"A coalition of outdoor groups on Friday asked the New Mexico Supreme Court to weigh in on a dispute over public access to rivers and streams that flow through private property.

The New Mexico Wildlife Federation and others filed their petition Friday, seeking to invalidate a rule adopted by the state Game Commission in 2018 that gives landowners the ability to petition state wildlife officials to certify waters on private property as “non-navigable” and prohibit public access without written permission.

Environmentalists, sportsmen groups and some lawyers have argued that the Game Commission has no authority to determine how waterways should be classified because water policy and law are beyond its scope."

Susan Montoya Bryan reports for the Associated Press March 16, 2020. [2]