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FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY

Contact:
Joey Keefe, Assistant Commissioner of Communications
jkeefe@slo.state.nm.us

 

MEDIA ADVISORY: Commissioner Garcia Richard to Testify on Federal Wildlife Killing Ban Bill before U.S. House Subcommittee on Thursday, June 16

SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard will provide testimony Thursday, June 16, on proposed federal legislation to ban wildlife killings contests on public lands before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.  Commissioner Garcia Richard will argue that organized wildlife killing contests are unethical, indiscriminate killings that are not backed by sound conservation science and disrupt healthy ecosystems.

In 2019, Commissioner Garcia Richard issued an executive order banning organized wildlife killing contests on state trust lands in New Mexico. Shortly thereafter, New Mexico enacted a law prohibiting the practice and is now one of eight states to prohibit wildlife killing contests.

WHAT: Testimony on H.R. 7938, proposed federal legislation to ban killing contests on public land

WHO: New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard; members of the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

WHEN: Thursday, June 16 at 9 a.m. EDT/7 a.m. MDT

HOW TO WATCH: https://naturalresources.house.gov/hearings

 

Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $3.8 billion for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, and universities. Over 13 million acres of state trust land are leased for a variety of uses, including ranching and farming, renewable energy, business development, mineral development, and outdoor recreation. The State Land Office has a dual mandate to use state trust land to financially support vital public institutions, while simultaneously working to protect the land for future generations.