Category Archives: State Government

Mexican wolf population rises to at least 163 animals

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AZGF Photo

PHOENIX — The wild population of Mexican wolves continues to grow at a healthy pace. The recent Mexican wolf count shows the population of Mexican wolves has increased by 24 percent since last year, raising the total number of wolves in the wild to a minimum of 163 animals.

That number is among the findings of the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT), a task force comprising federal, state, tribal and international partners. From November 2019 through January 2020, the team conducted ground counts in Arizona and New Mexico that concluded with aerial counts of Mexican wolves in January and February.

According to the IFT, the 163 wolves are distributed with 76 in Arizona and 87 in New Mexico. Last year, the team documented 131 wolves at the end of 2018, which was a 12 percent increase from 2017. This population has increased an average of 15 percent annually in the last 10 years.

“The count shows we have more wolves, more breeding pairs and more pups born in the wild than ever before,” said Amy Lueders, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, NM. “This is the second year we have seen a significant increase in the wild population of Mexican wolves, a success that is directly tied to the science-based, on-the-ground management efforts of the Interagency Field Team.”

Among the 2019 findings:

  • At the end of 2019, there were a minimum of 42 packs of wolves (including 11 new pairs), plus 10 individuals. A wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves that maintain an established territory.
  • A minimum of 21 of the 28 packs the IFT was monitoring in spring of 2019 had pups; 19 of these packs had pups that survived to the end of the year.​​​​​​​
  • A minimum of 90 pups were born in 2019, and at least 52 survived to the end of the year (a 58 percent survival rate). Average survival of Mexican wolf pups is around 50 percent.​​​​​​​
  • The IFT documented 14 mortalities in the wild population of Mexican wolves in 2019. This is a 33 percent decrease from documented mortalities (21) in 2018.

During the aerial count, biologists captured 21 wolves and fitted them with new GPS tracking collars. This brings the number of collared wolves in the wild to 103 (63 percent of the known population). These radio collars use satellite technology to accurately record wolf locations on a frequent basis. Biologists on the IFT use this information to gain timely information about wolf behavior in the wild and assist with management of the wild population.

In 2019, the IFT placed 12 captive-born pups into five wild dens (a process called “cross fostering”) to boost the genetic variability in the wild population. The IFT has since captured and collared two of these pups and will continue efforts in 2020 to document others that may have survived. Since the first cross-fostering of Mexican wolf pups in 2014, the IFT has documented a minimum of nine cross-fostered pups recruited into the population and currently alive. Four cross-fostered wolves have survived to breeding age, resulting in multiple litters of genetically diverse pups born in the wild. Three more cross-fostered wolves will reach breeding age in April of 2020.

“The numbers highlight the wolf’s progress in the wild,” said Jim deVos, Assistant Director of Wildlife Management for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “The results of this census are very important as they reflect the great progress being made in the recovery of the Mexican wolf in the United States. The increase in the Mexican wolf population is not an isolated year, but rather a continuum of increases over the last 10 years.”

The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America. It is listed separately from the gray wolf (Canis lupus) as an endangered subspecies under the federal Endangered Species Act. Once common throughout portions of the southwestern United States and Mexico, it was all but eliminated from the wild by the 1970s.

Working with the Mexican government, the Service in 1977 began developing a captive breeding program to restore the wolf’s numbers. It started with seven wolves, aiming for the day the program could release wolves into the wild. That day came in 1998, when the Service, in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, released 11 wolves within a range called the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area in Arizona and New Mexico. In 2011, the program expanded to Mexico with the release of wolves in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Mexico currently estimates there are approximately 30 Mexican wolves in the Sierra Madre Occidental.

In November 2017, the Service completed a revised Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan, after working with state agencies and other partners. The recovery plan uses the best available science to chart a path forward for the Mexican wolf that can be accommodated within the subspecies’ historical range in the southwestern United States and Mexico. This revised plan provides measurable and objective criteria for successful recovery. When those goals are met, the Service will be able to remove the Mexican wolf from the list of endangered species and turn management over to the states.

In addition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department, partners in the recovery program include the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), USDA Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (USDA-APHIS WS), White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).

For more information on the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program, visit the USFWS Mexican wolf website (www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf) or visit the Arizona Game and Fish Department website on Mexican wolves (www.azgfd.gov/wolf).

Game and Fish Commission’s March 20 meeting in Tucson is canceled

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PHOENIX — Notice is hereby given that the meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, scheduled for March 20, 2020, in Tucson, is canceled.

Due to current conditions and CDC recommendations about public events, the Commission meeting will be rescheduled to a later date.

Winter Storm Watch

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From Coconino County Emergency Management

In partnership with the National Weather Service WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING ABOVE 6000 FEET Winter Storm Watch issued March 16 at 3:06PM MST until March 19 at 6:00AM MST by NWS Flagstaff AZ * WHAT…Heavy snow possible above 6000 feet. Total snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches with locally higher amounts of 16 inches possible. * WHERE…Areas above 6000 feet near Alpine, Doney Park, Flagstaff, Forest Lakes, Heber-Overgaard, Jacob Lake, Pinetop- Lakeside, Show Low and Williams. * WHEN…From Wednesday morning through early Thursday morning. * IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning or evening commute. Snow forecast from 6 AM Wednesday to 6 AM Thursday: Alpine 6 to 10 inches Doney Park 2 to 4 inches Flagstaff 8 to 12 inches Forest Lakes 9 to 15 inches Heber-Overgaard 3 to 5 inches Jacob Lake 4 to 8 inches Pinetop-Lkside 5 to 9 inches Show Low 3 to 5 inches Williams 8 to 12 inches.

AZGFD cancels 2020 Outdoor Expo

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PHOENIX — In response to current CDC recommendations about large community events, the Arizona Game and Fish Department 2020 Outdoor Expo has been cancelled. AZGFD’s top priority is the safety of attendees, staff, partners and volunteers.

We look forward to hosting the Outdoor Expo next year, scheduled for March 27-28, 2021.

For current public health resources and recommendations, visit azhealth.gov/coronavirus.

Leftover hunt permit-tags available for 2020 elk hunts

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PHOENIX — Arizona hunters still have an opportunity to receive a hunt permit-tag for select 2020 elk hunts.

There are 824 leftover hunt permit-tags — 677 for the minimal occurrence zone/low density (general) hunt in game management units 12A, 12B, 13A and 13B. All remaining hunt permit-tags will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis as follows:

By mail: Paper applications will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, March 23, and must be addressed to: Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn.: Draw/First Come, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. Note: There is no “mini” draw. Allow 10 to 15 business days to receive a hunt permit-tag by mail.
In person: If any leftover hunt permit-tags remain, they will be available for purchase beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, March 30, at any of the department’s regional offices statewide.

For a list of leftover hunt permit-tags, visit www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Draw/.

Some of the leftover hunt permit-tags are for Hopi hunt open areas and are available to everyone, both tribal members and non-tribal members, through the first-come, first-served process.

A number of leftover hunt permit-tags remain for military hunts at Camp Navajo, for those who qualify. For more information, visit dema.az.gov/army-national-guard/camp-navajo/garrison-operations/camp-navajo-hunting-information.

For more information, including license and hunt permit-tag requirements, view the “2020 Pronghorn, Elk and Raptor Capture Hunt Draw Information” booklet online, or call (602) 942-3000.

ADOT mourns highway worker struck and killed Wednesday

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PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation employee was killed Wednesday while setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area.

Frank Dorizio, 55, was a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, which helps keep Phoenix-area freeways safe by setting up traffic control, removing debris and assisting stranded motorists.

“While the Arizona Department of Public Safety continues its investigation, this is a tragic reminder that drivers must stay alert around construction zones and always be prepared for the unexpected,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Lives are on the line when dedicated highway workers like Frank Dorizio are making things better for all of us in work zones.”

Dorizio joined ADOT in October 2015 as a highway operations worker with the Little Antelope Maintenance Unit in northern Arizona. In 2017, he joined the Happy Valley Maintenance Unit in Phoenix. He joined the new Incident Response Unit last September.

“Whether or not we worked directly with Frank Dorizio, each of us at ADOT mourns his loss and honors his commitment to getting everyone safely home,” Halikowski said. “His co-workers and friends say the same thing about Frank: ADOT was his family, and he was committed to our agency’s mission and to the people of Arizona.”

Dorizio is the first ADOT worker since 1998 to be struck and killed while working along a highway.

To call attention to the need to stay alert around work zones, many of ADOT’s overhead message boards will show the following over the weekend:

ADOT WORKER KILLED
IN WORK ZONE
DRIVE ALERT

To learn more about Work Zone Safety, please visit FocusOnDriving.com and follow the Work Zone Safety link.

150 business days left until new TSA ID rules take effect

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There are approximately 150 business days left until October 1, and the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division reminds customers to get the AZ Travel ID to make it through federal TSA airport checkpoints starting on that date.

“The clock is ticking and people need to get their AZ Travel ID,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser Richards. “We don’t want to see travel plans ruined because flyers don’t have an ID that the TSA will accept. That’s a very real risk for people who don’t get an AZ Travel ID.”

Customers should begin the application process at AZTravelID.com. They can make an appointment at ServiceArizona.com to visit an MVD office, or visit an Authorized Third Party office that provides license and ID services.

In order to get the AZ Travel ID, customers need to bring in a document such as a birth certificate or valid U.S. passport to prove identity and a second document with their Social Security number. Finally, two pieces of documentation proving Arizona residency such as a utility bill, bank statement or something similar with a current name and physical address (not a P.O. Box) are also needed.

The AZ Travel ID replaces the current license or ID and resets the expiration date. The cost is $25, and under federal law, it’s valid for eight years.

Bowser Richards added, “There are customers who plan to simply use a passport even if they’re just flying to someplace like Atlanta, Denver, or L.A., which is their choice, but we suggest that the AZ Travel ID is more convenient. Other customers have told us they rarely, if ever, travel by air, but having an AZ Travel ID would be valuable in case of an unexpected trip that required air travel.”

For more information and to apply for an AZ Travel ID: AZTravelID.com

ADEQ issues fish consumption advisory for two northern Arizona lakes

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), in association with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), is issuing a fish consumption advisory for black crappie caught from Santa Fe Lake in Williams in Coconino County. There is also a fish consumption advisory for largemouth bass caught from Horsethief Basin Lake in Yavapai County and south of the community of Crown King. This advisory is based on recent analysis of fish tissue data that indicate elevated levels of mercury.

ADEQ recommends that adults limit consumption of black crappie from Santa Fe Lake or largemouth bass from Horsethief Basin Lake to 2.5 ounces (uncooked weight) per week and children 12 years of age and younger limit consumption to 2 ounces (uncooked weight) per month. Santa Fe Lake is home to a variety of fish. During the spring and summer, AGFD stocks the lake with rainbow trout, which can be eaten in unlimited amounts.

Generally, contaminant levels found in water are significantly lower than those found in fish tissue. Therefore, fishing, bird watching, swimming and other recreational activities at the lake are not affected by this advisory and are encouraged for enjoying the great outdoors.

Fish are an excellent source of protein and can be an important part of a healthy, diverse diet as they are low in saturated fat. The American Heart Association recommends people eat at least two fish or seafood meals every week. The public health recommendations in this advisory are based on frequent and long-term consumption of fish, not infrequent or occasional fish meals. AGFD and ADEQ maintain a Green Light Fisheries program listing fish species from specific waters that may be consumed without limits.

See Interactive e-Map for Green Light Fisheries and Fish Consumption Advisories

Financial Assistance Opportunities for Leaking Underground Storage Tanks

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House Bill 2704 has revised and enhanced financial assistance programs available to underground storage tank (UST) owners, operators and property owners.

Enhancements include:

  • Tank Site Improvement Program (TSIP)

– Increased maximum dollar amounts for each eligible activity
– Up to $15,000 per site for over-excavation of petroleum contamination found during UST removal

  • Preapproval Program

– Reimbursement for preparation costs and some non-preapproved activities
– Development of an expedited process to address corrective actions for newly discovered contamination

ADOT Construction Academy creates fast track to careers

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PHOENIX – A new full-time format for the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Construction Academy pre-apprenticeship training program readies participants for highway construction jobs in just two weeks.

The first cohort in the Highway Construction-Jump Start program graduated in October after hands-on instruction in Camp Verde. At no cost to them, seven participants received training and certifications needed to compete for entry-level jobs on construction projects.

Another cohort is currently receiving training in Phoenix, with graduation scheduled for Friday, November 8.

ADOT created its Construction Academy programs to remove barriers to careers in highway construction for women, minorities, veterans and members of economically disadvantaged groups, including those who are out of work.

The agency also offers the Construction Academy in a 16-week format, with participants receiving three hours of instruction three nights a week toward starting careers as masons on construction projects. The next 16-week programs are planned this coming spring in Phoenix and Prescott next summer.

With funding from the Federal Highway Administration, ADOT offers both programs through its On-The-Job-Training Supportive Services Program, part of the agency’s Business Engagement and Compliance Office.

“The new Jump Start program gives those who can participate full-time a fast track to careers in one of the best industries in Arizona,” said Steve Navis, manager of ADOT’s On-The-Job-Training Supportive Services Program. “Whether you can commit a full two weeks or a few nights a week over a longer period, we’re tailoring these high-quality adult education programs to you.”

Participants in the two-week program receive certification to work as flaggers on highway projects, commercial driver license permits needed to drive commercial trucks and Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-hour safety training certification covering general safety and health hazards for entry-level construction workers.

They also receive training in construction math, reading construction plans, work-readiness and resume-building.

Many of these trainees will move on to construction apprenticeships and later reach journeyman status, with ADOT providing continuing support and guidance.

Future two-week programs are scheduled in Tucson (February 3-14), Phoenix (March 2-13), Nogales (March 30-April 10), Globe (May 4-15) and Show Low (June 1-12).

In both programs, ADOT covers training costs and fees for participants and provides support finding employment as well as job-readiness training. Those with 100 percent attendance receive free gear including hand tools, tool belts and hard hats.

For more information or to apply for either Construction Academy format, please visit azdot.gov/Academy, call 602.712.7761 or pick up materials at the ADOT Business Engagement and Compliance Office, 1801 W. Jefferson St., Suite 101, in Phoenix.