Fox cub born to die in a fur farm cage.

Californians can now officially celebrate the end of fur sales in the Golden State. A statewide ban on the sale of new animal fur products went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, making California the first state in the U.S. to implement such a ban. Its citizens have waited more than three years for the new law to take effect after legislators passed AB 44, sponsored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman. The law, which makes it illegal to manufacture or sell a new animal fur product in California both through brick-and-mortar and online sales, included a phase-in period, giving retailers time to adjust and shift their inventory to fur-free products. It also allows for the continued sale of used animal fur products sold at nonprofit thrift stores, secondhand stores and pawn shops.

California’s ban on the sale of fur products is expected to make a massive dent in the fur industry. Federal fur sales data shows that nearly 25% of all fur product sales in the U.S. occur in California. The new law helps end the suffering of millions of animals either born to die on fur farms or caught in cruel traps in the wild, just so their coats can be used to create luxury goods like hats and loafers.

Each year, more than 100 million animals, such as mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas, are raised and killed on fur farms. While most fur sold in the U.S. comes from operations in other countries, primarily China and Europe, fur farms do still exist in some U.S. states. For instance, Wisconsin, Utah, Idaho, Washington and Oregon still allow the farming of animals for their fur. Much of this fur is sent overseas to be made into garments.

Animals kept at these facilities live in some of the cruelest conditions imaginable. These wild animals are typically held captive in small wire cages and are unable to fulfill natural behaviors like swimming, digging and running. They remain largely unprotected by laws in the U.S. and overseas, such as mandatory inspections and humane slaughter laws, and they are often electrocuted, gassed or bludgeoned to death so that their pelts are not damaged. In some instances, animals may not die from these methods and are skinned while still alive.

As unbearable as it is to think of this kind of intense and pointless suffering, we’re witnessing real progress toward relegating this brutality to the history books. Communities are taking it upon themselves to help put an end to the unconscionable cruelty that is inherent to the fur industry. Grassroots advocates in the U.S. and across the globe are stepping up to pass policies that end the sale of fur products. Before the passage of California’s ban on the sale of fur products, four municipalities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood) passed local ordinances banning these products, paving the way for statewide legislation. Many other communities from coast to coast have followed suit, and global leaders are taking notice.

Internationally, more than 20 countries have passed laws to limit or outright ban fur farming and, in 2021, Israel became the first country to prohibit the sale of fur products. Now, European citizens are gathering signatures in support of a “Fur-Free Europe” European Citizens’ Initiative asking for a ban on fur farming and placing fur-farmed products on the European marketplace. Although the petition has already gathered the necessary 1 million signatures needed by May 2023 for the European Commission to issue a formal response, it remains open to collect additional signatures. I encourage citizens of the European Union to sign it.

Also, at the corporate level, companies continue to drop animal fur from their product lines, with several policies going into effect to align with California’s fur ban. Canada Goose, Kering, Saks Fifth Avenue, Zegna Group, Rudsak, Mytheresa and Moose Knuckles all pledged to go fur-free by the end of 2022, and Neiman Marcus by March 2023. While only a few companies still sell animal fur, one of the last major holdouts is the corporate conglomerate LVMH (parent company for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Loro Piana and Fendi). That this conglomerate still sells fur has made it the target of persistent global outreach from animal welfare advocates calling on the corporation to ban fur sales once and for all.

We should absolutely celebrate California banning fur sales and other recent wins in our fight against fur, but there is still much work to be done, and you can help. If you are interested on working toward a fur sales bans in your area, check out our ordinance toolkit, which provides an easy guide for taking action in your own community. You can also find plenty of additional information and resources on our Going Fur-Free webpage.

Read this article on the Humane Society of the United States blog

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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.

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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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.

We have all chosen to live more rural lifestyles for a variety of reasons. Some of us want to be more connected to the land and nature. Some of us want a quieter, slower routine. Some of us want wide open spaces, including safe access to public lands. Some of us are in the country for our livelihood. Among us are educators, artists, authors, farmers and veterans. We come from all walks of life. Some of us are relatively new to New Mexico, some of us have been here for decades, raised our families here and some of us were born here. All of us revere and respect wildlife. And setting indiscriminate leghold traps to kill native animals for fun or money is just as foreign to us as it is to the nearly 70% of New Mexican voters who oppose trapping across the board.

The idea that we support trapping because we live in rural areas is like saying city-dwellers don’t drive trucks. It is preposterous.

One thing that does set us apart from a lot of urban and suburban residents is that we have the unfortunate fate of encountering traps more frequently. Traps are often closer to home for us, quite literally. They lie in wait for unsuspecting paws on state and federal lands that are sometimes adjacent to our homes. Many of us have had awful experiences encountering traps, from our own dogs being caught to finding brutally injured wildlife. If you look at a map of where people like us have had these experiences, the majority are away from the big cities. Rural residents face greater risk of being harmed and traumatized by a trap because we live closer to public lands. We want safe access to those lands, and traps put that safety at risk.

And, most traps aren’t even necessarily set by rural New Mexicans. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish sells more trapping licenses to urban New Mexicans than to those who live in rural areas. The notion that trapping is done by rural people and opposed by urban people is laughable.

Rural New Mexicans are a diverse set of folks. And there are plenty of us who do not trap, don’t want anything to do with trapping, and want traps off of public lands. Just like some city-dwellers support trapping (though probably not many since only 22% of voters approve of traps at all), some rural people do too. But don’t let trappers fool you by claiming to speak for all of us.

We support Roxy’s Law — the bill to ban private, recreational trapping on public lands — in the upcoming legislative session.

Signed,

Linda Berd, near Magdalena, Socorro County; Judith Chaddick, Velarde, Rio Arriba County; Adolfo Enriquez, Anthony, Doña Ana County; Eddie Estrada: Anthony, Doña Ana County; Don Childs: Alamogordo, Otero County; Mike and Carol Fugagli: Silver City, Grant County; Dan Lorimier: near Caballo, Sierra County; Carol Pittman: Datil, Catron County; Mary Katherine Ray: near Winston, Socorro County; Linda Seebanz and Charles Thompson, Ojo Caliente, Taos County; Rae Sikora and Jim Cocoran, Glorieta, Santa Fe County; Carrie Thompson and John Price: Tres Piedras, Taos County; Joan Leslie Woodruff: Near Mountainair, Torrance County

Read this article in the Las Cruces Sun-News »

The post Rural New Mexicans oppose trapping, too appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

The post Recent incidents highlight trapping as a statewide problem 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

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

The post New Mexico Game Commission approves trapping, disregarding public opposition appeared first on TrapFree New Mexico.

Current regulations allow trappers to set as many traps and kill as many animals as they want for a fee of just $20. It is an absurd claim that unlimited, indiscriminate killing could be part of scientifically informed modern wildlife management. Polls shows that some 70% of New Mexicans oppose trapping on public lands. Our neighboring states of Arizona and Colorado banned traps 25 years ago and more than 100 countries worldwide have banned traps due to their extreme cruelty. Despite clearly articulated public opposition, the Game Department continues to promote this deadly activity.

The governor-appointed Game Commission and the Game Department it oversees continue to demonstrate a disturbing degree of disregard for their constituents, the people of New Mexico, the vast majority of whom are non-consumptive wildlife users. During a recent rule-making process, the Game Commission received thousands of comments requesting a ban on public land trapping. These requests have been flatly ignored. Wildlife policies that lack broad public support lack legitimacy. By ignoring public opinion, the Game Commission betrays core principles of good governance and the wildlife resource it exists to protect.

Endangered Mexican wolves continue to be caught in traps set for coyotes with disturbing frequency and devastating results. Since their reintroduction, at least 39 wolves, including pups, are known to have been caught, maimed or killed by traps. For a wild population of just 131 individuals, traps pose a grave threat to recovery. The Game Department is well aware of this, but refuses to close wolf recovery areas to trapping. Both wolves and coyotes are critical to ecological health. By allowing their destruction, the Game Department exhibits an obscene hostility for the recovery of endangered species and a profound disregard for basic ecology.

The Game Department portrays itself as the ultimate scientific and ethical authority over wildlife in New Mexico, but this is the same Game Department that did nothing to stop coyote killing contests. The state legislature had to step in and stop the slaughter. The Game Department states that only “fair chase” hunting is ethical, but killing trapped animals can hardly be considered fair chase. The Department claims to uphold the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which states that wildlife should be protected from commercial exploitation. But the fur from animals trapped and killed in New Mexico is regularly sold in commercial statewide auctions. This is a direct violation of the wildlife ethics the Department claims to uphold.

Another trapping season is upon us. From Nov. 1 until March 15, an estimated 25,000 animals will die horrible, prolonged deaths in icy, limb-crushing steel jaw traps and strangulation snares. This wanton waste of wildlife serves no constructive purpose and is obscenely out of place in modern society; 99.9% of New Mexicans do not trap and do not want their wildlife reduced to skinned, rotting carcass piles. Tradition can be no excuse for abuse. Given the merciless, indiscriminate destruction the traps inflict, banning them from public lands is both sorely needed and long overdue.

Governance should help us solve our problems, not perpetuate them. When a state agency actively ignores its constituents, there’s a real problem. This is the governor’s appointed Game Commission. If you don’t like their policies, the governor needs to hear from you: https://www.governor.state.nm.us/contact-the-governor/.

Read this Guest Column in the Albuquerque Journal »

The post Speak out to oppose trapping on public lands 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.