Landowner recommendations

Pathways: Wildlife Corridors of NM

~ Landowner recommendations ~

Fences – bottom wire smooth and min. 16″ off ground.
This will help pronghorn (antelope) go under fence.  They don’t jump over fences.  Other animals don’t have too much trouble with 3 or 4 wire fences. Mesh fencing, coyote fencing, and walls of course block animals from passing through, but also funnel or deflect their path, so be aware of how your solid fences or walls and your neighbors are creating funnels, traps, or unneccessary impediments.

Yard Lights – have them on a motion sensor or timer, pointed down and shielded from horizontal shine.  Lights will “night blind” an animal and keep them from crossing through at night, the preferred time of travel for many animals.

Dogs – keep them penned or indoors at night to prevent them from chasing wildlife.
Cats – major cause of songbird predation nationwide

Poison – don’t use.  It kills owls and other predators along with the intended rodents (see below).  Remove rodent habitat from around buildings instead.  Firewood piles, lumber piles, wooden pallets, are prime rodent habitat.

Driving – Please drive mindfully! Drive slowly on dirt roads and in places where sight distance is limited.  Be aware of animals crossing or about to cross a highway, and SLOW DOWN! Thank you.

Poaching – report poaching/illegal shooting by calling NM Dept. of Game and Fish, “Operation Game Thief” hotline: 1-800-432-4263.

Below is a list of animals common to this area and what they eat.  Note that many of them eat the very mice, packrats and ground squirrels that can be such a nuisance and health hazard.  For this reason, please don’t poison these rodents. Trap them, or better yet, remove their habitat from around buildings.

Coyotes – prey mainly on rabbits and rodents.

Black Bears – omnivores (like us), put trash out the morning
of pick up, not the night before, to avoid problems with bears. Also keep pet food indoors, and if you do feed birds in the summer/fall months, place feeders out of reach of bears.

Rattlesnakes – prey mainly on rodents.

Cougars – prey mainly on Mule Deer, also put pressure on     coyotes and bobcats in their territory.

Bobcats – prey mainly on rabbits and rodents.

Foxes – prey mainly on rabbits, rodents and birds.

If you see these animals, enjoy them!  Don’t try to handle or approach them, photograph from a distance.  Reporting animals to NM Game and Fish can get them shot.  One report for a cougar, two for a bear.  These animals will pass through and prefer to be left alone.  Log and document your sightings of large mammals, (bear, deer, elk, cougar, antelope) as these sighting and stories can help researchers and advocacy groups like Pathways protect these animals and our environment.

Thank you for preserving wildlife connectivity with the land!