Wildlife ribbon cutting held

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the New Mexico State Game Commission and NGL Energy Partners on Thursday held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the expansion of the Prairie Chicken Wildlife Management Areas.

At one time, half of the prairie chicken population lived in western Kansas, Colorado and eastern New Mexico. But due to gas and oil developments, their population has gone down 97% in the last century. They received an endangered status in 2017.

At the end of June 2021, the State Game Commission purchased the Pipkin Ranch Management Area consisting of 7,500 acres of land and combined it with two other existing state game commission properties making it 10,000 acres now. This was part of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s “30 by 30” plan, which is an executive order vowing to conserve 30% of all lands in New Mexico by 2030. It also will provide opportunities to broaden and ensure movement across the landscape. This will help the WMA to be able expand recreational freedom for the public, such as wildlife viewing and hunting.

Thursday’s ceremony was held about 40 miles southeast of Fort Sumner.