NM Has Wasted Money On Wolves Long Enough

For 13 years now, the state of New Mexico has been an active and willing participant with the federal government in the effort to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf to the region. At best, the program has been a distraction from sound land management. At worst, it has been a financial boondoggle, a safety issue and a travesty as a portion of hunters’ fees have gone to fund a program intended to further reduce game opportunities by nurturing populations of this predator. Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife New Mexico joined with concerned cattle growers, outfitters and parents to encourage the state Game Commission to finally withdraw from the wolf reintroduction program. We were particularly gratified that the commission’s vote was a unanimous 6-0. But we wish we had not been alone among outdoor enthusiast organizations in vocalizing opposition to further state participation in this federal folly. When a hunter or fisherman buys a license and pays for a permit from Game and Fish, his or her hard-earned dollars are supposed to be going to wise habitat management and restoration. There is, after all, great potential for more game permits to New Mexicans each year if we took a more comprehensive and game-oriented approach to spending those dollars. Instead, we have seen in recent years hundreds of thousands of our dollars going to the state’s optional participation in this ill-conceived and badly managed wolf reintroduction program. It is also the hope of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife New Mexico that this decision will send a message to the federal government that it is time to put an end to this program and to start spending taxpayer dollars on better land and habitat management instead of its fairy tale dance with wolf advocates...more