skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

NM Governor to Decide Fate of "Roxy's" Trapping Law

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 23, 2021   

SANTA FE, N.M. -- A dog that died through no fault of its own on a hike with its owner near Santa Cruz Lake in 2019 could leave a lasting legacy if a bill headed to the governor's desk is signed into law.

"Roxy's Law," technically the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act, passed the New Mexico House of Representatives last week.

It would prohibit traps, snares and poisons on public lands.

Mary Katherine Ray, wildlife chair for the Rio Grande Sierra Club and a member of the TrapFree New Mexico Coalition, said it's taken several tries to get "Roxy's Law" through the Legislature.

"Roxy's law is named for a dog who actually died in her owner's arms in a neck snare," Ray explained. "And like all these devices, they're mindless; they don't make any decision on whether that is the 'correct' animal or not."

There are exceptions in the law that allow for use of traps or poisons when necessary to protect public safety, or for ecosystem management.

But Ray noted the bill would largely make New Mexico public lands trap-free. Trapping on private and tribal land would still be allowed.

Bills similar to Roxy's Law have been introduced in the Roundhouse since 2017.

Ray pointed out in neighboring Arizona, such lethal traps are outlawed on public lands, and statewide across Colorado, and added it is time New Mexico followed suit.

"We talk about New Mexico's tourism industry," Ray remarked. "Having these devices, where people can get harmed by them, puts us at a big disadvantage in our outdoor economy. So, I think the time has come."

The legislation easily made it out of the Senate by a vote of 23 to 16, but passed in the House last week by the slimmest of margins, 35 to 34.

Opponents argued the bill should wait until it can be determined if new rule changes to wildlife management, including education and trapping prohibitions within a half-mile of trailheads, are working.

Disclosure: Sierra Club, Rio Grande Chapter contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021