Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

SANTA FE—The New Mexico House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 8-4 in favor of passing House Bill 366 on Saturday. The legislation, called “Roxy’s Law” after a dog who died in a snare trap on public lands last November, would prohibit recreational and commercial trapping across New Mexico public lands. There are exemptions for government entities trapping for human health and safety and ecosystem management. Tribal and private lands are also exempt.

“For me, this is a public safety effort that will ensure safer, more accessible public lands,” said Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) who is co-sponsoring the bill. “It will also lead to more humane and scientifically supported management of wildlife.”

“Healthy ecosystems and safe outdoor recreation are important to the future of New Mexico, and more humane wildlife management methods on public land help move the state towards stewarding our land and resources in a positive way,” said Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo), another co-sponsor of the legislation.

On Thursday, the Committee heard nearly three hours of public testimony from supporters and opponents of the bill. Among supporters were ranchers, farmers, hunters, and many rural New Mexicans. Several trapping victims testified, including Dave Clark of Española who was unable to free his dog, Roxy while she strangled in a snare near Santa Cruz Lake.

The bill now goes to the House Judiciary Committee.

Background:

Trapping on public lands is legal in New Mexico. No bag limits exist for furbearer species. The law does not require trap locations to be marked, signed, or for any warnings to be present. No gross receipts tax is levied on fur and pelts sold by trappers. No penalties exist for trappers who unintentionally trap non-target species including endangered species, protected species, domestic animals, pets, humans, or livestock.

No database or official record is kept by any public entity and no requirement exists that trappers report when they have captured a dog in their traps. The pattern these incidents follow are usually similar; dogs screaming and frantically biting at the person desperately trying to rescue them. Veterinary and even human medical treatment along with associated expenses can result, as can long-lasting psychological trauma. Neither New Mexico Game and Fish nor trappers are liable for the damages that are caused by traps.

The true toll that trapping takes on native wildlife is difficult to know. Reporting requirements exist for some species, but not for often-trapped so-called “unprotected furbearers” like coyotes and skunks. The accuracy of reporting is unverifiable, and numbers do not adequately articulate the suffering and carnage that traps wreak on bobcats, foxes, critically imperiled Mexican gray wolves, coyotes, and other animals.

The almost singular excuse for the above-mentioned incidents is that trapping is necessary to control carnivore populations, but scientific studies do not support this assertion. In fact, scientific studies show that trapping and lethally removing carnivore species, like coyotes, often exacerbate conflicts such as those with livestock (see Using Coyotes to Protect Livestock. Wait. What?, Randy Comeleo, Oregon Small Farm News, Vol. XIII No. 2, p. 2, (Spring 2018)).

The existence of trapping by a minuscule subset of the population using New Mexico’s public lands is in direct conflict with one of the state’s most valuable economic strengths: outdoor recreation. Highlighted by the recent New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference in Las Cruces, the outdoor recreation economy in New Mexico is a current and future boon—diversifying and stabilizing the state’s economy while creating 99,000 direct jobs in the process. Outdoor recreation includes hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, photography, hunting, horseback riding, angling, trail running, and bicycling. This economy is not bolstered by piles of dead animals discarded by public roadways or by the thousands of wild animals taken from New Mexico’s diverse public landscapes for personal profit.