WILD FRIENDS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1996-1997:

For their 1997 legislative project, the Wild Friends students drafted and testified on behalf of their own "anti-poaching" bill, House Bill 249. Passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, this bill establishes mandatory civil penalties and increased criminal penalties for repeat wildlife poachers in New Mexico. On Earth Day 1997, Wild Friends students were recognized for this accomplishment by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Eluid Martinez. The Commissioner flew in from Washington, D.C. for Albuquerque's Earth Day activities, which included a Bureau of Reclamation awards ceremony for the Wild Friends. Mayor Martin Chavez also attended this ceremony. The U.S. Department of Interior is featuring the Wild Friends in the summer issue of People, Land & Water, the USDI national newsletter. The students legislative efforts also were mentioned in an article about states' efforts to control poachers which appeared in High Country News, a nationally known biweekly publication which covers Western environmental issues.

Wild Friends students set the stage for HB 249 with their earlier legislative successes: the "common grounds" memorial (1995) and the "anti-poaching" memorial (1996). Among other points, the anti-poaching memorial requested that an interim legislative committee review the adequacy of current statutes concerning wildlife violations. Speaking on behalf of their peers, three high school students and a middle student testified in October 1996 before the Interim Courts, Corrections and Criminal Justice Committee about poaching. Following their testimony, the students were invited to submit a draft bill to that committee; this draft eventually became House Bill 249, the Wild Friends "anti-poaching" bill. Throughout the process, the Wild Friends have enjoyed the respect and bi-partisan support and guidance of many legislators. House Bill 249 eventually passed the House by a vote 63-1, and the Senate by 16-10. Thanks to these students efforts, New Mexico's criminal and civil penalties for wildlife poaching no longer rank as the lowest in the region.

On November 1, 1996, about 250 New Mexico youth and teachers gathered in Albuquerque at UNM's Continuing Education Center, to meet live endangered species, including a cheetah, and to discuss state wildlife issues, including poaching and to participate in the first Wild Friends "Wildlife Summit." Legislators, including Speaker of the House Raymond Sanchez, magistrate judges, media personalities and wildlife experts from several agencies made presentations and led lively discussion sessions. Media coverage after the Summit included the Albuquerque Tribune's publishing of nine middle school students' letters concerning wildlife poaching.

1997-1998:
On September 8, 1998, Polk Middle School gymnasium filled to the brim with over 760 students, teachers and various special guests. They gathered to witness Eluid Martinez, Commissioner of the Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, present a $10,000 national award to the Wild Friends of New Mexico. The Commissioner's award acknowledges the "encouragement and appreciation for the Wild Friends students who have demonstrated leadership skills, courage, creativity, patience, maturity and determination in pursuing their goals."

The Wild Friends students had a very successful 1998 legislative session. Their House Joint Memorial 12 for "State Whooping Crane Day," sponsored by Speaker Raymond Sanchez, passed the legislature by a vote of 64-0 in the House of Representatives and by 36-14 in the Senate. During the short legislative session, students from 15 statewide schools participated in seven legislative field trips, and small groups of students traveled to Santa Fe with parent chaperons to testify in committee hearings on behalf of the memorial. Their legislative sponsors arranged House and Senate calendars so that Wild Friends for the first time ever could witness the actual floor votes on their own legislation. Those fortunate groups who were present represented the entire Wild Friends membership and were thrilled as numerous representatives and senators took the microphone to publicly praise the Wild Friends. We are confident this experience will be long-remembered by these youth, and their teachers and parents.

Other legislative field trip highlights included visits to the nearby Supreme Court Law Library to show the Wild Friends their "anti-poaching" law now printed in the state statutes, and meetings with prominent state and community leaders. Albuquerque's Mayor Baca has offered to declare Albuquerque Whooping Crane Day. At the invitation of City Councilman Alex Armijo, a group of Wild Friends presented their project at the Albuquerque City Council's televised meeting on February 18, 1998.

On April 22, 250 New Mexico youth and teachers gathered in Albuquerque at UNM's Continuing Education Center for the 2nd Annual Wildlife Summit, an all-day wildlife conference for young people. The keynote speaker was Kent Clegg, the biologist who led endangered whooping cranes behind his ultralight aircraft from his Idaho ranch to the Bosque. He received a signed and framed copy of the HJM 12. Speaker of the House Raymond Sanchez and UNM Law School Dean Robert Desiderio made the presentation on behalf of the Wild Friends.

Students participated in four Summit workshops on the jaguar, the lobo, the whooping crane and old growth forests. Wild Friends students and senior mentor Jack Pickering did an excellent job of questioning an adult panel of media representatives. On the panel were KOB-TV's Tom Joles, KOAT-TV's Kate Snow, Associated Press' Richard Benke, Albuquerque Tribune's John Hill and Jeff Everist, and New Mexico Wildlife Editor Martin Frentzel. This session was moderated by Bernalillo County Commission Chair Tom Rutherford.