Daily Archives: January 20, 2018

Volunteers needed for wildlife habitat project

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AJO — The Arizona Antelope Foundation (AAF), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management and Arizona Game and Fish Department, is seeking volunteers for a fence construction project on Saturday, January 27, on BLM land in southern Arizona, about 18 miles northeast of Ajo.

The project involves building a new fence around a seasonally filled earthen livestock water tank. Presently, when the tank is full it attracts feral cattle and horses from nearby reservation lands onto the western edge of the Sonoran pronghorn habitat. The fence project will permit access to the water by all wildlife but prevent access by trespass feral livestock.

This project, located on the eastern boundary of historic endangered pronghorn habitat, is part of BLM’s long-term plan of removing up to 54 miles of unneeded livestock fence in this zone to make it more attractive to Sonoran pronghorn.

Volunteers should plan to meet at 7 a.m. on January 27 at the AAF campsite, located on BLM lands about 9 miles east of the Pipeline Road and SR85 intersection. Directions: From Gila Bend, drive 43 miles south on SR85 to Ajo. Once you reach the plaza in the middle of Ajo, continue on SR85 for 1.85 miles to Pipeline Road. Turn left onto Pipeline Road and travel approximately 9 miles east to the campsite. The project site is approximately another 9 miles northeast on the Pipeline Road. Access to the site is along a maintained travel corridor route. There will be some wash crossings, but the road should be trailer friendly.

The Arizona Antelope Foundation will provide volunteers with dinners Friday and Saturday nights, as well as continental breakfasts Saturday and Sunday mornings. Bring your own lunch to eat in the field Saturday.

Volunteers also should bring work gloves (AAF will have a limited supply), snacks, water, and personal gear.

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP by January 22 by e-mail to info@azantelope.org so AAF can plan on having enough food and tools on hand. If you have questions or would like more information about the project, contact Glen Dickens at (520) 247-4907. For a printer-friendly map to the campsite, visit www.azantelope.org.

Mexican wolf population survey flight operations begin January 22

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PINETOP — Residents of Alpine, Arizona, Reserve, NM and surrounding areas may notice a low-flying helicopter in the region between January 22 and February 3, as biologists conduct their annual Mexican wolf population survey and capture.

The flights are part of the Mexican wolf Reintroduction Project, a multi-agency cooperative effort among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Service Inspection Service – Wildlife Services and the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The aerial operation is scheduled to run January 22 to February 3, weather permitting. Survey flights will occur on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation; the Apache-Sitgreaves, Gila and Cibola National Forests in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico; and possibly some locations immediately outside forest boundaries.

“Data collected during this annual survey and capture operation is critical to help us to determine and evaluate the overall population status of Mexican wolves,” said Paul Greer, AZGFD Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team leader. “The survey helps to chart progress in documenting the Mexican wolf population in the Southwest, and it helps us know how these animals are using local habitat.”

As part of the operation, biologists will attempt to capture selected wolves born in 2017 that have not yet been fitted with a radio telemetry collar, in addition to those with collars that need a battery replacement or any wolf appearing to be sick or injured. Wolves are captured after being darted with an anesthetizing drug from a helicopter containing trained personnel.

After being immobilized, the wolf is then brought by air to a staging area for processing and any necessary veterinary care. The wolf is then returned to the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) and released on public land.

The field team is contacting private landowners to gain permission to property to capture a wolf, if necessary, and will be coordinating with land management agencies and county sheriff offices on survey operation details.

There were a minimum of 113 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico at the end of 2016, according to a survey by the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team. The survey found that there were 63 wolves in Arizona and 50 in New Mexico.

The 2016 total represented a more than doubling of the population since 2009.
Results of the survey will be made available to the public in March. For more information on the Mexican wolf reintroduction program, visit http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf or https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/.