New Mexico’s State Land Office is in negotiations with the Department of Game and Fish over the annual amount the former charges the latter. Game and Fish pays a certain amount each year to gain hunters access to millions of acres of State Trust Land, which is controlled by the SLO. It’s an arrangement the two have had since the 1960s, and up until now the agreement has worked fine. The office has charged the department $200,000 per year for the last few years, but that rate is set to rise by 500 percent — at least — if SLO commissioner Aubrey Dunn has his way.
For 2016-17 the asking price went up to an even $1 million. Dunn, is telling Game and Fish to dig into its “healthy reserve fund” and pay the amount, which will likely lead to higher rates for hunting licenses to recoup the cost.
The new price has been in the works for several months. Dunn’s office released a statement Aug. 26 saying the two agencies had reached a preliminary agreement on the new price, with deliberations by Game and Fish to come the following day at a meeting in Sante Fe. Final approval would take place Nov. 19 at a subsequent Game and Fish meeting, and, if approved, the fee would take effect April 1, 2016, running until March 31, 2017.
Dunn said the increase was long overdue.
“The previous payments of $200,000 annually were too low, not compatible with similar fees of surrounding states, and did not represent the true value of the land,” Dunn said. “A fee increase of $800,000 could help fund 16 new teaching positions or help the development of an early childhood program.”
The funding for education is a part of the State Land Office’s job description. According to Taos News, the agency leases its nine million acres to grazing, recreation, and oil and gas development to generate income for the state.
After word began to spread, opposition quickly mounted to the proposed rate hike. Many fear the higher rate will either close access off to the acreage, or cause the price increase to be passed along to hunters to the point hunting is economically infeasible.
The idea of a higher rate is palatable to many sporting groups, including The New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which lists public land access for sportsmen and women as its top priority. The ire comes from the exorbitant price jump.
NMWF published a response Oct. 15 criticizing the rate increase, entitled, “Land Commissioner holds sportsmen hostage over state land access.” The press release is currently inaccessible, but the title’s wording gives a clear summation of its content.
Dunn shot back with a Oct. 27 statement saying the NMWF’s statements were “insincere.”
“The Wildlife Federation has made statements that are insincere and do not truthfully represent my reasons to raise the fee,” Dunn said. “My primary concern is my fiduciary responsibility to the State Land Trust and its beneficiaries, most of which are public schools of New Mexico.
“The increased fee of $800,000 would go directly into the education fund. This could create 16 new teaching positions or fund an early childhood development program — things New Mexico desperately needs.”
Dunn then said the Game and Fish department was fully able to pay the requested sum, citing his research of the department’s budget.
“I do not believe this money would result in higher hunting fees. I have analyzed the Game and Fish budget and they have over $50 million in reserves, they earn over $20 million from hunting licenses a year, and receive millions in federal funding,” Dunn said.
He cited the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee’s 2015 budget recommendations for his appraisal of Game and Fish’s capabilities.
He said the increase was “not an attack on hunters, anglers, or trappers as the New Mexico Wildlife Federation would like to portray,” but that he simply wants to do what is right as the trustee for the State Land Trust and for the children of New Mexico, according to the release.
That rationale didn’t appease sportsman, though, who feel that Dunn is trying to price them out of hunting on their own lands. NMWF hit back with a statement Nov. 6, saying sportsmen wanted access to hunting land, but not at any cost.
“New Mexico hunters, trappers, and anglers are willing to pay far more than ever before to access State Trust Land, but Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn appears more interested in grandstanding than taking a check that benefits New Mexico schools and hospitals.
“The Department [of Game and Fish] in recent years has paid $200,000 a year for that access. Dunn insists on $1 million at minimum for the coming year, increasing to $2 million and more in the near future.”
NMWF’s president John Crenshaw explains:
“[Dunn]’s also presented alternatives of a $4 million, three-year lease and — the real shocker — an interim $1 million lease, during which his office would get an appraisal of the lease’s value and magnanimously cap the payment at $5 million a year,” said Crenshaw.
NMWF reportedly “did the math” on Dunn’s claims of 16 additional teaching positions and found that the real-world figure was closer to eight positions.
The Department of Game and Fish meets in Roswell Thursday to make the final vote on whether to accept the new access price or not. The result will effect resident and non-resident hunters for the foreseeable future.
Cover Image: Thinkstock