Advocacy Award
For advocacy efforts that promoted the compassionate treatment of animals and/or combated institutionalized animal cruelty; for efforts that alleviated the pain and suffering of animals used for “entertainment” or for cruel medical experiments.
- 2011 Winner: Zora Hesse, Albuquerque, for promoting the compassionate treatment of animals.
- 2007 Winner: Deborah James, Rio Rancho, for promoting the compassionate treatment of animals. Ms. James is involved behind the scenes of Albuquerque city government, employing creative approaches for education and action on behalf of animals.
- 2005 Winner: Kim Snitker, Albuquerque, for supporting numerous rescue and adoption programs through volunteer efforts and by utilizing her retail store, the Three Dog Bakery, as a hub for animal advocacy activities and education.
- 2004 Winner: Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, for his extraordinary efforts on behalf of prairie dogs, antifreeze safety for animals and children and highlighting issues of animal cruelty with the public
- 2003 Winner: Sandia Mountain BearWatch, Tijeras, for their extraordinary all-volunteer advocacy, education and legislative efforts on behalf of black bears.
- 2002 Winner: Susan Weiss, Corrales, for extraordinary efforts to promote humans’ co-existence with coyotes.
- 2001 Winner: Representative Ray Begaye, Shiprock, for sponsorship of legislation protecting New Mexico’s reptiles and amphibians.
- 2000 Winner: Congressman Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) for his co-sponsorship of The Chimp Act, HR 3514 and votes to restrict the use of cruel steel jawed leg hold traps, to limit funding of an international tuna fishing convention that allows dolphin-deadly nets, to make crush videos illegal, to humanely euthanize downed animals, and to ban the import of products made from dog and cat fur.
Animal Award
For exceptional animal courage and/or intelligence (animal nominees only).
- 2015 Winner: JoJo, for his gentle nature, fierce determination and helping vulnerable dogs who have been chained, abused or abandoned.
- 2011 Winner: Bindy, Ranchos de Taos, for exceptional animal courage and/or intelligence.
- 2007 Winner: Stubby Harris, Embudo, for exceptional animal courage and/or intelligence.
- 2005 Winner: Timber, Santa Fe, a formerly chained dog who sustained serious injuries while escaping and helped to educate the public on the dangers and inhumanity of chaining companion animals by telling his story in PETroglyphs magazine and other venues.
- 2004 Winner: Scooby, Bernalillo, whose life and death were captured in the media this past year, and whose legacy is helping to ensure antifreeze safety for animals and children.
- 2003 Winner: The Mexican Gray Wolf, Southwestern New Mexico, for their incredible perseverance and will to live, despite government roadblocks that hinder their survival.
- 2002 Winner: Hank, a 7-year old Labrador mix, formerly of Taos, for saving the life of his human companion, John Hayes.
- 2001 Winner: Dusty (Albuquerque), Guinness (Los Alamos), Ronin (Chandler, AZ), and Sage (Carlsbad)– canine members, New Mexico Task Force One’s Urban Search and Rescue team, for service to their country in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
- 2000 Winner: Duchess, a female boxer who rescued and fostered four orphaned kittens and a prairie dog.
Direct Animal Services Award
For efforts that directly improved the lives of animals; for alleviating the pain and suffering of companion animals, farm animals, livestock and/or wildlife.
- 2015 Winner: Patty Mugan, for efforts that directly improved the lives of animals and for alleviating the pain and suffering of companion animals, farm animals, livestock and/or wildlife.
- 2011 Winner: Karen Cain, Santa Fe, for efforts that directly improved the lives of animals.
- 2007 Winner: Jemez Valley Animal Amigos, Jemez Springs—for efforts that directly improve the lives of animals.
- 2005 Winner: Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary: Eldercare and Hospice for Dogs, Horses and Poultry, Santa Fe, for providing eldercare and hospice services for hundreds of needy dogs, horses and birds in a four acre sanctuary.
- 2004 Winner: Jan Bandler (deceased), Cerrillos, for her tenacity in creating a horse rescue facility and her dedication to educating policy-makers about the need for effective investigation of animal cruelty cases across New Mexico.
- 2003 Winner: Prairie Dog Pals, Albuquerque, for extraordinary efforts to preserve prairie dog habitat, and their campaign that stopped prairie dog poisoning in Albuquerque and on airport land.
- 2002 Winner: The Wildlife Center, Española, for helping to preserve the diversity of life through education programs and wildlife care, rehabilitation and release.
- 2001 Winner: Northern New Mexico Animal Protection Society (Española Animal Shelter) for alleviating the companion animal over-population problem, animal abuse and neglect in northern New Mexico.
- 2000 Winner: The Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society, for its efforts to rescue more than 700 animal victims of New Mexico forest fires.
Humane Education Award
For innovative classroom, public, private or civic education efforts that foster humane ethics in youth.
- 2015 Winner: Robyn Albani, for incorporating humane education into her classroom curricula, generating student enthusiasm for animal welfare, and activating the faculty at her school to foster and adopt unwanted shelter animals in Valencia County.
- 2011 Winner: Jane Carson, Santa Fe, for efforts by a private citizen to promote the humane treatment of animals using a variety of approaches and methods.
- 2007 Winner: Lannie Alexander, Albuquerque—for innovative civic education efforts that foster humane ethics.
- 2005 Winner: Doña Ana County Humane Society Kids Camp, Las Cruces, for teaching students responsible companion animal care by highlighting animals’ physical and emotional needs.
- 2004 Winner: Bomar Equine Rescue and Rehab Center, Belen, for their effective outreach, training and education of the public, law enforcement and other agencies about animal cruelty and natural disaster preparation.
- 2003 Winner: Sheryl Wolf, Albuquerque, for her creation and implementation of an animal rights curriculum at the UNM School of Law.
- 2002 Winner: Animal Humane Association of New Mexico, Inc. (AHA), and Youth Diagnostic and Development Center (YDDC) — Project Second Chance, Albuquerque, for collaboration and innovation demonstrated through “Project Second Chance”, helping both animals and youth at risk.
- 2001 Winner: Ali MacGraw, Tesuque, for articulating animal issues and supporting efforts to end abuse.
- 2000 Winner: State Land Commissioner Ray Powell, Jr., DVM for educating residents about the link between animal abuse and human violence, working to increase animal cruelty penalties, and creating tailgate classrooms and conservation education programs.
Law Enforcement Award
For exceptional commitment to the effective and timely enforcement of laws that protect animals.
2015 Winner: Ruben Lucero, for bringing National Animal Care and Control (NACA) training to law enforcement officers and setting up low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services in the Pueblo of Isleta.
Lawmaking Advocacy Award
For efforts that led to the passage of animal protection legislation.
- 2015 Winner: Senator Nancy Rodriguez, for passing legislation that secured significant ongoing state funding to help the animals of domestic violence through the APNM CARE program.
- 2011 Winner: Celina and Ralph Levine, Albuquerque, for efforts that result in the passage of animal protection legislation.
- 2007 Winners: Representative Justine Fox-Young, Albuquerque and Representative Thomas Swisstack, Rio Rancho—for efforts that led to the passage of animal protection legislation.
- 2005 Winners: Senator John Grubesic, Santa Fe and Representative Miguel Garcia, Albuquerque, for their tireless work to push the Dangerous Dog bill through the legislature. The bill serves as a tool to proactively prevent dog attacks by creating a formal process for declaring dogs dangerous or potentially dangerous and holding their guardians responsible.
Media Award
For spotlighting animal issues with courage, creativity and integrity.
- 2015 Winner: Jenny Rabinowitz, for spotlighting a variety of state and local animal welfare issues, such as animal overpopulation, animal killing contests, and animal shelter improvement needs, on her Santa Fe public radio show, “Animal Talk.”
- 2011 Winner: D’Val Westphal, Albuquerque, for spotlighting animal issues with courage, creativity and integrity.
- 2007 Winner: Sunny Aris, Ruidoso—for spotlighting animal issues with courage, creativity, integrity.
- 2005 Winner: Media Award: Sandy Nelson, Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe, for comprehensively covering animal issues and consistently utilizing her position as a journalist to educate the public about animal welfare concerns.
- 2004 Winner: Valencia County News-Bulletin, Belen, for providing media space to animal causes every week for the past several years and consistently including articles that educate the public about important animal issues.
- 2003 Winner: Rene Romo, Las Cruces, for his thorough and extensive reporting on the chimpanzees at the former Coulston Foundation facility.
- 2002 Winner: Petroglyphs Magazine, Santa Fe, for excellence in the magazine’s educational content and geographic distribution.
- 2001 Winner: KOAT-TV Target Seven (Albuquerque) investigative team, including: Larry Barker, Dave Ruff, and Charles Wolmann, for its two-part undercover report on cockfighting in New Mexico.
- 2000 Winner: Columnist Wes Smalling, The Santa Fe New Mexican, for his coverage of cougar and wolf issues.
Youth Award
For youth activism, ethics, and bravery.
- 2011 Winner: Alicia Page, Ashley Page, Kolene Winn, Moriarty, for youth activism, ethics, and bravery.
- 2005 Winner: Alysha Lenderman, Edgewood, for volunteering hundreds of hours to find homeless companion animals loving guardians, proactively organizing a grassroots fundraising campaign that assists special needs animals at the local shelter and creating a Community Assistance Program that funds low cost spay and neutering services in the town of Edgewood and Santa Fe and Torrance Counties.
- 2004 Winner: William Klepper, Hobbs, for his consistent involvement with the Lea County Humane Society as a volunteer, his activism to find shelter animals good homes and his outreach to the public and neighbors about shelter animals and spay/neuter programs.
- 2003 Winners: The Oz School, Santa Fe, for their creative and active support of the bill to ban cockfighting and their artwork shows benefiting local animal causes. And The Environmental and Animal Rights Society of Santa Fe High School, for their anti-dissection educational efforts as well as their extensive public outreach and activism.
- 2002 Winner: the young people of Assurance Home, Roswell, for implementation of the “Mustang Project” in which young people, under the close supervision of adults, rescue and then train wild mustangs for therapeutic and/or handicapped riding programs.
- 2001 Winner: Highland Elementary School, Las Cruces, for fundraising to provide veterinary care for Sam, a wounded German shepherd dog.
- 2000 Winner: Wild Friends, elementary, middle and high school New Mexico students who, since 1991, have written legislation, testified in legislative and public hearings and held wildlife summits.
Board of Directors’ Award
For lifelong commitment to animal rights.
- 2015 Winner: Sena Fitzpatrick, for championing equine protection by assuring care and shelter for countless stray and starving horses, and for organizing low-cost spay/neuter for families in the McKinley County.
- 2011 Winner: Andrea Waitt Carlton, formerly Santa Fe, or lifelong commitment to animal rights.
- 2007 Winner: Tamsin Faith Bemis, Albuquerque—for lifelong commitment to animal rights.
- 2005 Winner: Gayla Burton, Albuquerque, for her generous and consistent support of APNM’s animal advocacy programs over more than a decade.
- 2004 Winners: Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw, Santa Fe, for their support of a broad range of APNM’s animal advocacy programs spanning more than a decade.
- 2003 Winner: Lola Moonfrog, Santa Fe, for her visionary support of APNM’s wildlife and domestic animal advocacy programs.
- 2002 Winner: the late Marianne and Mark Newton, Rio Rancho, for a concern for animals that surpassed their lives.
- 2001 Winner: Florence Barclay, Albuquerque, for founding APNM’s endowment.
- 2000 Winner: Robert “Skip” and Mary Trimble, for service on the Animal Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors, collaboration with the Animal Protection Institute to establish the San Antonio Snow Monkey Sanctuary, and establishing APNM’s Companion Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) program.
Executive Director’s Award
For outstanding support of APNM’s mission and program.
- 2015 Winner: Pam Wiseman, for supporting the animals of domestic violence victims by helping secure state funding for the APNM CARE program and providing institutional support through the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
- 2011: Attorney General Gary King, Moriarty, for outstanding support of APNM’s mission and program.
- 2007 Winner: Governor Bill Richardson, Santa Fe—for outstanding leadership in supporting APNM’s mission and program.
- 2005 Winner: Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Scot Key, Alamogordo, for filing unprecedented criminal animal cruelty charges against Charles River Laboratories (CRL) in the wake of the death of chimpanzees Rex and Ashley at CRL’s Holloman Air Force Base facility.
- 2004 Winner: Attorney General Patricia Madrid, Santa Fe, for her active role in providing stronger legal protections for animals and her dedication of resources to ensure that chimpanzee endowments were not mismanaged by the Coulston Foundation.
- 2003 Winners: The C.H.E.T. Volunteer Fire Department & The Mora Valley Chamber of Commerce, Cleveland, for effective community organizing and volunteer activation to implement a successful spay/neuter/vaccination program.
- 2002 Winner: Delores Stroud, Albuquerque, for integrating the message of compassion for animals into advocacy work involving victims of family violence.
- 2001 Winner: District Attorney Randall Harris, Clovis, for leadership in campaigns to ban horse tripping, make animal cruelty a felony offense, and outlaw animal fighting statewide.
- 2000 Winner: Senator Mary Jane Garcia and Representative David Pederson for passing state legislation making extreme animal cruelty a felony offense in New Mexico.
Spirit of the Mission Award
For actions that bring about precedent-setting change with a national impact that advances the animal rights movement.
- 2011 Winner: Dr. Carole Noon (posthumous), Alamogordo, for actions that bring about precedent-setting change with a national impact that advances the animal rights movement.
- 2005 Winners: Senator Ortiz y Pino, Albuquerque and Representative Kathy McCoy, Cedar Crest, for passionately supporting “Scooby’s Law,” which protects companion animals, wildlife and children from accidental poisoning by requiring that antifreeze contain a bittering agent. Additionally, Senator Ortiz y Pino and Representative McCoy encouraged the passage of the federal version of the legislation.
- 2002 Winner: In Defense of Animals (IDA), for spearheading an eight-year campaign to close The Coulston Foundation, the country’s most notorious primate vivisection laboratory, located in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
- (Award was created in 2002 and is not awarded annually)
Humane Citizen Award
Given for efforts by a private citizen to promote the humane treatment of animals using a variety of approaches and methods.
- 2015 Winner: Mary Katherine Ray, for lifelong commitment to wildlife protection and for fighting the use of cruel, body-gripping traps on public lands.
- 2011 Winner: Jane Carson, Santa Fe, for efforts by a private citizen to promote the humane treatment of animals using a variety of approaches and methods.
- 2007 Winner: Christopher Willett, Santa Fe—for efforts by a private citizen to promote the humane treatment of animals using a variety of approaches and methods.
- (Award was created in 2007)
Mary Jane García Champion for Animals Award
Given for exceptional leadership, courage and persistence in the face of opposition, resulting in positive change for animals.
- 2015 Winner: Maryln Zahler, for initiating a low-cost spay/neuter program in Las Cruces and securing a mobile emergency veterinary surgical van to assist with disaster response and animal hoarding cases.
- 2011 Winner: Dr. Alice De Groot, Mountainair, for exceptional leadership, courage and persistence in the face of opposition, resulting in positive change for animals.
- 2007 Winner: Sally Mayer, Albuquerque—for exceptional leadership, courage and persistence in the face of opposition, resulting in positive change for animals.
- (Award was created in 2007)
