BOARD
President and Representative to the National Wildlife Federation
Ed Olona
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As an avid sportsman, Ed is dedicated to preserving public lands for future generations. He believes that the public has a right to enjoy our American heritage and public lands, and that no one has the right to dictate or stop this privilege. In addition, Ed believes we must continue to administer a multiple use concept in management of public lands, and practice high standards of true sportsmanship. Ed is pleased to be part of an organization such as the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which has a vision of the true American heritage and a foresight for protecting our country from disaster through human error. He lives in Springer.
Treasurer
Yvonne Chauvin
Yvonne has a biology degree from the University of New Mexico and has worked for the Natural Heritage Program at UNM. She designs, plans and implements vegetation mapping, classification, rare plant monitoring, floristic surveys data analysis and report writing. One of the things she likes best about her work is the opportunity for extensive backcountry hiking and backpacking in rugged terrain to verify and update plant species listed in the Natural Heritage Program’s database. Yvonne has worked on other projects throughout New Mexico, and in addition to her involvement with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation she has been involved with the Audubon Society, the New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council and the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation, where she formerly served as a treasurer and board member.
Secretary
Ellery Worthen
Ellery has hunted and fished New Mexico’s public lands and waters since the 1950s, is a birdwatcher and he collects butterflies and moths. He particularly enjoys hunting duck and blue grouse. He has raised and trained two Labrador retrievers, and currently has a Pudelpointer that he’s training on upland game and waterfowl. He strongly believes in hunter ethics and “fair chase.” Ellery has seen that the days when sportsmen could go to the New Mexico Game Commission to resolve our issues are long gone, and firmly believes that political action is needed to ensure sportsmen’s interests.
Director-at-Large
“Dutch” Salmon
M.H. “Dutch” Salmon graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a B.A. in English. He has been a hunter and fisherman since youth and especially enjoys stream fishing in the Gila National Forest, hunting with his coursing hounds, as well as a bit of bird hunting. He became involved in environmental issues in the early 1980s in attempts to keep the Gila River as a free-flowing stream. Dutch was the chairman of the New Mexico Wilderness Coalition from 1989 to 1995, and is currently on the board of the Quivira Coalition. A former member of the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Dutch has been a free-lance writer, newspaper reporter and columnist since the 1970’s and is the author of five outdoor books and two novels. He owns High-Lonesome Books in Silver City.
Director-at-Large
Terry Riley
Terry Riley of Tijeras is a professional wildlife biologist, hunter, angler, private pilot and Vice President of Policy for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). Before joining the TRCP, he was conservation director for the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) in Washington, D.C., and a WMI field representative for the Midwest and northern Great Plains states. He also has professional experience with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service in Wisconsin and South Dakota. Terry has a bachelor’s degree in fish and wildlife biology from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in wildlife science from New Mexico State University, and master’s and doctorate degrees in zoology from Ohio State University.
Director-at-Large
Robert Deitner
Originally from St. Paul, Minn., Robert has lived in Las Cruces since 1980 and has worked for the Fishery and Wildlife Sciences Department for more than 20 years. As a researcher, his interests and expertise are in the quantitative aspects of wildlife sciences: data management, statistics and modeling of natural systems. He is currently working on software systems to predict terrestrial animal habitat across a five-state region (SWReGAP). When not working, he can be found either playing mandolin or out on public land. Robert sees the New Mexico Wildlife Federation as a dynamic organization that embraces all recreational users of wildlife, and believes it provides an important bridge between the management community, political oversight and the citizens of New Mexico.
Director-at-Large
Charlie Sanchez
Charlie holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science and a master’s degree in fishery biology, and has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a variety of programs over the past 30 years. He is chairman of the Valencia County Soil and Water Conservation District, where he is helping to pioneer wetlands and wildlife habitat restoration projects that are gaining recognition around the country. Charlie also currently serves on the Soil Conservation Commission for the state of New Mexico. He is a farmer, folk artist, avid sportsman, and is active in promoting a variety of conservation initiatives in New Mexico.
Director-at-Large
Paul Turner
Prior to retiring in 2003, Paul was a faculty member in the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Sciences at New Mexico State University for more than 30 years. He is a life member of the American Fisheries Society and has served on several committees and as an officer with the Arizona-New Mexico AFS Chapter. He has been a member of the Gila Trout Recovery Team since its formation in 1974, and is also active with the Mesilla Valley FlyFishers (MVFF), Mesilla Valley Audubon Society, NM Riparian Council and the Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen. He has been on the MVFF board of directors for seven years and is currently the vice-president. Paul reports that his work on an MVFF project along the Rio Penasco, which included the private landowner and MVFF members, has been very rewarding and provides a way of improving fish and wildlife habitat that could be expanded throughout the state. One of the best things Paul brings to the NM Wildlife Federation is his experience with aquatic resources and his ability to work effectively with state and federal agencies, conservation groups and private individuals.