Adapted from an interview by Lindsey Botts

January 1, 2023

A few years after moving to a remote area of southern New Mexico, I saw a Sierra Club ad in the local paper. I was a longtime member and thought, “That’s amazing that a Sierra Club group is forming in this rural area!” I joined it and made new friends, but it wasn’t until 2003 that I really became active as a leader.

That year, I was hiking on a winter morning on public land near my home with my two dogs. Suddenly, one of the dogs started pulling on his leash. At the spot he wanted to investigate, there was a hidden steel-jaw trap. It leapt out of the sand when I inadvertently triggered it and slammed shut on air. The dogs and I weren’t hurt, but that moment cleaved my life in two: before trapping and after trapping.

The injustice—that a trapper could legally put me in this dangerous situation and harm my dog—was unconscionable. I shared my story with a Sierra Club friend and mentor when I got home. She said that she had also recently run into a trap on an outing she was leading: A participant’s dog had gotten caught, and it ruined the entire excursion. We were furious. Placing people in harm’s way was wrong, to say nothing of subjecting wildlife to this cruelty. That’s when I began to actively advocate for a trapping ban on public lands.

We started with the New Mexico Game Commission. After several years of us trying—organizing and generating more opposition to traps—they remained unmoved. We felt ridiculed and belittled. It didn’t matter that every year more people submitted comments opposing traps on public land—100, 1,000, then 12,000 written comments didn’t make a difference. While leading an outing myself in 2011, our group came upon a coyote struggling and badly injured in a trap. I vowed to use her picture to publicize the brutality of trapping. She is memorialized as the logo of TrapFreeNM.org, the coalition of conservation and animal protection groups I helped bring together. I never could have done this work alone.

By 2013, our coalition realized that the game commission would not help us, and we needed the legislature to change the law. The resulting bill’s first sponsor was a legislator representing a tourist destination where people enjoy recreating on public lands and where a constituent not only had two dogs that got caught in traps but was also injured herself.

The bill didn’t pass when it was first introduced, but we kept at it. Our state legislature meets only every other year to consider nonbudgetary bills. With every iteration, more people, including legislators, became aware of the injustice of trapping.

Each session brought more public support, more media coverage, and more yes votes. In 2021, the bill passed the state senate floor. We knew it would be close in the house of representatives. After several hours of debate on the house floor, the tally was tied. A bill does not pass on a tie vote. The next two years and all the work ahead flashed before my eyes. But at the last moment, another yes vote was cast by a legislator. One of their constituents had a dog who was killed by a snare in 2018. The bill became known as Roxy’s Law in the dog’s memory. The law went to the governor’s desk. With her signature, 17 years after I started my advocacy, traps and poisons were finally outlawed on New Mexico public lands.

It’s unbelievable that in the 21st century, the archaic and cruel practice of trapping is still allowed. Our opponents ignored us, then laughed at us, then fought us. But finally we, the public, and wildlife won.

Read this article at Sierra

The post Bye-Bye, Trapping on Public Land in New Mexico appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Along with Roxy’s Law, New Mexico has recently taken other meaningful steps toward protecting wildlife. In 2019, the state banned gruesome coyote-killing contests, events that reward indiscriminate and senseless massacres. Currently, the state is rolling out its plan for projects to protect wildlife from vehicle collisions along heavily used movement and migration corridors.

These are signs of a new era across the Land of Enchantment. An era in which coexistence is the norm, exploitation and cruelty are waning, and native foxes, bobcats, beavers, badgers, and wolves are revered for their ecological roles and honored for their intrinsic value, not persecuted as inconveniences. We are leaving behind nearly two hundred years of primarily viewing wildlife as merely something to slaughter and sell.

Still, New Mexico isn’t yet the beacon of wildlife management that it should be:

+ A memorial urging the federal government to tackle the biodiversity crisis died without a vote on the state Senate floor last month.

+ Our Game Commission has been a merry-go-round as the governor appoints and fires commissioners at her whim. Yet she has let a year elapse since the tragic passing of David Soules without appointing anyone to the conservation position on the commission. Without stability on the commission, it’s unclear where needed leadership will come from.

+ The state is still on record opposing Mexican wolf restoration in the Southern Rockies, where lobos belong and where scientists say they need to live in order to fully recover.

Congress seems poised to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (“RAWA,” co-sponsored by Sen. Heinrich), which could provide funding to states to protect nongame wildlife. But our wildlife agency doesn’t even have the authority to manage or protect many species, including the Gunnison’s prairie dog, the Rio Grande sucker, and 23 of New Mexico’s 26 bat species, just to name a few. And they don’t want that responsibility; they want to continue to focus on the fraction of animals that are pursued and killed by sportsmen.

RAWA could be the inflection point New Mexico needs. Bold leadership is required to modernize the Department of Game and Fish. So, let’s remember there’s a lot of work still to do and progress to be made:

+ We need a comprehensive state wildlife agency more invested in protecting all wildlife, not focused only on game species like elk and nonnative rainbow trout.

+ We need a wildlife agency that sees all New Mexicans as stakeholders, not one that caters only to the minority of New Mexicans, who, like me, buy hunting and fishing licenses.

+ We need a wildlife agency with the authority, will, and revenue to manage and protect the many wildlife species in our state.

Roxy’s Law alone is worth celebrating, of course. But it also represents a critical marker on New Mexico’s path to reimagining how we perceive and live with the wildlife that makes this place special. Let’s take the next step and push for a state wildlife agency that serves all the people and wildlife of New Mexico.

Chris Smith is the Southern Rockies Wildlife Advocate with WildEarth Guardians. 

Read this article in Counterpunch »

The post New Mexico Teeters on Edge of a New Era of CoExistence: Trapping Ban on Public Lands Goes into Effect April 1 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 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.

Roxy – the beloved dog killed by a neck snare in 2018 while hiking with her family – may not have received justice in the recent trial of the trapper accused of setting that snare. But she was victorious in a far greater way. Her face and name became emblematic of the campaign to stop the recreational and destructive use of traps, snares and poisons on New Mexico’s public lands. And, in 2021, that work finally paid off when “Roxy’s Law” was signed into law.

Roxy’s death appalled and alarmed many New Mexicans. It was her story that topped off years of work by Animal Protection New Mexico and other animal advocates to ban traps, snares and poisons on public lands. But that campaign started decades ago – long before Roxy’s death.

Advocates spent many years in the 2000s urging action by the state Game Commission, but to no avail. Turning to the New Mexico Legislature for a solution, the first bill introduced to ban traps, snares and poisons in New Mexico was in 2013.

When Roxy died in 2018, there had already been numerous well-publicized trapping horror stories in the news. And, after she died, dozens more stories were shared: more dogs and cats caught in leg-hold traps and strangled in neck snares, and more people outdoors discovering wildlife victims, as well: injured and emaciated foxes and bobcats, decaying bodies stuck in forgotten traps, and piles of skinned carcasses left by trappers after they took all the fur they could sell for profit.

By the time “Roxy’s Law” finally passed and was signed into law in spring of 2021, reports of roughly 150 terrifying incidents, illegal trapping citations and endangered species captured on public land had been collected. New Mexicans were saying “Enough!” And the Legislature agreed.

The public should still beware: The prohibition on traps, snares and poisons on public lands doesn’t take effect until April 1, 2022. We are in the midst of the last ever trapping season on public lands. Trapping season spans from Nov. 1 through March 31 – though some species can be trapped year-round.

Roxy was killed over a Thanksgiving weekend, so this holiday season, here are some things to know:

• Until April 2022, traps, snares and poisons are currently legal on public lands, and anyone on public lands may be endangered by them.

• Though it doesn’t guarantee safety for you or your companion animals, you can reduce your risk by staying on marked trails and keeping your animals on leash. This is often better for wildlife and habitat, as well.

• If you, a member of your party, or your animal is caught or injured by a trap, snare or poison, please report that incident online at trapfreenm.org or call the Animal Protection New Mexico cruelty hotline at 1-877-5-HUMANE (1-877-548-6263), and you can get help on relaying information to law enforcement, if applicable.

The terrible outcome in Roxy’s case – botched by investigators’ failure to properly handle evidence – means no one will be held accountable for setting the neck snare that killed her. Our hearts go out to the Clark family, as no one should have to watch their animal die so tragically before their eyes. But the law that is Roxy’s namesake will go on to protect thousands of animals from unspeakable suffering every year, a legacy much bigger than a single case or trial.

Read this article in the Albuquerque Journal

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Wildlife advocates are cautiously optimistic about proposed rule changes by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish that could decrease the number of cougars legally killed in a season and would ban trapping and snaring for sport.

The proposal marks a change from 2015, the last time the department revised its hunting rules for cougars and bears.

Game and Fish, which held the first of four public hearings to gather input on the issue earlier this week in Raton, also is considering changes to bear management zone boundaries, though it has not proposed changes to the number of bear kills allowed. Three additional hearings will be held around the state next week.

Jessica Johnson, chief legislative officer for Animal Protection of New Mexico, said the agency’s proposed rule changes are step in the right direction. “The department’s new proposal that we’re thrilled to hear is the suggestion to lower the annual kill limit, based on data that the state has overestimated the number of cougars in New Mexico,” she said.

The organization also is pleased to see a proposed rollback on foot traps and snares, Johnson said, calling the devices inhumane and indiscriminate because they create the possibility of harming other animals.

However, she said, Animal Protection would like to see a complete ban on the practice.

Read the article in the Santa Fe New Mexican »

Animal Protection and the Humane Society of the U.S. filed two lawsuits against the state in 2016 — one in federal court and the other in state District Court — after the New Mexico Game Commission voted to loosen trapping restrictions and increase kill limits for bears and cougars.

The department has not yet set a proposed new limit on cougar kills. The limit will be based on a new study on population numbers expected to be released in September or October, agency spokesman James Pitman said.

Currently, the maximum number of cougars that can be killed in a year is 740. In 2018-19, cougar kills totaled 409. Of those, 344 were killed for sport, 25 were killed in response to the cats preying on livestock or causing other concerns and 40 were killed by car accidents or the department’s control efforts, Pitman said.

Rules for hunting and fishing in the state are reviewed every four years and have to go through a public process. Over the next two months, Pitman said, the department will gather public input, present new data on the cougar population and issue a final ruling in October. The Game Commission is scheduled to vote on the rule changes Nov. 21, and any approved changes would take effect April 1.

“What’s important,” Johnson said, “is how the department chooses to apply the data coming out later this month. We’ve yet to see whether the new proposed kill limit will be scientifically appropriate.”

In 2015, she said, Game and Fish greatly overestimated the number of cougars by “using an unpublished master’s thesis” suggesting an increased harvest limit that allowed “the decimation of the population.”

Methods of deciding on kill limits for cougars in New Mexico have created controversy for more than a decade.

But the Game and Fish Department and Animal Protection of New Mexico agree that cougar numbers are difficult to determine. Johnson and Tristanna Bickford, a spokeswoman for Game and Fish, also agree that getting an accurate count is vital for ensuring genetic diversity and a stable population.

Bruce Wagman, a lawyer for Animal Protection and the Humane Society in the 2015 lawsuits against the agency, said the cases will continue unless new rules for hunting and trapping cougars takes effect during the 2019-20 hunting season.

Bickford said she could not comment on the lawsuit, citing department policy.

Under the department’s proposal, Pitman said, private landowners would still be allowed to use traps and snares to kill cougars on their property if they obtain a permit due to concerns over livestock deaths or other attacks.

According to Game and Fish data, trapping accounts for very few cougar deaths each year. In 2016-17, four cougars were trapped. And out of 292 killed in 2017-18, 20 were caught by trapping. Just 13 cougars were trapped in 2018-19 out of the 409 killed.

Still, Animal Protection isn’t alone in opposing traps and snares. Groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the World Veterinary Association and the National Animal Control Association have condemned leg-hold traps as inhumane and recommend they not be used. Such devices often ensnare dogs and other animals, prompting an outcry from the public.

If you go

Three more public hearings to gather input on rule changes for hunting and trapping cougars will be held throughout the state next week. All hearings are set for 6 to 7:30 p.m.

• Albuquerque: Tuesday, Department of Game and Fish office, 7816 Alamo Road NW.
• Las Cruces: Thursday, Department of Game and Fish office, 2715 Northrise Drive.
• Roswell: Friday, Department of Game and Fish office, 1615 West College Blvd.

The post Advocates see proposed cougar rules in New Mexico as good step appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

New Mexico wants the traveling public to think of the state as a destination for outdoor recreation. For those of us who hike, bike, fish, hunt, and golf, that seems pretty obvious. The tourism industry and economic developers are on board.

However, some really old thinking threatens these new livelihoods.

This month the state Economic Development Department announced grants to business incubators with the best programs to help budding outdoor businesses. EDD wants to develop at least one incubator that specializes in recreation startups.

The department made its announcement at an Outdoor Recreation Economic Conference in Silver City, where attendees gathered to talk about how to promote outdoor recreation, “eco and wildlife tourism,” and public-private partnerships. One of the conference speakers was Axie Navas, recently hired to lead the newly created Office of Outdoor Recreation.

And last week New Mexico joined 12 other states in signing the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence Accords, which upholds “the four pillars of conservation and stewardship, education and workforce training, economic development, and public health and wellness.”

One of the tenets is “conservation and stewardship of land, air, water, and wildlife and for enhanced public access to them.”

This is not just an aesthetic exercise. In all of these developments there is a firm emphasis on jobs and economic development. In other words, it’s OK to make money on outdoor recreation.

The industry (yes, it is an industry) brings in about $10 billion a year, which is about 10 percent of the state’s gross domestic product, and supports 100,000 jobs, according to my former newspaper co-worker Karl Moffatt, who blogs at outdoorsnm.com.

The same day the state was announcing its recreation incubator initiative, a runner found a trap about 15 feet from Old Santa Fe Trail on the outskirts of Santa Fe with a dead fox in it. Although trappers are required to check their devices daily, the fox had been dead at least a week, and it was trapped illegally out of season.

Next we hear that a judge let off the trapper whose neck snare strangled a dog this year at a state recreation area north of Española. Although the evidence was overwhelming and included selfies of the trapper and his kills, the state Game and Fish Department muffed its investigation, and the trapper’s lawyer took full advantage.

This doesn’t happen in Colorado or Arizona, where bans have been in place since the 1990s.

Every dog owner in the state knows Roxy. The name of the dog killed in a neck snare was attached to a bill called Roxy’s Law that would have outlawed traps, snares and poisons on public land. Despite two hearings in which dozens of people described injuries to their dogs or themselves, the bill died.

Then there’s the state Game Commission. We might have expected a change of attitude by appointees of the new administration, but no. The commission is proposing minimal changes: Closing just one half of one percent of the state’s public lands to most traps, increasing setbacks from trailheads but not from trails or roads, allowing year-round trapping of raccoons and nutria, and increasing check times for underwater traps.

According to surveys, nearly 70 percent of New Mexicans oppose any kind of trapping. Are any of our public servants listening? Apparently commissioners don’t care that you, your child or your dog can step into a trap, but the first time this happens to a tourist, and that tourist posts to social media, you can kiss our outdoor recreation industry goodbye.

Trappers argue that they would lose their livelihood and “way of life.” What if legislators and commissioners showed some faith in this new industry? Its success could mean these people could use their knowledge of the outdoors for a kinder, better livelihood.

When tourists or their dogs step into traps, you can kiss new outdoor recreation industry goodbye

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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

The post New Mexico commission approves wildlife trapping changes appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

The change mandates that anyone purchasing a trapping license undergo a mandatory trapping education course that includes training on New Mexico regulations and identifying local species.

Among other changes, the rule prohibits traps in the eastern area of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument as well as the Sandia Ranger district and near state highways in the Santa Fe and Carson national forests.

Commissioners Jimmy Bates and Gail Cramer both objected to new setbacks requiring half a mile of distance from designated trailheads, roadside rest areas, picnic areas, occupied dwellings unless the traps are permitted or set by the occupant, and maintained public campgrounds or boat-launching areas.

Cramer said the setback rules presented an “extreme hardship” for trappers, commenting that trapping is already heavily regulated.

Under new requirements, snare traps on land must include breakaway devices and at least two separate swivel points, including one within 6 inches of the trap. Another required feature would be anchoring systems to prevent wildlife from escaping with a trap and increasing the likelihood of serious or worsening injuries.

The change also converts the trapping rule from a permanent rule to a 4-year rule requiring review by the commission.

Stewart Liley of New Mexico’s game and fish department told the commissioners the new rule would require trappers to report to the agency when they capture a wolf.

Debating traps on public lands

During public comments on the issue, some speakers argued for abolishing trapping on public lands entirely, describing it as cruel to wildlife and dangerous to domestic animals and people.

Southwest Environmental Center director Kevin Bixby argued, “It just doesn’t make sense to continue recreational and commercial trapping.”

New Mexico state Rep. Joanne Ferrary, D-Las Cruces, joined Bixby in appealing to the commission to postpone action and draft a brand new rule.

Ferrary doubted that requirements for checking traps were enforceable without additional staff. “It’s important that you maybe start over … and make sure that we consider also just banning trapping altogether,” she said.

Read the article in the Las Cruces Sun News

The post New Mexico Game Commission adds restrictions on trapping in divided vote appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

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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