Category Archives: State Government

2022 spring hunt draw results now available

Posted on by

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has released the draw results for 2022 spring hunts for turkey, javelina, bison and bear, and raptor capture.

AZGFD portal accounts now are the sole source for finding out draw results and viewing bonus points. Customers can create a free portal account (family account features are now available) at accounts.azgfd.com/Account/Register. Draw results no longer will be provided through the automated phone system.

A portal account allows customers to create a secure account where they can view and manage their contact information, as well as their licenses, draw results history and bonus points in their personal “My AZGFD Dashboard” section. For questions about creating a portal account, call the department at 602-942-3000 and press “7.”

By the numbers:

  • 31,789: The total number of hunt permit-tags issued.
  • 63,918: The total number of those who applied for hunts or bonus points.
  • 45,460: The total number of applications submitted.

All hunt permit-tags are expected to be mailed by December 3.

ATV use on highway shoulders illegal, unsafe

Posted on by

PHOENIX – While all-terrain vehicles are a popular way to explore off-road areas, the Arizona Department of Transportation reminds ATV riders it is illegal and unsafe to drive these vehicles along state roadways.

The shoulders of state highways are only to be used only for emergencies, not for joyrides.

ATV users create many hazards when they drive on shoulders. At a minimum, they are a distraction to passenger and commercial traffic on the highway. At driveways and on sharp curves, they can surprise other drivers and lead to near-misses or crashes. And on unpaved shoulders, ATV riders can kick up dust that blinds drivers who are traveling at highway speeds.

ATV use also damages the areas along highways. The vehicles destroy vegetation and erode unpaved areas, which can cause steep drop-offs at the edge of pavement and at driveways. When enough damage occurs, ADOT maintenance crews are needlessly diverted from other important functions as they work to repair damage from off-road vehicles.

The problem applies no matter where ATV riders are improperly using highway shoulders, but the issue is more pronounced in certain areas. This includes State Route 188 in the Tonto Basin, where curves and elevation changes only make the problem more pronounced. Also northwest of Wickenburg, heavy ATV use is an issue along SR 89 between US 93 and SR 71.

ADOT reminds off-road vehicle operators they can be cited for illegal use of highway shoulders, including for damage to state or private land.

State Employees Charitable Campaign raises money for charities

Posted on by

PHOENIX — The State Employees Charitable Campaign (SECC) annually provides Arizona state employees with an opportunity to voluntarily contribute monetary donations that support hundreds of nonprofit charities.

The public can show its support for three of those 501(c)(3) nonprofits by purchasing raffle tickets for a chance to win from a wide selection of brand-name outdoors equipment, which includes the grand-prize winner’s choice of a 2021 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 EPS or a 2021 Sea-Doo Fish Pro and trailer.

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit Wildlife for Tomorrow and the Arizona Elk Society, both of which work closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Together, the organizations provide needed support for habitat projects, water for wildlife, education and mentored activities where traditional resources aren’t adequate. Special Olympics Arizona also will benefit to help assist more than 22,000 Arizona athletes who participate in the program.

RideNow Powersports has donated a 2021 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 EPS ($18,837 MSRP) and a 2021 Sea-Doo Fish Pro with trailer ($16,199 MSRP) to be raffled as the grand prize. The Arizona Elk Society is hosting the fundraiser on behalf of the three charities and has donated six additional prizes to increase the number of winners — 55-quart Canyon coolers (second and third prizes), Vortex Diamondback 10×42 binoculars (fourth and fifth prizes), and Canyon Nomad soft-sided coolers (sixth and seventh prizes).

The raffle ends at 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) November 28, with a live drawing scheduled for December 11 at RideNow Powersports in Phoenix at 17202 N. Cave Creek Road.

Public’s help needed to detect, prevent spread of fungus deadly to bats

Posted on by

PHOENIX — Results from monitoring work this spring suggest that Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, may be present in samples collected from multiple species in five counties across California and northwestern Arizona.

The analytical results for these samples are considered “inconclusive” based on established national standards for the disease, which means they do not provide definitive evidence of the fungus being present in those bat populations. However, officials note they do underscore the importance of increased surveillance for WNS and the public’s help in reporting sick or dead bats on the landscape.

Federal and state agencies are asking the public to report any sick or dead bats found on the landscape. Sick or dying bats observed during winter may be a sign of WNS and can lead scientists to important roosting locations.

The general public should not handle bats but can report bat sightings to park rangers or state biologists. In California, the public can help conserve bats by reporting bat colonies (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Bats/Report-Colony) and sick or dead bats (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/Monitoring/WNS). In Arizona, the public can report bat colonies or observations of sick or dead bats to bats@azgfd.gov.

Natural resource managers in California and Arizona are monitoring the rapid spread of WNS across North America and watching local bat species for evidence of Pd. As part of routine surveillance conducted by the National Park Service (NPS) in April and May, biologists collected samples from bats in Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and a private property in Chester, California. The sites span a region that includes Inyo, San Bernardino, Shasta and Plumas Counties in California and Mohave County in Arizona.

Samples were analyzed at Northern Arizona University (NAU) and suggest that DNA from the fungus may be present in very low amounts on seven bat species from these sites, including two species not previously known to carry Pd. However, it is also possible that these inconclusive results do not reflect a true presence of Pd on these bats.

Similar findings were first reported at Grand Canyon National Park in 2019 and one site in Plumas County, California in 2018.

White-nose syndrome is a serious concern for wildlife managers across North America, as it has caused significant population declines in several susceptible bat species. Bats become infected during hibernation through physical contact with other bats or a contaminated roost surface, enabling the disease to spread quickly through a colony. The disease is not known to pose a direct health risk to people, pets or wildlife other than bats.

Federal and state officials in Arizona and California have been collaborating and preparing for the possible arrival of the fungus for many years. In support of the national response to WNS, surveillance for Pd and WNS is administered by the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the NPS, NAU, Bat Conservation International and many other state and federal agencies and partners. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has partnered with the NPS and others to screen bats for the fungus since 2016. These agencies, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Bureau of Land Management and other partner organizations will continue to work together to monitor for Pd and WNS in the region.

People can protect bats and help slow the spread of the fungus by honoring closures in caves, old mine adits and other areas used by bats. Additionally, people can help slow the spread of WNS by decontaminating caving and climbing gear and other equipment used in areas where bats live, and avoiding the transport of this equipment to other locations used by bats. Visit https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org for more information.

Bats are essential for healthy ecosystems and contribute at least $3 billion annually to the U.S. agriculture economy through pest control and pollination. White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America – with mortality rates of up to 100 percent observed at some colonies – since it was first seen in New York in 2006. To date, WNS has been confirmed in bats from 37 states and seven Canadian provinces. Pseudogymnoascus destructans has been found without confirmation of disease in two additional states (Mississippi and New Mexico).

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue funding to support Arizona’s sport fish stocking program

Posted on by

PHOENIX — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) as part of the Environmental Assessment (EA) of its proposal to continue to fund, in part, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) sport fish stocking program over the next 10 years.

The FONSI decision means that FWS can continue funding to support AZGFD’s hatchery operations and fish stocking activities that provide recreational opportunities for anglers.

As part of the Proposed Action, conservation measures were incorporated that will offset or reduce the effects of the stocking action to the level that is not significant to the human environment and ultimately contribute to conservation and recovery of native species. The conservation measures were developed as a coordinated effort between the FWS’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), FWS Arizona Ecological Services Office, and AZGFD.

The FONSI decision followed an EA process that analyzed two alternatives, the Proposed Action and the No Action alternative. After review of public and agency comments received on the Draft EA, WSFR and the Arizona Ecological Services Office and AZGFD revised the conservation measures to provide additional detail and clarification. The final EA reflects these modifications, provides corrections to the document where warranted, and adds clarification as requested in public and agency comments.

Under the Proposed Action, funding will support stocking of sport fish at 186 individual sites in selected rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and tanks in the state. It will also support continued operations and maintenance of five AZGFD hatcheries that rear sport fish (primarily trout) for stocking. The actions in this alternative are the most comparable to the stocking program that has been in place since 2011.

Hundreds of thousands of Arizona residents and nonresidents take advantage of the state’s recreational fishing opportunities each year. There were 6,009,716 angler use days (AUDs) of fishing in Arizona, with a total annual economic impact of $1.47 billion based on 2013 numbers (Duda 2014; Fedler 2014). The demand for angling opportunities in Arizona is anticipated to further increase given current trends and projected models of population growth, especially in close proximity to urban areas.

Under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950, FWS has the authority to provide federal funding to state wildlife agencies for management and restoration of sport fish, as well as public use and benefit from those resources. Funding is provided on a match basis through the WSFR program. Sport Fish Restoration funds through that program come from a federal excise tax on certain fishing equipment and a portion of motorboat fuel tax revenues. In July 2021, Arizona received about $8 million in Sport Fish Restoration Act funds.

Public comment period extended for draft Environmental Assessment for continued fish stocking in Arizona

Posted on by
PHOENIX — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) today extended the deadline for the public to comment on the draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) of Arizona’s sport fish stocking program. The original June 11 deadline has been extended for two weeks, until June 25, 2021, to allow for more comment opportunity. The methods of providing public comments remain the same as in the original announcement and are described below.
The dEA is part of a process to continue to allow federal Sport Fish Restoration funding to support AZGFD’s long-standing program of stocking fish for public recreational opportunities, and for hatchery operations and maintenance. Each year, thousands of anglers in Arizona take advantage of the fish stocking program, which is funded in part by federal dollars from the Sport Fish Restoration Program and augmented by state dollars from fishing license sales.
Every 10 years, USFWS and AZGFD evaluate the social, economic and environmental effects of Arizona’s stocking program, and pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), prepare a dEA that analyzes possible actions or alternatives. The preferred alternative for the agencies, also known as the Proposed Action, would allow AZGFD to continue its stocking program for the next 10 years and also includes conservation measures to reduce potential impacts on federally listed or sensitive native aquatic or semi-aquatic species.
Members of the public are encouraged to review and provide comments on the dEA. Written comments can be submitted from May 11, 2021 through 5 p.m. (Arizona time) on June 25, 2021. Comments can be either:
•    Emailed to fw2fa@fws.gov, or
•    Sent by U.S. Mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attention Dave Weedman, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086 (must be postmarked no later than June 25, 2021).
Your written comments—including personal identifying information, such as name, address, phone number, and email address—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask that personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Two Facebook Live sessions with information about the dEA were held June 1 and June 2 and are available for on-demand viewing:
•    View the June 1 session – covers AZGFD northern regions (1, 2, 3).
•    View the June 2 session – covers AZGFD southern regions (4, 5, 6).

Fire Restrictions Elevated to Stage 2 Across All National Forest and Coconino County

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest will implement Stage 2 fire restrictions across the entire forest on June 11 at 8 a.m. due to increasing fire danger and the need to prevent human-caused wildfires during potentially dangerous fire conditions.

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions also go into effect in the Coconino and Prescott Forests and Coconino County.

A temporary area closer order will also be implemented to protect the Bill Williams Mountain watershed just southwest of the City of Williams due to the area’s susceptibility to uncharacteristically severe wildfire and the post-wildfire flooding that would potentially result.

STAGE 2 PROHIBITIONS:

1. Igniting, building, maintaining, or using a fire, including charcoal and briquettes.
2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three (3) feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of any flammable material.

THE FOLLOWING ACTS ARE PROHIBITED FROM 9:00 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M.:

3. Operating a generator, chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine for felling, bucking, skidding, processing, road building and woodcutting during industrial operations or firewood gathering capable of igniting a fire.
4. Using an explosive.
5. Blasting, welding, or operating any acetylene or other torch with an open flame.

EXEMPTIONS:

1. Persons using a stove or grill that is solely fueled by pressurized liquid petroleum or pressurized liquid petroleum gas (LPG) fuels in an area at least three (3) feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of any flammable material.
2. Persons operating generators with an approved spark arresting device in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the generator.

CLOSURE AREA:

The restricted area in the Bill Williams Mountain Closure consists of all National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the boundary beginning at the junction of County Road (CR) 73 and eastbound Old Route 66 in the City of Williams, then traveling south along CR 73 to its junction with Forest Road (FR)122, then following FR 122 west to its junction with FR 108, then following FR 108 north to its junction with I-40, then following I-40 east to the junction with Old Route 66 at the Country Club exit, then following Old Route 66 east, back to the point of beginning at its junction with CR 73, as depicted in Exhibit A of Order Number 03-07-21-13.

Fire restrictions are implemented to help prevent unwanted, human-caused fires and to limit the exposure of visitors during periods of potentially dangerous fire conditions.

These decisions normally occur when fire danger levels are very high and the potential for wildfire occurrences significantly increase. Criteria used to determine when to implement restrictions include carefully measuring current and predicted weather, fuel moisture, fire activity levels, enduring drought, and available firefighting resources. Fire restrictions typically remain in effect until the forests receive significant precipitation, at which time they will be rescinded, and the public notified.

Additional restrictions may be applied as conditions warrant. More information about the different stages of fire restrictions can be found on line at: bit.ly/KNF-FireRestrictions

Know Before You Go! The public can obtain current state and federal fire restrictions information across Arizona at wildlandfire.az.gov/fire-restrictions, and at the Coconino County website at: www.coconino.az.gov/firerestrictions

Reminder: Public comment deadline on draft EA for Arizona’s sport fish stocking program is June 11

Posted on by

PHOENIX — The deadline for submitting comments on the draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) for Arizona’s sport fish stocking program is 5 p.m. (Arizona time) on June 11, 2021.

The dEA is part of a process to continue to allow federal Sport Fish Restoration funding to support the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) long-standing program of stocking fish for public recreational opportunities, and for hatchery operations and maintenance.

Each year, thousands of anglers in Arizona take advantage of the fish stocking program, which is funded in part by federal dollars from the Sport Fish Restoration Program and augmented by state dollars from fishing license sales.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and AZGFD evaluate the social, economic and environmental effects of Arizona’s stocking program, and pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), prepare a dEA that analyzes possible actions or alternatives. The preferred alternative for the agencies, also known as the Proposed Action, would allow AZGFD to continue its stocking program for the next 10 years and also includes conservation measures to reduce potential impacts on federally listed or sensitive native aquatic or semi-aquatic species.

Two Facebook Live sessions were held June 1 and June 2.

Written comments on the dEA, which was made available for public review beginning on May 11, can still be submitted through 5 p.m. (Arizona time) June 11, 2021. Comments can be either:

  • Emailed to fw2fa@fws.gov, or
  • Sent by U.S. Mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attention: Dave Weedman, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086 (must be postmarked no later than June 11, 2021).

Your written comments—including personal identifying information, such as name, address, phone number, and email address—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask that personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Additional information

Recreational angling in Arizona created a statewide economic impact of more than $1.4 billion in 2013, according to the 2013 Economic Impact of Fishing in Arizona by Responsive Management (the last year such a survey was done). In fiscal year 2020, AZGFD sold 273,902 fishing licenses, generating revenue of nearly $14 million. During the last six years, AZGFD has stocked approximately 3 million fish per year. The majority of stockings were cold water species, such as Rainbow, Apache, Brook, Cutthroat, and Brown Trout. AZGFD also stocked warm water species including Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Redear Sunfish, and Bluegill.

In 2013, there were 5,979,637 angler days of fishing in Arizona. Sport Fish Restoration funding will make it possible for AZGFD to continue to meet part of this demand for public recreational angling opportunities on Arizona’s waters.

This information is also posted at https://www.azgfd.com/Fishing/FisheriesManagement/.

From Pens to Dens: A Record Number of Mexican Wolf Pups Fostered into the Wild

Posted on by

–Arizona Game and Fish Photo

PINETOP —​​​​​​​ A record 22 captive-born Mexican wolf pups were placed in wild dens to be raised in the wild by their surrogate parents after another successful cross-foster season. For six years, wild Mexican wolves have been raising captive-born pups as their own, helping to boost the genetic diversity of this endangered subspecies and moving the wild population towards recovery.

During April and May, nine pups were fostered into three different packs in eastern Arizona and 13 were fostered into five packs in western New Mexico.

“Fostering is an outstanding example of a working private-public recovery program. Wolf recovery has to recognize the importance of meeting genetic criteria, which requires many private organizations maintaining captive wolves for release into the wild. Without this important partnership, genetic recovery would be essentially impossible,” said Jim deVos, AZGFD Mexican Wolf Coordinator. “Importantly, we are now seeing Mexican wolves that have been fostered producing litters themselves supporting the use of fostering as an effective conservation tool.”

Cross-fostering is a proven method used by the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT) to increase genetic diversity in the wild Mexican wolf population. It involves placing genetically diverse pups that are 14 days or younger from the captive breeding population into wild dens with similarly aged pups to be raised in the wild by experienced wolves. The IFT has documented that cross-fostered pups have the same survival rate as wild-born pups in their first year of life (about 50%).

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remains committed to improving the health of the wild population of Mexican wolves, and cross-fostering is one of the many tools we are using to make progress in that direction,” said Allison Greenleaf, biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “To see this program continuing to have success is a true testament to the hard work of all our field staff and partners.”

Five different captive-born litters provided Mexican wolf pups for fostering into the wild population. The following facilities provided pups this year:

  • Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri: one litter provided two pups into the Owl Canyon Pack in New Mexico and three pups into the Elk Horn Pack in Arizona; a second litter provided three pups into the Lava Pack in New Mexico and three pups into the Hoodoo Pack in Arizona
  • El Paso Zoo in El Paso, Texas: one litter provided three pups into the Castle Rock Pack in Arizona and one pup into the Leon Pack in New Mexico;
  • Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Socorro, New Mexico: one litter provided two pups into the San Mateo Pack in New Mexico and two pups into the Leon Pack in New Mexico; a second litter provided three pups into the Dark Canyon Pack in New Mexico.

Aerial support for this year’s operations was provided by three private organizations: LightHawk Conservation Flying and APLux and Aero Charter. In addition, Arizona Game and Fish Department provided air support to facilitate fostering efforts.

“The cooperation between Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has allowed another record year, allowing us to improve the genetic diversity in the wild population and gaining on the goal for genetic recovery,” said Stewart Liley, Wildlife Management Division Chief at New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

Since the beginning of the cross-fostering program, the IFT has documented a minimum of 12 cross-fostered wolves currently alive and surviving in the wild. Seven of these wolves have reached breeding age (two years old) and count toward the Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan criterion for genetic recovery of the population. Four of these cross-fostered wolves have subsequently produced pups in the wild. Pups are too young to mark when fostered, therefore only those that are recaptured can be confirmed as being alive. It is likely that other fostered pups are alive and contributing to improving the genetic diversity of the wild population and helping meet recovery criteria.

The IFT will continue to monitor the packs that pups were placed in through GPS and radio telemetry signals from collars on older wolves within the pack to avoid further disturbance. Later, through remote camera observations and efforts to capture the young of the year, the IFT plans to document additional survival of cross-fostered pups.

The end-of-year census for 2020 showed a minimum of 186 wild Mexican wolves in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (72 in Arizona and 114 in New Mexico). This marked a 14% increase in the population from a minimum of 163 wolves counted at the end of 2019. The IFT documented a 24% growth in the Mexican wolf population in 2019, which has nearly doubled in size over the last five years.

Cross-fostering is a coordinated effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Lands Office, U.S. Forest Service, and the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan.

I-40 lane restrictions at Leupp Road starting June 2

Posted on by

FLAGSTAFF — The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drivers to plan for travel restrictions on Interstate 40 at Leupp Road starting Wednesday, June 2, as rehabilitation work is performed on the Leupp Bridge.

Drivers should slow down, proceed through the work zone with caution and watch for construction personnel while the following restrictions are in place from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 2; Thursday, June 3; Monday, June 7; and Tuesday, June 8:

  • East- and westbound I-40 will be narrowed to one lane of travel in each direction.
  • A vehicle width limit of 15 feet will be in place. Wider loads can be accommodated with advance notice.
  • The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph.

The Leupp Bridge is located about 50 miles east of Flagstaff. The bridge project is part of a $275 million investment ADOT has made to the I-40 corridor over the last five years. This includes improvements to 90 miles of roadway and 35 bridges.