Daily Archives: May 23, 2016

Prescribed Fire Planned for Tusayan Ranger District Friday and Saturday

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TUSAYAN — Due to above normal precipitation and cooler temperatures over the last month, conditions on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are within prescriptive levels and are suitable for fire managers to continue treatment of the 8,000-acre Russell Prescribed Fire project southeast of Tusayan.

Crews plan to begin ignitions near the area of Russell Tank and the Arizona Trail beginning Friday and expect to complete a 429-acre unit by the end of the following day. Smoke may be visible from Highways 64 and 180, and from the communities of Valle and Tusayan, but is not expected to impact residential areas.

Fire managers strive to minimize smoke impacts and will only conduct ignitions when conditions exist that will allow smoke to ventilate away from sensitive areas. Smoke is expected to disperse to the northeast during the day. Residual smoke may settle into drainages and low lying areas overnight but will dissipate rapidly throughout the morning hours. The Arizona Trail will remain open during operations, but hikers are advised to use caution and observe signs and directions posted along the trail.

Notifications of upcoming prescribed burns are provided regularly throughout the season. The public can find this information online or through the recorded hotline. Contact your local Kaibab National Forest office for additional information.

Got bonus points? Protect them with “PointGuard”

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PointGuard_Logo_ColorPHOENIX — All of us know what it feels like to deal with the frustration and disappointment of an unforeseen event. After all, life happens.

That’s why the Arizona Game and Fish Department is excited to announce an innovative new program in “PointGuard,” which essentially will provide hunters with peace of mind in knowing that they can surrender their hunt permit-tag for any reason without losing their coveted bonus points.

A bonus point is an accumulated credit that authorizes the department to issue an applicant additional computer-generated random numbers during a draw. An applicant accumulates a bonus point each year in which he or she submits a valid application and does not draw a hunt permit-tag. PointGuard ensures that if a successful applicant is unable to participate in a hunt for any reason, the accumulated bonus points that were expended to draw that hunt permit-tag will be reinstated.

Here are the requirements:

  • PointGuard is available to applicants who apply online for a hunt permit-tag.
  • All applicants must sign up for a free AZGFD Portal account to purchase PointGuard (visit www.azgfd.gov, click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the home page, then select the “Create an Account” option).
  • PointGuard is $5 per species, per applicant, purchased at the time of completing the online application, or prior to the application period deadline. The fee is non-refundable.
  • Only one hunt permit-tag may be surrendered, per species. If an applicant is drawn in the future for that particular species, that hunt-permit tag must be used, expending all accumulated bonus points. Only then may an applicant participate again in PointGuard.

The primary applicant (the person who takes the lead in completing the online application for the other applicants) will be prompted to purchase PointGuard at the time of completing the online application. That primary applicant can purchase PointGuard for each additional applicant who has a verified Portal account. This process must be completed prior to the application period deadline, which is 11:59 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, June 14.

Here is the process to surrender a hunt permit-tag:

  • A hunt permit-tag must be surrendered prior to the close of business the day before the start of that particular hunt.
  • An applicant who has purchased PointGuard will present the original hunt permit-tag to be surrendered, along with a completed tag surrender application form, in person to any customer service representative at any of the department’s statewide office locations.
  • The hunt permit-tag being surrendered and PointGuard purchase will be verified by the department.
  • The department will restore all accumulated bonus points for that particular species, including the bonus point the applicant would have accrued if not successful in the draw.
  • The hunt permit-tag fee is non-refundable.

A person who donates, or transfers, his or her hunt permit-tag to a qualified nonprofit organization, also can participate in tag surrender, provided the requirements listed above are fulfilled. An acceptable proof of the transfer must be provided to the department (a receipt from the qualified nonprofit organization, for example). The tag surrender application form and an acceptable proof of the hunt permit-tag being donated must be completed within 60 days of the donation, and no less than 30 days before the next application deadline for that particular species.        

According to rule (R12-4-118), the department has several options for the reissuance of a  surrendered hunt permit-tag. The proximity to the start of a particular hunt, the type of hunt permit-tag, and demand for that hunt permit-tag will factor into how it will be reissued.

For more information, call (602) 942-3000.

Feeding wildlife a “selfish act” that can lead to bigger problems

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MESA — A nuisance bear is being sought after repeatedly showing up at the Pioneer Pass campground in the Tonto National Forest. A sub-adult male bear was captured in Parks, Ariz. and had to be relocated. A mountain lion is suspected of killing a Mesa family pet. Javelinas attacked a Fountain Hills resident and her dogs. It’s the time of year when wildlife are on the move, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) cautions people to take steps to reduce wildlife interactions with humans.

“In spring, many wildlife species venture out of the hills looking for new home territories, water and food, and that often brings them into town. People who love wildlife should understand that feeding wild animals puts them in danger,” said Jay Cook, regional supervisor at the AZGFD Mesa office. “When wildlife learn to view humans as a food source, they lose their fear of people, and that can lead to attacks that end badly for both humans and wildlife.”

The problem of wandering wildlife is not confined to Arizona’s rural communities because even Arizona’s biggest cities are surrounded by deserts, forests and riparian areas. Smaller prey animals like ground squirrels, rabbits, mice and birds are also abundant in urban areas, and their presence will attract predators, too. While feeding birds and tree squirrels is legal, some counties have ordinances against feeding other wildlife because of the dangers it can pose to both people and wildlife.

Predators like mountain lions, coyotes and bears are common and abundant in Arizona, and though they are elusive and not always seen, they know that human habitation often signals available food. Arizona Game and Fish advises homeowners to discourage migrating wildlife from staying by eliminating temptations such as outdoor pet food and water dishes, over-full bird feeders that attract rodents, open trash containers and even small pets left outdoors.

It’s equally important to discourage or “haze” predators such as coyotes and mountain lions by making loud noises, waving your arms and throwing things to scare them away. Cook says anything that makes wild animals uncomfortable around humans will help teach them to stay clear.

“It’s a selfish act to put food out to attract wildlife into town for your viewing pleasure,” said Cook. “We want people to think twice before luring wildlife into trouble by feeding them.”