Daily Archives: March 13, 2018

Volunteers needed to spotlight endangered black-footed ferrets

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SELIGMAN — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking volunteers to assist with spotlighting efforts to help document the population of endangered black-footed ferrets in Aubrey Valley and on the Double O Ranch near Seligman.

As part of the recovery effort, the department has scheduled two spring spotlighting projects – March 29-31 and April 26-29 (the department also conducts two spotlighting projects in the fall). The spotlighting method involves using high-powered lights to locate and identify black-footed ferrets. Their eyeshine is reflected by the spotlight and helps surveyors with identifying and locating these elusive, nocturnal carnivores.

Volunteers must have the ability to stay attentive from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. while spotlighting for black-footed ferrets and use, or learn how to use, a Global Positioning System (GPS). Volunteers can sign up by e-mailing azferret@azgfd.gov — with “spring spotlighting” in the subject line – by March 23 for this month’s project and by April 20 for the later opportunity.

Volunteers are reminded to include their full name, a contact phone number, month(s) and night(s) available to spotlight, and full names of others who also will be attending (a parent or guardian must accompany any youth under 18). Volunteers also should note any equipment they can bring, such as GPS, clipboard, headlamp, pen, binoculars, walkie-talkies, compass, cordless rechargeable spotlight, backpack or 4X4 vehicle.

A total of 19 individual black-footed ferrets were captured in 2017, slightly up from 16 in 2016. Of those 19, nine were captured in Aubrey Valley and 10 on the Double O Ranch. Almost 200 volunteers totaled 2,086 spotlighting hours over the course of the spring and fall projects.

Visit www.azgfd.gov/wildlife for more information about the black-footed ferret recovery effort.

Court denies Arizona’s request to stop U.S. Army Corp of Engineers’ planned high-flow water release at Alamo Lake

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PHOENIX — A federal court Friday denied the State of Arizona’s motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from conducting a high-flow water release at Alamo Lake beginning this week.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission on February 26 had voted unanimously to request that the Office of the Arizona Attorney General pursue the action.

The Game and Fish Department and Arizona State Parks have expressed concerns over the timing of the project. Game and Fish estimates the rapid draw-down of the lake at this time of year will disrupt reproduction and recruitment in fish such as largemouth bass and black crappie, as they are currently in pre-spawn condition in Alamo Lake and expect to be spawning during the proposed drawdown. In addition, as the lake is drawn down, the shallow areas will dry, and most, if not all, of the current spawning area and eggs would likely be lost.

Game and Fish says the loss of that segment of the fish population at Alamo not only would have biological impacts to the fishery, it would include negative impacts to the state and local economy. Alamo Lake State Park draws visitors from around the state for its premier bass and crappie fishing. Many anglers are reporting some of the best fishing at Alamo Lake in recent years and hope for another successful spring spawn that would be dependent on steady water levels keeping shoreline spawning beds submerged. Most of the visitation to Alamo Lake and Alamo Lake State Park occurs this time of year, and most of the visitors are anglers and boaters. The Department has additional concerns such as safety issues related to launching boats on ramps where cement slabs would be exposed.

The State’s complaint and motion for TRO filed March 2 contended the Corps violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in its proposed action by failing to adequately evaluate the impacts a high-flow release at this time would have on aquatic wildlife and recreation in Alamo Lake. The motion also contended the Corps’ proposed action would violate the Administrative Procedures Act by failing to comply with the Corps’ binding operational criteria to complete inspection and maintenance under normal operations as prescribed in the Alamo Dam and Lake Water Control Manual, the guiding document for operation and maintenance of Alamo Dam.

The Corps wants to drop the lake level by about 10 feet to facilitate inspection and maintenance of Alamo Dam’s intake sill. It proposes to do this by releasing water at a flow of up to 5,000 cfs, with a total release time not to exceed 20 days and the peak of the release to occur prior to March 15. The project will cause flows below Alamo Dam in excess of the typical non-flood flows of 20-50 cfs.

“We didn’t think this legal action was an egregious demand,” said Jim Ammons, chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. “We don’t object to the project, just to the timing of it. The Corps has failed to explain why the timing in March is the only option for it to achieve its objectives. We still believe it has other feasible options to do this project later in the year when it would have less of an impact on the fishery and the local economy.”