WOLF RELEASE IN COUNTY LIKE REMOVING POLICE IN ALAMOGORDO

A few weeks ago the mother of a young man slain in a gang shooting did a segment on Mike Haymes morning talk show. Joann Reynolds sounded the alarm of the increasing threat of gang activity in Alamogordo. She challenged the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety to form a gang task force. In essence, she whipped up a few hours of hysteria among callers who felt the gangs were ‘out of control’ in Alamogordo.
I find it interesting that the Citizens of Alamogordo want the gangs eradicated and look to the police to accomplish that. The people who live in the city feel the lives of their children are at stake. Private property is being vandalized by graffiti. Callers’ spoke of more drug activity and guns on the streets; all attributed to gang activity in Alamogordo.
The media driven hysteria reminded me of a real life drama being played out in another county in New Mexico. I’m not referring to the gang problem in Albuquerque or Las Cruces. The real life drama I’m thinking about is the wolf release disaster in Catron county. Citizens in Catron county fear for the lives of their children, their family pets, livestock and damage to private property. The lives of those living in Catron county within the wolf release area have been dramatically changed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for wolf reintroduction. The concerns of the Citizens of Alamogordo about gangs sound very similar to the daily real life drama Citizens of Catron county are experiencing with wolf release.
For those of you, living within the city limits of Alamogordo, think about it this way: Wolf reintroduction into rural areas is like removing the police from the City of Alamogordo. If you think gangs are a menace and a threat to the city and someone should ‘do something about gangs’; then think about rural New Mexicans living with wolves released in their communities.