New Mexico Office

Defenders staff works with many groups including coalitions of local conservation organizations, agency representatives, local businesses and tribal representatives. Defenders lobbies local, state, and federal officials and political representatives. Through the New Mexico office, Defenders also provides educational volunteer opportunities for Defenders members and the public through meet-ups, presentations, festivals and other events.

Key Projects:

Building a strong constituency for wildlife: Defenders is working to build local support for critical national, state, and local wildlife and conservation issues. By reaching out to Defenders members and supports in New Mexico as well as new individuals, groups, and businesses, staff work to develop educated, trained, and active constituencies who support and are involved with Defenders mission and work. Through community activism, education, media outreach and working with elected officials, the Defenders works to provide a strong and influential voice for New Mexicans supporting wildlife protections.

Restoration of the Rio Grande: Defenders works to ensure that adequate water levels are maintained in the river to support healthy populations of the Rio Grande silvery minnow, as well as the health of the river.

Colorado River: Defenders works to maintain the diversity and increase the quality of aquatic and riparian habitats of the Colorado River and its delta. Defenders often works with other stakeholders to protect and restore the Lower Colorado River.

Mexican Wolf: Defenders is working to influence local and state policy decisions and has defended lawsuits that impact the Mexican wolf in New Mexico. Defenders also offers compensation to owners of livestock lost to wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. Additionally, we offer funding and assistance for proactive measures that prevent wolf-livestock interactions, such as guard dogs, fencing, trained herders, etc. These programs are administered from Defenders’ office in Tucson, AZ .

River Otter: Defenders is working with the Friends of New Mexico River Otters Coalition to reintroduce the river otter in the state. Otters are expected to return to the waters of the upper Rio Grande and upper Gila River in the fall of 2007.

The Farm Bill: Defenders is working to build awareness of the importance of the Farm Bill to wildlife and habitat conservation on private lands and is working with local agricultural interests, such as the Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust, local farmers markets and businesses like La Montanita Coop to raise awareness. Defenders also serves on the State Technical Committee, which oversees implementation of the conservation programs.

The Endangered Species Act: Defenders is a tireless advocate and protector of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and works to educate members, the public and politicians about the importance of the ESA to protecting biodiversity, ecosystem function and the web of life. Defenders gives many presentations about the ESA across the state.

Accomplishments:

• Through presentations, meet-ups, citizen advocacy trainings and other events and activities, Defenders has built a network of citizen activists in New Mexico who communicate with their elected officials, work with their local media and organize in their communities to support and strengthen Defenders work in the state.
• Worked to fight back several anti-wildlife bills with the help of Defenders members and activists, local conservation organizations and businesses. Three of these bills would have had devastating impacts on the Mexican wolf and other predators (SB 1079, SB 616, HM 028).
• Submitted the “Conservation Before Shortage” alternative, a more flexible approach to river management, to the Department of the Interior as it develops its own plan for sharing shortages on the Colorado River.
• Established a Living River Fund that will lease water from farmers so that it may be used in the Rio Grande. The fund will be used to establish a pilot agricultural water leasing program, the first of its kind on the Rio Grande.
• Worked with the Coalition for the Valle Vidal to secure permanent protection from oil and gas development for this wildlife and public lands gem in northern New Mexico’s Carson National Forest. www.vallevidal.org
• Worked with the Friends of New Mexico River Otters Coalition to lobby the New Mexico Game Commission to support reintroduction of the river otter in the state.