Ahi Va · Driftwood Outdoors

Ep. 11: Selling Cupcakes For Conservation

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

Kevin Bixby challenges the idea that only hunters should fund wildlife, calling it a public trust everyone benefits from.

This episode features host Jesse Deubel of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation in conversation with guests Kevin Bixby, executive director of Wildlife for All, and Andre Miller, treasurer of the federation and a staffer at Western Resource Advocates. They discuss systemic challenges and potential reforms in wildlife conservation funding and governance. The dialogue centers on how to modernize approaches to managing wildlife as a public trust resource. Kevin Bixby explains his organization's national campaign to reform state wildlife management to be more ecologically driven, democratic, and compassionate. Andre Miller outlines his work on conservation finance, focusing on how New Mexico can leverage new federal funding. The current funding model for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish relies heavily on hunting and fishing license sales, which provide about 60% of its budget, supplemented by federal excise taxes. Missouri is presented as a contrasting model, funding its Department of Conservation through a dedicated sales tax rather than primarily user fees. The conversation references Senate Bill 312, a failed 2021 effort to rename the agency the Department of Wildlife Conservation and expand its legal authority to manage all species, not just game animals. They discuss the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA), which could bring significant federal dollars to states for conserving species of greatest need, but requires state matching funds. Andre Miller notes legislative efforts, like a general obligation bond called the Land of Enchantment, to secure state matching money. A surprising claim is that the New Mexico department only has legal authority over about 60% of vertebrate species and virtually no invertebrates, limiting its ability to address broader biodiversity loss. An interesting insight is that modernizing agency authority and funding is framed not as anti-hunting, but as necessary to fully utilize incoming federal funds like RAWA. Kevin Bixby argues that a broad-based public funding mechanism, like general income tax, is the most equitable way to support wildlife as a public trust. The guests suggest that fears of broadening the conservation coalition often stem from polarization, but diverse groups in New Mexico frequently find common ground. Jesse Deubel emphasizes that hunters must be ethical ambassadors to normalize the activity for a non-hunting public whose support is increasingly crucial. A memorable point is that expanding the funding base is seen as unavoidable, as hunters and anglers alone cannot shoulder the matching funds required for new federal conservation dollars. The tone is collaborative and educational, featuring a constructive dialogue between representatives of different but allied conservation organizations. The style is conversational and policy-focused, blending personal experience with detailed explanations of fiscal mechanisms and legislative strategy. This episode would appeal to listeners interested in state environmental policy, wildlife management ethics, and conservation funding mechanics. It might be less engaging for those seeking purely narrative storytelling or debates on the ethics of hunting itself.

As heard by us

A grounded look at coalition-building, compromise, and the work of modernizing wildlife governance.

This episode follows coalition-building in New Mexico wildlife policy, with Jesse Dubelle, Kevin Bixby, and Andre laying out where their groups overlap and where they still part ways. The disagreements never feel like a derailment.

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Why you'd press play

Hear how New Mexico wildlife groups work together, even when they disagree.

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