NMDGF Education News
The most recent news in education from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is found here. Department-wide news can be found under Home → NMDGF News.
October – Officer Spotlight: Matt Lackey
Name: Matt Lackey Duty Station: Grants District Corporal Special Area of Responsibility/Game Mgmt Units: Game Management Units: 9, 10, 12, 13 Cibola National Forest Length of Service: 8 years Field Training: Farmington Education:High School – Raton High School- Raton, NM College Attended: New Mexico State University – West Texas A&M University, Canyon TX Degree: Bachelor’s of Science Biology/Wildlife Sciences Hometown: Raton, NM Current Projects/Assignments: Elk surveys and hunting season Best Thing About the Job: That every day is different, and you never know what each day will bring. From hunt patrol and wildlife investigations to wildlife complaints and captures each day holds something new. What made you want to be a NM Game Warden?: Family member was a game and fish officer Special Interest: Wildlife complaints/captures, wildlife investigations, law enforcement One piece of advice for anyone interested in becoming a NM Game Warden: Spend as much time outdoors as you [...]
Seven Springs Kids’ Pond closed due to McKinney Fire
The kids' pond at Seven Springs Hatchery, located four miles north of Fenton Lake State Park in Sandoval County, is closed because of firefighting efforts surrounding the McKinney Fire. The pond and surrounding roads are closed to allow for dipping of water and access for fire crews. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish biologists and hatchery staff are putting together a plan to prioritize the relocation of fish inventories currently at the hatchery should that become necessary.
White-nose syndrome detected in New Mexico
SANTA FE – For the first time, white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease of hibernating bats, has been confirmed in New Mexico. Samples from two live bats and two deceased bats were collected in late April from BLM-managed caves in Lincoln and De Baca counties. Scientific Background: The two dead bats were confirmed with WNS, one a fringed myotis in Lincoln County, the other a cave myotis in De Baca County. Additionally, wing biopsies from two live cave myotis at the same Lincoln County site revealed microscopic lesions consistent with WNS. WNS is caused by an invasive fungal pathogen named Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Although Pd was previously detected in New Mexico in 2021, evidence of the disease had not been confirmed in the state until now. WNS is a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in North America since 2006. A powdery, white fungus grows on the skin of hibernating bats, often on [...]