Tag Archives: Arizona Game and Fish

AZGFD investigation: Horseshoe Lake fish died from low oxygen levels

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PHOENIX — The significant fish die-off last week on the Verde River below Horseshoe Dam was the result of a lack of oxygen, and not because of anything found in the river, according to a water-quality investigation compiled by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

On Thursday and Friday, the Department collected water-quality samples, analyzing fish for bacteria, viruses and parasites. The fish die-off was in an area approximately 100 yards downstream from Horseshoe Dam, which is operated and managed by Salt River Project for the Bureau of Reclamation.

It is estimated that approximately 20,000 fish were killed. About 60 to 70 percent were goldfish and carp. The remaining fish species were comprised of largemouth bass, flathead catfish, channel catfish, and bluegill. The Department believes that most of the fish killed were from Horseshoe Lake and that only a small fraction may have been from the Verde River below Horseshoe Dam.

On June 1, SRP began releasing approximately 1,000 cubic feet of water per second from Horseshoe Lake. SRP empties Horseshoe Lake each year to comply with the Horseshoe-Bartlett Habitat Conservation Plan (H-BHCP), which was established with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the authority of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect endangered species from potential impacts of SRP’s operation of Bartlett and Horseshoe dams.

Mitigation activities in the H-BHCP, including the annual rapid draw-down of Horseshoe Lake, were developed to benefit native birds, native fish and reptiles in the upper Verde River that are listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. Specifically, the draw-down of the reservoir increases riparian nesting habitat availability for the southwestern willow flycatcher and yellow-billed cuckoo, while decreasing the numbers of non-native fish species that may compete with, or prey upon, native fish in the upper Verde River.

By June 28, the reservoir was nearly empty. As the reservoir level decreased, the fish in Horseshoe were concentrated in an increasingly smaller area. Sediment that was disturbed as the water was being drawn down consumed dissolved oxygen, resulting the low oxygen levels and causing the die-off.

As the last of the water was released from Horseshoe, the dead and dying fish were passed through the dam into the Verde River. Some of these fish may eventually drift down to Bartlett Lake.

In the meantime, it is important for anglers to remember they should not be taking these dead or dying fish.

Summer Wildlife Series continues with mountain lions

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mountain-lionKINGMAN — The secretive, shy and elusive mountain lion will be the subject of a free, one-hour presentation July 8 at the Kingman Mohave County Library, 3269 N. Burbank St., in Kingman.

This will be the third installment of the popular Summer Wildlife Series, hosted by the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s regional office in Kingman. The main portion of the library will be open to accommodate a larger crowd.

Jeff Pebworth, terrestrial wildlife program manager, will discuss biology, myths, perceptions and management of the predator, whose population in Arizona is robust and healthy, even expanding in some areas. He also will explain why one of the biggest dangers associated with mountain lions is the feeding of other wildlife.

“We get lion calls quite often,” Pebworth said. “This presentation will help the public understand the difference between normal lion behavior and other behaviors of concern. There also are a lot of stories associated with lions that simply aren’t true.”

Pebworth plans to share some of the more entertaining calls that his office has received about mountain lions.

The Summer Wildlife Series concludes July 29 with a presentation on “Habitat and Wildlife.” For more information, call (928) 692-7700.

Come net bats with the Arizona Game and Fish Department

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a chance to accompany biologists on an evening of bat netting along the Verde River, north of Scottsdale, on Friday, July 8, 7-10 p.m.

Arizona is home to 28 species of bats, many of which live and forage right in our own back yards. This event is your chance to see these fascinating and often misunderstood creatures in person.

“We’ve had good luck netting bats along the Verde,” said Randy Babb, watchable wildlife program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “We typically capture four to five species and sometimes get something unusual, which can be really exciting. Captured bats will be identified, examined, and released unharmed.”

In addition to bats, Babb said other species that might be encountered include rattlesnakes and other reptiles, along with owls and various rodents.

“It’s a really nice way to spend a warm summer evening,” said Babb.

There is a registration fee of $25 for each person. Participation is limited to 30 people. Children must be over 10 years of age to participate.

To register or for more information, contact Joe Yarchin at (623) 236-7589 or email jyarchin@azgfd.gov.

Deadline near to enter Arizona Big Game Super Raffle July 8

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AZBGSR_-_LogoPHOENIX — As the deadline draws near to enter the 11th annual “Arizona Big Game Super Raffle,” the Arizona Game and Fish Department is receiving inquiries about what the raffle is and how it works.

The raffle is conducted by a nonprofit entity to raise money for wildlife conservation efforts. A volunteer board of directors, comprised of representatives from sponsoring organizations, oversees the operation of the raffle.

Here’s how it works: The Arizona Game and Fish Commission awards the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle a total of 10 Special Big Game Tags, one for each of the state’s big game species — bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, bison, turkey, bear, javelina and mountain lion.

Raffle tickets then are made available for $5 to $25 each, depending on species. Raffle tickets can be ordered online (www.arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com), or by requesting an order form by mail (AZBGSR, P.O. Box 41355, Mesa, AZ 85274). There is no limit on how many raffle tickets can be ordered.

Every dollar raised for each species through the raffle is returned to the department and managed by the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee (AHPC) for that particular species. With input from local habitat partners across the state and sponsoring organizations involved in the fundraising, project priorities are determined that will provide the most benefit to each species.

According to the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle website, mail orders must be received by Friday, July 8. The deadline to order raffle tickets online is 10 p.m. (MST) Sunday, July 10. Winners will be permitted to hunt for 365 days between Aug. 15, 2016 and Aug. 14, 2017, in most game management units statewide.

The names of the winners will be drawn at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 21, during the Sportsmen’s Open Forum at department headquarters (Quail Room), 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix. The drawing will be webcast at www.azgfd.gov/webcast. Winners do not need to be present. Winners will be contacted by phone.

For more information, visit www.arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com.

10 tips for safe, responsible OHV riding during Independence weekend

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DSC_0260-reduced_1PHOENIX — With the Independence weekend upon us, many Arizona residents and visitors are planning to hop on their off highway vehicle (OHV). Before hitting the trail, the Arizona Game and Fish Department reminds operators and passengers to do so safely and responsibly by following these 10 tips:

  1. Always wear a helmet. Whether riding in a side-by-side, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or dirt bike, helmets are strongly recommended for all riders. However, those who are younger than18 years old are legally required to wear a Department of Transportation-approved helmet.
  2. Eye protection is legally required for all riders if the OHV is not equipped with a windshield.
  3. Wear proper clothing, including riding gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, pants and over-the-ankle boots.
  4. Supervise children under 16 years old. Be sure your child is riding an age-appropriate vehicle. Adult model machines may be too large and powerful for a child to safely operate. Parents are responsible for their children’s safety.
  5. Only ride with the number of passengers for which the machine is designed. One of the biggest causes of OHV-related injuries is riding with more than the recommended number of passengers. Carrying a passenger can make riding difficult and change how the vehicle responds.
  6. Stay on designated trails. One of the biggest threats to sustainable OHV recreation in Arizona is the closure of riding areas due to irresponsible use. Protect the state’s fragile natural resources, and your ability to visit such spots, by staying on designated trails and avoiding sensitive habitat areas.
  7. Be prepared and equipped. Take area maps and guides, and have a compass, first aid kit, whistle, tire repair kit, tow rope or chain and other basic tools on hand. Also make sure to bring sunscreen, water and food.
  8. Avoid drinking alcohol and/or drugs. Operating any vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is always illegal, regardless of what type of vehicle you’re operating. Alcohol and drugs drastically impair a person’s judgement, responsiveness and ability to operate the machine safely.
  9. Register your OHV and purchase an OHV decal. All vehicles designed primarily for travel on unimproved terrain and weighing less than 1,800 pounds are required to have an OHV Decal to operate on public and state lands. License plates and decals are available at any Arizona Motor Vehicle Division location or at www.servicearizona.com.
  10. Maintain your machine properly, especially the spark arrester and muffler. Arresters help to protect against sparking a wildfire and mufflers help to reduce the noise emitted by OHVs.

$750 reward offered for information in illegal killing of a mule deer buck

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operation_game_thief_footer The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief program is offering up to a $750 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the illegal poaching of a mule deer buck. The deer’s remains were discovered near Happy Valley Rd. and the AZ-303 loop in Peoria.

Game and Fish investigators believe the buck was killed during the Father’s Day weekend. It appears to have been poached close to the Valley, transported and dumped at the location.

“Poachers are not hunters. They are thieves stealing wildlife from the citizens of Arizona,” said Joshua Hurst, AZGFD’s Operation Game Thief Program Manager. “If you saw something—even if you think you saw—something suspicious or learned about the crime through social media, please call our Operation Game Thief Hotline. Do the right thing and call today.”

The Department relies on the citizens of Arizona to assist in the reduction of wildlife violations. If you have any information or knowledge of this incident, please contact Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-352-0700, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, or on the web at www.azgfd.gov/ogt.shtml.

Every year, the Department pays cash rewards to individuals who report wildlife crimes in Arizona. Under law, callers can remain anonymous and their confidentiality is protected. Money for rewards comes from criminal poaching fines, civil restitution by violators who commit wildlife crimes, and donations.

Off-highway vehicle decal renewal notices available through e-mail only

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PHOENIX — In an effort to enhance customer service and to cut costs, the Arizona Game and Fish Department will no longer mail letters informing off-highway vehicle (OHV) owners their yearly OHV decal is expiring.

To ensure owners receive timely notice that their decal is about to expire, they can sign up to receive a reminder through e-mail by visiting www.azgfd.gov/ohv and clicking “OHV Decal Requirements.”

The decal program began in 2009 and requires all OHVs, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), side-by-sides and dirt bikes, to have a sticker if the vehicle is designed primarily for travel on unimproved roadways or trails. The sticker, which is placed on the upper left-hand corner of the license plate, is issued by the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division and is required to operate an OHV on public and state lands.

There are approximately 112,000 vehicles issued OHV decals within the state. By encouraging OHV owners to receive renewal reminders online, the department hopes to save on the approximately $120,000 spent to print and mail notices each year.

Each sticker costs $25. Thirty percent of the funds collected go into the state’s Highway User Revenue Fund, which is distributed to counties and cities for road and highway maintenance. The remaining funds are split as follows:

  • 60 percent to Arizona State Parks for grants and agreements, trail construction, development and maintenance, signage and maps.
  • 35 percent to the Arizona Game and Fish Department for law enforcement, education and outreach.
  • 5 percent to the Arizona State Land Department for mitigation, signage and enforcement.

For more information about the Arizona Game and Fish OHV program and on safety courses, visit www.azgfd.gov/ohv.

Nominations sought for Game and Fish Commission Awards

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The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is soliciting nominations for its 2016 Commission Awards. The deadline for submission is Aug. 12, 2016. The purpose of these awards is to recognize Arizonans who have contributed significantly to the conservation of the state’s wildlife, its outdoor heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Nominations are for the categories listed below and may include individuals, organizations, clubs, foundations or government agencies. Arizona Game and Fish Department employees are not eligible for nomination.

To submit a Commission Awards nomination, download a nomination form at https://www.azgfd.com/agency/commission/awards. Then submit the completed form and all supplemental materials to:  Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: 2016 Commission Awards – DOHQ, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086  or fax to:  623-236-7299 or email to: lroe@azgfd.gov. Submission deadline is 5 p.m. August 12, 2016.

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Arizona files motion to intervene in lawsuit to defend motorized big game retrieval on Kaibab National Forest

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Corrected: 6/25; 7:04 p.m.
PHOENIX — The State of Arizona and Office of the Arizona Attorney General today filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by several environmental groups challenging the U. S. Forest Service’s decision to allow limited off-road motorized big game retrieval by elk and bison hunters on the Kaibab National Forest.

The lawsuit was filed in January by WildEarth Guardians, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, Wildlands Network, and the Sierra Club.

“It’s interesting to note that the plaintiffs’ lawsuit targets hunters’ motorized big game retrieval, which is a small segment of off-highway vehicle use in the forest, but does not challenge other legitimate cross-country motor vehicle use. It suggests their lawsuit was filed more out of opposition to hunting than true concern for our natural resources,” said Pat Madden, incoming chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Motorized retrieval is an important component enabling Arizona Game and Fish to fulfill its wildlife conservation mission. Uncontrolled elk and ecologically devastating bison populations can damage habitat and may harm other species. The Department is currently collaborating with the National Park Service to dramatically reduce the number of bison in Grand Canyon National Park, as unsustainable numbers of bison have migrated from the North Kaibab onto the park’s North Rim and are damaging water sources, vegetation, soil and archeological sites.

Elk weigh between 450 and 1,200 pounds and bison between 750 and 2,500 pounds. It is unlawful to leave the edible portion of a harvested animal in the field to waste. For some hunters, a harvested bison or elk can realistically be packed out of the field only by motorized transport.

Motorized retrieval is also an important component of the Department’s lead reduction conservation efforts for the California condor. The Department offers free coupons for lead-free ammunition to all hunters who draw tags for big game species on the North Kaibab and sponsors raffles to incentivize the minority of hunters who use lead ammunition to pack out the gut piles of their lawfully-harvested big game species. The gut pile of a mature bison can exceed 500 pounds. It is simply unrealistic to expect hunters to pack out large gut piles without ready access to a motor vehicle.

“The State is seeking to intervene in this lawsuit to protect its sovereign authority to regulate, manage and conserve wildlife in Arizona, including wildlife on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service,” said Madden. “Hunters play a critical role assisting the Arizona Game and Fish Department in managing elk and bison herd populations.”

The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 and the National Forest Management Act of 1976 direct that the national forests be managed for multiple purposes, including outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife, and that the jurisdiction and authority of the states for management of fish and resident wildlife on the national forests are not affected.

The Forest Service, in a Memorandum of Understanding with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and Department, recognizes the Commission and Department as having primary responsibility for managing fish and wildlife populations on Forest Service lands in Arizona.

Off-road motorized big game retrieval historically had not been restricted on the Kaibab National Forest other than in areas with special land use designations, such as wilderness areas. In an effort to balance increasing off-road-vehicle recreational use with resource protection, the U.S. Forest Service in 2005 directed each forest to designate roads, trails and areas open to motor vehicle use. All other areas would be considered closed to off-road motor vehicle use, with a few exceptions such as motorized retrieval of big game. Arizona Game and Fish was a cooperating agency and/or offered comments in the development of the Kaibab’s new travel management rules.

The current rules allow hunters one trip with a motor vehicle, during hunting season only, to travel up to one mile off a designated road to pack their legally harvested elk out of the field on the Tusayan and Williams Ranger Districts, or their legally harvested bison or elk on the North Kaibab Ranger District. Hunters are required to use the most direct and least ground-disturbing route, and retrieval is not allowed in existing off-road travel-restricted areas or when conditions are such that travel would cause damage to natural and/or cultural resources. The rules don’t allow for motorized retrieval of any other big game species.

“Given the Department’s wildlife management responsibilities for elk, bison and the California condor, Arizona has an obligation to intervene in this lawsuit to defend the Kaibab National Forest’s authorization of limited motorized big game retrieval to preserve lawful hunting as a wildlife management tool, and in so doing, protect Arizona’s fragile natural resources,” said Arizona Game and Fish Department Director Larry Voyles.

AZGFD plans OUI patrol at Lake Havasu, lakes statewide this weekend

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op-dry-waterLAKE HAVASU, Ariz. — With the recreational boating season in full swing, the Arizona Game and Fish Department will conduct a multi-agency sobriety checkpoint at Lake Havasu and area lakes as part of a statewide crackdown on those boating under the influence.

The checkpoint and patrols are being done to ensure boat operators are sober and to act as a reminder that operating a watercraft under the influence (OUI) is the most common contributing factor to injuries and fatalities on the nation’s waterways.

“Arizona’s waters can be fun for the whole family, but only if it’s done safely and responsibly,” said AZGFD Boating Law Administrator Tim Baumgarten. “Using alcohol or drugs can impair a boater’s judgement, vision and reaction time, and can increase a person’s willingness to take unnecessary risks. An impaired operator is 10 times more likely to be involved in a collision than someone who is sober.”

The effort is part of Operation Dry Water, a national awareness and enforcement campaign being done in partnership with AZGFD, Arizona law enforcement agencies, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard. The operation runs Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26.

As part of the national campaign, boaters and watercraft users on Lake Havasu and other Arizona lakes will be subject to systematic safety inspections. Operators will also be screened for alcohol and/or drug impairment and to ensure that proper safety equipment, such as life jackets, throwable rescue devices and working fire extinguishers, are on board.

“Our goal is to promote safe and enjoyable boating on our waterways. By doing so, we hope to prevent the next tragic alcohol-related incident on the water,” Baumgarten added. “If you plan to drink on the water, please designate a sober operator.”

The patrols at Lake Havasu are part of a statewide effort among law enforcement agencies to increase public safety by targeting impaired operators. While on the water, boaters should also keep in mind:

  1. State law requires all passengers 12 years old and younger to wear a life jacket while onboard and that each passenger must have a properly fitting, Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Drowning is the most common cause of death in boating incidents, always wear your life jacket.
  2. Anyone being towed by a boat or on a personal watercraft, such as a Sea Doo or Jet Ski, must wear a life jacket.
  3. Know the “Rules of the Road,” navigation rules identify who has the right of way and determine the required direction of travel.
  4. Never allow passengers to board or swim while the engine(s) are running. A boat’s propeller can still be spinning while the motor is in neutral.
  5. Before starting the boat’s engine, walk to the stern to make sure no one is near the propeller.
  6. Take extra precautions around other boats towing skiers and/or tubers.
  7. Never reverse a boat to pick up someone out of the water.
  8. Paddle boards, kayaks and canoes are each considered watercraft and operators are required to have a wearable PFD on board while on the water. Furthermore, these watercraft must also follow the same laws pertaining to all motorized boats and watercraft.

It’s also recommended that all boat operators and passengers complete a boating safety course. For a list of courses hosted around the state, please visit www.azgfd.gov/boating.