SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The head of an agency that oversees hunting and fishing across New Mexico is asking a judge to settle a long-running dispute over public access to rivers and streams that flow through private property.
The state Game and Fish director filed a complaint in state district court Wednesday.
He asked for clarification on whether and under what circumstances private landowners can prohibit people from fishing and otherwise using waterways that cross their property.
The state Game Commission voted last year to reconsider a contested rule adopted by previous commissioners that limited access.
Critics have pointed to constitutional provisions that refer to the state’s waters as public.
