Game & Fish

Meeting will brainstorm Verde River @ Clarkdale Ideas sought to protect, restore and sustain river

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[Source: Philip Wright, Verde Independent, 2/2/2012] – The Verde River @ Clarkdale project gained traction in July as a means to help the local economy by improving public access and expanding recreational opportunities along the 2.2 miles of the river through Clarkdale. The project is expected to become an integral part of the Sustainable Clarkdale vision.

To that end, the town is inviting the public to bring ideas to a Verde River @ Clarkdale brainstorming meeting Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The goal of that meeting is to begin creating a framework for a comprehensive master plan for preservation, protection and restoration of the river and its habitat in Clarkdale.

According to a press release from the Community Development Department, meeting participants will work in groups to address various topics regarding the project.

Those topics include:

– Increasing recreation such as kayaking, hiking and birding.

– Expanding public river access within Clarkdale to include outfitter support, comfort stations and parking areas.

– Creating educational opportunities, which would include access and interpretive signage.

– Exploring alternatives to current ditch diversions to enhance the river’s flow.

The Verde River @ Clarkdale project got started last summer when Mayor Doug Von Gausig and Town Manager Gayle Mabery spent time making an inventory of underperforming assets in Clarkdale.

During a July council meeting Jodie Filardo, director of community and economic development, told the council that what Von Gausig and Mabery discovered was that key resources – the Verde River and related areas – are underutilized, inaccessible, and as a result, economically undervalued by the town and its residents. Filardo further reported that she and Von Gausig had already made contact with representatives of the American Rivers Blue Trails program. She explained that the American Rivers program would open up many possibilities, and possible funding sources, for a project such as the Verde River @ Clarkdale. At that meeting, the Town Council directed staff to pursue ideas for the Verde River @ Clarkdale project.

In late September, the council approved having staff go after two grants from the Heritage Fund of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Filardo reported to the council that the state had $112,500 available for Urban Wildlife and $50,000 for Public Access grants. She told the council that the Verde River @ Clarkdale project aligns well with both of those granting focus areas.

Lynx, Verde sites close for bald eagles

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[Daily Courier, 12/2/2011] Twenty-one sites on Arizona’s public lands are temporarily closing this month to protect bald eagle nesting sites. A portion of Lynx Lake and its eastern shoreline on the Prescott National Forest closed to the public Thursday and could remain closed as late as June 30. Six areas along the Verde River also closed Thursday and will stay closed as late as June 15.

Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier A bald eagle sits in a pine tree above Lynx Lake in this Daily Courier file photo.
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
A bald eagle sits in a pine tree above Lynx Lake in this Daily Courier file photo.

They include the Verde near Chasm Creek on the Prescott National Forest, and the river below Sycamore Canyon on the Coconino National Forest. People still can float through, but no foot or vehicle traffic is allowed. Aircraft also should stay at least 2,000 feet above the Verde and Salt river drainages, as well as Lake Pleasant and Alamo Lake.

“Bald eagles continue to do well in Arizona, but they are sensitive to human activity during the breeding season and it can take as little as 30 minutes of leaving the eggs uncovered for a breeding attempt to fail,” said Kenneth Jacobson, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Bald Eagle Management Program. “Cooperation from outdoor recreationists during the breeding season has been a major reason that the population continues to grow.” The bald eagle was federally listed as an endangered species in 1978. Nationally, the birds recovered enough to be removed from the list in 2007.

In December, Arizona bald eagles begin rebuilding nests in preparation for laying eggs. Bald eagles nest, forage and roost at the rivers and lakes that have become some of Arizona’s most popular recreation spots, and this time of year can be challenging for the birds. Game and Fish’s bald eagle management efforts are supported by the Heritage Fund, an initiative approved by voters 20 years ago to provide for wildlife education and conservation through Arizona lottery ticket sales.

People visiting bald eagle country can make an advance call to the local land management agency (Forest Service or BLM, etc.) or the Arizona Game and Fish Department to help them plan their trip to avoid disturbing bald eagles.

By following these simple guidelines, the public can help ensure that the state’s living wildlife legacy will last for generations to come:
• Enjoy bald eagles from outside the closures, especially during critical nesting times (December to June). These areas are posted with signs and/or buoys, and many have daily NestWatch monitors. A few good places to see bald eagles without disturbing them (during December and January) are at Lake Mary and Mormon Lake near Flagstaff, or on the Verde River Canyon Train in Clarkdale.
• Bald eagles protecting an active nest will let you know if you are too close. If a bald eagle is vocalizing and circling the area frantically, you are too close and need to leave the area quickly. Bald eagles incubating eggs or brooding small young should never be off the nest for more than 15 minutes.
• Help from anglers is especially needed. Monofilament and tackle has killed two nestlings and has been found in two-thirds of all bald eagle nests in the state. Every year, biologists remove this potentially lethal material from nests and/or entangled nestlings. Ospreys, shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds also succumb to this litter. Do not discard any type of monofilament along rivers and lakes, but recycle it at fishing stores. Keep your monofilament fresh; do not use old brittle line. Make sure to use the correct test line for the fish you are trying to catch. Also, do not cut the line when an undesirable fish is caught and return it to the water with the hook and line attached.

The public can help bald eagle research and recovery efforts by reporting any harassment or shooting of bald eagles. Call the Arizona Game and Fish Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement at 480- 967-7900.

Arizona Heritage Alliance named 2011 Conservation Organization of the Year by Arizona Game & Fish

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The Arizona Game and Fish Commission met on October 14, 2011 to select award recipients for their Annual Commission Awards. The Arizona Heritage Alliance was selected by the Commission to receive the 2011 Conservation Organization of the Year Award for its commitment and efforts in protecting, preserving and enhancing the Arizona Heritage Fund and its objectives.

The award will be presented at the Commission’s Annual Awards Banquet, which will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Carefree Resort & Conference Center.

Vandalism of public property along local Heritage Fund trail

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[Source: Derek Jordan, The Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review] – Police are investigating a report of criminal damage at Cochise College High Desert Trail in Sierra Vista after several information plaques along the trail were found to be defaced or damaged.

Along the 600-foot path are about a dozen laminated information panels atop steel frames, many of which are now scarred with the letters “BK” carved into the plastic. BK is most likely Blood killer. It’s gang graffiti,” said Officer John Papatrefon, one of two officers who responded to the outdoor teaching area located off of North Columbo Avenue between the college and Berean Academy around 8 a.m. Friday morning. One of these panels was torn from its stand and discarded in a nearby wash, while others, including a stone bench, were sprayed with black paint. Some of the destruction is not new, according to the officer.

“Some of the damage has been there a while,” although the sign that was broken off most likely happened the night before or early that morning, Papatrefon said. “I’m taking this a little personal,” said Jamie O’Rourke, a facilities maintenance technician with the college and the one who discovered the damage during his morning rounds. “I made all those steel frames.”

The trail, which was funded with a combination of grant money from the Heritage Fund Program of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, as well as donations and matching funds and labor from the college, was opened in June 2003. Surrounded by native plant and wildlife, the path serves as an outdoor classroom for instructors, said Tasneem Ashraf, chair of the Science Department.