ABQjournal: Signs of Otters Spark Debate By Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press

River otters haven’t been seen in northern New Mexico since 1953.

That’s why University of New Mexico researcher Paul Polechla’s discovery of otter feces last fall on the banks of the San Juan River near the Colorado border was news to be celebrated. …

State officials, meanwhile, hope the possibility of spotting an otter at Navajo Lake State Park, where the droppings were found, will boost human visitors to one of New Mexico’s most popular campgrounds. …

The researchers said more analysis is needed to determine which otter subspecies left behind the scat. When that is determined, scientists will make a decision about how to continue.

One of the possibilities includes the Southwestern river otter, which Polechla says should be on the endangered species list. Nonnative or mixed breed otters also could be present, he said.

River otters are sleek animals usually brown in color with short legs, webbed feet and glossy, dense fur, Polechla said.

“Their fur is so highly regarded— in terms of durability, softness, insulation capacity— that it is regarded as the diamond of the fur world,” he said.

The otters, which travel along waterways, produce a litter once a year yielding between one and six kits.

Playfulness is their outstanding characteristic, said Melissa Savage, an ecologist with the New Mexico River Otter Working Group.

“They are very gregarious and social,” she said. …

Bill Dunn, a supervising biologist for the Game and Fish Department, … said public surveys have shown New Mexicans favor reintroduction in the upper Rio Grande, the Rio Chama and the Gila River.