Share with Wildlife

Evaluating Genetic Health of Chihuahua Chub in the Mimbres River Basin

Perhaps you’ve driven in southwestern New Mexico and crossed over the Mimbres River and seen that a stretch of it was dry? Perhaps you’ve thought that there was no way fish could live in this river- after all, fish need continuous stretches of flowing water to survive! Well, there are several fishes that live in the Mimbres, including a very rare fish, the Chihuahua chub.

Undergraduate student at UNM explains Chihuahua chub poster. (Ginny Seamster)

In New Mexico, the Chihuahua chub has been found at a handfull of disjunct sites on the Mimbres River and in an adjacent spring and has also been introduced at a few sites from a captive population at the Southwestern Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center (Southwestern Native ARRC). Dr. Megan Osborne and her undergraduate students (Brian Fitzgerald and Charisa Bell) at the University of New Mexico are using genetic techniques to answer some important questions about this narrowly distributed species.

First, how is the genetic health of the Chihuahua chub population? Is there high or low diversity? How well connected are the different populations of Chihuahua chub? What kind of impact did the Silver Fire, which occurred in 2013, have on this species? Dr. Megan Osborne’s team has made excellent progress in answering these questions, enough to have assembled a poster that was presented at a Research Days event at the University of New Mexico in spring 2019. Thus far, it is looking like there has been relavitely consistent genetic diversity over time (which is good). However, the fire and post-fire ash flows and stocking of fish from the captive population at SNARRC effectively removed the previously extant genetic structure among different populations. It appears that fish are navigating from the lower to the upper known populations of Chihuahua chub and that the genetic signature is now largely driven by the fish that were released from Southwestern Native ARRC after the Silver Fire.

The Share with Wildlife projects selected for funding in 2020 are listed below. Please contact the Share with Wildlife Coordinator, Ginny Seamster (virginia.seamster@state.nm.us), with questions.

These forms are provided for informational purposes to individuals and organizations submitting a proposal to the Share with Wildlife program in response to an active Call For Project Information. These forms should not be submitted to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish unless an employee of the Department directly contacts you and requests that you fill them out as part of the process of implementing a professional services contract for a new Share with Wildlife project.

Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form

Compliance with Government Conduct Act

DFA Agency Certification Form

Substitute Form W-9

Applicants for a Share with Wildlife project who intend to capture and handle animals or use live animals and/or animal parts for educational purposes for their project may need to obtain a scientific collection permit or educational program permit from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Please see the Special Use Permits page for more information and contact dgf.permits@state.nm.us with questions.

A recently published journal article shows that the US and Canada have lost almost 3 billion birds over the past 50 years. Visit the following website to learn more about which birds are most at risk and what you can do to help.

New Mexico wildlife needs your help! Share with Wildlife funds numerous projects related to wildlife habitat enhancement, wildlife-related education, wildlife rehabilitation, and research on wildlife biology and ecology every year. All projects are made possible through donations made by members of the public. 

To make a donation, you may donate part of the refund on your state tax return; purchase a Share with Wildlife license plate or make any dollar amount donation online (minimum $2; see more information below); or mail in a check using this donation form. All donated funds go to supporting wildlife; none are used for administrative costs.

If you want your dollars to go even further in supporting non-game wildlife, consider donating to Share with Wildlife and purchasing a Habitat Management Access Validation simultaneously. Click here for more information about donating and here for information on our State Game Commission Lands.

Donations made to the Share with Wildlife program are tax-deductible for both federal and New Mexico state taxes. Please see U.S. Code Title 26. Internal Revenue Code – section 170c – Charitable Contribution Defined for more information. You may wish to further confirm with your tax advisor/preparer.

Thank you for your support of New Mexico’s wildlife!

Download the PDF to support wildlife by ordering the Share with Wildlife license plate. PDF made available from MVD New Mexico. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout plate is only available through the mail starting October 23rd, 2017. It may take 6-10 weeks to receive your trout plate from MVD.

On the Online Licensing System website (shown below) please enter your Username (or Customer ID or Email) and Password, and then click the Login button:

Once you are logged in, if you only wish to donate to Share with Wildlife, click on the Share with Wildlife button on the home page:

Type any dollar amount (minimum $2.00) you wish to donate in the Enter Donation Amount box (shown below) and click Review Order:

Dismiss any pop-up windows (shown below) regarding purchasing other items by clicking the OK button:

Click the Add to Cart button (shown below) at the top of the Review Order page:

On the next screen, click Checkout and continue on to complete your purchase.

OR

Once you are logged in, if you are purchasing other items through the Online Licensing System, go to License Sales | General License Sales from the Main Menu (shown below):

After you read the Terms of Agreement on the next page and click the Continue button, you will see a list of Available Products. Locate the Share with Wildlife Donation product ($10 donation only) OR the Share with Wildlife Extra Donation product ($2.00 minimum donation; type dollar amount in Enter Donation Amount box) and click the check box next to (add to order). Click the Review Order button:

Dismiss any pop-up windows (shown above) regarding purchasing other items by clicking the OK button. Click the Add to Cart button (shown above) at the top of the Review Order page. On the next screen, click Checkout and continue on to complete your purchase.