Tag Archives: Arizona Game and Fish

James Ammons becomes chairman of Arizona Game and Fish Commission

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PHOENIX — James Ammons assumed the role of chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission on July 1. Charged with leading the five-member commission for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, Ammons has been serving on the commission since 2014 after being appointed to a five-year term by then-Gov. Jan Brewer.

Ammons replaces Chairman Edward “Pat” Madden, whose term as chair expired June 30. Madden will continue to serve on the commission through the end of the year until a successor is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Commissioners’ five-year terms are staggered, and each commissioner traditionally serves as chair during his or her final year.

A third-generation Yuma native with a passion for hunting and spending time in the great outdoors, Ammons has extensive experience in both business and wildlife issues. Ammons has owned and operated River Cities Adjusters, a Yuma-based transportation service, since 1978 and served as a board member of AEA Federal Credit Union. He is a life member of the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club where he has served as a board member and president. Ammons was named the club’s “Sportsman of the Year” in 2010 and played an instrumental role in implementing policy and bylaw changes that allowed membership for women.

Ammons has worked on multiple waterhole development projects, various wildlife conservation initiatives, and Bureau of Land Management recreation management planning. He is a member of numerous organizations, including the Arizona Antelope Foundation, the Arizona Mule Deer Association, the Arizona Elk Society and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Ammons also is a life member of the Wild Sheep Foundation, Grand Slam Club and the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society.

“As chairman, I look forward to a continued productive working relationship between the commission, department and public to ensure that Arizona’s wildlife is protected, conserved, enhanced and managed,” Ammons said.

The commission oversees the Arizona Game and Fish Department and establishes policy for the management, conservation and harvest of wildlife. The commission makes rules and regulations for managing, conserving, and protecting wildlife and fisheries resources, and safe and regulated watercraft and off-highway vehicle operations for the benefit of the citizens of Arizona.

For more information about the commission, visit www.azgfd.gov/commission.

Outdoor Writers Association honors Arizona Game and Fish video producer

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PHOENIX — Arizona Game and Fish video producer David Majure recently received three Excellence in Craft Awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA). Majure was recognized for his work on the department’s Arizona Wildlife Views TV show and received the following awards in the TV/Video/Webcast contest categories:

  • Second Place, Conservation or Nature Category, “Owl Rescue and Release”
  • Second Place, Family Participation/Youth Outdoor Education Category, “A Wild Time at Summer Camp”
  • Third Place, Gear/Technical Category, “Duck Decoys”

“David is a consummate video producer, whose storytelling talents have really raised the level of excellence of Wildlife Views TV,” AZGFD Information and Education Branch Chief Bill Andres said.

Winners were announced June 27 at OWAA’s annual conference in Missoula, Mont. Arizona Wildlife Views is a 13-episode half-hour program that airs on Arizona PBS (Channel 8.1, or Channel 1008 on Cox Cable), and city cable channels statewide.

The show is produced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Information Branch and can also be found at www.azgfd.gov/video.

The Outdoor Writers Association of America is an international organization that represents a diverse group of professional communicators dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. They inform the public about outdoor activities, issues and the responsible use of our natural resources.

Upgrades coming to Ben Avery Shooting Facility’s main range

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PHOENIX — When the Ben Avery Shooting Facility’s main range opens bright and early Aug. 30, recreational shooters will zero in on several improvements:

Earthen berms that serve as backstops for 67 shooting stations will be higher, more level and — most important — safer.
Target bumpers (which hold up the target frames) with re-stenciled lane numbers.
Refurbished shooting benches.

In order to complete more than $100,000 in improvements, the main range will be closed to the general public Aug. 14-29. The projects will be paid for through funding from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR). The Arizona Game and Fish Department does not receive general funds from the State of Arizona.

“While this work is going to inconvenience some folks, due to the extended duration of the closure, the work on the range is necessary to maintain the highest levels of standards of safety and stewardship that our customers have come to expect from the facility,” said Christopher Dean, range manager.

The two-week closure also will apply to the adjacent specialty ranges designated for user groups – Smallbore, Rifle 2 (which also will see improvements to its berm), Pistol 3 and Pistol 4.

Located on 1,650 acres in north Phoenix, the Ben Avery Shooting Facility is one of the nation’s largest publicly-operated shooting facilities, drawing more than 120,000 shooters each year. A City of Phoenix “Point of Pride,” the facility has received a five-star rating from the National Association of Shooting Ranges.

For more information, visit www.azgfd.gov and click on “Shooting,” or call (623) 582-8313.

Wanted: Your best wildlife photos

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PHOENIX — If you enjoy watching and photographing Arizona’s amazing wildlife, consider entering the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s annual wildlife calendar photo contest.

Send three of your finest wildlife photos via email or through a file-sharing website. Information and rules are posted at www.azgfd.gov/photocontest. As always, entry is free.

Winning images will be featured in the 2018 wildlife calendar, in the November–December 2017 issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. Cash prizes are awarded. Prize money is funded through publications sales.

Whether you’ve photographed a colorful hummingbird in flight, a bighorn ram perched on a rocky ledge or a rabbit sipping water from a pond, submit your best work. Your photo could be chosen as a winner or for honorable mention.

The contest accepts entries through August 11 at 5 p.m. MST.

Nominations sought for 2017 Game and Fish Commission Awards

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is soliciting nominations for its 2017 Commission Awards. The deadline for submission is Aug. 24, 2017. The purpose of these awards is to recognize Arizonans who have contributed significantly to the conservation of the state’s wildlife, its outdoor heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Nominations may include individuals, organizations, clubs, foundations or government agencies. Arizona Game and Fish Department employees are not eligible for nomination.

To submit a Commission Awards nomination, download a nomination form and submit the completed form and all supplemental materials to:
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Attn: 2017 Commission Awards
5000 W. Carefree Highway
Phoenix, AZ 85086

Nominations also can be submitted via email to lroe@azgfd.gov or faxed to 623-236-7299.

The submission deadline is 5 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2017.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will select the 2017 Commission Award recipients at its Sept. 8-9, 2017, meeting. The awards will be presented at the annual Arizona Game and Fish Commission Awards Banquet to be held on Jan. 13, 2018.
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AZGFD reviewing feds’ draft Mexican wolf recovery plan

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is reviewing the draft Mexican wolf recovery plan released June 29 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although the plan appears to address the substance of AZGFD’s lawsuit filed in June 2015, Department scientists are continuing to evaluate the plan in detail before submitting formal comments by the August 29 comment deadline.

The draft plan outlines several key strategic acknowledgements to ensure the success of Mexican wolf reintroduction, including the recognition of Interstate 40 in Arizona and New Mexico as the appropriate northern boundary for recovery encompassing all of this wolf’s historical range, as well as recognition of the critical role Mexico plays in any recovery effort within the U.S.

“This science-based plan provides a description of the Mexican wolf’s historical range to ensure proper genetic management between Mexican wolves and Canadian gray wolves that were transplanted into the northern Rocky Mountains, which are prominent in areas north of I-40,” said Jim deVos, assistant director for wildlife management for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “This affords agencies invested in wolf recovery a pathway toward preserving and protecting the Mexican wolf from genetic swamping that would jeopardize this uniquely smaller subspecies.”

Arizona Game and Fish’s involvement in Mexican wolf conservation began in the mid-1980s. Since that time, the Department has spent more than $7 million on wolf recovery in the state and has been the predominant on-the-ground presence working to manage Mexican wolves.

Genetic viability has been one of the most controversial elements of Mexican wolf recovery. “The Department is analyzing the plan, which appears to be developed on the best available science by Dr. Philip S. Miller, a world-renowned population viability analysis expert,” said deVos. “Based on Dr. Miller’s analyses, the plan includes explicit science-based numbers of wolf releases required to maintain a genetically diverse Mexican wolf population.”

DeVos also noted that the draft plan outlines criteria for formally delisting and down-listing the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies, and that it also formally recognizes the key role Mexico plays in any recovery effort, given that 90 percent of Mexican wolf historical habitat is within Mexico.

“In total, the plan provides management options and direction to future delisting of Mexican wolves as an endangered subspecies and addresses weaknesses in the 1982 recovery plan,” said deVos. “We will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies to ensure the success of wolf recovery efforts, in balance with other elements of the ecosystem, wildlife and the people who live, work and recreate on this landscape.”

In June 2015, AZGFD filed a lawsuit against the secretary of the Department of Interior and the Fish and Wildlife Service seeking an updated recovery plan – a requirement of the Endangered Species Act, the first update since the current plan was published in 1982. In April 2016, the Service signed a settlement agreement with AZGFD and other parties to complete a final revised Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan by the end of November 2017.

The public is invited to submit written comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the draft plan, either electronically (go to http://www.regulations.gov and enter the docket number FWS-R2-ES-2017-0036 in the search bar), or by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R4-ES-2017-0036, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. Comments must be received on or before Aug. 29, 2017. To view the draft recovery plan and other documents, visit https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/MWRP.cfm.

The Service also will hold two public meetings in Arizona to provide an opportunity for citizens to learn about the revised Mexican wolf recovery plan and to provide written comments. The dates and times of these information meetings are:

  • Tuesday, July 18, 6-9 p.m., Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University’s Prochnow Auditorium, South Knowles Drive.
  • Wednesday, July 19, 6-9 p.m., Pinetop, Hon-Dah Resort’s Casino Banquet Hall, 777 AZ-260.

    • ​​​​​​​

Two additional public meetings will be held in New Mexico: July 20, 6-9 p.m., Truth or Consequences, Ralph Edwards Auditorium, Civic Center, 400 W. Fourth; and July 22, 2-5 p.m., Albuquerque, Crowne Plaza Albuquerque, 1901 University Blvd. NE.

The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, White Mountain Apache Tribe, USDA Forest Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services, and several participating counties in Arizona.

For more information on Mexican wolves, visit www.azgfd.gov/wolf.

​​​​​​​Bat workshop offers hands-on experience with AZGFD biologists​​

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SCOTTSDALE — Bats get a bad rap, but the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) aims to change that by highlighting all the good they do — such as eating pesky mosquitoes and flies — during a series of bat monitoring surveys Friday, July 21, July 28 and September 15.

The workshops and surveys run from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., cost $25 per person and will be held at Needle Rock Recreation Area northeast of Scottsdale. During the events, participants will help capture and identify local bat species alongside AZGFD biologists as part of the department’s overall bat conservation and monitoring efforts.

AZGFD biologist and Watchable Wildlife Program Manager Randy Babb will provide a dynamic evening experience educating participants about Arizona’s 28 species of bats, while netting over the Verde River. Attendees will help identify bats captured and collect important data before the animals are released unharmed.

Babb has worked on numerous studies and projects on small mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates in Arizona, New Mexico, the southeastern U.S., Mexico, Central America, Vietnam and southern Africa.

Babb has published widely on these and other subjects, and has participated in a bat survey of Vietnam’s Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, which was the latest segment of an ongoing biological survey that has been underway since 2002. Babb has also provided illustrations and photographs for numerous books including “Venomous Reptiles of Arizona,” “Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona,” and “Vampiro: Vampire Bat In Fact & Fantasy.”

Space is limited for the events so register early.
Participants should wear long pants, close-toed shoes, a hat and insect repellent, and bring water and a headlamp or good flashlight. To reach the events, head east on Rio Verde Drive to Needle Rock Road and head north 2.5 miles until you reach the fully developed recreation area.

Game and Fish develops proposed hunt guidelines

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking public comment on proposed hunt guidelines for the 2018-19 through 2022-23 hunting seasons.

The proposed guidelines were developed based on input received through written public comment and information gathered during a webinar and eight public meetings conducted statewide. The proposed guidelines can be viewed on the department’s website at http://azgfdportal.az.gov/hunting/guidelines (PDF).

Comments on the proposed guidelines may be submitted through August 2 to AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov, or by mail: Hunt Guidelines, Attn.: Amber Munig, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086.

The hunt guidelines provide the biological and social parameters used by wildlife managers to formulate the annual hunt recommendations (season structures, season lengths, season dates, permits allocated, etc.). These recommendations result in the hunts in which licensed hunters may participate. While hunting opportunity is important, wildlife is held in the public trust; therefore, using science-based principles to shape the guidelines process remains paramount to ensure healthy, sustainable and diverse wildlife populations in perpetuity.

“Your comments are important,” said Amber Munig, big game management supervisor. “The biological sideboards for managing wildlife and maintaining healthy, sustainable populations are fairly broad. Your input helps us fine-tune management within these sideboards. Please take a moment to give us your views.”

The final proposed hunt guidelines and all public comments, along with department responses to those comments, will be shared with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission at its September meeting in Flagstaff.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department does not receive general funds from the State of Arizona. The conservation and management of the state’s game animals is made possible by funding generated from the sale of hunting licenses, tags, and matching funds from the Wildlife Restoration Act, a federal excise tax that hunters and manufacturers pay on guns, ammunition and other hunting/shooting-related equipment.

Life jacket exchange events taking place Saturday, July 8

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PHOENIX — Have an old, worn out life jacket? Swap it for a new one. From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 8, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is holding life jacket exchange events at four locations throughout the state:

Lake Pleasant — 10-lane boat ramp
Canyon Lake — main ramp
Lake Powell — Wahweap Marina
Lake Havasu City — Windsor Beach

During the exchanges, people with old, worn and less-effective life jackets can swap them for a new life jacket, while supplies last.

It’s important that boaters check to ensure that all of their life jackets are in good condition and that they are the right size and fit for passengers. On average in Arizona, life jackets should be replaced every five years.

“While state law requires that anyone 12 and under must wear a life jacket when out on the water, it’s a good idea for all boat and watercraft users to wear one,” said Josh Hoffman, Boating Safety Education coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Wear it. Don’t just store the life jacket on your boat to check the box.”

New life jackets are much more comfortable, lightweight and stylish than the bulky orange style most boaters know. There are innovative options, such as inflatable life jackets, allowing mobility and flexibility for activities like boating, fishing, paddling or hunting and are much cooler in the warmer weather.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that in 2016 there were 4,463 recreational boating accidents, involving 701 deaths nationwide. In cases where the cause of death was known, 80 percent of fatal boating accident victims drowned and of those, 83 percent were not wearing a life jacket. In Arizona, there were five deaths from boating accidents last year.

“Wearing a life jacket could very well save your life,” Hoffman said.

For more information on boating safety or to register for a hands-on or online safety course, visit www.azgfd.gov/boating and click “Boating Safety Education.”

Agencies to conduct aerial survey of wild burros in North Valley

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AZGF Photo

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will partner on an aerial survey of wild burros in and near the Lake Pleasant Herd Management Area beginning June 19.

Residents and recreationists in the North Valley area may see or hear a small, low-flying aircraft near Lake Pleasant and in areas east of I-17 between Anthem and Black Canyon City, south of Carefree Highway and the Loop 303 freeway; and west to areas near Morristown and Wickenburg.

“The main goal of these efforts is to ensure healthy ecosystems along with a safe environment for the public, employees, and public land users. Limiting the number of animal encounters with people and motor vehicles through better management of wild burro populations in our state can help achieve this goal,” said BLM Phoenix District Manager Leon Thomas.

The survey is part of ongoing research studies to collect information to guide future management of wild burros in Arizona. These studies are part of vital partnership efforts between the BLM and state agencies to address the issue of overpopulation of wild burros in the state.

The aerial survey may take up to six days, during which the agencies will work to record the number and location of burros observed along pre-designated flight paths. Related to this survey, the AGFD is also embarking on a three-year study to evaluate the effects of burros on Arizona’s wildlife and their habitat. Information gained will further help inform the BLM’s management of wild burros in herd management areas.