N.M. Code R. § 19.30.5.7 – Definitions

A. “Annual agreement” or “Agreement” shall mean the document that contains the specific ranch information, sets forth the terms and conditions of the agreement, special instructions, requirements and regulations concerning participation in this program and affirms a signatory understanding of such.
B. “Authorization number” or “Authorization” shall mean a multi-digit number which allows the holder to purchase a private land elk license specifying sex and sporting arm type. May also collectively refer to types and numbers of private land elk hunting opportunities available in a game management unit or assigned to a recipient pool of elk hunting opportunities.
C. “Authorization statement” shall mean the document generated by the department and issued to an authorized ranch contact that contains the authorization numbers, which allows the holder to purchase a specified license to hunt elk.
D. “Authorized Ranch Contact” or “ARC” shall mean the person designated in writing by the landowner(s) to act as the liaison between the ranch and the department. ARC is responsible for acting in the landowner(s) best interest and has the authority to sign an elk private lands use system agreement and receive authorization statements. All persons listed on the recorded deed(s) must sign and notarize an authorization of ranch contact form provided by the department authorizing the same individual as the authorized ranch contact.
E. “Base allocation” shall mean the number and authorization types issued to base ranches through the allocation formula.
F. “Base ranch” shall mean a ranch in the primary management zone able to receive at least one whole authorization through the allocation formula based on weighted acreage and ranch score.
G. “Bonus allocation” shall mean the number and authorization types represented by private lands not participating in the elk private lands use system in the primary management zone, through the allocation formula.
H. “Co-op” shall mean more than one ranch enrolled by separate landowners and combined together to form a single ranch and naming a single ARC.
I. “Deeded acres” shall mean privately owned acres that can be verified by the department.
J. “Department” shall mean the New Mexico department of game and fish.
K. “Director” shall mean the director of the New Mexico department of game and fish.
L. “Elk Contribution Rating” or “ECR” shall mean the rating assigned to a ranch by appropriate department staff based on the following: occasional elk presence shall receive an ECR of 1, frequent elk presence shall receive an ECR of 1.25, continuous elk presence shall receive an ECR of 1.5.
M. “EPLUS” shall mean the elk private lands use system.
N. “Game Management Unit” or “GMU” shall mean those areas as described in 19.30.4 NMAC Boundary Descriptions for Game Management Units.
O. “Inactivation” shall mean the procedure that immediately stops all issuance of authorizations and suspends participation in the program.
P. “In review” shall mean a period of time during which an active ranch may be placed into temporary suspension, stopping agreements and authorization statements from being issued to the ARC, until the department review concludes that all participation requirements have been met.
Q. “Landowner” shall mean the person(s) listed on the most current recorded deed(s) being considered as a ranch for participation, is responsible for signing the initial application, and is responsible for assigning a single authorized ranch contact.
R. “Meaningful benefit” shall mean a variety of elk habitat components that are known to be beneficial to elk throughout at least one season and further determined by state game commission adopted participation guidelines.
S. “Participation guidelines” shall mean the written requirements for enrollment and participation in the program that department staff use to evaluate ranches and approved by the state game commission.
T. “Percent weighted acres” shall mean the quotient of a ranch’s weighted acres divided by the total private acres in the primary management zone within a GMU.
U. “Primary management zone” shall mean areas of the state designated by the department upon which elk management goals and subsequent harvest objectives are based.
V. “Public land” shall mean those lands held by state, federal, or public land use agencies.
W. “Ranch” shall mean any deeded acres included in an agreement and treated as a single property.
X. “Ranch-only” shall mean a ranch whose ARC has selected the ranch-only hunting option as defined on their agreement or whose ranch is located in a GMU designated as ranch-only.
Y. “Ranch-only authorization number” shall mean a private land authorization that allows a person to purchase an elk license only valid on the designated ranch except as otherwise allowed by rule.
Z. “Ranch score” shall mean the score resulting from the ranches evaluation as defined in participation guidelines.
AA. “Secondary management zone” shall mean areas of the state that are not part of the primary management zone or special management zone.
AB. “Small Contributing Ranch” or “SCR” shall mean those ranches that meet the minimum qualifications to participate, but are unable to receive at least one whole authorization pursuant to the allocation formula based on weighted acreage alone.
AC. “SCR pool” shall mean the number and authorization types that result from the fractional consolidation of authorizations awarded to small contributing ranches through the allocation formula.
AD. “Special management zone” shall mean areas of the state not within the primary management zone or secondary management zone and where private land authorization issuance includes eligibility requirements or restrictions.
AE. “Two year unconverted” shall mean the number and authorization types initially allocated to participating properties but not converted to licenses averaged over the previous two license years.
AF. “Unit-wide” shall mean a ranch whose ARC has selected the unit-wide hunting option as defined on their agreement and received a unit-wide authorization(s) for the current license year. The unit-wide selection allows hunters who have a unit-wide license from the ranch to hunt any legally accessible public lands, other unit-wide ranches, and other private land with written permission within the GMU as well as allows any other licensed elk hunter with either a public draw license or a unit-wide elk license access to the unit-wide ranch.
AG. “Unit-wide authorization number” shall mean an authorization that allows a person to purchase an elk license valid on any legally accessible public lands, other unit-wide ranches, and other private land with written permission within the GMU.
AH. “Weighted acres” shall mean the product of a ranch’s deeded acres multiplied by the elk contribution rating assigned to that ranch.

[19.30.5.7 NMAC - Rp, 19.30.5.7 NMAC, 4-1-2019]