Category Archives: State Government

Dove, band-tailed pigeon regulations now available online

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has posted the 2017-2018 Arizona Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon Regulations online at https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Regulations/.

What hunters will notice right away is the new format. The color brochure is easier to read and features important hunting information, such as season dates, daily bag and possession limits, and legal requirements, at a glance. The printed version should be available at all department offices and more than 200 license dealers by mid-August.

A youth combination hunt/fish license is only $5 and includes an Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp. Hunters 18 and older who want to hunt doves and band-tailed pigeons (as well as ducks, geese, coots, snipe and common moorhens) must possess a valid Arizona hunting license, as well as an Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp for the 2017-18 season. Both can be purchased online at https://license.azgfd.gov/home.xhtml, or any department office or license dealer.

The dove season begins September 1 and runs through September 15. The late season is November 24 through January 7, 2018. The band-tailed pigeon season is Oct. 7-20. For more information about hunting doves or band-tailed pigeons, visit https://www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Species/.

‘Tripod’ the three-legged desert tortoise, 50 others ready for adoption

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PHOENIX — A brutal round with a dog resulted in an amputated leg, but Tripod the three-legged desert tortoise is ready for a new home.

The surgery was conducted at the Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital and since then, Tripod – as he is affectionately known – has recovered at the Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Center, where he and 50 other desert tortoises are in desperate need of a forever home.

“When this tortoise was brought into the veterinary clinic, the damage was so severe that it’s left front leg needed to be immediately amputated,” said Tegan Wolf, AZGFD Tortoise Adoption Program coordinator. “Tripod has since recovered nicely and gets around perfectly fine on three legs.”

While Tripod is between 30 and 50 years old, dozens of other desert tortoises eligible for adoption vary in age and size. Arizona residents interested in providing an adoptive home to a desert tortoise can find an adoption application and packet with general information at www.azgfd.gov/tortoise.

Those applying to adopt a tortoise will be contacted by the department once their application is approved.

Adopters need to have a securely enclosed yard or separate enclosure in their yard, free from potential hazards such as a dog, fire pit or unfenced pool. The enclosed area must include an appropriate shelter for the tortoise to escape Arizona’s extreme summer and winter temperatures.

All of the desert tortoises eligible for adoption are given health exams before going to their new homes.

Desert tortoises offer a unique alternative to more traditional family pets and can teach many of the same life lessons to children, including responsibility, compassion and commitment. Contrary to many assumptions, desert tortoises can be interactive and provide companionship without as many demands as a cat or dog.

Traffic switch next week for Interstate 40 work west of Williams

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WILLIAMS – Drivers heading eastbound on Interstate 40 toward Williams and Flagstaff will use one of the westbound lanes for five miles starting Monday, August 7, while Arizona Department of Transportation crews begin rebuilding the eastbound section of highway.

The project, occurring between mileposts 156 and 161, will rebuild the roadway from the ground up, including laying a new foundation. This work will be a long-term fix for the winter-weather damage this stretch has seen through the years.

This past week, crews have been building a temporary road across the median at each end of the project for eastbound drivers which will create one lane in each direction on the westbound side of I-40. The traffic switch will occur early Monday morning and remain in place through the fall.

Motorists traveling in the area should slow down and plan for extra travel time through the project area.

Because of the critical nature of I-40 for truckers and travelers, ADOT worked to get this $34 million project started this summer.

In addition to this project, crews continue to repave 12 miles of I-40 in each direction closer to Flagstaff between mileposts 179 and 191. That $13.9 million project is about halfway complete.

Crews will also be doing minor paving repairs in the morning hours on August 8 and 9 on eastbound I-40 near the I-17 junction approaching the Butler Avenue exit.

For more information on this and other paving projects along I-40, visit azdot.gov.

ADOT-sponsored Construction Academy provides gateway to careers

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PHOENIX – Thirty-one individuals seeking a hand up obtained entry-level positions as flaggers on construction projects, paying $13 to $19 per hour, thanks to free training provided by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Those who took part in the flagger-certification program held this summer are the latest cohort in the Construction Academy Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program offered by ADOT’s On-The-Job-Training Supportive Services Program, part of the agency’s Business Engagement and Compliance Office.

Many of the recent trainees starting off as flaggers will move on to construction apprenticeships and later reach journeyman status as ADOT provides continuing support and guidance.

Flagger certification is just one of the training opportunities available to women, minorities and members of economically disadvantaged groups, including those who are out of work, through ADOT programs funded by the Federal Highway Administration. Individuals also can receive training that will help them become concrete finishers, block masons, highway surveyors, heavy equipment operators and commercial drivers.

ADOT’s goal in sponsoring this training: removing barriers to beginning construction careers.

ADOT-sponsored Construction Academies also are offered through Gila Community College, Gateway Community College and, starting this fall, Pima Community College and Pima County Joint Technology Education School District.

ADOT covers training costs and fees for participants and provides support including transportation and child care assistance, job-readiness training and safety gear such as hard hats and protective eyewear.

This past spring, for example, all 18 Construction Academy participants at Gila Community College landed jobs. They completed a 16-week program that included highway flagger certification, training in carpentry and job-seeking strategies, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration instruction on job-related safety and health hazards.

Participants in Pima Community College’s first Construction Academy will receive 10 weeks of similar training, while 30 students in the Pima County JTED Construction Academy’s construction and heavy equipment program will receive training that includes flagger certification.

Meanwhile, a Commercial Driver License Construction Academy that ADOT offers in Phoenix and Tucson helps participants obtain Class A commercial driver licenses to land trucking jobs in the construction industry. The ADOT Business and Compliance Office Construction Project Management Academy, launching this fall, will provide training for participants in the On-The-Job-Training Supportive Services Program as well as to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.

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

Public comment sought on draft recreational boating compatibility determination for Havasu National Wildlife Refuge

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LAKE HAVASU CITY — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft recreational boating Compatibility Determination (CD) for the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge System that is available for public review and comment.

The process began in 2015, and a previous draft CD was released in April 2016 and withdrawn after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided more deliberation was required. A copy of the revised draft CD is available online at: www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/HavasuBoatingCD-Draft-July_2017.pdf

The public comment and review period is open for 30 days: August 1-30, 2017. To be part of the record, comments must be submitted in writing and be received on, or postmarked by, August 30, 2017.

Send written comments to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
Attn: Draft Recreational Boating CD Comments
317 Mesquite Avenue
Needles, CA 92363

Comments also may be emailed to: havasu_comments@fws.gov

A public Listening Session is scheduled for Aug. 17, 2017. Details of that meeting will be posted at www.fws.gov/refuge/havasu/ once they are available.

“Public participation in this process is important to ensure future recreational activities on the Refuge offer quality experiences for all visitors while meeting the purpose of the Refuge,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, frequently asked questions, maps and other information will be posted soon at: www.fws.gov/refuge/havasu/

Arizona Big Game Super Raffle nets record $673,600 for wildlife

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PHOENIX – Winners of the 12th annual Arizona Big Game Super Raffle were announced Thursday night at Arizona Game and Fish Department headquarters in Phoenix.

The prizes included a total of 10 Special Big Game Tags, one for each of the state’s big game species – bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bison, turkey, bear, javelina and mountain lion. The permit-tags were awarded by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. Raffle tickets ranged from $5 to $25, depending on the species. A New Mexico elk hunt and Swarovski optics package also were raffled.

In the 12-year history of the raffle, more than $6.1 million has been raised for wildlife and wildlife management in Arizona. This year’s event generated a record $673,600, topping $633,750 in 2016.

The 2017 winners:

  • Bighorn sheep: John Donovan, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Black bear: Peter Migale, Novato, Calif.
  • Bison: Larry Lunsford, Carlsbad, N.M.
  • Elk: Martin Lindstrand, Damascus, Ore.
  • Javelina: Norman Unruh, Saragosa, Texas.
  • Mountain lion: Stephen Todd, Chandler, Ariz.
  • Mule deer: Roy Crouch, Artesia, N.M.
  • Pronghorn: Robert Sherer, Great Falls, Mont.
  • Turkey: Kent McClelland, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • White-tailed deer: Ryan Jackson, Kingsburg, Calif.
  • New Mexico elk hunt: David Knox, Lakeside, Ariz.
  • Swarovski optics package: Brett Zeis, Langdon, N.D.

The raffle is conducted by a nonprofit entity to raise money for wildlife conservation efforts. A volunteer board of directors, comprised of representatives from sponsoring organizations, oversees the operation of the raffle.

Every dollar raised for each species through the raffle is returned to the department and managed by the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee (AHPC) for that particular species. With input from local habitat partners across the state and sponsoring organizations involved in the fundraising, project priorities are determined that will provide the most benefit to each species.

Game and Fish officers keep Arizona’s waterways safe as part of Operation Dry Water

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PHOENIX — Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) officers made contact with hundreds of boaters the weekend before the Fourth of July as part of Operation Dry Water, a national awareness and enforcement campaign that targets people who are operating a boat or watercraft while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Alcohol is a top factor contributing to recreational boater deaths, and the initiative’s goal is to increase safety on Arizona’s lakes and rivers and reduce the number of fatalities and injuries.

This year’s weekend of enhanced enforcement took place June 30 to July 2, in advance of the Fourth of July, which fell on a Tuesday. During those three days AZGFD officers stopped 812 boats, 74 of which had a designated driver. Three arrests were made for operating watercraft under the influence, 94 citations were written, and two individuals were arrested for driving motor vehicles under the influence. Statewide, 89 AZGFD officers participated in the initiative.

The lakes and waterways patrolled were: Lake Havasu, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Lake Pleasant, Lake Powell, Apache Lake, Bartlett Lake, Canyon Lake, Saguaro Lake and Roosevelt Lake, as well as Bullhead City and Parker Strip along the Colorado River.

AZGFD has been participating in Operation Dry Water since the initiative began in 2009. AZGFD partners with local agencies on the effort, which is done in partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Although the legal limit for operating a boat in Arizona is .08 blood-alcohol content, an operator is in violation of the law and may be prosecuted for operating a watercraft while impaired to the slightest degree by alcohol and/or drugs.

While on the water, boaters should also keep in mind:

State law requires all passengers 12 years old and younger to wear a life jacket while onboard and that each passenger must have a properly fitting, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Drowning is the most common cause of death in boating incidents — always wear your life jacket.
Anyone being towed by a boat or on a personal watercraft, such as a Sea-Doo or Jet Ski, must wear a life jacket.
Know the “Rules of the Road.” Navigation rules identify who has the right of way and determine the required direction of travel.
Never allow passengers to board or swim while the engine(s) are running. A boat’s propeller can still be spinning while the motor is in neutral. Always make sure no one is near the propeller before starting the boat’s engine.
Paddle boards, kayaks and canoes are considered watercraft and users are required to have a wearable personal flotation device onboard while on the water. These watercraft must also follow the same navigation laws pertaining to all watercraft.

For more information on boating safety or to sign up for a boating education course, visit www.azgfd.com/Education/Boating/.

Arizona conservationists to be honored at 2017 Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet​ August 19

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PHOENIX – The Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation, together with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, will induct five individuals into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame.

The Foundation’s 20th Annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place during the annual Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Chaparral Suites Scottsdale at 5001 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale.

The inductees for this year’s event include:

  • Steve Hirsch, of Phoenix, is being inducted posthumously. Steve was a prominent attorney, avid outdoorsman and the son of Bob Hirsch, a prior Hall of Fame inductee and acclaimed outdoors columnist. Steve’s passion for Arizona and its wildlife led him to serve as a director and the president of the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation for more than 16 years. Steve’s leadership and vision provided the driving force for Wildlife for Tomorrow as it worked closely with the department to support projects that benefited the management and enjoyment of Arizona’s fish and wildlife resources, youth educational activities and projects that made a difference to wildlife habitat in our state.
  • Larry Voyles, of Phoenix, has devoted his 43-year career to wildlife conservation and outdoor heritage, including nine years as director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. He began his career with AZGFD as a wildlife manager and in 2008 was selected as the agency’s director. He worked to modernize the department and unified the 50 states’ conservation agencies to improve wildlife conservation efforts nationwide. He is a national leader in shooting sports, recruitment and retention.
  • Jean Wilson, of Yuma, who has served Yuma County readers for decades through her outdoors column in the Yuma Sun and has dedicated her life to encouraging families and children to appreciate the outdoors. She regularly runs clinics and classes designed to get people to enjoy fishing, hunting and archery.
  • Steve Clark, of Glendale, who is a founding member of the Arizona Elk Society and has worked tirelessly for the past 17 years to carry the organization and its mission forward. He also serves on the Arizona Livestock Recovery Board and the Arizona Natural Resources Committee, was recognized as Civilian Conservationist of the Year in 2010 by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and Conservationist of the Year in 2015 by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
  • Warner Glenn, of Douglas, a fourth-generation Arizona cattle rancher who operates two ranches in Cochise County. In addition to ranching, he operates the hunting guide service established by his father – legendary hunter Marvin Glenn. In 1991, Warner Glenn was among the founders of the Malpai Borderlands Group, a conservation ranching organization that established a system of scientific-based ecosystem management on more than 1 million acres of ranch land in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.

The Hall of Fame event will include a social hour and silent auction beginning at 5:30 p.m., with dinner being served at 6:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. The evening will also feature a live auction, exciting raffle prizes, and musical entertainment by the Back Porch Bandits.

Individual tickets are $70. A table for 10 is $700. A table of 10 and a full-page ad in the full-color banquet brochure is $1,200. The options for ordering tickets are:

  1. Download a ticket ordering form, fill in the requested information, and either scan and e-mail to duanewellnitz@yahoo.com or mail Wildlife For Tomorrow, c/o Duane Wellnitz, 719 W. Wildwood Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85045.
  2. Call Duane Wellnitz (Wildlife for Tomorrow Board Member and Ticket Chairman) at (480) 625-9540.
  3. Purchase your tickets on the Wildlife for Tomorrow website at wildlifefortomorrow.org.

Wildlife for Tomorrow was created in 1990 to enhance the management, protection and enjoyment of Arizona’s fish and wildlife resources. The foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide additional support for projects and education activities where traditional resources are not adequate.

The Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame was developed in 1998 by the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation to honor those who have made significant contributions to Arizona’s wildlife, the welfare of its natural resources and the state’s outdoor heritage.

ADOT detectives nab man accused of stealing identity of baby killed 35 years ago

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PHOENIX – A Tempe resident who allegedly stole the identity of a baby killed 35 years ago has been arrested thanks to Arizona Department of Transportation detectives’ use of facial recognition training and technology.

Acting on a tip from the Social Security Administration, ADOT’s Office of Inspector General found that Jeremiah Ash, 35, had for the past several years been using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of Michael Anthony Lewis II, who was 10 months old when he was killed in Oceanside, California.

ADOT detectives located the Arizona driver license in Lewis’ name and ran the photo through the facial recognition system. The system got a hit from Ash’s profile in the state’s driver license database. The detectives, who have FBI training in facial recognition, determined that both of the photos were of Ash.

In December 2012, Ash applied for an Arizona driver license under the stolen name at the Tempe MVD office. Two years later, he returned to apply for a motorcycle endorsement under the same name.

ADOT’s investigation found that Ash has an extraditable warrant out of Michigan for failure to pay child support. He was arrested on July 19 and booked at the Maricopa County Fourth Avenue Jail on identity theft and forgery charges.

A search warrant carried out by ADOT detectives at Ash’s Tempe residence uncovered falsified documents in the victim’s name as well as literature on how to steal a person’s identity.

The Social Security Administration provided the death certificate for Lewis, revealing that he was the victim of a homicide in 1982.

Ash used the same stolen identity in Florida to obtain a driver license. ADOT detectives notified Florida officials, who are now building their own case against Ash.

This case is one more example of how facial recognition technology used by ADOT’s Office of Inspector General protects Arizonans’ identities and helps prevent fraud involving state-issued driver licenses and identification cards.

Information sought on killing of pregnant mule deer near Saguaro Lake

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MESA — Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief program is offering up to a $1000 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the possible poaching of a mule deer doe.

On the evening of July 10, Maricopa County deputies received reports of shots fired, and found the dead deer in a wash north of the Butcher Jones Recreation Area of Saguaro Lake. The doe was pregnant and nearly full term.

“We hope the public will come forward with information regarding this incident,” Game and Fish Wildlife Manager Laura Orscheln said. “Losing a pregnant doe that was nearly full term equates to the loss of two deer from the population, not just one. It is a loss to wildlife enthusiasts across Arizona.”

The Department relies on the citizens of Arizona to assist in the reduction of wildlife violations. If you have any information or knowledge of this incident, please call the Department’s Operation Game Thief Hotline toll-free at 1-800-352-0700 or use the online form. Callers should reference case number 17-002615.

Callers will remain confidential and can remain anonymous if desired. A reward of up to $500 is being offered in this case for information leading to the arrest of the violator(s).

Each year, the Department pays cash rewards to individuals who report wildlife crimes in Arizona. Money for rewards comes from criminal poaching fines, civil restitution by violators who commit wildlife crimes, and donations.