourism industries and the well-being of New Mexico’s families and ecosystems remain under threat by trapping on public lands.”

The state doesn’t allow trapping that would create a long-term decline of any species and the types, sizes and designs of traps are limited. There also are requirements for the frequency in which traps must be checked.

Trappers told the State Game Commission on Friday that they’re frequently called on to help protect private livestock from coyotes or other predators and that harvesting the pelts of coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, badgers and beavers is part of their rural heritage.

Commissioner Jimmy Bates, who voted against the changes, said trappers don’t view the practice as recreation or sport.

“They see it as a means of species population management, disease control, heritage, a way of life, and yes it’s a means of income,” he said.

“I understand they’re a minority but we live in the United States of America, a country which prides itself on defending rights of minorities.”

Commissioner Jeremy Vesbach described the issue as a rural-urban divide. He said he looked through thousands of public comments received by the commission and many mentioned the need to protect domestic animals.

Vesbach said he believes closing high-traffic areas to trapping and providing trapper education will help reduce illegal trapping and conflicts with other public land users.

Read this article in the Santa Fe New Mexican

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The New Mexico Game Commission approved trapping of bobcats, foxes, and other wildlife throughout the state on January 17. The decision reauthorizes the use of leghold traps, body-crushing traps, and strangulation snares that have killed and maimed endangered Mexican wolves and countless other animals.

The public submitted thousands of comments against the setting of traps, but these comments went ignored.

The Commission’s action makes it clear that it’s now up to the state legislature to respond to public concerns by passing “Roxy’s Law” (an anti-trapping bill named for a dog, Roxy, who died in a trap) in the 2021 legislative session. The bill ran out of time for a floor vote in the state House of Representatives last year.

Read the press release.

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