New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Media contact: Ross Morgan, (505) 222-4700
Public contact: (505) 476-8000
ross.morgan@state.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SEPT. 10, 2012:

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION HISTORY ON DISPLAY AT STATE FAIR

ALBUQUERQUE – The Department of Game and Fish will be back at the State Fair this month with redesigned exhibits that feature New Mexico’s fish, wildlife and the contributions hunters, anglers and trappers have made to wildlife conservation for the past 100 years.

Visitors to the department exhibit in the Natural Resources Building at EXPO New Mexico will find displays of live reptiles, a turkey vulture and the always-popular active pond full of trout, bass and other game fish. “A Century of Conservation,” a film celebrating 100 years of conservation success, will be shown beginning at 9 a.m. every day.

This year’s exhibit also will feature new displays highlighting the state’s Off-Highway Vehicle Program and Operation Game Thief, the department’s successful anti-poaching initiative that gives citizens a shot at catching wildlife thieves. The program will be highlighted Sept. 13 during “Law Enforcement Day” at the fair.

Other attractions include presentations by the department’s partners from Wildlife Rescue, Wildlife West Nature Park, Valles Caldera National Preserve, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, American International Rattlesnake Museum, the New Mexico Hunter Education Association and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This year, the fair will be condensed to 12 open days – Sept. 12-23. Gates will open at 9 a.m. each day except Sept. 12, when the fair will open at 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children ages 6-11, and free for children age 5 and younger. Parking will be free this year.

For more information about the Department of Game and Fish exhibit, please call (505) 222-4700.

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