WILDLIFE Day Presenters

Dr. Sam Smallidge is an Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist, in the Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources Department at New Mexico State University. He is also the Range Improvement Task Force Coordinator. Dr. Smallidge's research and extension efforts focus on the management of wildlife and livestock interactions.

Donald Auer is the Habitat Project Coordinator for the Wildlife Management Division, where he works to coordinate the development, funding and implementation of wildlife habitat restoration projects across the state of New Mexico. Donald resides in Santa Fe with his wife and two daughters. He is originally from Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Kenyon College, and earned a master's degree in landscape ecology from Duke University. Donald has been with the Department since March 2007, and came to New Mexico from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, where he worked for five years as a habitat biologist in the southwestern part of the state.

Cal Baca started in the Wildlife Management Division in October of 2005. Cal supervises the private land programs for the department which includes both landowner authorization allocation systems A-PLUS and E-PLUS as well as Depredation and Nuisance Abatement and the Department access program Open Gate. He is also the Farm Bill Liaison for the department working with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) to put farm bill dollars on the ground to improve wildlife habitat on private land.

Cal is a Santa Fe, New Mexico Native born and raised in a ranching family in New Mexico and married to a Dairyman's daughter. He has developed a passion for working with landowners to achieve balance in dealing with wildlife in farming and ranching activities. Cal attended New Mexico Military Institute and received both a Bachelors and Masters degrees from New Mexico State University.

Alan May graduated form Texas A&M University with a BS in Wildlife Ecology in 1982. He has worked for USDA Wildlife Services managing wildlife damage issues for over 27 years in Texas, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Mississippi before coming to New Mexico 18 years ago. He served as District Supervisor in Las Cruces for 10 years, Assistant State Director for three years, and was selected as State Director in 2006. Alan has worked on a variety of wildlife damage management issues including fish eating birds and aquaculture, beaver damage to crops, roads and bridges, non-migratory birds in free stall dairy barns, red squirrel damage to tubing systems used by maple syrup producers, and predator damage management in livestock.

Dr. Doug Cram is a College Assistant Professor in the Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources Department at New Mexico State University. His research and extension efforts focus on management of forests and riparian areas with a particular concentration on the interaction of fire within these systems.

Summer Eaton is employed at New Mexico State University, and works with the Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources Department along with the New Mexico State 4-H Office. She attended Clarendon Junior College and completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Agricultural and Extension Education from New Mexico State University. She has been working with the New Mexico Range Improvement Task Force since 2001. Her primary focus is youth education in agriculture, wildlife and natural resources. Programs that Summer is involved in include; 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program, 4-H Shooting Sports, and Environmental and Natural Resource Career Development Event. Summer is active in the New Mexico Society for Range Management.