Game & Fish

Frog totals in the wild jump by 1,700

by

[Source: Sierra Vista Herald] – The Arizona wilderness became a bit more populated this week, thanks to a team of biologists from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the Phoenix Zoo’s Conservation Center. 

More than 1,700 threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs were released into the Tonto National Forest. The frogs, including adults and tadpoles, were released at multiple sites in the forest near Payson. The frogs were raised from eggs collected near Young. Additionally, 100 frogs that were bred and raised at the zoo were released last week near Camp Verde in the Coconino National Forest.  

“Thanks in part to Game and Fish’s Heritage Fund, we are making great strides in re-establishing Chiricahua leopard frogs to their native habitat in Arizona, and this release marks a significant accomplishment and milestone for the recovery effort,” said Michael Sredl of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Our goal is to work through partnerships to preclude the need to list species on the federal endangered species list, or in cases where they are already listed, to recover them to a point where they can be removed from the list.”

 Until the 1970s, Chiricahua leopard frogs lived in ponds and creeks across central and southeastern Arizona, but populations have declined significantly since then due to drought, disease, habitat loss and threats from non-native species. They were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2002.  A recovery team was created to help bring the species back from the brink of extinction. The team developed a recovery plan with the goal of recovering the species to the point where it can be removed from the endangered species list. The plan includes releases of captive-bred frogs, habitat restoration, and monitoring.

Helping desert tortoises the right way during monsoon season

by

[Source: Sonoran News .com] – Monsoon season brings one of the southwest desert’s most iconic creatures out of their burrows and out-and-about across the state. Desert tortoises are now in their most active season, and Arizona’s increased human population creates more risks for these slow-moving symbols of the Sonoran desert. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department asks the public to follow these important guidelines if they encounter a desert tortoise:

– Do not remove a tortoise from its habitat. Taking a wild tortoise home is illegal in Arizona. Additionally, most tortoises stay in the same small area their entire lives, so if you move a tortoise to a new location it will not know where to find food and shelter and will likely die.

– Do not release a captive tortoise into the wild. Captive desert tortoises cannot be released into the wild as they can pass diseases to wild populations and displace wild tortoises. It is also illegal to release captive animals into the wild.  

– Keep dogs away from both captive and wild desert tortoises. Even the most gentle dog can pose a serious threat to a tortoise. [to read the full article click here].

Parks board still dreams of the future

by

[Source: Payson Roundup, Peter Aleshire, 7-20-2010] – Get through the beating. But don’t stop dreaming.

That could serve as the motto of the Arizona State Parks system, reflected recently at a rare retreat and strategy session that brought the board to one of its most endangered treasures: Tonto Natural Bridge. The state parks board finds itself in the position of a scrawny kid getting punched out by a bully after his lunch money. The system is bruised, bloody and curled into the fetal position — but still making plans for college.

The world’s largest natural travertine arch formed an apt setting for the discussion, since the park system’s partnership with Payson to keep the Rim Country’s best known tourist attraction open served as a model to save other parks. As a result of the last-minute rescues by Payson and other counties and towns, the state parks board approved agreements to keep most of the sites in the 28-park system open — despite drastic reductions in its budget. [to read the full article click here].

Of California Condors, Pincushion cactus and Churro Sheep

by

[Source: Margaret Bohannan, May 2010] – It was a rare privilege to watch as Number 133 was released into the wild above the Vermilion Cliffs, a spectacular valley on the way to the North Rim.  As she soared away effortlessly on the thermals we were awed and thrilled.  She is part of an exciting program aimed at saving and reintroducing California condors into Arizona.

Her story is bittersweet.  She was one of the very first condors returned to the wild in the Grand Canyon area in the ‘sixties.  She was free for years, but then she came down with lead poisoning, the result of eating carrion killed with lead bullets.  She had to be recaptured and treated to save her life.  She recovered, though she was close to death, thanks to expert veterinary care and the oversight of the Peregrine Fund, in particular Chris Parrish and his team.

Number 133’s release was the highpoint of a two-day trip to the Vermilion Cliffs for some seven of us in late April.  The Arizona Heritage Alliance had organized this foray into one of the most magical areas of the state.  We arrived at the Lee’s Ferry Lodge, across the bridge from Lee’s Ferry, to be welcome by our hostess, lodge owner Maggie Sacher.   On our way over the bridge, my husband and I stopped and walked back across the abandoned bridge alongside the new one, to see if there were any condors around, and sure enough two of them were taking advantage of the thermals.

Next morning we were treated to an in-depth briefing on the condors’ history and reintroduction by Chris Parrish, who is in charge of the Peregrine Fund’s Grand Canyon program.  Tremendous effort and money has been deployed and the results are encouraging.  Between California and Arizona, there are now about 180 condors in the wild, with captive breeding programs in three states, for a total of 349 existing birds.  Chicks have been hatched in the wild and are doing well, thanks to the vigilance of Chris and his team.

Chris gave us an in-depth overview of the program, its biggest threat being the lead used in bullets that kill deer and elk.  The Arizona Game & Fish Department has launched a campaign to persuade hunters to use copper bullets, and to remove the gut piles from their kills.  Now there has been about 80% compliance – all voluntary.  However it is the 20% of noncompliance that poses a threat to the condors.  As a result each bird is recaptured about twice a year and tested for lead poisoning.  If found, they are treated either on-site at the Vermilion Cliffs or at treatment centers.

It was after our briefing that we drove to the base of the Vermilion Cliffs to watch Number 133 returned to the wild.  On the way back to the Lodge, Chris took us on a side trip to view the Brady’s pincushion cactus.  There nestled in the chalk shale, just above a chasm by the Colorado, we found them.  One really had to study the ground to spot them.  They are found nowhere else in the world.

Around supper that evening, one of the Condor team turned up, and just happened to mention that there were 12 condors at the bridge.  Suddenly the table was empty and our party had hightailed it to the bridge!

The next morning Maggie Sacher treated us to a tour of her facility, including her own kiva (not made of plastic!).  She has had the foresight to offer a home and a base on her property to the condor team.  In her little museum, she told the story of the churro sheep, which supplied the Indians of the area with a livelihood for centuries.  At one point in the early ‘20’s our benighted government decided that, as churro wool could not be processed by the gins, they should be replaced with merino sheep.  Another suspected reason was that the sheep were eating the cattle’s’ forage.  Government agents slaughtered them in their tens of thousands, leaving the Indians destitute and starving, the carcasses left to rot.   The merino sheep the government eventually gave the Indians didn’t have desert-country savvy and have to be watched all the time, whereas the churro sheep, akin to bighorn sheep, could take care of themselves.  Thus passed away an era and a tradition.  But the story doesn’t end there.

A few years ago some archeologists were exploring a remote area of the reservation when they came upon a small herd of churro in a hidden canyon.  They were gathered up and used for breeding.  There are now about 2,000 of them in existence, and a gin has been found in Texas to process the wool, which when woven into blankets is water-resistant.  (Pendleton markets them.)