Lawmakers have introduced a package of bills that proposes sweeping changes to the Department of Game and Fish, including a possible name change.
Now, the “modernization” reform effort has prompted a proposed $10.5 million from the general fund for at-risk wildlife species, including the beaver.
One of the largest general fund appropriations in the department’s history, the recommendation from the Legislative Finance Committee – which would be spread across three years – would bring aid for “species of greatest conservation need” with dwindling or threatened populations.
Thanks to efforts from conservationists and scientists, the American beaver will get its very own slice of the funding pie, with $1.5 million.
“Beavers are a climate solution,” said Chris Smith, the wildlife program director for the environmental advocacy group WildEarth Guardians and the head of the New Mexico Beaver Project. “They're a wildfire mitigation tool, they're a water security investment.”
Beavers have proven to be climate change “superheros,” storing water during drought, creating natural breaks to combat wildfires, and improving water quality.
Smith said he is ecstatic about the money, given how scarce resources are for Game and Fish. The agency is self-funded, mainly collecting revenue on license fees, game tag permits, and other wildlife-related initiatives. In the long-term though, he said it’s not enough.
Research is now finding wildlife conservation efforts are becoming increasingly expensive as climate change alters habitat and diminishes food supply. In New Mexico, hunting and fishing fees that support these efforts are set in statute and haven’t increased in over 20 years.
In fact, in order to fully fund New Mexico’s premier conservation guidelines in the State Wildlife Action Plan and Wildlife Conservation Act, an estimated $27 million would be needed to meet current conservation needs.
“So this ten and a half is a really good start,” Smith said.
But, with the recent change in federal political dynamics, Smith worries that national legislation meant to fund wildlife conservation could be in jeopardy.
With the 60-day legislative session now underway, lawmakers are making a separate push to modernize the agency by increasing game and fishing license fees, and by addressing inconsistent laws that grant management authority over some wildlife, but not others. If approved, the name could also change to the “Department of Wildlife.”
“We have a department that's set up really well to help propagate game species – elk, deer, rainbow trout – to facilitate hunting and fishing, to sell licenses,” Smith said. “And then the rest of the work for all the other species is kind of shunted to a second tier.”
The final piece of the package would prioritize equitable representation on the department’s rule-making body – the Game and Fish Commission – and provide legislative checks to any governor appointments.
Back in 2023, lawmakers passed a bill that would strip the governor's power to remove commissioners without cause. Advocates criticized the move, arguing these powers make the group inherently political. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham “pocket” vetoed the legislation by not signing it.
House Appropriations and Finance Chair. Rep. Nathan Small (D-Doña Ana) said the $10.5 million budgetary recommendation is worth every penny.
“Now with things like beavers, we're seeing how those species can help tackle some of the toughest challenges that New Mexicans face every single year,” Small said. “It's really worth us coming together, investing new money, having some real strong guidelines, and having a very broad table for folks to work together at.”
And it wouldn’t just be for beavers. The request will have an explicit focus on diverse and rare wildlife across the state. Over 500 species including reptiles, moths and butterflies, molluscs, and crustaceans have conservation needs, according to the state.
Small himself has tried – and failed – to pass similar Game and Fish reforms in the past. When asked about this go-round, Small said he is “confident” and conversations with the governor’s office point to a “very good chance” that it could become law in New Mexico.
Both the wildlife budgetary request and the reform package will have to make it through committee, both floors of the Senate and House, and finally to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s desk for a signature.
The session will end March 22nd at noon.
