Kathleen “Kathy” Love, attorney with McGinn, Carpenter, Montoya & Love, PA, has practiced civil law for more than 20 years. In addition to assisting her clients in both civil and criminal capacities, attorney Kathy Love is a founding board member of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA).

As a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and respect of New Mexico’s wildlife and lands, NMWA spearheads a number of campaigns to raise awareness regarding specific issues affecting the area. Currently, NMWA is focusing advocacy on a well-known symbol of the Southwest. The Mexican Gray Wolves: Share the Land campaign is dedicated to protecting the dwindling population of gray wolves within the area.

The organization explains that there are approximately 50 Mexican gray wolves known to be surviving in the wilderness. With the Mexican Gray Wolves campaign, the NMWA hopes to increase the number of wolf-release sites in the Gila region of New Mexico. The Mexican gray wolf, known as an apex predator and keystone species, is an integral part of the wild lands in this area, as they help to control the population of elk and deer herds. While their numbers in the wild were once in the thousands, hunting incentives were placed on Mexican gray wolves in the early 20th century due to the influence of the livestock industry in the area.

To promote awareness, NMWA sponsors backpacking trips to keep locals informed about the plight of these animals. Additionally, volunteers and staff maintain surveillance of the wolves through strategically placed cameras in the woods. NMWA also has raised concerns and lawsuits regarding current policy, which prevents the prosecution of individuals who hunt known endangered species. As part of its campaign to protect the gray wolf, the organization also sponsored the 2015 Mexican Wolf Conservation Stamp Contest, which invited participants to design stamps sold as fundraising efforts for programs supporting the species.