SANTA FE – If you have a four-year degree from an accredited college, chances are you can be a conservation officer with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. The Department is encouraging people with diverse educational degrees to apply to join the next generation professionals who protect and conserve our precious wildlife. “This is part of our increased efforts to attract and develop professionals who will be the front-line people to help manage and conserve New Mexico’s valuable wildlife resources,” Department Director Bruce Thompson said. “Our changing world has produced needs in conservation officers beyond biology.” The Department will advertise for as many as five conservation officer trainees from Feb. 21 through March 4. Applicants can find the recruiting notice and application instructions on the State Personnel Office web site, www.state.nm.us/spo. Trainee annual salaries begin at $27,331. Eligible applicants must have completed their degrees by June 2005. Training also will begin in June. The recruitment expands the college degrees the Department considers appropriate for conservation officer trainees to include wildlife and fisheries management or science, agricultural sciences, communications, journalism, biological and zoological sciences, forestry, natural resources management, ecology, outdoor recreation, environmental management or sciences, resource economics, wildlife law enforcement, behavioral and social sciences, and criminal justice. Hiring conservation officers with diverse educational training and experience reinforces the Department’s commitment to representing the background, knowledge, culture and capabilities of New Mexicans and New Mexico, said Guy Riordan, chairman of the State Game Commission. “As our society changes, our needs in wildlife conservation will be better met by those who can communicate effectively on a variety of topics among communities and cultures, while devoting substantial time to respectfully enforcing wildlife laws,” Riordan said. “Recognizing those needs includes consideration of a wider set of college backgrounds.” Interested applicants can get more information about conservation officer duties, educational and physical requirements, training and employee benefits by contacting the Department of Game and Fish Human Resources Office at (505) 476-8028 or visiting the Employment Opportunities of the Department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

SANTA FE – New Mexicans soon will be seeing more Department of Game and Fish conservation officers in the field with the creation of a special strike force designed to deter poaching and combat illegal hunting and fishing, waste of game and exceeding bag limits. Initiated by State Game Commission Chairman Guy Riordan, plans for the Anti-Poaching Strike Force call for the Department to readjust some personnel tasks and use all of its existing law-enforcement capabilities year-round. “With this plan, we are sending a message to poachers: Plundering New Mexico’s fish and wildlife is a crime we take very seriously,” Riordan said. “We’re going to do everything we can to catch and prosecute people who disrespect the precious natural resources that are so important to our quality of life and to the economic health of our communities, especially in rural areas.” Riordan emphasized that the strike force will provide more protection for wildlife, especially when animals such as deer and elk are most vulnerable on their winter ranges. The plan supports Governor Bill Richardson’s efforts to provide more conservation officers, as recommended in his budget. The plan, to begin March 1, will put an additional 40 commissioned officers in the field part-time to strategically supplement the efforts of about 60 field conservation officers whose primary duties are to ensure people are complying with game and fish laws. Those 40 officers carry law-enforcement certification but have specialized duties in biology, fisheries, habitat, game management and manager responsibilities. The plan will require them to dedicate time year round to conservation law enforcement. This effort will provide more than 6,000 hours of added fish and wildlife protection and conservation officer proficiency development annually statewide. “We are fortunate to have 100 fully trained law enforcement officers to call upon to help combat this growing problem,” Riordan said. “In the past year, we’ve investigated cases of poachers killing deer for their heads and leaving the carcasses to rot. We’ve had cases of people counterfeiting hunting licenses, and we’ve had cases of people hunting illegally on one of our most pristine nature preserves. This strike force should help deter some of those illegal activities.” Strike force duties will include assisting regular field officers in: Saturation patrols in designated areas of the state during hunting seasons. Special operations such as night patrols, decoy operations and angler patrols. Patrolling districts and responding to calls when regular district officers are unavailable or busy with other calls during hunting seasons. Patrolling “violation hotspots” frequented by poachers out of season. Patrolling areas and waters that may be understaffed while district officers are busy with activities such as wildlife surveys, trapping operations or training. Encouraging citizen participation in reporting violations. Riordan emphasized that the strike force will operate with existing resources while maintaining the Department’s excellent customer services and other responsibilities.

ARTESIA, N.M. — There may be a pot of gold in Brantley Reservoir, but it isn’t benefiting the fish or the fishing. Golden algae kills fish by depriving them of oxygen. Golden algae blooms in Brantley have severely decimated the game fish populations, but efforts to restore the lake are ongoing. In spite of that, fishing is expected to be slow throughout the summer. “We started to have major die-offs beginning in 2002,” said Shawn Denny, Southeast Area Fisheries Manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “I investigated the kills and confirmed they were caused by golden algae,” he said. Surveys conducted this spring with electro-fishing boats found no largemouth bass or sunfish in Brantley’s shallow waters. Although none of these species appeared in the surveys, they more than likely are present in low numbers. Fall netting surveys conducted at Brantley in 2002 and 2003 did find some catfish, walleye and white bass at lower levels in the lake. However, these surviving fish were small and the numbers were low. Stocking Brantley Lake started June 3 with the release of approximately 102,000 1.5-inch Florida strain largemouth bass. Catfish, bluegill and crappie will be added as conditions permit and fish are available. The success of stocking efforts at reservoirs is dependent on zooplankton, a vital food for forage fish and small game fish like walleye. Although no zooplankton was found in Brantley during a March survey, a preliminary survey in late May seemed to show an improved supply of zooplankton and some small baitfish in the lake. It is uncertain if the golden algae blooms, which are most harmful to fish during the winter months, resulted in the damage to the zooplankton, Denny said. Biologists first identified golden algae as the cause of fish die-offs in Texas and New Mexico in the early 1980s. Once it is in an aquatic system it is virtually impossible to eliminate. Large does of ammonia can kill the algae, but that’s not cost effective for an entire reservoir the size of Brantley. The Department of Game and Fish will continue to monitor for golden algae and modify its management strategies to maintain fisheries in Brantley.