Members

Staff

Board of Directors

President and Representative to the National Wildlife Federation: Kent Salazar
kent@nmwildlife.org

Kent is a lifelong resident of New Mexico and an avid hunter and outdoors person. His family roots are in Northern New Mexico. He currently lives in Albuquerque, but still has farms in Lucero and Peralta, New Mexico. Kent has a B.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico, and is retired from the City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department where he served as a division manager for twenty years. He also worked for Wilson Engineering as an environmental planner and served as coordinator for the Land of Enchantment Clean Cities program, a nonprofit alternative fuels coalition. He currently operates an environmental consulting business.


Conservation Policy Chair: Oscar Simpson
oscar@nmwildlife.org

Oscar is a native New Mexican and an avid outdoorsman who loves New Mexico’s majestic landscapes and diverse scenery. He has a passion for hunting, fishing, outdoor photography, equestrian trail riding and packing into wild and remote areas in the southwest, which is the driving force behind his efforts to protect our public lands. He has devoted a large part of his spare time fighting for conservation measures to protect wildlife and habitat. The majority of his conservation endeavors for the past 20 years have entailed the conservation and preservation of wildlife and habitat on a local, state, and national level. Representing NMWF and other organizations, he has lobbied our state and congressional representatives on a frequent basis, and his experience lies in developing grassroots support for conservation issues, and networking with other conservation and environmental organizations.


Treasurer: Yvonne Chauvin

Yvonne has a biology degree from the University of New Mexico, and has worked for the Natural Heritage Program at the University of New Mexico. She designs, plans, and implements vegetation mapping, classification, rare plant monitoring, floristic surveys data analysis, and report writing. One of the things she likes best about her work is the opportunity for extensive backcountry hiking and backpacking in rugged terrain to verify and update plant species listed in the Program’s database. Yvonne has worked on other projects throughout New Mexico, and in addition to her involvement with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, she has been involved with the Audubon Society, the New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council, and the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation where she formerly served as a treasurer and board member.


Secretary: Ellery Worthen

Ellery has hunted and fished New Mexico’s public lands and waters since the 1950's, is a birdwatcher and collects butterflies and moths. He particularly enjoy hunting duck and blue grouse; he has raised and trained two Labrador retrievers, and currently has a Pudelpointer that he's training on upland game and waterfowl. He strongly believes in hunter ethics and “fair chase.” Ellery has seen that the days when sportsmen could go to the Game Commission to resolve our issues are long gone, and firmly believes that political action is needed to ensure sportsmen's interests.



Director-at-Large: “Dutch” Salmon

M.H. “Dutch” Salmon graduated from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, with a B.A. in English. He has been a hunter and fisherman since youth and especially enjoys stream fishing in the Gila National Forest, hunting with his coursing hounds, as well as a bit of bird hunting. He became involved in environmental issues in the early 1980's in attempts to keep the Gila River as a free-flowing stream. Dutch was the Chairman of the New Mexico Wilderness Coalition from 1989 to 1995, and is currently on the Board of the Quivira Coalition. Salmon is a former member of the New Mexico Interstate State Stream Commission. He has been a free-lance writer, newspaper reporter and columnist since the 1970's and is the author of five outdoor books and two novels. Salmon owns High-Lonesome Books in Silver City.


Director-at-Large: Ed Olona

As an avid sportsman, Ed is dedicated to preserving public lands for future generations. He believes that the public has a right to enjoy our American heritage and public lands, and that no one has the right to dictate or stop this privilege. In addition, Ed belives we must continue to administer a multiple use concept in management of public lands, and practice high standards of true sportsmanship. Ed is pleased to be part of an organization, such as the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which has a vision of the true American heritage and a foresight for protecting our country from disaster through human error. Ed lives in Springer, New Mexico.


Director-at-Large: Terry Riley

Terry Riley of Tijeras is a professional wildlife biologist, hunter, angler, private pilot, and Vice President of  Policy for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). Before joining the TRCP, he was conservation director for the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) in Washington, D.C., and a WMI field representative for the midwest and northern Great Plains states. He also has professional experience with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Forest Service in Wisconsin and South Dakota. Riley has a Bachelor's degree in Fish and Wildlife Biology from Kansas State University, a Master's degree in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Zoology from Ohio State University.


Director-at-Large: Robert Deitner

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Robert has lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico since 1980, and has worked for the Fishery and Wildlife Sciences Department for over 20 years. As a researcher, his interests and expertise are in the quantitative aspects of wildlife sciences: data management, statistics, and modeling of natural systems. He is currently working on software systems to predict terrestrial animal habitat across a five state region (SWReGAP). When not working, he can be found either playing mandolin, or out on public land. Robert sees the New Mexico Wildlife Federation as a dynamic organization that embraces all recreational users of wildlife, and believes it provides an important bridge between the management community, political oversight, and the citizens of New Mexico.


Director-at-Large: Charlie Sanchez

Charlie holds a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Science, and a Master's degree in Fishery Biology, and has worked for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in a variety of programs over the past 30 years. He is chairman of the Valencia County Soil & Water Conservation District, where he is helping to pioneer wetlands and wildlife habitat restoration projects that are gaining recognition around the country. Charlie also currently serves on the Soil Conservation Commission for the state of New Mexico. He is a farmer, folk artist, avid sportsman, and is active in promoting a variety of conservation initiatives in New Mexico.



Director-at-Large: Paul Turner

Prior to retiring in 2003, Paul was a faculty member in the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Sciences at NMSU for over 30 years. He is a life member of the American Fisheries Society and has served on several committees and as an officer with the Arizona-New Mexico AFS Chapter. He has been a member of the Gila Trout Recovery Team since its formation in 1974, and is also active with the Mesilla Valley FlyFishers (MVFF), Mesilla Valley Audubon Society, NM Riparian Council, and the Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen. He has been on the Board of Directors for the MVFF for 7 years and is currently the vice-president. Paul reports that his work on an MVFF project along the Rio Penasco, which included the private landowner and MVFF members, has been very rewarding and provides a way of improving fish and wildlife habitat that could be expanded throughout the state. One of the best things that Paul brings to the NM Wildlife Federation is his experience with aquatic resources and his ability to work effectively with state and federal agencies, conservation groups, and private individuals.


Director-at-Large: Jennifer Montoya

Jennifer holds a Master's degree in Range Science and Bachelor's degree in Biology, and has served on the State Game Commission. Her professional work has emphasized protection and management of natural resources, and her current work is centered around Rio Grande restoration within the Chihuahuan Desert. Based in Las Cruces, Jennifer's work frequently takes her to the Big Bend region, Chihuahua, Tucson, and Albuquerque.