Get draw results sooner with AZGFD Customer Portal account

PHOENIX — As the Arizona Game and Fish Department completes the random draw process for the 2016 pronghorn and elk seasons, hopeful hunters are being encouraged to open a free Customer Portal account.

Portal account holders will be among the first to get the news before the draw results officially are released. It’s quick, easy and free to create a Portal account. Just click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the www.azgfd.gov home page and then select the “Create an Account” option, filling in the requested information.

The Portal allows customers to create a secure account where they can manage and view their contact information, as well as their license and draw results information and bonus points, in their personal “My AZ Oudoors” section.

A Portal account is mobile-friendly, which means customers can view their information on their smartphone. It’s also a convenient way to gain access to the online license purchase and hunt draw application systems.

Meanwhile, the random draw process remains on schedule and should be completed by mid-April. The department is aware that applicants are eager to learn whether they will be receiving a hunt-permit. The department will post an announcement on its website and Facebook page when results officially are released. All permit-tags and refunds are expected to be mailed by April 22.

As always, applicants are encouraged to contact the department at (602) 942-3000, Option 2, with draw-related questions.

Volunteers needed for Arizona Antelope Foundation project

Pronghorn_-_FreePHOENIX — The Arizona Antelope Foundation is seeking volunteers April 15-17 for a fence modification project on Highway 82 from Sonoita east to Upper Elgin Road in southeastern Arizona.

The project activity includes modifying about 3.2 miles of existing fence in 10 different segments on the right-of-way of Highway 82. The bottom two strands of barbed wire will be replaced by a single strand of smooth wire 16 inches above the ground. All fence stays will be removed and replaced with new ones. The objective is to improve motorist safety and to help ensure that pronghorn regularly crossing Highway 82 do not get hung up within the right-of-way.

The project begins at 10 a.m. Friday, April 15; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16; and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 17. While this is a three-day project, the most pressing need for volunteers will be Saturday. If there are some volunteers who only can provide help for one day, Saturday would be the best for work crew allocations.

The Arizona Antelope Foundation will provide dinners Friday and Saturday nights, as well as continental breakfasts with coffee and juice Saturday and Sunday mornings. Volunteers are asked to provide their own lunches to eat in the field. Volunteers also should bring work gloves, snacks, water and personal gear.

Sign up by April 8 by e-mailing info@azantelope.org. For more information, contact Glen Dickens at (520) 247-4907. For a printer-friendly map to the campsite, visit www.azantelope.org.

ADEQ Awards $412,000 Water Quality Improvement Grant to Arizona Game and Fish Department

ADEQ logo resizedPHOENIX — Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today a $412,000 Water Quality Improvement Grant to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) to improve water quality in the San Pedro River, Little Colorado River and Oak Creek. AZGFD will provide more than $274,000 in matching funds.

ADEQ’s first formal agreement committing funds from both partnering agencies to specific projects in shared priority areas will also further the goals of multiple state and federal initiatives. Eligible projects will protect and restore water quality, grass and rangeland health and wildlife habitats in priority areas identified by ADEQ and AZGFD in the state Nonpoint Source Management Plan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Conservation Partnership Program and National Water Quality Initiative.

“We think this will be a great framework for broadening our audience and customer base, and also for potentially implementing projects at low or no cost to landowners beyond maintenance requirements,” said ADEQ Water Quality Division Director Trevor Baggiore.

Leveraging resources across state and federal partners will result in the reduction of impairment-causing pollutants, improvement of grassland habitat for wildlife, improved grazing practices.

Baggiore added, “Teaming up with AZGFD’s Landowner Relations Program, which has a longstanding, strong local presence and ties to rural water management areas, will strengthen ADEQ’s ability to partner with rural landowners in identifying priority on-the-ground projects.”

“Many of ADEQ’ water quality improvement goals dovetail nicely with grassland, rangeland and habitat improvement goals we share with ranchers and other partnering agencies,” said Wade Zarlingo, AZGFD Landowner Relations Program Coordinator.

ADEQ will evaluate the effectiveness of these projects for improving water quality. Matching funds for projects will be provided by a combination of AZGFD state funding, landowner contributions, in-kind services, and Arizona Department of Agriculture Livestock Crop Conservation Grant Program.

And you thought the Obama Executive Order privileged was bad.

forest-20121004 015There has been much todo about the abuse of the presidential executive order and, perhaps, rightly so. The regular old trustworthy media outlets will let you know it is much todo about nothing.

Executive orders were intended to inform the employees how they are to carry out the laws created by the Legislative branch (Congress). They were not to be used to circumvent those laws or create laws as they have been used by recent presidents.

But how would you feel if the employee of your employee could write their own “executive orders” with full force of law:

“…punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000.00 for individuals and $10,000.00 for organizations, or imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or both.”

Such is the case with Executive Order Number: 04-13-04-R by M. Earl Stewart of the Coconino National Forest, “Done at Flagstaff, Arizona this 13th day of March, 2013..”

The order is to prevent people from “Possessing or using a bicycle off of National Forest System Roads or trails in the restricted areas.” Those new restricted areas are as follows:

1.Schnebly Hill Area: SR89A to the west, Caner Canyon to the north, Schnebly Hill Road to the east and south.

2.Transept Area: Junction of Verde Valley School Road and Forest boundary in Section 11, then north to junction with Templeton Trail, then east to switchbacks next to private property, then further east to SR179, then south along SR179 to Forest boundary, then west to Verde Valley School Road.

3.Scheurman Mt. – Airport Area: Junction of Lower Red Rock Loop Road and Forest boundary in Section 28 west and north along Lower Red Rock Loop Road to SR89A, then east to Sedona High School and then east along boundary with private/Forest boundary north of Carroll Canyon, continuing east along private boundary north of the Sedona Airport to Brewer Road, then southwest generally following Oak Creek along Forest/private boundary to junction of Ridge Trail with Chavez Ranch Road, follow Chavez Ranch Road west to Upper Red Rock Loop Road, and then west to connect with Lower Red Rock Loop Road.

4.Possessing or using a bike is permitted ONLY in the following slickrock locations that are within the restricted areas, adjacent to a designated trail: Cow Pies, upper and lower Hangover saddles, slickrock between Hiline Saddle and “the Hiline chute”, slickrock bench above Yavapai Vista, and slickrock bench at junction of Templeton and Cathedral Rock trails.

Oh, unless you work for the “forest service” in which case you can drive vehicles of any kind throughout the forest or whatever as long as it is in the performance of your duty.

“This order is needed to prevent impacts to the highly erosive soils, Oak Creek water quality, archaeological sites, and the Casner Canyon RNA resulting from bicycle use off of National Forest system roads and trails,” the order claims.

Doggone bicycles! Ruining nature. I knew you were evil.

The fact that this can be done by a bureaucratic employee is disturbing enough. But according to a recent press release concerning HB 2551, Game and Fish Director Larry Voyles said, “[C]urrently state law says that if a federal entity establishes regulations related to roads, trails, routes and closed areas, they are automatically codified by Arizona state law and if a person operates outside the parameters of the federal regulation, that individual is automatically in violation of state law.”

That means that this Executive Order enjoys full coverage of Arizona State Law. This means that an employee of the employee of our national government can willey-nilley make a law completely bypassing that nasty old Tenth Amendment, the rights of the citizens of Arizona with no due interference from our State Legislature—not to mention in complete violation of the Constitution of the United States of America. And the State employee of the national employee of the national employee has to enforce it. And all without having to file one campaign finance report.

Get it?

Senator Chester Crandell and The Arizona Game and Fish Commission support the bill, “…but the commissions support is contingent on changes that will be offered by the commission allowing the State of Arizona to decide which federal rules and regulations will become enforceable by state wildlife officers under state law.”

By the way, we are not referring to any old H.B. 2551,

“Amending title 6, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding chapter 18; providing for the delayed repeal of title 6, chapter 18, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act; relating to financial institutions.”

We are referring to the new and improved H.B. 2551strike all” amendment that would,

“Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:

“Section 1. Section 28-1174, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

28-1174. Operation restrictions; violation; classification

&tc., &tc., ad nauseam.

You’re welcome. If we can confuse you any more, then we should be getting a check from George Soros.