National Wild Turkey Federation New Mexico
Our Story
Bluewater and Zuni Mountains Stewardship projects; Cibola National Forest
Since 2010 the NWTF has been involved with a large scale forest improvement project in the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico. Despite numerous shutdowns through the years related to winter conditions or fire danger, we have treated 9,337 acres and have funding in place at this time for an additional 5,300 acres. However in September 2019 we were dealt another blow relative to shutting down. A Federal Court injunction has impacted the Bluewater and Zuni Mountains Stewardship projects while issues surrounding endangered and threatened species are clarified. We hope to have these issues worked out and be able to start treatments again during the summer of 2020.
One aspect of the Bluewater and Zuni Mountains projects not affected by the Federal Court injunction was maintenance of USFS roads on the project area. This work will allow increased access to the Zuni Mountains for all public recreational activities including hunting and fishing.
New Mexico BLM Agreement
An agreement between the NWTF and the New Mexico State Office of the BLM was entered into during 2013. It originally included $228,000 and an additional $750,213 was added to the agreement through 2018. Overall from 2013 to 2019, the NM BLM project with NWTF included:
Six (6) different types of projects were undertaken through this agreement on 9 project sites (Fort Stanton, Dunken, Rio Bonito, Delaware River, Black River, Alamocito, Macho B Landscape, Polvadera, and Pinos Altos). Acreages involved include 169,182 acres opened up across the Macho B Landscape; 1,361 acres of piñon-juniper thinning at 5 locations through 7 specific
projects; 2 master’s theses on Montezuma quail; a baseline biological survey at Alamocito; Fish and riparian habitat improvement along the Rio Bonito; and riparian fencing along the Delaware and Black rivers south of Carlsbad. All this work was accomplished with $819,386.35 put on the ground across over 170,000 acres.
Gould’s Wild Turkey in New Mexico
One New Mexico Gould’s wild turkey enhancement tag was marketed by New Mexico State
Chapter of NWTF for the Spring 2020 hunting season through a raffle. 300 raffle tickets were sold raising $6,000; 300 raffle tickets were sold in 2020 raising $6,000 for Gould’s wild turkey
management in NM. A total of 81 people from 19 states purchased tickets including 52 New Mexico residents purchased tickets. A Texas hunter won the raffle and harvested a gobbler in
early May near Blair Well.
One NM Gould’s wild turkey enhancement tag was auctioned during the NWTF National Convention, providing funds for habitat work within Gould’s wild turkey range. This auction tag
sold for $6,000 and was purchased by an NWTF member from Arizona. This hunter harvested a gobbler in early April 2020 near Blair Well.
Gould’s wild turkeys continue to do well in New Mexico with record numbers of individual birds being observed during the annual spring survey in the Bootheel region. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish continues their work toward removing this subspecies from the State Threatened list, and increasing hunting opportunities in the future for this handsome bird.
National Association of Conservation Districts and NWTF in New Mexico
A cooperative effort by NWTF and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) was entered into in late 2019 and NM was chosen as one of the states for initial collaboration.
We will likely hold a joint event in the Capitan/Fort Stanton area. Corvid – 19 pandemic issues have postponed this effort. We look forward to joining other conservation minded New
Mexicans in improving wildlife habitat.
