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Wildlife Law homepageSENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 27
42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1995
A JOINT MEMORIAL
REAFFIRMING THE IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES AND REAFFIRMING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF OUR CITIZENS; REQUESTING ALL RESOURCE MANAGERS AND AFFECTED RESOURCE INTEREST GROUPS TO CREATE AND UTILIZE "COMMON GROUND" PRACTICES.
Whereas, it is important for the youth of our state to witness their adult role models seeking to understand one another and to find ways to solve these environmental and human issues; and
Whereas, there is too much pollution affecting our air, earth and water today for the good health of our children, who will inherit the earth tomorrow; and
Whereas, we do not want our children growing up in an environment that is polluted and that is forcing more animals toward extinction; and
Whereas, while progress continues to be made toward greater environmental and economic prosperity, the challenges presented by rapid population growth and continued economic expansion throughout all western states, including New Mexico, have led to increasing conflicts between many interests over the proper level of wildlife and other resource management; and
Whereas, economic hardship and protection of animals under state and federal wildlife laws are major issues, and a divided society will never care about healthy land and wildlife; and
Whereas, too often over the last few years, polarizing rhetoric, hyperbole and media focus on environmental conflicts have kept too many New Mexicans from realizing their many common interests and the extensive common ground that they share in proper long-range wildlife and other resource management, and environmental and wise-use groups have had their complementary blind spots, since neither people and communities nor land and wildlife are expendable; and
Whereas, these many New Mexicans with "common ground" to share, including ranchers and loggers, miners and farmers, campers and hunters tourists and developers, city and rural residents and environmentalists, will be better served through laws that work better, collaborative problem solving, improvements in science and risk assessment and market-based approaches;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the legislature of the state of New Mexico that it reaffirm that the environment of New Mexico is as important today as it was a generation ago and that healthy and diverse wildlife resources as well as a vibrant and sustainable economy are compatible state goals based upon "common ground" interests that all New Mexicans share; and
Be it further resolved that all public land use, wildlife and environmental resource management agencies and interest groups affected by those agencies and local governments in New Mexico be requested to examine and, when appropriate, discontinue "business as usual" approaches that are adversarial, emphasize confrontation and over utilize litigation in favor of "common ground" approaches based on collaborative problem solving, priority setting, good science and market-based approaches and that guiding these attempts must be a larger vision of the New Mexico our youth will inherit; and
Be it further resolved that the legislature, on behalf of the "wild friends" youth , ask all people of New Mexico to study ways to be friends with each other and with the wild creatures that nature has put among us; and
Be it further resolved that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the secretary of the United States department of the interior, the energy, minerals and natural resources department, all county commissions, the department of environment and the department of game and fish for further distribution to all appropriate state and federal agencies, including the New Mexico department of agriculture and the economic development department and to all appropriate trade, citizen and environmental groups.
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 1
42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1996
A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE COURTS, CORRECTIONS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE LAWS AGAINST POACHING TO RECOMMEND IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE EFFECTIVE PREVENTION OF POACHING AND TO REAFFIRM THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING THE PROBLEM OF WILDLIFE POACHING AND ENSURING PUBLIC SAFETY.
Whereas, poaching, the illegal taking of wildlife, is a tremendous problem in our state and in the United States; and
Whereas, poaching is done by commercial poachers stealing wildlife for profit as well as people who do not understand their contribution to a very serious problem, and poaching endangers people and property; and
Whereas, poachers operate worldwide, illegally trading wildlife parts that are worth more on the black market than cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin. A bear's gallbladder, for example, can bring up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) on the black market in Asia, and such illegal trade is often connected to weapons and drug crimes; and
Whereas, poachers often deal in bear gallbladders, paws and meat, eagle feathers, elk antlers, bobcat pelts, snake skins, walrus tusks and trophy heads of many animals; and
Whereas, poachers prey particularly on western populations of black bear, grizzly bear, elk, moose, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain lion and snakes; and
Whereas, horrendous crimes against our wildlife heritage have been committed in New Mexico; and
Whereas, the department of game and fish estimates that for the twenty thousand deer taken legally each year, up to fifty thousand additional deer ar taken illegally; and
Whereas, over hunting and over fishing due to poaching is detrimental to lawful hunting and fishing and endangers the health of the whole resource; and
Whereas, poaching is often a violent crime resulting in death or injury to landowners, innocent witnesses and law enforcement officers and damage to property; and
Whereas, the anti-poaching laws of the states may be inconsistent, ineffective and inadequately enforced; and
Whereas, penalties for poaching seem not to be a sufficient deterrent to poachers; and
Whereas, the wild friends youth of New Mexico have made improvement of poaching laws a priority for action in 1996; and
whereas, magistrate judges should receive education about the seriousness of the poaching problem, its effects, and the laws concerning it through the state judicial education center, and magistrate judges need to enforce the fines, penalties and sentences for convicted poachers; and
Whereas, magistrate judges are not well enough aware of the current poaching laws and the devastating effect poaching has on the state's wildlife; and
Whereas, not only their property and livestock, but the very lives of farmers and ranchers are at risk from poaching criminals; and
Whereas, there are not enough conservation officers to cover the huge tracts of land where poaching occurs; and
Whereas, we want people living in rural areas to have a greater measure of safety from the violence and property crimes associated with poaching; and
Whereas, and end to poaching will require not merely a vision of ideals and morality, but rather a hard objective plan to be reached through public support and effort;
Now, therefor, be it resolved by the legislature of the state of New Mexico that the courts, corrections and criminal justice committee be requested to examine existing penalties for poaching and to consider increasing penalties to more serious degrees of felony, including making it a felony to illegally hunt on, or shoot onto, property without the owner's permission; and
Be it further resolved that the appropriate committee be requested to study revenue enhancements for wildlife law enforcement through such means as the fish and wildlife diversity funding initiative; and
Be it further resolved that public education be increased, citizens be encouraged to use the operation game thief hotline and that hunters be required to take hunter education classes; and
Be it further resolved that copies of this memorial e transmitted to members of the courts, corrections and criminal justice committee, the department of game and fish and the legislative council.
STATE OF NEW MEXICO SENATE
FORTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE SECOND SESSION, 1996 (SJM 1/a)
January 24, 1996
Mr. President:
Your JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, to whom has been referred
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 1
has had it under consideration and reports same with recommendation that it DO PASS, amended as follows:
1. On page 1, between lines 16 and 17, insert:
"Whereas, this memorial has been written by students from the following New mexico schools: Alameda Elementary school, Canoncito middle school, Jefferson middle school, Laguan-Acoma middle/senior school, Los Lunas high school, Moriarty middle school, Polk middle school, and Thoreau middle school; and".
2. On page 3, line 24, after "penalties" strike the remainder of the line and line 25 and insert in lieu thereof "for poaching and illegally hunting on, or shooting onto, property without the owner's permission;".
3. On page 4, strike line 1 in its entirety.
4. On page 4, line 7, after "education" insert "about the problems of poaching".
5. On page 4, line 9, after "that" strike the remainder of the line and insert in lieu thereof "hunter education about poaching be offered to all hunters;".
6. On page 4, between lines 10 and 11, insert the following:
"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the judicial education center is encouraged to train magistrate judges about the enforcement of poaching laws; and;".
7. On page 4, line 13, after "fish" insert
, the judicial education center".