This summer and fall, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation made good on its promise to help educate the next generation of hunters and anglers in New Mexico.
NMWF is one of the only New Mexico-based organizations that actively and publicly advocates for hunting and fishing and does so by continuing these traditions with youth and New Mexico residents who are new to the sport.
How and why you say?
The answer is simple, we believe that when we help new anglers dip their lines and set their hooks and new hunters scout, hunt, and field dress a game animal, we’re protecting our traditions, helping to conserve habitat and wildlife, and fulfilling the mission of our organization.
This spring, summer, and fall, we had the opportunity to organize, sponsor, and engage in the following youth events and programs:
- Guided youth barbary sheep hunt in Otero Mesa
- Unit 32 mule deer youth tag give-away presentation in Roswell
- Unit 21 mule deer youth hunt in Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument
- Unit 52 pronghorn youth hunt in Rio Grande del Norte National Monument
- 3-day camping and fishing trip in the Cliff-Gila Valley with Las Cruces youth
- Department of Game & Fish Roswell youth Fishing Derby
- Department of Game & Fish Hobbs youth Fishing Derby
- Santa Ana family fishing day at Tingley Beach
- Las Cruces Boys & Girls Club Fishing Day at Caballo Lake
- Franklin Mountains State Park (El Paso) twilight hike and interpretive guide
- Student Wildlands Adventure Program (SWAP)
- Las Cruces High School Rio Grande Fishing Trip
- Native Youth Climate Adaptation Leadership Conference (NYCALC)
- Rio Grande floating and kayaking for Latino Conservation Week
- Hatch Upward Bound Camp wildlife education program at Radium Springs
- Spring turkey hunt with youth in the Lincoln National Forest
- …and more!
So there you have it — we can’t create the next generation of conservationists, anglers, and hunters, without investing time and resources into the young people of our state, and New Mexico Wildlife Federation remains committed to its mission statement: “Inspiring New Mexicans to conserve public landscapes, watersheds, and wildlife for our children’s future.”
