spectr17
05-09-2003, 06:41 PM
Wildlife Field Reports
AGFC
5/5/03
SPECKLED DACE TRANSLOCATION: The Native Fish Program collected speckled dace (Rhinichtlys osculus) from the Hooker Hot Springs drainage near the Nature Conservancy's Muleshoe Ranch Preserve and trans-located them into Martinez Canyon.
This action is part of a three-species introduction effort into the canyon for further preservation and propagation of Arizona's native fishes.
FISHING CLINIC FOR PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED: Game and Fish Department personnel conducted an annual fishing clinic for 125 persons with disabilities at Tempe Town Lake in mid April.
This was the sixth year for this popular event, and more than 220 individuals participated. The 125 challenged anglers are enrolled in disability programs at Hermosa Elementary School, Stapley Junior High School, Mesa High School, Payson High School, Valley of the Sun School and Glendale's Voice and Compass Disability Advocacy Groups.
This year's clinic had several corporate partners, including Shakespeare Tackle Company and Albertson's Food Stores, as well as the American Legion Women's Auxiliary, which donated more than $1,600 to the effort. Municipal partners included the City of Tempe and City of Mesa.
FOOD BANK VEGETABLES FOR JAVELINA: A homeowner in a southern Arizona community has been feeding vegetables from the food bank to javelina. His neighbors complained. A wildlife officer gave the man the department's new urban wildlife videotape and attempted to educate him about the dangers of feeding javelina and other wildlife. Wildlife officers explained to the homeowner that by feeding javelina, he is putting his neighbors in danger. However, the man did not commit to discontinue feeding the wild animals.
When the wildlife officer was leaving the residence, he saw four javelinas feeding around the home and chased them off. The situation will be monitored. Officers will also be working with Santa Cruz County officials to possibly establish a nuisance wildlife feeding ordinance.
TIGERS AND LIONS AT SHOPPING MALL: Game and Fish officers responded to citizen concerns about a group allowing public contact with tigers and other large, dangerous animals at the Paradise Valley Mall.
A group known as GW Exotic Animal Rescue was allowing the public to enter the cages to take pictures with two tigers, one lion, one black leopard and two black bears. The group was advised that allowing such contact with the animals is dangerous and also violates state law.
The group was issued a strong verbal warning to cease the public interaction. Although the group was not cited and was allowed to continue the exhibit as long as public contact with the animals ceased. The mall subsequently canceled the animal exhibition.
CAIMAN SEIZED IN CHANDLER: Department staff seized a 5-foot caiman from a residence in Chandler. While the owner is being tracked down, the caiman is being held at Out of Africa Wildlife Park.
HIGH COUNTRY LAKES ACCESSIBLE: Wildlife officers note that the upper lakes including Big Lake and Crescent Lake are ice-free and anglers are starting to catch some nice fish.
Luna Lake, which suffered a die-off last year, has recently been stocked with catchables. Williamson Valley through East Fork of the Black River and the Mexican Hay Lake road are open for public travel.
LAKE PATROL IN PRESCOTT: Wildlife officers patrolled the Prescott area lakes. Fishing activity was heavy and catch rates were high at Fain and Lynx Lakes. Anglers at Fain Lake were primarily catching stocked rainbows. At Lynx Lake anglers were having good success using fly gear with small beadhead nymphs for recently stocked brown trout. Compliance was fair with one citation written at Lynx Lake for fishing without a license.
OHV CITATIONS WRITTEN: Officers Scott Poppenberger and Darren Tucker patrolled the upper Verde River. Recreational off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity was heavy. Four citations were written to OHV operators for driving in the closed riparian area.
PARKER STRIP PATROL: Officers Dee Pfleger and Jodi Niccum patrolled the Parker Strip over pre-Easter weekend. Approximately 30 boats were contacted and three citations issued (two no fishing license; one insufficient personal floatation devices). Despite the windy weather, lots of people were out enjoying the sunny days. As a side note, Pfleger has been named the Boating Safety Officer of the Year.
TURKEY SURVEYS: Officer John Millican coordinated the spring turkey surveys in Unit 35A in southern Arizona. The number of turkey sightings appears to be lower than last year. As a side note, the special Gould's turkey tag holder already took his gobbler, a 25 pounder with a 141/2-inch beard.
RABID FOX FOUND: A fox in St. David was killed and it tested positive for rabies. A bobcat killed by a dog owner also tested positive for rabies. Another fox in the area was acting "funny." A trap has been set for it.
Reports of rabid foxes continue to come in from the Chiricahua Mountains. Chiricahua National Park has had numerous confirmed rabid foxes still showing up in Portal. On April 14 a camper was bitten. He went to the hospital in Willcox. The fox was transported to the University of Arizona laboratory for testing.
ALLIGATORS CONFISCATED: Wildlife officers in Phoenix recently served a search warrant on a west Phoenix resident. Two alligators were seized, one 6 feet 7 inches and the second 7 feet 6 inches. The suspect had the reptiles since they were young. He kept them in the backyard, surrounded by an electric fence.
Game and Fish officers were able to subdue the alligators with the assistance of Phoenix Police officers. The alligators were taken to a new holding facility built by the Phoenix Herpetological Society to temporarily hold these types of animals until after court adjudication. Once the case is adjudicated, the alligators will likely be placed in a permanent facility.
FISHING CLINIC FOR AT-RISK KIDS: Natalie Robb, Jimmy Simmons, Henry Apfel, and Tim Holt conducted a fishing clinic for "At Risk" kids in cooperation with Gila County Sheriff's Office and Gila County Search and Rescue at Lake Roosevelt.
There were 66 young people attending from Gila County and the San Carlos Indian Reservation. They learned how to fish for bass, crappie and carp. It was an enjoyable experience for all involved.
NEW GENERATING STATION HELPING WITH WETLANDS: A company building a gas-fired power plant near Phoenix is working with the Game and Fish Department to develop a wildlife wetland.
Sempra Energy Resources is building a 1,000-megawatt natural-gas-fired generating station in the Arlington Valley area south of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The company purchased approximately 3,000 acres of land to obtain approximately 15,000 acre-feet per year of groundwater rights for plant operations. Only 100 acres of the 3,000 total will be developed for the power plant.
For the past two years, the Game and Fish Department has been working cooperatively with Sempra Energy to develop a wildlife habitat enhancement project that includes creating a seasonal wetland for resident and migratory birds.
CROWN C RANCH WATER PROJECT: Wildlife and livestock on the Crown C. Ranch now have a new water source thanks to a water hole development project. The homeowners have committed to establishing a year-round water supply to benefit wildlife and livestock.
ADULT CARE FISHING: The Desert Harbor retirement community at 91st Avenue and Thunderbird is participating in a pilot project to provide fishing enjoyment to the elderly in adult care situations. The Game and Fish sport-fish education coordinator created a loaner site at the retirement community with 20 sets of fishing rods and tackle. The equipment will be monitored and checked in and out by one of the facility staff.
This facility is located adjacent to an artificial lake with fishing opportunities. A fishing clinic has already been held at the facility with good initial participation. The project is part of the department's continuing outreach efforts to nontraditional customers.
WEST NILE VIRUS TESTING: The Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Center at Adobe Mountain is working with medical personnel and a federal laboratory to test the amount and timing of West Nile Virus vaccinations for birds. West Nile Virus) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first detected in the Untied States in 1999. West Nile Virus has been reported in other states, but not in Arizona.
ASARCO HELPING NATIVE FISH: ASARCO is providing mitigation funding to develop a native fish production facility at the Game and Fish Department's Robbins Butte Wildlife Area near Buckeye. The money is being funneled to Game and Fish through the Army Corps of Engineers.
MILITARY COORDINATION MAKES WATER HOLE POSSIBLE: Arizona Game and Fish Department coordination with the Air Force, Marines and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in redeveloping a critical water hole for wildlife near Tacna. The newly redeveloped water hole will provide a reliable source of water for bighorn sheep and a variety of other wildlife species.
MASTER GARDENERS GETTING WILDLIFE FRIENDLY: Game and Fish biologists assisted in this year's Maricopa County Extension Service Master Garden Tour by providing information about native plant landscapes and wildlife at one of the featured gardens in Scottsdale.
The master gardeners were provided more than 400 copies of the department's Landscaping for Wildlife guides and answered questions during the "Backyard Wildlife Habitat" tour.
DOVE TRAP BUILDING: The Yuma Rod and Gun Club is purchasing materials to construct bird traps for a dove banding project that will be conducted throughout Arizona this summer.
The purpose of the project is to establish band recovery rates and document dove movements within Arizona. Similar efforts are being conducted in many states as part of a migratory game bird research program. The entire project will take three years to complete.
BIRDING FESTIVAL GETS ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEWS: Game and Fish personnel who participated in the 3rd Annual Yuma Birding and Nature Festival report that the participants were very enthusiastic. Game and Fish helped finance this local eco-tourism event with $10,000 from the department's Heritage Fund.
Organizers, planners and attendees considered this eco-tourism opportunity a success. There were 461 registered participants who came from all across the United States and as far away as England. The weather was perfect, and the post event evaluations indicate the enthusiastic crowd of birders and nature goers had a terrific time.
The festival has a long list of supporters, including Paradise Casino, Arizona Public Service, Gowan Corporation, Southwest Birders, Yuma Civic & Convention Center, Ingram Design & Associates, The Yuma Daily Sun, Shangri-la RV Resort, KYMA Channel 11, Adelphia Cable Company, Arizona Western College, Yuma Audubon Society, Underhill Transfer Company, Coca Cola Bottling Company, City of Yuma, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Yuma Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bureau of Reclamation, Yuma Crossing Heritage Area, and the Arizona Department of Tourism.
AGFC
5/5/03
SPECKLED DACE TRANSLOCATION: The Native Fish Program collected speckled dace (Rhinichtlys osculus) from the Hooker Hot Springs drainage near the Nature Conservancy's Muleshoe Ranch Preserve and trans-located them into Martinez Canyon.
This action is part of a three-species introduction effort into the canyon for further preservation and propagation of Arizona's native fishes.
FISHING CLINIC FOR PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED: Game and Fish Department personnel conducted an annual fishing clinic for 125 persons with disabilities at Tempe Town Lake in mid April.
This was the sixth year for this popular event, and more than 220 individuals participated. The 125 challenged anglers are enrolled in disability programs at Hermosa Elementary School, Stapley Junior High School, Mesa High School, Payson High School, Valley of the Sun School and Glendale's Voice and Compass Disability Advocacy Groups.
This year's clinic had several corporate partners, including Shakespeare Tackle Company and Albertson's Food Stores, as well as the American Legion Women's Auxiliary, which donated more than $1,600 to the effort. Municipal partners included the City of Tempe and City of Mesa.
FOOD BANK VEGETABLES FOR JAVELINA: A homeowner in a southern Arizona community has been feeding vegetables from the food bank to javelina. His neighbors complained. A wildlife officer gave the man the department's new urban wildlife videotape and attempted to educate him about the dangers of feeding javelina and other wildlife. Wildlife officers explained to the homeowner that by feeding javelina, he is putting his neighbors in danger. However, the man did not commit to discontinue feeding the wild animals.
When the wildlife officer was leaving the residence, he saw four javelinas feeding around the home and chased them off. The situation will be monitored. Officers will also be working with Santa Cruz County officials to possibly establish a nuisance wildlife feeding ordinance.
TIGERS AND LIONS AT SHOPPING MALL: Game and Fish officers responded to citizen concerns about a group allowing public contact with tigers and other large, dangerous animals at the Paradise Valley Mall.
A group known as GW Exotic Animal Rescue was allowing the public to enter the cages to take pictures with two tigers, one lion, one black leopard and two black bears. The group was advised that allowing such contact with the animals is dangerous and also violates state law.
The group was issued a strong verbal warning to cease the public interaction. Although the group was not cited and was allowed to continue the exhibit as long as public contact with the animals ceased. The mall subsequently canceled the animal exhibition.
CAIMAN SEIZED IN CHANDLER: Department staff seized a 5-foot caiman from a residence in Chandler. While the owner is being tracked down, the caiman is being held at Out of Africa Wildlife Park.
HIGH COUNTRY LAKES ACCESSIBLE: Wildlife officers note that the upper lakes including Big Lake and Crescent Lake are ice-free and anglers are starting to catch some nice fish.
Luna Lake, which suffered a die-off last year, has recently been stocked with catchables. Williamson Valley through East Fork of the Black River and the Mexican Hay Lake road are open for public travel.
LAKE PATROL IN PRESCOTT: Wildlife officers patrolled the Prescott area lakes. Fishing activity was heavy and catch rates were high at Fain and Lynx Lakes. Anglers at Fain Lake were primarily catching stocked rainbows. At Lynx Lake anglers were having good success using fly gear with small beadhead nymphs for recently stocked brown trout. Compliance was fair with one citation written at Lynx Lake for fishing without a license.
OHV CITATIONS WRITTEN: Officers Scott Poppenberger and Darren Tucker patrolled the upper Verde River. Recreational off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity was heavy. Four citations were written to OHV operators for driving in the closed riparian area.
PARKER STRIP PATROL: Officers Dee Pfleger and Jodi Niccum patrolled the Parker Strip over pre-Easter weekend. Approximately 30 boats were contacted and three citations issued (two no fishing license; one insufficient personal floatation devices). Despite the windy weather, lots of people were out enjoying the sunny days. As a side note, Pfleger has been named the Boating Safety Officer of the Year.
TURKEY SURVEYS: Officer John Millican coordinated the spring turkey surveys in Unit 35A in southern Arizona. The number of turkey sightings appears to be lower than last year. As a side note, the special Gould's turkey tag holder already took his gobbler, a 25 pounder with a 141/2-inch beard.
RABID FOX FOUND: A fox in St. David was killed and it tested positive for rabies. A bobcat killed by a dog owner also tested positive for rabies. Another fox in the area was acting "funny." A trap has been set for it.
Reports of rabid foxes continue to come in from the Chiricahua Mountains. Chiricahua National Park has had numerous confirmed rabid foxes still showing up in Portal. On April 14 a camper was bitten. He went to the hospital in Willcox. The fox was transported to the University of Arizona laboratory for testing.
ALLIGATORS CONFISCATED: Wildlife officers in Phoenix recently served a search warrant on a west Phoenix resident. Two alligators were seized, one 6 feet 7 inches and the second 7 feet 6 inches. The suspect had the reptiles since they were young. He kept them in the backyard, surrounded by an electric fence.
Game and Fish officers were able to subdue the alligators with the assistance of Phoenix Police officers. The alligators were taken to a new holding facility built by the Phoenix Herpetological Society to temporarily hold these types of animals until after court adjudication. Once the case is adjudicated, the alligators will likely be placed in a permanent facility.
FISHING CLINIC FOR AT-RISK KIDS: Natalie Robb, Jimmy Simmons, Henry Apfel, and Tim Holt conducted a fishing clinic for "At Risk" kids in cooperation with Gila County Sheriff's Office and Gila County Search and Rescue at Lake Roosevelt.
There were 66 young people attending from Gila County and the San Carlos Indian Reservation. They learned how to fish for bass, crappie and carp. It was an enjoyable experience for all involved.
NEW GENERATING STATION HELPING WITH WETLANDS: A company building a gas-fired power plant near Phoenix is working with the Game and Fish Department to develop a wildlife wetland.
Sempra Energy Resources is building a 1,000-megawatt natural-gas-fired generating station in the Arlington Valley area south of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The company purchased approximately 3,000 acres of land to obtain approximately 15,000 acre-feet per year of groundwater rights for plant operations. Only 100 acres of the 3,000 total will be developed for the power plant.
For the past two years, the Game and Fish Department has been working cooperatively with Sempra Energy to develop a wildlife habitat enhancement project that includes creating a seasonal wetland for resident and migratory birds.
CROWN C RANCH WATER PROJECT: Wildlife and livestock on the Crown C. Ranch now have a new water source thanks to a water hole development project. The homeowners have committed to establishing a year-round water supply to benefit wildlife and livestock.
ADULT CARE FISHING: The Desert Harbor retirement community at 91st Avenue and Thunderbird is participating in a pilot project to provide fishing enjoyment to the elderly in adult care situations. The Game and Fish sport-fish education coordinator created a loaner site at the retirement community with 20 sets of fishing rods and tackle. The equipment will be monitored and checked in and out by one of the facility staff.
This facility is located adjacent to an artificial lake with fishing opportunities. A fishing clinic has already been held at the facility with good initial participation. The project is part of the department's continuing outreach efforts to nontraditional customers.
WEST NILE VIRUS TESTING: The Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Center at Adobe Mountain is working with medical personnel and a federal laboratory to test the amount and timing of West Nile Virus vaccinations for birds. West Nile Virus) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first detected in the Untied States in 1999. West Nile Virus has been reported in other states, but not in Arizona.
ASARCO HELPING NATIVE FISH: ASARCO is providing mitigation funding to develop a native fish production facility at the Game and Fish Department's Robbins Butte Wildlife Area near Buckeye. The money is being funneled to Game and Fish through the Army Corps of Engineers.
MILITARY COORDINATION MAKES WATER HOLE POSSIBLE: Arizona Game and Fish Department coordination with the Air Force, Marines and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in redeveloping a critical water hole for wildlife near Tacna. The newly redeveloped water hole will provide a reliable source of water for bighorn sheep and a variety of other wildlife species.
MASTER GARDENERS GETTING WILDLIFE FRIENDLY: Game and Fish biologists assisted in this year's Maricopa County Extension Service Master Garden Tour by providing information about native plant landscapes and wildlife at one of the featured gardens in Scottsdale.
The master gardeners were provided more than 400 copies of the department's Landscaping for Wildlife guides and answered questions during the "Backyard Wildlife Habitat" tour.
DOVE TRAP BUILDING: The Yuma Rod and Gun Club is purchasing materials to construct bird traps for a dove banding project that will be conducted throughout Arizona this summer.
The purpose of the project is to establish band recovery rates and document dove movements within Arizona. Similar efforts are being conducted in many states as part of a migratory game bird research program. The entire project will take three years to complete.
BIRDING FESTIVAL GETS ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEWS: Game and Fish personnel who participated in the 3rd Annual Yuma Birding and Nature Festival report that the participants were very enthusiastic. Game and Fish helped finance this local eco-tourism event with $10,000 from the department's Heritage Fund.
Organizers, planners and attendees considered this eco-tourism opportunity a success. There were 461 registered participants who came from all across the United States and as far away as England. The weather was perfect, and the post event evaluations indicate the enthusiastic crowd of birders and nature goers had a terrific time.
The festival has a long list of supporters, including Paradise Casino, Arizona Public Service, Gowan Corporation, Southwest Birders, Yuma Civic & Convention Center, Ingram Design & Associates, The Yuma Daily Sun, Shangri-la RV Resort, KYMA Channel 11, Adelphia Cable Company, Arizona Western College, Yuma Audubon Society, Underhill Transfer Company, Coca Cola Bottling Company, City of Yuma, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Yuma Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bureau of Reclamation, Yuma Crossing Heritage Area, and the Arizona Department of Tourism.