Restoration of Gila trout opens door for anglers It’s been five years since two massive wildfires roared through the Gila Wilderness and surrounding national forest, destroying years of painstaking native trout restoration work. “I was interviewing for this job while everything was burning up,” said Jill Wick, Gila trout biologist …
April, 2017
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13 April
Bear-resistant dumpsters
Bear-resistant dumpsters benefit wildlife, people There is a difference between unintentional and intentional or negligent feeding of wildlife. Unfortunately, the end result is often the same. Bears are notorious for becoming quickly conditioned to human surroundings and habituated to human foods after consuming enticing treats found in garbage. Following such …
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13 April
Rio de los Pinos
Improved aquatic habitat expected to improve angling at Rio de los Pinos For years, the remote New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Management Area was best known among anglers for its solitude and scenery, not the fishing. That could change now that the department has …
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13 April
Pecos bighorn numbers
Pecos bighorn numbers are dangerously high There are times when words appear to paint a rosy portrait, but upon closer inspection the painting is found to be a forgery. Such is the case in the Pecos Mountains, where more is not always better. The most recent surveys in the Pecos …
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13 April
Turkey vulture
Did you know…? Many people refer to this bird as a buzzard, which is incorrect. The term buzzard in the United States probably is the result of old western movies, but buzzard, in Europe, refers to a member of the buteo, or hawk family. The turkey vulture’s diet consists almost …
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13 April
Ears, not eyes
Ears, not eyes critical in documenting small birds Walking through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the Santa Fe National Forest offers the opportunity to see wildlife diversity. Sometimes, however, seeing isn’t the best option. When trying to identify small birds, there are times it helps to close your eyes, …
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13 April
Gould’s wild turkey
Gould’s wild turkey in New Mexico The wild turkey is a popular game bird throughout the United States, with their excellent eyesight and cautious behavior making for a challenging hunt. The excitement of calling in a tom or hearing the first gobble of the morning will create a lifelong memory. …
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13 April
Citizens in conservation
Opportunity for citizens to aid in conservation In some areas of New Mexico, the anxious sound of a dog might just be … a frog. The two share a common trait: They both bark. The word is even in its common name, the eastern barking frog. Found in the Chihuahuan …
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13 April
Wildlife telemetry
The importance of telemetry in wildlife conservation Wildlife tracking has been around for centuries, but most of the time it had little to do with research. More than 500 years ago, falconers in Europe were known to place leg bands on their birds as a sign of ownership, but it …
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13 April
More than illegal
Poaching case – a reminder that it is more than illegal The photo tells a story: two conservation officers kneeling in front of two recently killed deer, a number of skull-capped antler mounts and the tools used for an illegal enterprise. The case involved brazen acts of poaching by individuals …