Wildlife enthusiasts seek more diverse funding

As the name suggests, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish was originally formed to manage game and fish, and much of its budget still comes from licenses for hunting and fishing.

But several panelists at a Thursday meeting of the Legislature's interim Water and Natural Resources Committee pushed for a broader focus — and a more diverse funding base — so the department can do a better job managing the many non-game species that fall under its purview.

One biologist at Game and Fish is dedicated specifically to the threatened prairie chicken, said Jon Hayes, vice president and executive director of Audubon Southwest. Another manages fewer than a dozen other species of upland game birds. But the agency's non-game biologist has to juggle the management of about 200 bird species, Hayes said.

"There's a big disparity between the amount of resources we've put toward game and non-game species," Hayes said. "Historically, most of the funding, or all of the funding for the agency, has come from license dollars, so they have made game species a priority. ... The species that really need to be worked on are probably not the game species right now."

But with no fee increases since 2006, the department is "running on fumes," said director Michael Sloane, while handling a broad array of projects, including a statewide system to monitor songbird and migratory bird movements.

As part of a 2025 New Mexico State Wildlife Action Plan revision, the department is recommending expanding the list of "species of greatest conservation need" to close to 500 different species.

"I agree that finding additional revenue sources that are consistent and can allow for long-term programs to be built, employees to be hired and projects to be completed is essential for us to move forward," Sloane said.

Kevin Bixby, founder of Wildlife for All, had some ideas. Other states have adopted measures like an outdoor gear tax or provided general fund appropriations, rather than relying on licenses, he said.

He also suggested amending the legislation that created the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund — a $100 million water and land conservation fund signed into law in 2023 — to reflect more species.

Currently, the legislation appropriates funds to the department "for the protection and propagation of game and fish." Bixby would like to see that changed to the "species of greatest conservation need" — although Sloane said the money still goes toward that purpose.

But Bixby urged codification, warning a new administration could result in Land of Enchantment Legacy Funds being put toward other species and uses.

Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, a longtime hunter, said he wants to see more people helping fund the department's conservation projects, not just the ones who cast a line or bag a buck.

"I don't think hunters and fishers should bear this burden alone," Pirtle said. "There's plenty of people that shoot animals with a camera — how do we get them to pay their fair share?"

Jesse Deubel, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, cautioned against giving more money to the department without first reforming the New Mexico Game Commission, calling it dysfunctional.

"Pouring additional resources into the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish today, as the agency operates and as the commission is structured, would be like pouring oil into your pickup truck when you have a giant hole in the oil pan," Deubel said. "We've got to fix some of the issues with the agency and the commission ... then properly resource the agency."

In 2023, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed a measure to change the way commissioners are appointed and the commission's makeup. Additional attempts to change the commission died in the 2024 legislative session.

A fiscal analysis of the 2024 bill detailed struggles to keep the commission staffed. For several months in 2022, there weren't enough members to hold a quorum and conduct business. In 2023, the commission met fewer than than five times — down from 11 in 2022. Lujan Grisham appointed two new members this summer.