​​​​​​​Bat workshop offers hands-on experience with AZGFD biologists​​

SCOTTSDALE — Bats get a bad rap, but the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) aims to change that by highlighting all the good they do — such as eating pesky mosquitoes and flies — during a series of bat monitoring surveys Friday, July 21, July 28 and September 15.

The workshops and surveys run from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., cost $25 per person and will be held at Needle Rock Recreation Area northeast of Scottsdale. During the events, participants will help capture and identify local bat species alongside AZGFD biologists as part of the department’s overall bat conservation and monitoring efforts.

AZGFD biologist and Watchable Wildlife Program Manager Randy Babb will provide a dynamic evening experience educating participants about Arizona’s 28 species of bats, while netting over the Verde River. Attendees will help identify bats captured and collect important data before the animals are released unharmed.

Babb has worked on numerous studies and projects on small mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates in Arizona, New Mexico, the southeastern U.S., Mexico, Central America, Vietnam and southern Africa.

Babb has published widely on these and other subjects, and has participated in a bat survey of Vietnam’s Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, which was the latest segment of an ongoing biological survey that has been underway since 2002. Babb has also provided illustrations and photographs for numerous books including “Venomous Reptiles of Arizona,” “Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona,” and “Vampiro: Vampire Bat In Fact & Fantasy.”

Space is limited for the events so register early.
Participants should wear long pants, close-toed shoes, a hat and insect repellent, and bring water and a headlamp or good flashlight. To reach the events, head east on Rio Verde Drive to Needle Rock Road and head north 2.5 miles until you reach the fully developed recreation area.

International Sportsmen’s Expo is March 10-13 in Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) and Arizona Boat Show will be held March 10-13 in its new location at WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, in Scottsdale.

The show has doubled to more than 300 exhibitors in two large buildings and outdoor space. Click here to see a list of attractions and exhibitors.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will once again have a presence at the show, with a general information booth (where you can buy licenses or sign up for a free Portal account), and a booth providing information on our condor recovery program and how voluntary use of non-lead ammunition (or packing out gut piles) when hunting game in the condors’ core range helps condor conservation.

Please note that the annual Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Assets Sale will not be held at the ISE show this year and will move to the AZ Game and Fish Outdoor Expo being held April 2-3 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix.

ISE/Arizona Boat Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, March 10-12, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. Admission is $12 for adults, and free to youth age 15 and under. Parking is $5.

For more information, visit www.sportsexpos.com/attend/scottsdale.

Honor fellow wildlife conservationists at the 2014 Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet

Pronghorn_buck_AZGFD_by_George_Andrejko-3_1_thumbMake plans now to attend the 17th annual Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, August 23, at the Chaparral Suites Scottsdale, 5001 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250.

This year’s inductees into the Outdoor Hall of Fame include: the Saba Family, the Buckskin Chapter of the Arizona Deer Association, Art Craker, Brian Pinney (posthumously), and Gary Swanson (posthumously).

The social hour and silent auction begin at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 7 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. The evening will also feature a live auction, exciting raffle prizes and musical entertainment by the Back Porch Bandits.

Individual tickets are $70. A table for 10 is $700. A table of ten and a full-page ad in the full-color banquet brochure is $1,200.

The Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame was developed in 1998 by the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation to honor those who have made significant contributions to Arizona’s wildlife, the welfare of its natural resources, and the state’s outdoor heritage.

Read more at Arizona Game and Fish

Arizona entrepreneur creates the “ultimate” survival tool

CROVEL0Scottsdale, AZ — Shortly after launching its Gear Up Center online store, Recon LLC has announced the arrival of its newest innovation, The Crovel Folding Shovel. After purchasing countless shovels, creator Tim Ralston conceived the idea and followed through with extensive research. The ex-military expert decided to move forward and develop the e-tool by combining several tools into one with its base serving as a crowbar and a shovel. The Crovel (shovel + crowbar) was unveiled at an outdoor camping gear show and introduced as the next evolution of the e-tool to the show’s attendees. The Crovel shovel offers multiple functions such as a hammer, ax, pick, pry bar, hoe, and machete. During the audience demonstrations, the Crovel’s sheer strength and solid construction proved the tool to be virtually indestructible and highly versatile compared to other folding shovels.

Made of 10 gauge-hardened steel, the Crovel claims to outlast and outdo its fellow competitors who offer stamped steel shovelheads with wooden handles. When put through a rigid test, competing folding shovels frequently bent and broke while the Croval remained in tact. By combining several tools into one, the Crovel can reduce excess weight of unneeded gear by approximately 45 pounds. Made for durability, multiple functionality and handling ease, the sharpness and strength of the Crovel’s edge gives the user the options for cutting, chopping, and sawing while keeping its edge. The shovel’s handle is a 19” hardened gooseneck crowbar with a hammer face on the end to add additional strength and function. Further distinguishing it from its competitors, the Crovel has 550 para cord wrapped around the handle for additional grip strength while giving the user 15-20’ of life-saving material that can be used thousands of different ways.

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