New Mexico Buys Ranch To Expand Wildlife Habitat
New Mexico’s lesser prairie chicken and other grassland wildlife now have an expanded habitat, thanks to a public-private partnership that purchased the 7,560-acre Pipkin Ranch for management by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish (NMDGF).
Last month, NMDGF announced the purchase of the ranch which will connect two existing Department properties, creating over 10,000 continuous acres dedicated to the state’s grassland wildlife. The purchase was made possible through a public-private partnership with NGL Energy Partners and funds generated through the sale of fishing and hunting licenses.
The sale price was not revealed, though an online real estate advertisement listed the price at $3.28 million. Broker’s comments noted the ranch’s stocking rate at 177 cows year-round (15 cows per section), or about 450 yearlings for six months. The ranch is located about 40 miles southeast of Fort Sumner in southeast New Mexico.
“I’d like to thank the sportsmen and sportswomen of New Mexico and our NGL partners for their contributions to conservation,” said NMDGF Director Mike Sloane. “This public-private partnership is an example of the positive work that can occur when we all recognize the value of conservation. I am excited to have been a part of this effort and believe that it will stand as an example going forward as we begin to implement the 30 x 30 initiative recently advanced by the governor.”
The lesser prairie chicken is an iconic American grouse species that is being considered for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act, NMDGF said in a statement. The lesser prairie chicken tends to occupy native grasslands and prairies. One of the primary causes for concern for the lesser prairie chicken is loss of habitat.
NGL Energy Partners spokesman Matthias Sayer said, “Given our land ownership and lease holdings in New Mexico, it was organic and natural that we engage with Game and Fish, and started talking about wildlife conservation not only on our properties and those we manage but across the State.”
NGL Energy Partners LP is a diversified, publicly traded, mid-stream energy company, with infrastructure to primarily move liquid hydrogen carbons and New Mexico water including waste water.
Purchase of the Pipkin Ranch was completed days before Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 30 x 30 initiative was issued via executive order that called for New Mexico to protect 30% of its land and waters by the year 2030, joining a national initiative to combat climate change.
