New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard is seeking public comment on whether her office should sell a 212-acre parcel of land along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque’s South Valley to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The meetings come nearly five years after Garcia Richard drew criticism from the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and other groups when she withdrew the parcel — adjoining the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge — from hunting during the waterfowl season. She ordered the closure in the fall of 2019 without public notice and without consulting with an advisory group of hunters and anglers she had impaneled.
In 2020, Garcia Richard wrote to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expressing interest in transferring the parcel for addition to the Valle de Oro.
In announcing the current public meetings, Garcia Richard’s office stated that no action has been taken on the prospect of transferring the property to the federal agency yet. Her office stated the parcel has not yet been appraised. The office stated that public comments, particularly from residents who live near the parcel, will be helpful in making her decision whether to transfer the land.
“Commissioner Garcia Richard is committed to ensuring the voices of these community members shape the final decision on how best to manage the parcel of land,” her office stated.
Garcia Richard is taking public comments, including on the question of whether hunting should be allowed on the parcel, through an online survey. Click HERE to take the survey.
If the parcel is transferred to the USFWS, that agency will undertake its own planning effort on how to manage it.
The NMWF has maintained that waterfowl hunting should be allowed on the property. There are no other public hunting locations along the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque area and public waterfowl hunting areas farther south are frequently overcrowded.
The first community meeting occurred on March 20 in Albuquerque. The following two meetings are coming up:
WHEN: Tues., April 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Henry “Kiki” Saavedra Community Center, 201 Prosperity Ave. SE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87106
Join Online; Pass Code: 008416
WHEN: Sat., May 18 from 10 a.m. to noon
WHERE: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, 7581 2nd St. SW, Albuquerque, N.M. 87105
Join Online; Pass Code: 724291