Contents

Not a Single Vote Against It! 
Wildlife Violator Compact bill sails through legislature

Two years of hard work on the part of students and teachers paid off as New Mexico became the 14th state to join the Wildlife Violator Compact. The 2001 legislature passed House Bill 174 unanimously and the governor signed the bill into law on April 2. There wasn’t a single vote against the bill during its journey through legislature, a rare phenomenon for a bill. The governor reportedly gave his thumbs up with a hearty endorsement. HB 174 came out of the Courts and Criminal Justice Committee hearing last fall where Wild Friends testified. Rep. Mimi Stewart (D-Alb) then introduced the bill in the 2001 session.

This new law means that New Mexico joins 13 other states that cooperate to recognize the revocation of hunting and fishing license privileges for violations in member states. States share information and agree to treat out-of-state convictions as though they had occurred in a person’s home state. New Mexico is the only state to join as a direct result of students—Wild Friends— taking legislative action.

The Wild Friends’ bill in 1997 succeeded in getting penalties increased for repeat offenders, so this bill widens Wild Friends’ efforts to make wildlife poaching a thing of the past in New Mexico. According to New Mexico Wildlife, the Game and Fish newsletter, a 1977 study revealed that possibly more than $3 million worth of deer alone are being illegally removed each year, and another $1 million worth in losses of other wildlife such as bear, elk, and pronghorn antelope. For the last two years of the Wild Friends compact project, Game and Fish department staff, from the director to field officers, have helped educate Wild Friends about the poaching problem.

Schools sending Wild Friends delegations to Santa Fe were Carlos Rey and Mountainview elementary schools; Alameda, Edgewood, Jefferson, and Polk middle schools; Highland and Rio Grande high schools; and the Wild Friends Dancers from various schools. All Wild Friends students around the state participated by sending lots and lots of letters, emails and phone calls to legislators. The other schools were Guadalupe Montesorri Elementary; Garfield, Harrison, Albuquerque Country Day, and Scarracino middle schools; Foothills (YDDC) and Socorro high schools; a Jemez Springs home school group and students at Memorial Hospital.

Rep. Mimi Stewart made sure the bill got an early hearing in the House Judiciary committee. There was broad bipartisan support for the bill. After Wild Friends students testified, a sportsman, a Sierra Club lobbyist, and the assistant commissioner from the State Land Office all spoke on behalf of the bill. Larry Bell, director of the Game and Fish Department, also spoke. He told the committee that his department had analyzed and was officially supporting the bill. The chair of the committee Rep. Ken Martinez recognized the students and praised the Wild Friends for their work. Rep. Gail Beam beamed at the students from her district while they testified.

The House voted 63-0 and sent it to the Senate where it was assigned to the Conservation and Judiciary committees. While talking with some student delegates outside the Senate chamber, Sen. Tim Jennings (D-Roswell), Majority Leader and Conservation Committee member, told them he’d be surprised if there weren’t some "no" votes in the Senate.

All through February, Wild Friends delegations kept going to the legislature, writing letters and calling, but the bill was stuck in a long queue of legislation. Rep. Stewart came to the rescue and got the bill moving. Wild Friends got word that the Conservation Committee would hear the bill on Saturday, March 3. Teachers and students went into action. Four carloads of students and teachers from four schools hurried to Santa Fe, only to learn that no committees were meeting because the Senate floor session was still going. Conservation Committee Chair Sen. Carlos Cisneros and Vice-Chair Sen. Richard Martinez came off the floor and held an impromptu mock hearing in the Senate lounge where the students made presentations.

Wild Friends found out Sunday morning that the committee was going to try to meet briefly. So.... Wild Friends delegates hurried up to Santa Fe again. Carlos Rey 5th-grader Ryan Morrow and his mom Maggie, and Highland HS sophmore Evan Moore arrived to discover that the Conservation Committee had just passed the bill.

That same afternoon, the man of the hour was Judiciary chairman Michael Sanchez who maneuvered the bill out of that committee and asked Majority Leader Jennings to schedule it for a full Senate vote. On Tuesday, five days before the end of the session, Sen. Sanchez introduced it on the floor where the vote was a unamimous 26-0.

The bill’s next stop was the governor’s office. Throughout the session, Wild Friends had been meeting with, and providing materials to, legislative liaison David Miller, whose job is to analyze bills for the governor. By the time HB 174 got to Gov. Johnson, he was well-versed about how New Mexico’s membership in the Wildlife Violator Compact would benefit the state.

"You're doing a great thing," Rep, Max Coll (D-Santa Fe) told students waiting to testify at the Senate Conservation Committee hearing.

Thousands of bills are introduced in a typical session and only a few hundred get to the governor’s desk. Then the governor decides which of those he will sign. This year the legislature passed 483 bills and Gov. Johnson signed 353. It’s a real winnowing process, so once again, determined Wild Friends demonstrated what it takes to get legislation through the process. "It was really great meeting all the legislators," said Laura Fenley, Jefferson Middle School seventh grader. "Kids should be encouraged to participate in the government because we are citizens, too, and our opinions count."

Minority Floor Leader Sen. Stuart Ingle (R-Portales) with Edgewood MS students and teacher Kelly Weber.  Sen. Ingle has been a strong supporter of anti-poaching legislation.

Wild Friends Meet U.S. Senator Pete Domenici at N.M. State Capitol

Statement by Edgar Luna, Rio Grande High School Wild Friends

Happy 85th Birthday Jack Pickering!

Poem: Teachers Making the Difference

Wild Friends Dance from Roundhouse to UNM Stage

Wild Friends Bump into 
U.S. Senator Pete Domenici at State Capitol

It was U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s lucky day to finally get to meet the Wild Friends. (The senator has had to cancel coming to two Wild Friends events.) This time was a serendipitous meeting outside the President Pro Tem’s office at the New Mexico legislature. The Carlos Rey Elementary School delegation spotted him and asked to shake hands with New Mexico’s senior senator. As Sen Domenici was about to enter the senate chambers, teacher Kris Olson asked about the status of the Wild Friends students petitions to restore the endangered whooping crane in the Rocky Mountain flyway. His aide James Fuller chimed in, saying yes, the senator’s office was in possession of the three-inch stack of petitions, and Domenici said he’d be glad to help. Wild Friends will definitely stay in touch with the senator, now that they’ve met and had a chance to speak face-to-face.

Meanwhile, Wild Friends heard from Ben Moffett, a reporter from the Socorro daily newspaper El Defensor Chieftain, who wanted Wild Friends to know about an opportunity to help advance the whooper cause in the Rocky Mountains. Wild Friends are now writing and emailing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during its environmental assessment process to establish an experimental population of migratory whoopers in the East. The Service is seeking public comment on the plan. Part of the assessment lists an alternative— the continuation of "reintroduction experiments in the Rocky Mountains." It is possible to support the Rocky Mountain alternative (Gray’s Lake, ID, to Bosque del Apache) by commenting before April 23. Comments can be emailed to whoopingcrane@fws.gov, faxed to 920-465-7410, or mailed to Janet Smith, Green Bay Field Office, 1015 Challenger Court, Green Bay, WS, 54311. Comments can be as long or short as a student wishes, but a sample comment might read, "My name is Juan Sanchez, and I would like to voice my support for the Rocky Mountain flyway alternative. We gathered thousands of signatures on petitions for the whooping crane to continue to fly here. I think it is important for this endangered bird to have as many places to fly as possible."

And now that Wild Friends have established a rapport with Sen. Domenici, they are hoping for his encouragement in their show of public support for the bird they’ve been championing for the past four years. 

March 3, 2001 Sen. Carlos Cisneros, Chairman Senate Conservation Committee 45th Legislative Session Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee:

Edgar Luna meets with Rep. Mimi Stewart (D-Alb) at a hearing last year. Rep. Stewart introduced the Wild Friends bill at the 2001 session.

My name is Edgar Luna, president of Rio Grande High School Green Ravens Environmental Group and member of the Wild Friends organization. I am here to testify in favor of the Wildlife Violator Compact bill, HB 174. I think it is unfair that poachers are destroying our endangered wildlife. What this bill does is it gives extra protection to the New Mexico wildlife. It allows the states to communicate information about poachers so that we can better protect our wildlife. I think it is very important for us to preserve our wildlife so that future generations can observe and appreciate nature in all its forms. We believe that poachers should be punished and have their license to hunt revoked for a certain period of time. On one of our recent club outings we encountered a black bear, which happens to be our state animal. It was our first sighting of that animal, and we hope with your help it will not be our last. It was an unforgettable experience.

Thank you.

Edgar Luna, President

---

Who's Who in the Compact

New Mexico joins Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. Other states considering membership include North Dakota, California, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Poachers Get the Squeeze

Thousands of people from other states come to New Mexico to hunt each year. Bill Hays, Wildlife Specialist Supervisor for the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, observed that the Department has needed a legal mechanism to deal with people from out-of-state who break state wildlife laws. As more states become members of the Wildlife Violator Compact, convicted wildlife law violators (poachers) go to non-member states in order to continue their illegal activities.

---

Conserving Habitats in National Forests
by Jack Pickering 

Much habitat for wildlife is in National Forests, which belong to all of us. National Forests also have places for camping, picnics, and fishing. We citizens allow a small amount of lumber, gas and oil, and minerals to be taken from National Forests. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service decided there are enough roads in the Forests, so it adopted the Roadless Area Conservation Policy. It did so after holding 600 public hearings all over the country. Most people said that many roads are bad for wildlife. Also 1.6 million Americans wrote letters, the largest number ever to write about a national policy. Now some members of Congress want to kill the Roadless Area Policy. Wild Friends can write to U.S. Senator Bingaman to express their own opinions about this policy. The senator comes from Silver City, near the Gila National Forest. His address is Sen. Jeff Bingaman, 110 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510 or email senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov

---

Happy 85th Birthday!

Wow! Wild Friends Salute Jack Pickering Jack’s concern about wildlife began seven decades ago as an Eagle Scout who was active in wildlife protection projects. He was also one of the nation’s first Cub Scout leaders. "I have felt responsible for all creatures who need my help." He was a city boy, but he always spent holidays in the country. He had supportive parents who fostered his sense of guardianship and stewardship. He continued his activities into adulthood and all over the country in New York, California, and Pennsylvania before retiring to New Mexico 10 years ago. "I felt especially gratified by my small part in preserving Pennsylvania’s Hawk Mountain and in providing wildlife sanctuaries on San Francisco Bay."

His concern about wildlife grew when he was in the Pacific with the Army during World War II when he saw the environmental damage. He spent 40 years in book publishing as an editor and a manager. After retiring he taught management courses at a university. As a child of the Great Depression, he knows firsthand what it means when people are hurt by economic forces. He had two jobs eliminated in corporate buyouts and had the hard task of finding other employment. "When people are hurt economically, we should try to help them," Jack says. "That goes for loggers, ranchers, farmers, fishermen, and others who are hurt by environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act. But we should not delay protecting our national heritage while calculating the cost to individual citizens."

Jack has been a Wild Friend mentor since the program’s inception in 1991. Working with Wild Friends these 10 years has enabled him to pass along his concerns about conserving wildlife and the responsibilities of being a good citizen. "I have so much faith and hope in these kids’ ability to come up with solutions that have eluded our leaders," says Jack. He listens to young people and takes time with them, proving once again that there is a powerful relationship between an older and younger person working together for a common goal. His experience with these young people is that they are passionate in their advocacy, whether in speaking to legislators, writing to public officials, and brainstorming among themselves. "Wild Friends reassure me that our natural and civic heritages will be in strong hands among coming generations."

Jack and Gudrin have been married for 49 years. Gudrin is a retired teacher. They have two sons and one grandchild. One of his sons, Phil, is treating his dad to a week in Paris to celebrate his birthday. As they say in France, "Bon anniversaire, Jacque!"

---

Teachers Making the Difference

Diana Torres, originally from Mexico, wrote this poem in both Spanish and English. This fifth grade student from Carlos Rey Elementary School has been in the U.S. for three years. Carlos Rey ES teacher Kris Olson, who provided the poem, says that sometimes teachers wonder if they’re making a difference, and then along comes a child like Diana Torres.

Que triste me sentire
Cuando salgo de quinto anyo,
Los maestros a los que admire
Se olvidaran de mi,
Seron cosas de antano.

Ellos siempre me guiaron
El camino del bien me ensenaron,
A hacer todo con fe
Y a estudiar con mucho animo.

Siempre los recordare;
Les deseare lo mejor;
ues ellos me brindaron
El apoyo y los consejos
Para que nada me hisiera dolor.

I will feel sad
When I get out of fifth grade,
Because the teachers I admired,
Will forget about me,
They will be past things.
The teachers always guided me
And taught me the good way,
To do everything with faith
And to study with courage.

I will always remember them;
I will wish the best for them;
For they gave me
The support and advice
So that nobody could hurt me.

---

Wild Friends Dance from the Round House 
to UNM Stage

The Wild Friends Dancers wowed the audiences at the State Legislature once again as they performed "Gila Glitter," a dance interpreting the plight of endangered fish in our New Mexico waterways. The younger dancers were "Silvery Minnows" and the older ones "Gila Trout."

Following their dance, they met with legislators to support HB 174, and were also introduced on the Senate floor where they received an appreciative round of applause.

Luis Delgado, fine arts specialist from Albuquerque Public Schools, saw a performance at the Round House and asked Lorin Saint, owner of Dance Alegre Studio and director of the dancers, if they might like to "spread their wings" by performing with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra as part of the Symphony for the Schools Fourth Grade Concert Series. So, from April 24 to 26, they will dance six performances of excerpts from Igor Stravinsky’s "Firebird Suite," Byron Herrington conducting. A total of 12,000 fourth graders will attend the performances over the three days at Popejoy Hall, UNM Fine Arts Center.

The dancers have had a busy year. They also performed last January at Sandia Prep School auditorium for the New Mexico Trout 2001 Annual Conclave. In a letter to the Wild Friends Dancers, the organization’s vice-president John Doggett wrote, "All the audience said that you were one of the best parts of our whole program. I received many compliments on your performance."

---

We welcome new groups of Wild Friends from all over the state. Call 505/277-5089 or e-mail us if you are interested!
Newsletter Staff: Carolyn Byers, Judy Flynn-O'Brien, Carolyn Johnson, Kathy Grassel

The University of New Mexico
Center for Wildlife Law
School of Law, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC LAW
1117 Stanford NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1446