Daily Archives: November 1, 2018

2019 spring hunt draw results now available

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AZGF Photo

PHOENIX — The wait is over for hopeful hunters who applied for a 2019 spring hunt permit-tag.

To view the draw results for the spring turkey, javelina, bison and bear hunting seasons, online applicants should log in to their Arizona Game and Fish Department portal account. Don’t have a free account? Simply click on the “My Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the www.azgfd.gov home page, then select the “Register” option and fill in the required fields.

Draw results also can be accessed by calling the department’s automated telephone system at (602) 942-3000 and pressing “2.” All hunt permit-tags will be mailed by Nov. 30. Refunds will be mailed by Nov. 16.

A total of 43,318 applicants – of which 42,784 applied online (98.8 percent) — vied for 34,030 total hunt permit-tags issued through the random draw. For those who were unsuccessful, a list of more than 8,200 leftover hunt permit-tags is expected to be posted online next week at https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Draw/.

The department will begin accepting applications for leftover hunt permit-tags Monday, Nov. 19 – by mail only – at 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086, Attn.: Draw/First Come. Leftover hunt permit-tags will be available for purchase on a “first come, first served” basis beginning Monday, Nov. 26, at all department offices.

For those who qualify, military hunts may be available at Camp Navajo. Visit https://dema.az.gov/army-national-guard/camp-navajo/garrison-operations/camp-navajo-hunting-information.

Red Cross Reminder: Check Smoke Alarms when Turning Clocks Back

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PHOENIX – Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend and when majority of the country turns their clocks back, the American Red Cross reminds them to also take these steps to make sure their household is prepared for emergencies. The State of Arizona, this is a reminder to check and install smoke detectors.

“It’s important for everyone to make sure their household is ready,” said Colin Williams, Regional Communications Officer with the Red Cross AZ, NM, El Paso,TX. “A disaster like a home fire can happen anywhere, at any time. We urge people to take these steps now and know what they should do if an emergency occurs.”

  • Check smoke alarm batteries. When turning the clocks ahead, take a few minutes to replace the smoke alarm batteries and push the test button to make sure the alarms are working. It’s also a great time to check carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Install smoke alarms. If someone doesn’t have smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Check local building codes for additional requirements.
  • Practice an escape plan. Make sure everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.
  • Get a kit. Keep disaster supplies in an easy-to-carry bag to use at home or carry in case ordered to evacuate.
  • Make a plan. Have all household members plan what steps they should take if an emergency occurs.
  • Be informed. Learn what emergencies can occur in the area and how officials notify residents should a disaster occur.

WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO: People can visit redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved homes from fire. They can also help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

WIC Program hours expanded

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FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Public Health Services District Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program has added new walk-in and Saturday hours to better serve clients. Clients can now access services without an appointment on scheduled walk-in days and on the second Saturday of each month at 2625 N. King Street in Flagstaff.

Walk-in hours:
Tuesday afternoons 2 – 4:30 p.m.
Thursdays 9 a.m. – noon & 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Fridays 8– 11 a.m.

Saturday hours:
2nd Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. – noon.

WIC services are also available Monday through Wednesday by appointment. Call CCPHSD WIC at 928-679-7250 to make an appointment or stop by during walk-in hours.

WIC is a public health nutrition program that provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and connections to community services for income-eligible women who are pregnant and postpartum, infants and children up to five years old. To learn more, call the CCPHSD WIC Clinic at 928-679-7850 or visit www.azwic.gov.

AZGFD takes action to reduce threats to bighorn sheep population

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File Photo. AZGF Photo.

YUMA – Multiple incidents of domestic sheep escaping their enclosures in southwestern Arizona have put Arizona’s wild bighorn sheep population in peril. Starting as far back as late September, an estimated 300 domestic sheep escaped temporary grazing areas on private land. Some have been rounded up but an unknown number with contagious diseases known to kill bighorns are unaccounted for. The escaped domestic sheep dispersed into bighorn sheep habitat in Yuma County.

Because these domestic sheep were observed mixing with bighorn sheep that live in the area, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has taken necessary steps to stop the transmission of disease. Domestic sheep have long been known to carry diseases for which bighorn sheep have limited defenses, and direct contact is not necessary to transmit disease. According to Mike Sumner, AZGFD regional supervisor, a small number of bighorns were euthanized to keep disease from spreading to other animals in the area.

“This is something no wildlife biologist wants to undertake, but to protect the 700-800 bighorn sheep that live in these mountains, we had to euthanize some individuals that had come in contact with domestic sheep,” said Sumner. “We value these individual animals, but must manage for the health of the whole bighorn population.”

On October 19, AZGFD personnel verified the presence of domestic sheep in bighorn habitat, and their owner gave the Department permission to remove them. Some of the domestics were found to be infected with contagious ecthyma, a painful disease which can prevent lambs from nursing and lead to mortality. The risk for disease transmission was considered high because of the length of time the domestic sheep were loose. Some domestic sheep as well as three bighorn sheep had to be euthanized.

In 2015, almost 40 percent of two bighorn herds in Montana north of Yellowstone National Park died after exposure to domestic ovine pneumonia. In the early to mid-1990s, domestic sheep and feral goats infected bighorns near Hells Canyon, Idaho, causing a catastrophic die off lasting almost a decade and killing 70 percent of the bighorn sheep populations spanning large areas of Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

AZGFD followed the guidelines of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which recommend euthanizing bighorns that have likely associated or had direct contact with domestic sheep or goats to reduce the spread of disease. Similar actions were taken in Utah (2010), Washington (2013) and Nevada (2016) to protect the larger bighorn populations.

According to AZGFD Veterinarian Anne Justice-Allen, quarantining bighorns for observation and treatment was not an option because it would take 4 to 6 weeks of repeated sample collection and testing to learn if these bighorn sheep were indeed infected.

“Holding wild bighorn sheep for that period would be stressful and likely would cause several animals to die,” said Justice-Allen. “In addition, the Department has no suitable holding facility. Relocating them to a zoo was not possible because of the risk of disease transmission.”

The escaped domestic sheep caused other problems for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, law enforcement and health officials. More than 50 domestic sheep were found dead in a canal in the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District.

Hunting/fishing license dealers will have option to charge convenience fee in 2019

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PHOENIX — Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) customers are advised that, effective Jan. 1, 2019, Arizona hunting and fishing license dealers will have the option to charge a convenience fee for license, tag and stamp sales at their locations. Licenses, tags and stamps purchased online from AZGFD or purchased at AZGFD offices are not subject to a convenience fee.

A change in the law (A.R.S. §17-338) allows dealers to “collect and retain a reasonable fee as determined by the license dealer in addition to the fee charged to issue the license or permit.” The law also eliminates the 5 percent commission that dealers currently deduct and keep from sales of licenses, tags or stamps. That means after January 1, the dealers will transmit to AZGFD the full value of the license for each sale and the dealers will retain the convenience fee, if any.

“The price that Arizona Game and Fish charges for hunting and fishing licenses, tags and stamps will remain the same as before,” said Doug Cummings, assistant director for support services. “Dealers will have the ability to charge a convenience fee, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will. It will be up to each dealer whether or not they charge a fee.”

Cummings pointed out that receiving the full monetary value of each license will benefit department programs, allowing more money to be put into wildlife conservation.

Game and Fish is stipulating that dealers who charge a convenience fee must post the amount in an area clearly visible to customers.

To buy a license online, visit https://www.azgfd.com/license/.

Getting a new license plate? No need to bring the old one back

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PHOENIX – Buying a vehicle that needs a new license plate, or upgrading to a specialty or personalized plate? The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is reminding motorists that you don’t need to return an old license plate to the MVD.

“We’re working very hard to get Arizonans out of line and safely on the road, and part of that is letting people know it’s okay to keep an old license plate instead of taking time out of a busy day to go to an MVD office,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards. “The only exception occurs if a plate is mutilated or illegible. In that case, the law requires a vehicle owner to get a new plate,” she noted.

She added, “Customers do have the option of transferring their current plate when they buy a different vehicle, but quite often if it involves merely a standard plate, people will just want to get rid of it. We want to make sure they know an office visit isn’t needed to do that. We also urge people who may not want to keep a plate to put it in their recycling bin as opposed to simply throwing it in the trash.”

For more information on plates and placards, visit azdot.gov/mvd