New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866
Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007
karl.moffatt@state.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, APRIL 26, 2017:

Citizen advisory committees to meet to recommend Habitat Stamp projects

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has scheduled statewide Habitat Stamp Program Citizens Advisory Committee meetings for 2017. Citizen advisors will prioritize Habitat Stamp-funded projects for 2018 and 2019. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the following regional Citizen Advisory Committee meetings:

  • Southwest: 10 a.m. May 15, Gila National Forest office, 3005 E. Camino del Bosque, Silver City.
  • Southeast: 9 a.m. May 17, Central Valley Electric Cooperative, 1403 N. 13th Street, Artesia.
  • Central: 9 a.m. May 18, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish office, 3841 Midway Place N.E., Albuquerque.
  • Northwest: 9 a.m. May 22, Carson National Forest office, 1110 Rio Vista Lane, Unit #2, Bloomfield.
  • Northeast: 9 a.m. May 25, Santa Fe National Forest office, 11 Forest Lane, Santa Fe.

The Habitat Stamp Program has an annual budget of $742,300 with the support of hunters, anglers and trappers who purchase a $5 stamp each year to participate in their sports on Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service managed lands.

In the 31-year life of the program more than $26 million has been raised through the sale of habitat stamps. The program has funded over 2,400 projects including terrestrial and riparian habitat improvements; water and shelter projects for wildlife; wildlife population and habitat surveys; wildlife translocations and aquatic habitat, fishing area and watershed improvements. The program also has funded projects to reduce human impacts on wildlife and improve overall public enjoyment of wildlife.

Since its inception, citizens have been involved in every aspect of the program including advising which habitats are most in need of improvement. Appointed by the State Game Commission, citizens representing sporting, conservation and public-land permittee interests meet each spring to prioritize local habitat projects.

For more information about the Habitat Stamp Program, please contact Reuben Teran, (505) 476-8130, reubens.teran@state.nm.us or visit the Habitat Stamp Program website, http://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/conservation/habitat-information/habitat-stamp/.

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