Letter: State commissioners lack 21st Century modesty

Editor,

Agenda Item No. 8 at the New Mexico State Game Commission public hearing held on Tuesday in Albuquerque was a request by the Pueblo of Santa Ana to transplant a number of pronghorn antelope on to their pueblo lands to aid in their recovery and for various tribal uses. Although I initially went to this state commission meeting in hopes of hearing the issue titled Agenda Item No. 7, I decided to stay and sat in the back of the hotel ballroom to witness a little of the New Mexico State Game 
Commission in action.

At least 10 people, including two reporters, were unable to enter the venue earlier during Agenda Item No. 7. We were told the room was at full capacity, and the doors were to remain closed. One newspaper reporter who had traveled from Santa Fe asked if a door could be opened so we could listen outside from the quiet hallway. The New Mexico State Game Commission employee at the doors flat-out said no.

Agenda Item No. 7 consisted of the New Mexico Game Commissioners reviewing the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services’ official appeal of their commission’s recent ruling denying the release of any new Mexican gray wolves onto our state lands. New lobos are released, in part, to supplement an ongoing shortage of genetic diversity evident in the extremely small wild lobo populations and to replace individuals killed illegally by poachers. On Tuesday morning, Gov. Susana Martinez’s hand-appointed commissioners chose once again to vote no and actively roadblock the recovery of our critically endangered wolves, in spite of sound science and established federal laws supporting and requesting more lobo reintroduction.

No public comments were allowed at the review. The commission’s printed agenda justified this by stating the proceedings were quasi-judicial in 
nature. From outside the conference room’s closed doors, we could hear the protest and disbelief of the large amount of people that attended, at the commission’s decision.

During the subsequent Pueblo of Santa Ana’s pronghorn antelope hearing, before any approvals or denials had been made, one of the seated game commissioners spoke gravely into his microphone. He directly addressed Santa Ana’s representatives and said that they should “strongly consider allowing non-tribal members to hunt pronghorn antelope on Santa Ana’s lands.” Was this callous suggestion offered as a condition for his approval? Domineering Wild West attitudes applied mere minutes before to gut rational game management and supersede federal law, were still on full display.

We can ask ourselves if this same privileged state commissioner has ever made a similar demand to a private land owner, private cattle rancher or private game preserve as he directed towards the sovereign Tamaya Nation, the Pueblo of Santa Ana, intent on restoring its lands? Please consider contacting Governor Martinez and asking the governor to update her political appointees so they reflect the environmental science, laws and civil attitudes that govern the 21st century.

Sincerely,

Daniel Richmond

UNM graduate