Registered: May 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1253

Sportsman's Alert
Nov. 22, 2009

Land Commissioner moving secret land trade
Speak up today - public would lose thousands of acres of prime hunting lands


NMWF has uncovered plans for four proposed land trades that State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons has been planning for the Whites Peak area of northern New Mexico. Whites Peak has perhaps the highest quality state land in New Mexico, but sportsmen and the public come out on the losing end of the first two trades that have been set in motion.

The first trade could be completed as early as Wednesday, so it is crucial that sportsmen write to the Land Office today and ask Commissioner Lyons to stop the trade.

According to documents obtained by NMWF, the public will lose some 3,700 acres of state trust land if the first two trades go through. Even worse for sportsmen, the lands being traded away are much higher quality in wildlife habitat, featuring ponderosa pines, small lakes and streams and abundant wildlife. A substantial portion of the lands the state would receive in return would be in a single parcel of treeless grazing land strung out along State Highway 120.

These trades would clearly hurt hunting opportunity. They also will be bad for the public at large and for public schools that earn income from state lands. The State Land Office has repeatedly said the trades are necessary to resolve conflicts between the public and private landowners in the White’s Peak area, but has never said how the trade will benefit public education – its primary mission. Nor has the State Land Office asked for any public comment on these proposed trades. It is a one-sided deal worked out behind closed doors with the two landowners who will benefit at all our expense.

The public would not have known about these proposed trades if NMWF had not demanded records from the State Land Office under our state's Inspection of Public Records Act and gone to the news media to expose the secret deals.

The first of these trades is scheduled to close Tuesday afternoon, even though there has been no attempt by the State Land Office to make the public fully aware of the magnitude of the proposed trades. Appraisals from the proposed land deals were not made available until Friday, Nov. 20. The Land Office still has not posted maps of the proposed trades on its Web site.

The proposed land trades have been slammed by Gov. Bill Richardson and have been the focus of several news stories in the New Mexico media. (Click here to read more.)

Please take a moment and send an e-mail now to State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons and ask him not to go through with these trades. Click here to speak out on behalf of New Mexico sportsmen and to stop these bad land trades before they occur.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Vesbach
Executive Director


About The New Mexico Wildlife Federation
Founded in 1914 by sportsman and conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation is New Mexico's first and most effective conservation advocate. We are dedicated to protecting New Mexico's wildlife, habitat, and outdoor way of life. We spearheaded permanent protection of our hunting and fishing rights in the Valle Vidal, and stopped cold the previous sell-off of your public lands.

We believe that the best way to get things done is to build consensus with common goals.

Our key priorities are:

* Opportunity
* Habitat
* Youth




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