A Letter From Sandia Mountain BearWatch
Editor’s Note: This is a little late in coming, but well worth passing on. The problem of bear-human interactions is complex, and not likely to be solved by shooting the bears or, for that matter, the people. A more balanced and well-researched strategy than that proposed by New Mexico Game and Fish might go a long way toward solving the problem with the minimum ecological disruption possible. For information, see the Sandia Mountain BearWatch web site.
August 1, 2010
Dear BearWatch Member,
If ever our bears needed your help in the last seventeen years…it is now.
The New Mexico Game and Fish (NMG&F) is proposing an incredibly destructive statewide bear hunt starting in 2011 through 2014. They are proposing to kill 733 bears… or more than double that of the 2009 bear hunt (335). They are also proposing a kill limit of 318 sows out of that 733. Sows are the future. This proposed hunt will do a good job of destroying New Mexico’s bears with intervening chaos in our bear population.
Last year NMG&F raised the 2010 bear hunt to 406; that hunt hasn’t occurred yet. But they plan to raise the hunt yet again, without seeing what this year’s hunt will bring. They’ve had approximately 150 bear complaint calls this year along with one mauling of the illegal camper in the Sandias and two Scouts at Philmont Scout Ranch. No one had severe injures, just bites. NMG&F is telling the media that there are just too many bears in New Mexico when in fact; we’ve had a statewide food crisis. Harsh late frosts with no spring rains have devastated the forage that bears need at this time of the year.
The problem is that increasing the hunt will not take care of the people-bear problem of habituated bears that has created this proposed increased hunt in the first place. Bear hunters will hunt in the high country and kill non-habituated bears. And G&F officers will still continue to be called to trap bears that have been habituated by careless people’s available garbage, birdseed and hummingbird feeders.
For the past seventeen years, BearWatch has done the bulk of bear education in the state, spending $50,000 in the past four years on newspaper and radio ads. These funds were raised privately. We’ve had little to no help from the NMG&F. BearWatch has gone to Bernalillo County on several occasions to try to bear-proof the East Mountains to no avail. We’ve helped bear-proof one troubled camp in the Manzanos. We’ve worked with the Forest Service to bear-proof their East Mountain garbage containers and inform picnickers about bears. We’ve done a multitude of projects to protect bears and people…with little to no support from the NMG&F. ….and now this.
Maybe the solution would be for bear management to be turned over to the Forest Service, since the bulk of bears killed in the hunt are killed on federal lands. And in New Mexico, the Forest Service has done a better job of bear-proofing, bear education, fining errant people and caring for New Mexico’s bears than the NMG&F. Let the NMG&F continue to trap and remove the problem bears on private lands.
The NMG&F is using biologist Rick Winslow’s Matrix as the foundation for this 733 hunt. This matrix is based on the assumption that we have over 7,000 bears in New Mexico. There has been no population study to back this up…it is a guesstimation and a dangerous assumption for New Mexico’s bears. Last year we had three professionals look at the “matrix” methodology. One is a physicist who has experience with modeling and it’s limitations, and two were wildlife biologists. We met several times with upper management to point out that the matrix entailed a population projection with huge uncertainties and if they went forward with even the 406 hunt, it was certainly possible that New Mexico’s bear population could be injured. This increase of a 733 hunt ups that potential significantly. Apparently NMG&F’s management was not persuaded.
Please take the time to write letters against this destructive bear hunt. The first letter or email (why not send both) should respond to NMG&F Department’s solicitation for public comment.
And the Game Commissioners need feedback from the public; after all, New Mexico’s bears belong to all New Mexico citizens. Letters need to go to all seven Commissioners. Please be polite but to the point, a paragraph will do to get your concerns across.
We might be able to keep this destructive hunt from going forward if enough of you write your letters! Please do this …many hundreds of bear’s lives are on the line.
The Department solicits comments on game hunting rule making. Comments can be emailed to:
ispa@state.nm.us
or snail-mailed:
New Mexico Game and Fish
Attn: Public Comments
PO Box 25112
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Please go to the NMG&F website, if you want further information on this proposed hunt.
http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/commission/index.htm
SIGN A PETITION (IMPORTANT)
East Mountain resident Julianna Farresta has developed a petition to stop this bear hunt increase. She has asked her friends and acquaintances to sign and also to forward the petition on to their friends and acquaintances. I am asking you to do the same thing.
http://www.jfarresta.com/bearpetition.html
Please sign and pass along to others.
Many thanks to Julianna!
NMG&F Commissioners and their addresses
Jim McClintic, Chairman
Albuquerque
Post Office Box 21027
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87154
Sandy Buffett, Vice-Chair
320 Aztec Street, Suite B
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Tom Arvas
7905 Spain, NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109
M.H. “Dutch” Salmon
Post Office Box 878
Silver City, New Mexico 88062
Gary Fonay
5333 North Baggett
Hobbs, NM; 88242
Kent Salazar
1621 Vassar Drive, SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Thomas “Dick” Salopek
975 Holcomb Road
Las Cruces, NM 88007