Public Comment

We encourage participation with both Department planning and Commission action items.

For State Game Commission items see the Commission → Proposals Under Consideration page.

The Department is seeking public comments on the draft Statewide Fisheries Management Plan. The plan is an update of the 2016 plan, which the Department uses to manage the fisheries across the state.

Highlights include:

• Updates to various language throughout the document to reflect new information on various species or waters
• Updates to the parameters for monitoring specific species as well as an appendix documenting those changes
• A major accomplishment section, which lists major accomplishments of the division since 2016
• Updates to the Identified Priority Projects and Needs for Further Investigation and Research Section to reflect new projects
• An index to help find waterbodies throughout the plan
• An appendix that provides a summary of the progress towards the priority projects identified in the 2016 plan

Updated 3-12-2020: check below for postponements. 

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) has begun developing the Wildlife Corridors Action Plan (Plan) in accordance with New Mexico Senate Bill 228, the Wildlife Corridors Act (Act).

The Act, signed into law by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2019, directs the NMDOT and the NMDGF to develop the Plan for NMDOT roads statewide. The Plan will identify wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots that pose a risk to the traveling public, identify wildlife corridors from ecological data, and provide a list of priority projects based on the results of the Plan’s analysis. The Plan will provide information on wildlife movement with an emphasis on large mammals such as elk, deer, bear and mountain lion. A team of national experts led by Daniel B. Stephens and Associates (DBS&A), under contract with NMDOT, will develop the Plan in partnership with NMDGF. The DBS&A team will use a science-driven approach to identify areas per the Act that “pose a risk to successful wildlife migration or that pose a risk to the traveling public” and will be based on NMDOT crash data and ecological information on wildlife movements.

The Plan will build on past and ongoing efforts and is intended to raise support for and consensus in the identification of priority wildlife corridors and priority projects across New Mexico. Development of the Plan will also involve soliciting input from the general public, tribal governments and interested stakeholders.

We are writing to inform you that this is an opportunity for the public and engaged stakeholders to provide input and support for potential actions that will increase public safety and promote wildlife habitat connectivity.

There will be 8 public meetings to be held around the state to introduce the project and we invite you and your organization to participate. Attached please find the meeting locations, dates and times as well as details on how to submit comments. We look forward to working with the public and engaged stakeholder’s as this process continues.

Thank you for your interest.

Public Meeting Information and Public Input Instructions

New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action Plan: Public Meeting Information & Public Input Instructions

• Raton NMDGF Office, 215 York Canyon Road Tuesday, February 25, 2020 6:30-8:00pm
• Albuquerque NMDGF Office, 7816 Alamo Road NW Thursday, February 27, 2020, 6:30-8:00pm
• Santa Fe Santa Fe Higher Education Center, 1950 Siringo Road, Tuesday, March 3, 2020 6:30-8:00pm
• Farmington McGee Park, 41 County Road 5568, MultiPurpose Building (located south of Sun Ray Park & Casino), Thursday, March 5, 2020 6:30-8:00pm
• Las Cruces NMDGF Office, 2715 Northside Drive Tuesday, March 10, 2020 6:30-8:00pm
• Santa Clara (Silver City), Santa Clara Community Center, 11990 Hwy 180 E., Santa Clara, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 6:30-8:00pm
• Postponed Roswell NMDGF Office, 1615 West College Boulevard, Thursday, March 12, 2020 6:30-8:00pm
• Postponed Taos Sagebrush Inn, 1508 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 6:30-8:00pm

Participation in the public meetings is not mandatory to provide input. Comments can be provided through email, meetings, and personal interactions with NMDOT and NMDGF personnel and the DBS&A Team. Additionally, written comments on the Plan can be provided by mail to the following: Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Attn: Wildlife Corridors Action Plan, 6020 Academy Road NE, Suite 100, Albuquerque, NM 87109; by email to Wildlife.Corridors@state.nm.us; or in person at one of the meetings listed below. We will accept comments for this stage of the process through April 18, 2020.

Programmatic Agreement Public Comment:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program partners with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) to manage wildlife and acquire wildlife habitat in the State of New Mexico through grant programs. These activities potentially could affect cultural resources and indigenous religious interests that include archaeological sites and traditional cultural properties.

The USFWS is guided by legislation to take appropriate precautions to ensure the protection of cultural resources. The USFWS has authorized NMDGF to identify consulting parties, define the Area of Potential Effect (APE), identify historic properties, assess potential effects, and make determinations and recommendations pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(c)(4) (Appendix B). The USFWS has entered into a cultural resource Programmatic Agreement (PA) to fulfill portions of the USFWS’s obligations to cultural resources. The USFWS has consulted with the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) during development of this Programmatic Agreement (PA) and the SHPO is a Signatory to the PA under 36 CFR 800.6(c)(1)(i). The USFWS consulted with the Federally-recognized Native American Tribes pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(c) (2) and 36 CFR 800.14(f) regarding this PA.

The NMDGF conducts a cultural resource investigation in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act / Section 106 and the New Mexico Cultural Properties Act (NMSA 18-6-8.1) under the obligations of the 2018 National Historic Properties Act Programmatic Agreement.

The purpose of the cultural resource investigations is to record and assess known and newly revealed cultural resources within New Mexico State Game Commission and participating entity’s lands in relation to given proposed projects cited below. Within the parameters of the National Historic Preservation Act and the New Mexico Cultural Properties Act, the NMDGF on behalf of the New Mexico State Game Commission seeks public comment specifically and solely in relation to cultural resources of these proposed projects conducted through the state on State Game Commission Property, specific partnered lands, leased State Trust lands and participating private lands.

Grant Program Summary

Programmatic Agreement