SENATE MEMORIAL 16

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

David Ulibarri

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE STATE GAME COMMISSION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISH TO STUDY METHODS AND PROGRAMS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF HUNTING PERMITS ISSUED TO NEW MEXICO RESIDENTS.

     WHEREAS, wildlife enriches New Mexico by providing recreational, ecological, scientific, aesthetic and cultural values; and

     WHEREAS, healthy wildlife populations are indicative of the intact habitats on which they depend; and

     WHEREAS, future generations will inherit the wildlife resources of New Mexico; and

      WHEREAS, managed hunting and harvesting is a beneficial use of renewable wildlife resources and a necessary management practice to maintain a proper balance among wildlife and their habitat; and

     WHEREAS, hunting is an integral part of the fabric of New Mexico's economy and heritage, and hunting is an important cultural and traditional activity for all New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, wildlife does not recognize man-made political boundaries; and

     WHEREAS, the State-Tribal Collaboration Act has been enacted into law; and

     WHEREAS, the spirit of that act is to enhance government-to-government communication and collaboration between the state and tribal governments; and

     WHEREAS, the State-Tribal Collaboration Act requires an annual state-tribal summit at which state agencies and tribal governments may discuss topics of mutual concern and cultivate

productive state-tribal relations; and

     WHEREAS, it is in the mutual interest of the state and tribal governments to manage and conserve wildlife in order to continue to provide and increase hunting opportunities for all New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, hunters have been and continue to be among the foremost supporters of wildlife management and conservation practices; and

     WHEREAS, the department of game and fish receives hundreds more hunting applications than it can issue permits and licenses for;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state game commission and the department of game and fish be requested to study methods and programs that will increase the number of hunting licenses for New Mexico residents, including habitat conservation, the methodology of drawings and active collaboration with Indian nations, tribes and pueblos in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state game commission and the department of game and fish present the study before the appropriate interim legislative committee; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the state game commission and the director of the department of game and fish.

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