PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is accepting applications for $75,000 in annual grant funding for local sportsmen’s organizations to provide public, hands-on projects focused on the retention of new hunters and anglers.

The priority funding focus of this year’s Local Sportsmen’s Group grants program is on hunter-angler development and retention through progressive skill development. A new category has been added for projects that provide a base camp or “meet-up” for experienced hunters or anglers from past projects who no longer need mentored training. These are individuals seeking social support, defined times, destinations and gatherings.

Projects and events that involve the pursuit or harvest of wildlife or fish with a license are being requested. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process and must be open to the public.

Doug Burt, the department’s hunting and shooting sports program manager, said there are many local organizations that do great work, but lack the funding to carry out the important mission of passing down the hunting and angling heritage to the next generation of wildlife conservationists and stewards.

“This grant program is an investment in local organizations that, day in and day out, are teaching people how to be safe, ethical and responsible hunter-angler conservationists,” Burt said.

To apply, download an application packet from https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/grant-program/. Completed applications should be submitted by e-mail to dburt@azgfd.gov, or mailed to Arizona Game and Fish Department, IEWR, Attn.: Local Sportsmen’s Grant Administrator, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) July 30, 2017. Postmarks do not count.

There is no cost to Arizona taxpayers for this grant program. Game and Fish does not receive any of the state’s general tax funds and operates under a user-pay, public-benefit model. The grant program is an investment in the continuance of wildlife conservation efforts and outdoors recreation participation in Arizona. To learn more about how hunters, anglers, shooters and boaters fund wildlife conservation, visit www.azgfd.gov/h_f/federal-aid-cycle.shtml.

MESA – — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering two unique opportunities to view one of Arizona’s most iconic arid land animals, the desert bighorn sheep, in an intimate, small-group setting July 1 and 2 on Canyon Lake.

Participants ages 10 and older will board department work boats to explore the canyons and bluffs of this scenic lake in search of these spectacular animals. Biologists aboard each of the boats will share and interpret bighorn conservation, behavior and biology during the trip. Due to limited space on the boat, attendance is restricted to 22 people per tour.

Register for a the bighorn sheep workshop

“Mating season will be underway and there is a good chance of seeing rams fighting or chasing ewes, which makes it an excellent opportunity to view, photograph and enjoy bighorns in their natural environment,” said Randy Babb, AZGFD watchable wildlife program manager. “Because sheep stay close to the water during June and July, participants may also watch young lambs cavorting around their mothers, displaying their masterful agility in precarious locations.”

Game Management Units 22 and 24B are home to some of the largest bighorn rams found anywhere in North America. Canyon Lake forms the border between these two administrative areas and animals from both areas congregate near the lake’s shore at this time of year.

In addition to bighorn sheep, bald eagles, herons, and a variety of waterfowl are often seen. The area is also home to a myriad of other wildlife including deer, mountain lions, javelina and numerous small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

The tour departs the Palo Verde Recreation Area at 7 a.m. and participants will need an $8 Tonto Pass for each vehicle parked at the lake. Tonto Passes are available at a variety of convenience markets and sporting goods stores around the Phoenix Metro area or from the Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District Office at 5140 E. Ingram Street in Mesa.

Each boat will have an ice chest for the participants to use. It is recommended that participants bring a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and wear a long-sleeve shirt and long pants to prevent sunburn as the boats do not have canopies.

The cost is $75 per person and participants can pay online via credit card or by check or money order. For more information or to register, contact Joe Yarchin 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at (623) 236-7589 or jyarchin@azgfd.gov.

For additional information, contact Randy Babb at the department’s Mesa regional office at (480) 466-1334 or rbabb@azgfd.gov.

PHOENIX — In an ongoing effort to better serve its constituents, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) will host a webinar on draft proposed hunt guidelines for the 2018-19 through 2022-23 hunting seasons.

Those who access the webinar from 6-8 p.m. Monday, June 5 will be able to send questions, comments or concerns about the draft proposed hunt guidelines to Amber Munig, big game management supervisor, who will open the online discussion with a short presentation. Other department personnel also will be available during the webinar to address input as it relates to specific game management units (GMUs) or regions.

How to register for “AZ Hunt Guidelines Review”:

• Click on http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1499739740909043458
• Complete the required fields (First name, last name, e-mail address, city), then click “Register.”

Those who register for the webinar will receive an e-mail confirmation, which will include details on how to join the webinar. The e-mail address and personal information provided will be used by the webinar organizer to communicate about this event. For more information, contact Munig at amunig@azgfd.gov.

At the same time as the webinar, AZGFD will be hosting a series of statewide public meetings where constituents can view the webinar and provide feedback to department personnel. Those locations include:

• AZGFD (Region III): 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road, Kingman
• AZGFD (Region IV): 9140 E. 28th St., Yuma
• AZGFD (Region V): 555 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson
• AZGFD (Region VI): 7200 E. University Drive, Mesa

Two additional meetings where constituents can view a PowerPoint presentation (no webinar), as well as provide input to department personnel, include:

• 6-8 p.m. June 5: Eagar Town Council Chambers, 22 W. 2nd St., Eagar
• 6-8 p.m. June 7: Payson Public Library (in the Rumsey Park Complex), 328 N. McLane Road, Payson

The draft proposed hunt guidelines provide the biological and social parameters used by wildlife biologists to formulate annual hunt recommendations (season structures, season lengths, season dates, permits allocated, etc.). These recommendations result in the annual hunts in which licensed hunters may participate.

While hunting opportunity is important, wildlife is held in the public trust; therefore, using science-based principles to shape the guidelines process remains paramount to ensure healthy, sustainable and diverse wildlife populations in perpetuity.

The draft proposed hunt guidelines were developed based on public input received earlier this year and can be viewed at https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Guidelines/. The department still is seeking feedback on how to best meet the demands of the hunting public, while finding ways to develop new opportunities that help pass along our hunting heritage to future generations.