New Mexico Register / Volume XXXII, Issue 17 / September 14, 2021

STATE GAME COMMISSION MEETING AND RULE MAKING NOTICE

The New Mexico State Game Commission (“Commission”) will be hosting a virtual and in-person meeting and rule hearing on Thursday October 22, 2021 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd., Las Cruces, NM. Please check the Department’s website at: www.wildlife.state.nm.us for potential venue changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this meeting is to hear and consider action as appropriate on the following: presentation of proposed changes to 1) the Upland Game rule; and 2) the Furbearers rule.

Synopsis:

1) The proposal is to amend the Upland Game rule, 19.31.5 NMAC, which will become effective April 1, 2022. The current Upland Game rule will expire on March 31, 2022. The proposed new rule includes expanding boundaries of the Bernardo youth pheasant hunt to include adjacent WMAs in the middle Rio Grande Valley, adjusting dusky grouse and squirrel seasons to close December 31, adjusting hunt dates based on calendar dates, and removing language duplicated in 19.31.10 NMAC Hunting and Fishing- Manner and Method and 19.31.3 NMAC Hunting and Fishing Licenses and Application.

2) The proposal is to amend the Furbearers rule, 19.32.2 NMAC, which will become effective April 1, 2022. The current Furbearer rule will expire on March 31, 2024. Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act (17-11-1 to 5 NMSA 1978), passed the 2021 Legislative session and was signed into law. The proposed amendment will conform with new statutory changes.

A full text of changes for both rules will be available on the Department’s website at: www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

Interested persons may submit comments on the proposed changes to the Upland Game rule at DGF-Gamebird@state.nm.us, or the Furbearer rule at DGF-Furberarer-Rules@state.nm.us; individuals may also submit written comments to the physical address below. Comments are due by 8:00 a.m. on October 21, 2021. The final proposed rules will be voted on by the Commission during a public meeting on October 22, 2021. Interested persons may also provide data, views or arguments, orally or in writing, at the public rule hearing to be held on October 22, 2021.

Full copies of text of the proposed new rules, technical information related to proposed rule changes, and the agenda can be obtained from the Office of the Director, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, 1 Wildlife Way, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507, or from the Department’s website at www.wildlife.state.nm.us/commission/proposals-under-consideration/. This agenda is subject to change up to 72 hours prior to the meeting. Please contact the Director’s Office at (505) 476-8000, or the Department’s website at www.wildlife.state.nm.us for updated information.

If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the Department at (505) 476-8000 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the Department at 505-476-8000 if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.

Legal authority for this rulemaking can be found in the General Powers and Duties of the State Game Commission 17-1-14, et seq. NMSA 1978; Commission’s Power to establish rules and regulations 17-1-26, et seq. NMSA 1978.