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SANTA FE – Gov. Bill Richardson has declared this week as "Wolf Awareness Week" in New Mexico, and both conservationists and ranchers see the move as an opportunity to address a controversial program aimed at reintroducing the endangered Mexican gray wolf in New Mexico and Arizona.

Richardson, in a declaration issued Monday as part of National Wolf Awareness Week, said the predator plays a critical role in maintaining balanced ecosystems.

"We must redouble our efforts to promote healthy wolf populations coexisting with our communities and land stewards — both in New Mexico and across the country," he said.

Federal biologists began releasing wolves on the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the species in part of its historic range after it had been hunted to the brink of extinction in the early 1900s.

Conservationists have criticized the program's management, specifically a policy calling for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to remove or kill any wolf linked to three livestock killings within a year.

On the other hand, some residents have been worried about the safety of their children and pets while ranchers have consistently voiced concerns about depredation of their livestock.

Caren Cowan, executive director of New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, said Monday that she welcomed the governor's declaration.

"What I hope it does is bring about some awareness," she said. "Wolves are here to stay. They're obviously not going away, but there are some real issues that need to be worked through."

Cowan said ranchers in southwestern New Mexico have paid a "huge toll" since the reintroduction program began and that all involved need to work together to see that ranchers can be compensated and that the wolves can truly be managed.

Richardson said in his declaration that the state Game Commission and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish have doubled their efforts to work with all sides to promote a healthy wolf population that can coexist with the communities that border the wolf's range.

Richardson also has called for the suspension of the program's three-strikes provision and has suggested that the program's rules be overhauled.

Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said Richardson's stance adds to the "the scientific consensus that the government must stop trapping and shooting wolves in order to recover them."

Robinson added that Wolf Awareness Week will allow people to learn more about the Mexican gray wolf.

"New Mexicans need to raise their voices in support of this endangered animal and demand real, science-based solutions to help wolves survive," he said.