New Mexico Gov. removes game commissioner over undisclosed conflict of interest tied to Mexican gray wolf campaign

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham fired a game commissioner on Wednesday for failing to disclose that she’d worked on an outside persuasion campaign on the Mexican gray wolf.

Lujan Grisham removed Sabrina Pack from her seat representing District 2, after the governor learned of Pack’s “failure to disclose her conflict of interest as well as her failure to recuse herself from pertinent votes,” according to the governor’s spokeswoman Jodi McGinnis Porter.

Though Pack had asked for a discussion on wolf management to be added to Game Commission agendas, she said she did nothing wrong.

“All Game Commissioners have primary occupations outside the role,” Pack said in a statement. “During my time on the Commission, no votes were taken on wolf management. I work for SkyWest Media as an employee and am not an owner.”

Management of the endangered Mexican gray wolf has long been a source of debate in New Mexico, with environmental advocates asking the federal government to take more aggressive action to conserve the species and livestock producers concerned about wolves killing their cattle. Pack worked on a campaign for the latter camp.

Earlier this year, the Catron County Commission issued an emergency declaration over wolf kills.

Along with serving as game commissioner since March 2024, Pack is also the chief operating officer for marketing company SkyWest Media. Emails show that in her role at SkyWest Media, she was directly involved in revising a marketing plan for a campaign to shift public awareness and policy conversations on wolf management.

The plan says it will “elevate the voices of rural New Mexicans and others living with the consequences of federal wolf management.”

SkyWest Media was not the lead agency on the marketing campaign and the group behind the campaign ultimately elected Rainy Day Media to implement it, Pack said.

Pack emailed Tom Paterson, president-elect of the Cattle Growers Association, and Catron County Commissioner Audrey McQueen about revisions to the marketing plan on April 11.

“Thanks Tom for your additional feedback. Revised version attached. Let me know revisions, if any. I will be bringing my computer and can work on things while I am with you,” the email reads.

The marketing campaign cost was estimated at $50,000 to $100,000, according to the marketing plan attached to Pack’s email, and included creation of a Wolves Among Us website, one high-impact cinematic narrative video, short-form videos and cross-platform digital campaigns.

The emails were released in response to a public records request made by Greta Anderson, deputy director of the Western Watersheds Project.

“I think the concern is that the commissioners are supposed to be making science-based policy decisions for the state, and having her working so closely with organizations or people who have agendas around the outcomes of commission policies is concerning,” Anderson said.

The Game Commission sets hunting and fishing regulations, hires the Department of Game and Fish director, oversees the department’s budget and sets the overall direction. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is an advisory member of the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team, which works on limiting the interaction between wolves and livestock and monitoring the wild wolf population.

The Game Commission is scheduled to meet Friday in Reserve. A discussion on wolf management is on its agenda.

Game commissioners are subject to the Governmental Conduct Act, which includes a requirement that public employees do not “acquire a financial interest when the public officer or employee believes or should have reason to believe that the new financial interest will be directly affected by the officer’s or employee’s official act.” It also requires “full disclosure of real or potential conflicts of interest” to be a guiding principle for conduct.

April commission meeting

At an April 25 Game Commission meeting, McQueen shared two videos, which are also featured on the Wolves Among Us website. One included the story of a teenager whose horse was killed by a wolf, and one featured an interview with a 12-year-old who was followed by a wolf.

McQueen’s presentation sparked a discussion between game commissioners about managing wolf recovery.

“I am seeing it firsthand that we are in a crisis,” Pack said during that discussion. “I believe if you support the wolf or you don’t support the wolf, in order for any of it to be successful on either side, we have to figure out how to coexist.”

Pack asked clarifying questions about the Department of Game and Fish’s role in wolf recovery, and asked about the financial cost of cattle kills for Catron County residents and the cost to the department of wolf recovery work. She suggested the commissioners advise the Department of Game and Fish to collar more wolves to get a better count of the animals. She also asked for the topic of wolf management to be placed on the June and August meeting agendas as an action item.

On May 16, Pack emailed Paterson and McQueen from her SkyWest email about a proposed radio ad on how to react to wolves and how to report wolf incidents. It ended by directing listeners to the Wolves Among Us website. SkyWest owner Ted Tucker was copied on the email.

Pack said the radio ad was not connected to the Wolves Among Us campaign and instead was a free public service announcement she was making for her radio stations.

“We had a request for some wolf awareness safety messaging, kind of like what we do for bears and mountain lions,” Pack said.

On May 8, Pack emailed Paterson that wolf posters had been ordered.

Paterson forwarded the email to McQueen, letting her know “Fyi—too late to add carry a weapon,” to the posters and asking if anyone was headed to Silver City and could take a copy of the poster to Socorro. McQueen said she was. Paterson then emailed Pack again asking if McQueen could pick up posters. Instead of using her SkyWest email, he sent the question to her official Game and Fish email.

“Just a reminder to not use this email. This is my game and fish email. I will let her know when they come in so we can make arrangements,” Pack replied on May 9.

Pack assumes the posters were connected to the Wolves Among Us campaign, she said.