Curry County Commission opposes prairie chicken listing

Curry County Commissioners voted Tuesday to pass a resolution opposing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) final rule to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken (LPC) as an endangered species.

The commission wrote in their resolution, “Curry County has limited areas designated by past current maps and has not received proposed maps of the nesting and or proposed nesting or habitat areas for the LPC in Curry County.”

The resolution stated that listing the bird as an endangered species “will create a wide range of adverse effects upon communities, industries, and people who are located within, reside, ranch, farm, and use the millions of acres of public and private lands identified by the FWS as LPC habitat in New Mexico and Texas.”

The resolution also describes the scope of protections proposed are “excessive.”

In the resolution, commissioners believe the LPC’s endangered status “appear(s) to be unfounded.”

“The language describing critical habitat is vague, and the location of specific boundaries are not easily identifiable, potentially leading to subjective actions by (the) FWS.”

Commissioner Seth Martin believes the bird’s designation “puts private property owners at risk.”

“It’s crucial we take a stand on this, not only for Curry County, but it shows support for counties to our south,” Martin said.

In other business at Tuesday’s regular commission meeting:

• Cannon Air Force Base’s Director of Staff, Rick Masters gave a presentation to commissioners regarding the housing market in the area in relation to the needs of personnel at Cannon.

Masters described the area as a “very vibrant housing market.” He told of a tri-color rating system, red/yellow/green, as how communities are rated and went on to label the area as “yellow.”

“Squarely in the yellow,” Masters said. “Safe housing is available but it requires enlistees to pool together.”

Masters reported that the housing market in the area is such that talks are happening between Cannon and Eastern New Mexico University administrators about possibly using empty dorm rooms on the Portales campus for military housing.

Masters said more housing construction is going on in the area than he knew of.

“I’m spreading the news of the need for construction of 1 bedroom/1 bathroom units,” Masters said.

• Commissioner Bradley Bender told of his being part of a meeting with personnel from Plains Regional Medica Center (PRMC).

“They are in the middle of a merger,” Bender said. “There will be more opportunities to get doctors in here with the merger.”

Bender mentioned the Melrose clinic was discussed. When it opens it will be operated by PRMC.

“How much time it would take to get Melrose up and running was greatly underestimated,” Bender said he was told by PRMC Administrator Jorge Cruz.

The clinic will be opening soon, Bender said, but a date was not given.

• Curry County Manager Lance Pyle told commissioners of senate bill SB379, a joint effort of area Senators Stuart Ingle and Pat Woods for $39 million in funding to build a behavioral health facility in the area.

“It’s sitting in ‘senate finance,’” Pyle said. “It’s not moving.”