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SANDIA MOUNTAIN BEARWATCH
JANUARY 2006 NEWSLETTER
Dear BearWatch Members,
2004-2005 had good moisture that
thankfully, provided good forage statewide
for New Mexico’s bears. And because of
this, the New Mexico Game and Fish received
fewer bear depredation complaints
from the public than in past drought years.
We believe this happened for two reasons,
good forage and fewer bears to eat that forage.
Until the recently revised hunt, NM had
some of the largest bear harvests in New
Mexico’s history.
The new revised hunt went well
again for its second year with 271 bears
taken in the 2005 hunt and 19 bears killed in
depredation deaths. BW fought hard for and
was pleased to have depredation deaths included
in the hunt limit. The 2005 overall
hunt/depredation was 45 bears below the
allowed limit of 335 set by New Mexico
Game and Fish.
Out of the overall hunt/depredation,
112 female bears were killed out of an allowed
limit of 171. This number is extremely
important because sows are the keystone
for the future.
This new revised hunt not only protects
our future bear population but it has
allowed a very generous calendar for bear
hunters. And most important, it is flexible;
if this dry winter turns into a dry spring,
hunt limits can be reduced.
NMG&F Bear Biologist Rick Winslow
recently received the results of the tooth
lab results report for the 2004 hunt. Every
NM bear killed in the hunt has a tooth
pulled; that tooth, when examined, has rings
like a tree, which tells the bear’s age and
how many births that have occurred in a females’
life, etc. The good news is that the
average age for the females was 7 years and
6.2 years for males. This average age has
gone up several years and is a good pointer
to a healthier future bear population.
The bad news for 2005 is that 62%
of New Mexico’s bears were harvested by
out-of-state hunters using guides. For decades,
out-of-state hunters have made up approximately
30% of all NM bear hunters.
Most of these hunters are from the eastern
United States that has a much larger population
of black bears than the southwest. So,
what is going on here? First, we believe this
is occurring because of the limited hunting
calendars of most eastern states and New
Mexico’s generous hunt calendar. The number
two reason is that New Mexico
guides/outfitters are advertising heavily in
hunting magazines and on the internet. Third,
NMG&F charges $160 for an out-of-state bear
license. This is big game hunting and perhaps
the license fee should reflect it since outfitters
are making big money from these hunts.
Also, in other big game hunts, for instance, elk
and deer, there are a limited number of
draws/licenses available. NMG&F estimates
that around 20% of out-of-state hunters have
the opportunity to hunt for deer and elk in
New Mexico each year.
THE SPRING HUNT
Sandia Mountain BearWatch has
worked for over a decade to get a reasonable
bear hunt to protect New Mexico’s bears
statewide. After the 2004 watershed in bear
management, we were blindsided last summer
by a very strong demand to bring in a 2006
spring bear hunt. We believe this action was
not only about spring hunting but an attempt
by outfitters and houndsmen to start the unraveling
of New Mexico’s first-ever comprehensive
management of New Mexico’s bears
based on sound bear biology and hunter stats.
This prompted BW to ask our members
to write letters to Governor Richardson.
We also asked for the support from other
wildlife conservation groups. Animal Protection
of New Mexico, NM Wildlife Federation
and the Sierra Club joined us in meeting with
Governor’s Richardson’ Energy and Environmental
Specialist, Ned Farquhar, letter
writing and phone calls. Many of their members
joined BearWatch members in the letter
writing campaign.
We received many copies of BW
member’s letters to Governor Richardson.
We wanted to thank all of you for the heartfelt
and intelligent letters you sent. Many of
them deserve to be framed and hung.
All of your efforts worked!
The good news for New Mexico’s bears was
that Governor Richardson stopped this very
destructive hunt for future years. We are
most appreciative and believe that Governor
Richardson deserves a great deal of credit
for being New Mexico’s most wildlife conservation
oriented Governor.
2005 BEAR HUNT STATS
In the fall of 2003, NMG&F set harvest limits
for 2 years (2004-2005). The harvest
limit was 171 sows and or an overall harvest
of 335 to be distributed in 6 mountain regions.
The good news is that this reasonable management
based on sound bear biology and
past hunting stats is on track for future years
and will continue, as is, through 2006 without
change. The below stats will show that
2004-2005 harvests are in the range that BW
believes will lead to a stable and protected
bear species in New Mexico.
Comparison of Statewide hunt stats for
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
2002 743 bears killed statewide
2003 456 bears killed statewide
2004 235 bears killed statewide
2005 290 bears killed statewide (this included
19 Depredation deaths)
This number does not account for poaching
or deaths by cars, etc. or unreported deaths.
SANDIA AND MANZANO HUNTS
STATS
Stats showed that in past years our bear
population was in real trouble from the
drought, over-harvest, trappings/relocations
and depredation deaths. In the fall of 2002
NMG&F Commissioners voted that the East
Mountains have a one-month hunt from Oct.
15 to Nov. 15 (no sows to be taken by hunters,
dogs to be used only).
Sandia Hunt and Depredation
2002 Hunt: 10
2003 Depredation deaths only: 7 (4 females,
3 males)
2004 Hunt: 0
2005 Hunt: 1
Manzano Hunt and Depredation
2002 Hunt: 26
2003 Hunt: 15 (no sows) Depredation
deaths:
By NMG&F: 4 females,
By Resident: 1 males.
2004 Hunt: 5 (no sows)
2005 Hunt: 0 Depredation: By
NMG&F: 2 females.
SANDIA AND MANZANO
TRAPPING AND RELOCATION
We saw few trappings and relocations
in the summer of 2005. There was however,
one tragic occurrence this summer in the
Manzano Mountains. A beautiful four yearold
female black bear made the Journal front
page for several days running. This bear was
in a homeowner’s bird feeder. She wasn’t aggressive
and hadn’t destroyed any property of
value. But, this mountain resident decided to
call NMG&F and ask for trapping and removal.
That was the beginning of the end for
this lovely animal. After two trips out of the
Manzanos and finding her way back home,
she was destroyed.
Could anything have been different?
Yes. The responsibility was on that mountain
homeowner who moved into bear country and
then put out a food attractant for bears.
In the future, we would like to see
NMG&F handle these cases more aggressively.
We would like for them to inform and
warn homeowners against attracting bears to
their neighborhoods, make them remove all
food attractants immediately and most importantly,
refuse to trap a non-aggressive bear. If,
after the first warning, the homeowner continues
to create an attractant, we would like to
see NMG&F use existing statutes to give out
tickets/fines for purposely feeding wildlife.
Please help our bears by informing
your neighbors to:
1. Put birdfeeders on sturdy wires between
tree branches where bears
can’t reach them to stop any habituation.
2. Stop all feeding of birds if a bear
somehow gets into your birdfeeders.
3. Don’t call NMG&F for trapping
unless a bear is aggressive.
4. If a bear can’t find any food sources
around a home, it will not stay
around and will leave in pursuit of
wild forage.
BEARWATCH HAS A NEW WEBSITE
Check out our new website at SandiaMountainBearWatch.
org and let us know what
you think!
BW is looking for a Webmaster to oversee
and update our website. The site is working
and only needs periodic updating with links
to news articles and newsletters added from
time to time. Call Jan at 281-9282.
BW’S ARMENDARIS RANCH FUNDRAISING
TOUR
Last year Armendaris Ranch Foreman
Tom Waddell extended an invitation to
BearWatch to tour this unique ranch and it’s
wildlife. This tour was set up to raise funds
for bear-proofing Raton New Mexico. BW
choose Raton because of the large number
of bears (150) that were killed by car collisions,
residents and NMG&F during the 2002
drought.
The tour began with an evening supper
get-together. The next morning, 27 BW members
met at the Engle NM Armendaris Ranch
headquarters. Tom Waddell was there to greet
us and tell the group the history of the area
and ranch. We all paired up to share rides in
4WD’s to spend the day on the ranch ending
with an evening champagne supper at the bat
caves.
The ranch usually receives less than an
inch of rain per year but received 3-4 inches of
rain the day before our tour. Roads were
muddy and some were like rivers, but our
hardy band of BearWatchers had a wonderful
and memorable day. Maybe the case of Gruet
Champagne served with supper had something
to do with it!
BW made $5,400.00 less expenses for
food and champagne, for bear-proofing Raton.
We hope to continue this fund-raiser next
summer. The tour will be limited to approximately
30 people (including helpers). Please
call Jan at 281-9282 if you are interested in
the upcoming August tour and would like
more information and be put on the waiting
list.
HELPING BEAR-PROOF RATON
BW is working with NMG&F Leif
Ahlm, Chief of NE Area Operations, in hopes
of bear-proofing Raton New Mexico this next
summer. This lovely small town is situated on
the Colorado border and is right in the middle
of bear country. Raton has had a multitude of
problems with bears visiting neighborhood
and business dumpsters for food. In 2002,
approximately 150 bears were destroyed by
cars, residents and NMG&F officers. It was a
disaster for the area’s bears. The Raton area
has had two good years of rain with resulting
forage and of course, a much smaller bear
population. We believe that now is the time to
bear-proof to help stop the habituation of new
cubs and stop this very destructive cycle.
BW and NMG&F are now in the process
of working with the Raton city manager
and two foundations in the hopes of receiving
enough matching funding to bring
about a more positive future for this area’s
bears.
TIJERAS CANYON SAFE
PASSAGE COALITION MOVING
AHEAD
A very committed group of people
from many organizations have been working
to make the Tijeras Canyon’s I-40 Freeway
safer for wildlife and motorists. Another
concern is that there is safe passage for wildlife
to have the freedom to come and go between
the Sandia and Manzano Mountains
for biological reasons. After much work,
proposed fencing, culvert improvements,
etc. will be in the plan when the New Mexico
Department of Transportation starts
work in the Tijeras Canyon in the near future.
On behalf of our area’s wildlife and
especially the black bear, BearWatch would
like to thank Kurt Menke, Kat Hummell,
Matt Clark, Linda Butler, Susan Smith,
Luela Roberts, Jeannie Wagner-Greven, Jeff
Davis, Ellen Ashcraft, Louise Waldron,
Beverly deGruyter, Mark Watson, Kim Vacariu,
John Schwedler and the many other
caring people not named here.
Check out the TCSPC webpage for the
complete picture at
: http://www.safepassagecoalition.org/
BEAR-PROOF GARBAGE
CONTAINERS ARE AVAILABE AT
DAVIS HARDWARD STORE
As we approach summer, now is the
time to buy or order you bear-proof garbage
containers at Davis Hardware Store in Cedar
Crest. Davis Hardware has two sizes. The
64 gallon container is $200; the 95-gallon
container is $224. These garbage containers
are made of double strength plastic with a
metal rim top and bear-proof closing clasps
and will last for decades. If a bear does get
into the container, it will be replaced free by
the manufacturers in Colorado.
Jan Hayes purchased her bear-proof
container several summers ago. Since then,
bears have tried three times to get the top off
to no avail, even after dragging the garbage
container through the woods for a distance. It
works!
BW recommends these bear and resident
friendly E.M. businesses for your garbage disposal:
East Mountain Disposal (286-4798) L.
Mora Hauling (898-8162)
KOSHARI THE BEAR FINDS A HOME
AT WILDLIFE WEST
A very charming bear has found a
home at Wildlife West in Edgewood.
Several years ago, a small bear cub
spent his first summer wandering the shores of
Navaho Lake, he foraged in garbage cans, ate
discarded fish guts and food handouts. In the
process he became unafraid of people. He
would swim out to boats to join its very surprised
occupants for lunch.
As this young bear grew, it became
apparent that he had become habituated to
people and their food. The local NMG&F officer
had a quandary: must he put this young
bear down or try to find a place for him? The
NMG&F took this small underfed bear to Dr.
Ramsey’s Wildlife Center for a checkup and a
fattening up. She said he was the loveliest
bear she had ever worked with. He was very
gentle and was completely comfortable around
people.
In the meantime, Wildlife West had
received a call from Mina and Don Carnicom,
long-time residents of Sandia Park and Bear-
Watch members. The Carnicoms wanted to
donate a generous sum of money to help build
a bear enclosure. They wanted to help save a
bear that would otherwise be destroyed like
the previous year’s #106. And, by doing so,
help educate people how to co-exist with our
local bears.
After receiving the funding for materials,
members of the NM Youth Conservation
Corp. helped Wildlife West build the bear enclosure.
Also at this time, BearWatch members
Lynn Buhaug, Beth Thrasher and Jeff
Davis had the same concerns after the very
upsetting death of bear #106. Because of
careless mountain people, this lovely young
female bear had become habituated to birdseed
and garbage and was destroyed by
NMG&F in their Paako neighborhood.
All of this good-hearted concern
came together to create a home for a bear
that would have otherwise been destroyed.
And Koshari, Indian for ‘Clown’, fit that
bill.
Since Koshari has arrived at his compound,
Lynn and friends have been active in
collecting food and money from area businesses
and residents to keep Koshari well
fed and healthy in his new home. Call Lynn
Buhaug at 286-3587 if you would like to
donate to Koshari’s care.
This past summer, BW donated $250
to Wildlife West for Koshari because we
believe that what people fear, people destroy.
Koshari will help dispel that fear and
in the process help inform people how to coexist
with bears.
Once you’ve visited Koshari, you’ll
want to go back. Take your visiting families
and friends to see this wonderful bear ambassador
and know that a lot of caring people
worked together to save this charming
‘clown’.
BEARWATCH’S JAN HAYES
HONORED
BearWatch founder Jan Hayes was honored
this past summer by the Journal Mountain
View Telegraph as one of its “Community
Assets for 2005” for her work in bear conservation.
2006 MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE
NOW
Sandia Mountain BearWatch is now
eleven years old! Many thanks to all of you
who have continued to support BW and help
make the future brighter for New Mexico’s
black bears. We can proudly say after many
years of ups and downs that we have finally
gotten some positive results for this vulnerable
species.
Last year was a full and busy year
and we believe we used money from our
small budget very judiciously. Of course,
the more money we have to work with the
more we can do for our state’s black bears.
No one in BW is paid for their time or expenses;
we spend the money you send in on
printing informational material for distribution,
BW books, newsletter printings and
mailings, expert’s advise, etc.
We have the smallest budget of any wildlife
organization in the state but have garnered
big results for this NM’s bears. We endeavor
to keep our dues small to encourage a larger
membership which is important in the political
arena of wildlife conservation.
2005 Finances
..... starting balance 2426.33
printing75.60
postage 176.45
education 360.00
business expenses 54.77
supplies 18.56
consulting 426.00
expense total 1111.38
Dues/Gifts/Deposits 1763.00
..... ending balance 3077.95
Membership Application/Renewal
NAME__________________________
ADDRESS_______________________
________________________________
TELEPHONE____________________
E-MAIL(please)__________________
VOLUNTEER___________________
You can help BW! Ask your friends,
neighbors and relatives to sign on as a
member of BearWatch. Or better yet, give
a gift of a BW membership! It would be
appreciated by the recipient and BW. BW
will send a nice gift certificate and newsletter
to the new member in your name.
Annual dues are $5 per year per
Individual_______________________
Donations _________________
Please send your 2006 dues or donations by
check to
Sandia Mountain BearWatch
PO Box 591
Tijeras, New Mexico 87059
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2006 Newsletter 
