An Abert’s squirrel sits in a bed of leaves looking at the camera in Bandolier National Monument.
It’s easy to understand why it’s hard for some people to understand science-based conservation. After all, reading tedious regulations and research papers isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Good thing it’s ours.
After seeing our name pop up in a recent article from a popular hunting magazine, we couldn’t help but wonder: what made us so famous?
Turns out, a Wildlife for All board member, along with other concerned citizens in New Mexico, helped to stop a hunter recruitment event that was functionally a wildlife killing contest.
From the (now removed) New Mexico Department of Fish & Game (NMDGF) Facebook post: 
Harvest one of each of the four small-game squirrel species (Abert’s squirrel, fox squirrel, gray squirrel and red squirrel) within the state of New Mexico. Take a photo of each. Submit all four photographs to the Department. Hunters who complete the challenge in New Mexico will receive special awards, and their photographs will appear on this page.
Note the use of the word “harvest.” Also note that this post is encouraging said “harvest” simply to win “special awards.”
We’re opposed to wildlife killing contests, where people win cash and prizes to kill wildlife, on basic moral grounds and because of their general lack of scientific grounding.
Killing contests are unethical, aren’t “management,” and cause a lot of pain and suffering just for the gratification of the participants. Even though this was termed a “challenge,” let’s call a spade a spade: this was encouraging killing for the sake of killing.
And while the article about us states that this can’t possibly be a killing contest since New Mexico banned those, they’re mistaken. New Mexico banned wildlife killing contests only for coyotes in 2019. There’s no prohibition on holding a killing contest in the state for other species.
What’s more, the article critiques Wildlife for All and others opposed to this killing contest as people unfamiliar with the state’s wanton waste laws, or laws that require hunters to take the edible portions of game animals so as to not waste them after killing them.
Once again, this article is incorrect and unsurprisingly only shows a partial understanding of New Mexico’s laws. The statutory requirement that edible parts of game animals be consumed does not apply to squirrels (or pikas, marmots, bears, javelinas, and cougars).
Perhaps more worrisome than a critique that is only partially grounded in an understanding of current law is the fact that this same critique is untethered from any science as well.
The leading mammalogist in the state wrote in response to this killing contest that, “Sustainable hunting requires data on animal distribution, population demographics across time, and hunter take. These types of information for New Mexico’s tree squirrels have not been the subject of rigorous scientific study. Rather, these mammal[s] are managed mainly by tradition, rather than rigorous science.”
She goes on to describe the four species of squirrels present within the state of New Mexico, two of which are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the New Mexico State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), which is actually being revised right now.
An Arizona gray squirrel eats an acorn on a tree limb Photo by Focused On Nature via Flickr
SGCN is a designation states give species who are in need of additional research because not much is known about their population or range, or are danger of declining to the point where they might need to be listed on the state or federal Endangered Species List to prevent their extinction.
So when NMDGF spokesperson Darren Vaughan says in an emailed statement that the contest was canceled “because of public misperception regarding the opportunity’s intent … as well as a lack of awareness surrounding regulations set by agency biologists to conserve squirrel populations,” we’re curious.
Whose lack of awareness is Mr. Vaughan referring to? We know the NMDGF employees are hard-working and dedicated folks who serve the state as best they can with limited resources, an outdated mission, and an incomplete scope of authority. Yet this case does feel a bit like the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.
Of course, we want to assume best intent. Perhaps when a group of people used their voices to call out NMDGF for spending resources to promote a killing contest that commodified and disrespected animals—rather than spending money on authentic conservation—someone inside NMDGF raised a red flag when they realized that two SGNCs were on this killing contest’s “harvest” list.
Why? Well, something else only people who are deeply involved in conservation might know is that the state’s SWAP is being revised right now, something that only occurs once per decade.
New Mexico’s list of SGCNs is growing rapidly because of the challenges all wildlife in this country is facing: climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressures, and conflict with humans. That makes the addition of two SCGN species in this killing contest even more egregious.
We applaud those who opposed this killing contest based on their values, their scientific knowledge, and frankly, just using their good ol’ common sense.
This situation clearly demonstrates that state wildlife management agencies MUST modernize their focus to truly make their mission about conservation of all species. It’s also clear they also need our help in prioritizing biodiversity protection over hunter opportunity. There are many native, nongame species that need funding, but sadly the current wildlife management system and funding structure incentivizes the department to focus on recruiting more hunters and anglers through contests like these to sell more licenses and therefore qualify for more federal dollars: wash, rinse, repeat.
It’s why we’re helping to advance legislation that will not only help modernize the mission of NMDGF but also equitably increase license fees to help fund its mission. And we’re committed to helping the department find other, diversified sources of funding, too, so that they can focus on saving all the wildlife of New Mexico, even its squirrels.
Learn more about State Wildlife Action Plans with our primer on how to get involved in your state.