The Southwestern River Otter is several steps closer to returning to its native rivers in New Mexico. River otters were common in New Mexico’s rivers but many believe the species has now been extirpated, meaning they no longer exist in this area anymore. A coalition of government agencies, private organizations, and others
wishing to restore this charismatic animal have convened under the umbrella of the River Otter Working Group to strategize how to make the collective dream of restoration a reality. The Working Group has taken preliminary steps to secure funding and gain the approval and assistance of state agencies.
The group is collaborating with the Amigos Bravos River Otter Project to apply for a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Executive Director Brian Shields visited the foundation headquarters in Washington D.C. to work out the logistics of the grant. Dr. Paul Polechla, of the University of New Mexico and the Carnivore Initiative Project, recently received a small grant from the Colorado Ocean Journey to survey southern Colorado for river otters in the fall and winter of 2001-2002. The data will be compared to similar areas in New Mexico to shed light on the possibility of otter survival after a reintroduction. In fact, evidence of abundant river otters in southern Colorado could breathe new hope into the search for otters still living in New Mexico’s Rio Grande watershed. Some researchers like Polechla think that if the existence of river otters in New Mexico can be proven, the species will be reclassified as “endangered” instead of “extirpated,” thus altering the
reintroduction guidelines.
The Working Group has also started the ball rolling on the lengthy process of obtaining a permit from the New Mexico Game & Fish department to reintroduce otters. Paul Polechla gave a presentation to the New Mexico Game & Fish commissioners in Silver City on behalf of the Working Group. The commissioners have not issued a response yet, partly because the agency is currently working on a large number of issues without a large budget. If necessary, the Working Group will
re-apply in January. Another possibility that has arisen lately is that the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is considering a proposal for reintroducing otters into the Pecos River. This option is still in a preparatory stage.
Until then, however, much work remains to be done. The River Otter Working Group is planning to convene for its fourth meeting on Tuesday, November 13 at the Amigos Bravos office in Taos (with an alternate snow date on November 27 in Albuquerque). The meeting will focus primarily on developing more surveys for otters and more grant proposals. The public’s input and support will be strongly encouraged and appreciated at this meeting. One of the current tasks at hand is to gauge public interest on the issue. Though Amigos Bravos will provide support for the Working Group, it does not have an intern at this time to continue the Amigos Bravos River Otter Project, which was originally developed by interns Byron Thayer and Amy Okerman.
For more information please contact Paul Polechla—ppolechl@sevilleta.unm.edu (505.277.5340-office or 505.842.5340-hm). |
