NM State Game Commission Approves State Wildlife Action Plan; Agrees to Trim Mule Deer Hunts in Response to Jicarilla Apache Tribe Request

By Ben Neary

NMWF Conservation Director

The New Mexico State Game Commission unanimously approved the State Wildlife Action Plan on Friday, outlining ways to help over 500 at-risk native species and setting state conservation priorities for the next decade. In other action, the state will reduce deer hunting on lands adjoining Jicarilla Apache Tribe lands in response to a request from the tribe.

New Mexico and other states develop new plans every ten years, spelling out which of their species are in greatest need of conservation. New Mexico’s new plan is expanded over the last version by the inclusion of dozens of species of pollinating insects. 

Now that the game commission has approved it, the New Mexico plan will be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before a deadline this fall. The federal agency requires the state plan as a condition of federal aid money.

Game commissioners and others credited Virginia “Ginny” Seamster, Ph.D., assistant chief for technical guidance in the department’s Wildlife Management Division, for her work on the plan over the past two years. She coordinated comment and review efforts by biologists and others both within and outside state department.

The plan identifies 505 species of greatest conservation need, including burrowing owls, pinyon jays, river otters, Chiracahua leopard frogs, and Gila trout.  Of that number, 303 species are targeted because more scientific data is needed to understand their status and conservation needs. This category includes animals like American dippers, yellow-bellied marmots, and Gila monsters, along with dozens of pollinating insects.

The plan doesn’t shy away from stating the projected effects of climate change on New Mexico species. It states that fish and amphibians are particularly vulnerable to harm over the next decade under predictably drier, hotter conditions.

Stewart Liley, head biologist for the game department, presented the plan to commissioners and credited Seamster’s work on compiling it. Liley emphasized that the plan is not a regulatory document, meaning that it won’t impose restrictions on land use or development to conserve species.

Liley said implementing actions spelled out in the plan to conserve wildlife species promises to help New Mexico avoid having species listed for protections under the federal Endangered Species Act, which can impose limitations on land use practices. He pointed to the Rio Grande Chub, the Rio Grande Sucker and native trout species as examples of species that have been helped through the state plan process to the point that they haven’t needed federal protections.

The state recently was able to approve limited hunting for the Gould’s Turkey as a result of recovery efforts, Liley said. The bird had been listed as a species in need of conservation in the past. “I think you’ll see more species come off in the next ten years,” he said of the state list of species in need of conservation.

The plan has new sections recognizing the importance of working with wildlife agencies in neighboring states, Liley said.

Representatives from a range of environmental groups praised Seamster and the game department for taking a detailed and inclusive approach to developing the plan. 

Jesse Deubel, executive director of the NMWF, commended  Seamster for her work. “We are very supportive of the draft that’s in front of you today,” he said. “We’re looking forward to seeing that adopted by this commission.

Tom Paterson, president-elect of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, said his organization is concerned about the increase in the number of species listed as needing conservation in the current plan over the last version. He said the group also is concerned that including species in the state plan could affect federal land management agency decisions. Among numerous comments in support, Mr. Paterson’s comment was the only comment of concern or opposition provided during the meeting.

Commissioner Fernando Clemente, a wildlife biologist, said he was pleased to see the state plan take into account the importance of riparian areas and climate change.

“I see that this report being more of an acting report, versus reacting,” Clemente said, adding that it’s trying to prevent species from being listed for federal protection. He noted that it’s  a lot easier to conserve a species, rather than to try to recover it once it’s endangered.

Commissioner Christopher Witt, a UNM biology professor whom Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed to the commission this week, said it was clear to him that increasing the number of species in the current plan was warranted. He said he had scrutinized the list of bird species in particular and said it provided a good roadmap to prevent future population declines that would lead to federal listings.

In other action, the state has agreed to reduce the number of deer licenses the state issues in a hunt unit bordering the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

Jicarilla representatives thave old commissioners that state-permitted hunters are killing too many young bucks in Unit 2-B. The unit borders Colorado, between Bloomfield and Chama.

The Jicarilla representatives had called on the commission in April to take emergency action to reduce the deer harvest in Unit 2-B by the 2026 hunting season.

The state currently manages Unit 2-B as an “opportunity” area, where many hunters get a chance to hunt. The tribe asked the state to shift management to being a “quality” area, where fewer deer would be killed so the remaining animals get to mature into larger, trophy animals.

Kyle Tator, Jicarilla wildlife biologist, told commissioners in April that the tribe has seen a sharp decline in the buck deer in the area in recent years as a result of the state hunting program. 

Commission Chairman Richard Stump announced Friday that he met recently with Jicarilla representatives. Stump said he concurred with action by NMDGF Director Mike Sloane to reduce the number of tags in the hunts that will be held in the fall of 2026. Sloane has authority to reduce hunt numbers up to 20 percent administratively with the concurrence of the commission chair.

The reduction will impact three public land hunts and two private land hunts. The resulting  license changes are shown below: