Removing feral cattle from Gila good for wildlife
NM’s governor should offer options, not criticism
RE: Feb. 24 article, Lujan Grisham pans Forest Service amid wild cow fight
The governor thinks the federal government is failing New Mexicans. While there is certainly reason to be concerned about the recent history of prescribed fire, the governor unfairly categorizes the subject of feral cows in the Gila Wilderness in the same vein. The comments credited to the governor reflect considerable ignorance on what has been attempted to remove feral cows from the wilderness.
The U.S. Forest Service has attempted through use of contract cowboys to remove feral cows several times since the last grazing permit 27 years ago. While some cows have been removed, more have died in attempts to capture and remove them live from the wilderness. It’s tough country and not an easy job. Public review processes by the Forest Service under requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) allowed ample opportunity for comment by the public and various stakeholders. So the livestock industry including private ranchers, the Cattleman’s Association and even the New Mexico Livestock Board, a state of New Mexico agency, all had input into the process. Even though most of the nearly 6,000 comments supported lethal removal of the feral cows, the few comments submitted by the livestock interests were in opposition and didn’t offer any viable alternatives.
I have spent considerable time in the area impacted by the feral cows, specifically in the upper Turkey Creek drainage. My annual deer hunts to the area have been abandoned due to ever-increasing impacts to streamside habitats, fouling of limited water sources, and competition for limited food resources between feral cows and native wildlife. Thus, I am all for removing feral cows from the Gila Wilderness.
The governor may think the feds are failing New Mexicans, but let’s think about that for a minute. There are two state agencies, the Livestock Board and the Game and Fish Department, that could help provide solutions to the problem. One is to allow for legal changes that could authorize hunters to remove feral cows. Why not? Hunters are given an opportunity that 1) lessens negative impacts to wildlife, 2) prevents whole carcasses from being left to decompose, and 3) provides food on the table. But this type of a hunt, even if it is for a feral animal, goes against the old feeling that cows are sacred when it comes to the West.
This governor has shown little interest in supporting and improving wildlife conditions in New Mexico. Look at her inept appointments to the Game and Fish Commission that have resulted in a commission down by a couple of positions and none of the remaining members with any wildlife credentials. And now, at this late stage, the governor feels the need to “pan” the feds for removing feral cows. Is this an effort to stick up for New Mexicans and New Mexico wildlife or is it something else? What’s the real purpose of jumping into the issue at such a late stage with little grasp of the facts? Why isn’t the governor looking to her own house for solutions? Sounds like politics to me, and that is not what New Mexico’s people and wildlife need.