Local officials in New Mexico have moved to update existing laws to safeguard the wildlife of a critical natural area along the Rio Grande.
As KRQE News reported, signs posted in Albuquerque’s Bosque warning visitors not to fish or otherwise disturb the wildlife are going unheeded. Worse, some anglers were leaving behind fishing gear and causing harm to local wildlife. Before the updates, officials had limited options to curb the behavior due to gaps in the existing ordinance. To address it, the city is advancing legislation to empower staff to issue citations to violators.
City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn discussed the rationale behind the revisions with KRQE: “Right now, these areas are posted, no fishing, no harming of animals. And so updating the ordinance really just gives our open space staff the extra backing to actually enforce those posts.”…