New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Media contact: Dan Williams, (505) 476-8004
Public contact: (505) 476-8000
dan.williams@state.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, APRIL 7, 2009:

CITIZENS COMMITTEES WILL MEET TO RECOMMEND HABITAT STAMP PROJECTS

SANTA FE -- The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has scheduled statewide Habitat Stamp Citizens Advisory Committee meetings for 2009. Citizen advisors will prioritize habitat projects for 2010 and 2011 and make their recommendations at the State Game Commission meeting July 2 in Chama. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend meetings:

• Northwest: 1 p.m. April 20, U.S. Forest Service office, 664 E. Broadway, Bloomfield.
• Southwest: 9 a.m. April 24-25, Department of Game and Fish office, 2715 Northrise Drive, Las Cruces.
• Southeast: 9 a.m. May 2, Bureau of Land Management office, 620 E. Green, Carlsbad.
• Northeast: 1 p.m. May 6, Hilton Science Building, Room 361, N.M. Highlands University, Las Vegas.
• Central: 1 p.m. May 7, Department of Game and Fish office, 3841 Midway Place NE, Albuquerque.

The program has an annual budget of $870,000 with the support of hunters and anglers, who must purchase a $5 Habitat Stamp each year to participate in their sports on Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service lands.

In the 22-year life of the program, $28.6 million has funded 1,928 wildlife habitat projects. In this effort, the Habitat Stamp Program has contributed $14.3 million and federal agencies have spent an additional $12.6 million in matching funds in the form of cash, costs of planning, fiscal tracking, developing NEPA documentation, and obtaining archeological/cultural clearances. Since 1999, other organizations have contributed $1.8 million in time and cash to this effort.

The New Mexico Habitat Stamp Program has improved more than 594,000 acres of habitat on public lands. Additionally, the program has enhanced 10,500 acres of riparian habitat, built 690 places for wildlife to drink water, surveyed 680 wildlife populations and habitats, transplanted wildlife 17 times, improved 74 fishing areas, maintained 6,400 previously built structures, and much more.

Since its inception, citizens have been involved in every aspect of the program, advising which habitats are most in need of improvement. Appointed by the State Game Commission, citizens representing sporting, environmental, and public-land permittee interests meet each spring to prioritize local habitat projects.

For more information about the Habitat Stamp Program, please contact Dale Hall, (505) 222-4725 or check the Department’s Web site, www.wildlife.state.nm.us/conservation/habitat_stamp_program/index.htm.

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