Of California Condors, Pincushion cactus and Churro Sheep

[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.) 

 

Viewpoint: Where Does The Money Go Now?

[Source: Janice Miano, Director of Administration, Arizona Heritage Alliance] — In 1990, the voters of Arizona, through a voter-initiative, created the Heritage Fund to protect and conserve our state’s wildlife, natural, and historic resources.  The vision of children playing on new swings in new parks; the reintroduction of endangered species into our state; historic buildings restored to their former glory and new uses; the acquisition of open space and critical environmental habitat; all of these programs and more have become a reality because of the creation of the Heritage Fund.

Since the beginning over $338.5 million have been directed towards the saving and expanding of Arizona’s environmental, cultural, and historical resources.  In addition, millions of dollars in matching grant money and the re-investment in our natural and cultural resources have brought economic and environmental benefits into almost every community in our state.

Money for the Heritage Fund comes from the Arizona Lottery — up to $20 million in annual lottery revenue is divided evenly between the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Arizona State Parks.

This legislative session was going well with the Lottery reauthorized via Senate Bill 1004 and signed into law by Governor Brewer on February 9.  This bill stated that the Arizona Lottery would be reauthorized with all its beneficiaries intact.

You have all seen those warm and fuzzy commercials on TV and in the newspaper telling us of all the wonderful projects the Arizona Lottery supports?  It’s called How The Money Helps on the Arizona Lottery’s website.  However, how does the money help now?  Well, it doesn’t help anymore.  The Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund is DEAD, FINI, KAPUT – killed by Governor Brewer’s stroke of her pen on March 18 with Budget Reconciliation Bill HB2012.

Where dose the money go now? HB2012 makes temporary and permanent law changes relating to state revenues in order to implement the FY 2010-11 state budget.  And for FY 2009-10, redirects state lottery distributions to the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund after February 1, 2010 through the end of the fiscal year to the state’s General Fund.  The bill also REPEALS the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund and REVERTS any monies remaining in the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund on June 30, 2011 to the state’s General Fund.

Do you still want to buy Lottery tickets? Remember the Heritage Fund was created by the voters of Arizona and the original statute (ARS 41-502 and ARS 17-297) said, “In no event shall any monies in the fund revert to the state general fund…”

Along with Governor Brewer, please remember these names.

  • Senators voting to eliminate the State Parks Heritage Fund were: Sylvia Allen; David Braswell; Chuck Gray; Jack Harper; Barbara Leff; Al Melvin; Russell Pearce; Ed Bunch; Linda Gray; John Huppenthal; Steve Pierce; Thayer Verschoor; Frank Antenori; Ron Gould; John Nelson; and Senate President Bob Burns.
  • House Members voting to kill the State Parks Heritage Fund were: Ray Barnes; Tom Boone; Judy Burges; Rich Crandall; Doris Goodale; Laurin Hendrix; Bill Konopnicki; Rick Murphy; Michele Reagan; Carl Seel; Andrew Tobin; Jim Weiers, Steven Yarbrough; Nancy Barto; David Gowan; Russ Jones; Debbie Lesko; Lucy Mason; Nancy McLain; Warde Nichols; Frank Pratt; Amanda Reeve; Jerry Weiers; Cecil Ash; Andy Biggs; Steve Court; Adam Driggs; John Kavanagh; John McComish; Steve Montenegro; Doug Quelland; David Stevens; Vic Williams; and Speaker of the House, Kirk Adams.

In 2007, the Morrison Institute said, “The Heritage Fund stands out in part because of the diversity of programs it supports.”  The Arizona Heritage Fund has supplied valuable programs and resources for the residents of Arizona and those who visit the state.  The economic, environmental, education, tourism, and quality of life benefits that result from the Heritage Fund are too important to the citizens of Arizona to be lost!

The Arizona Game & Fish Heritage Fund is still intact but for how long?

Viewpoint: Abuse of public lands forces restrictions

[Source: Steve Ayers, Verde Independent, 3-20-2010] — Once again, vandalism and abuse of public lands is forcing those whose job it is to protect those lands to limit access.  This week, the Arizona Game & Fish Department announced that it would restrict motorized access to its Upper Verde River Wildlife Area beginning April 22.  The agency’s move comes in response to years of vandalism, along with the continued destruction of habitat from illegal use of off-road vehicles.

The 1,089-acre property is prime riparian habitat that includes three miles of the very upper reach of the Verde River along with a mile-long stretch of Granite Creek.  It was purchased by the state using Heritage Fund money from the lottery in 1996.  “The problem has been ongoing for several years now,” said Zen Mocarski, public information office for AZGF.  “There has been a lot of off-road vehicle abuse, a lot of fences have been cut, a lot of habitat destruction.”  Mocarski says the property is managed for its wildlife and riparian area and those management goals take precedent.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Viewpoint: Don’t tolerate the closing of state parks

[Source: Roxanne Cary Cheney, Eastern Arizona Courier, 3-17-2010] — I want to commend Diane Saunders for her March 7 article about the potential closure of Roper Lake.  However, I need to clarify some of the data.  Roper Lake is budgeted for four full-time employees.  If Roper Lake closes, it will cost Graham County about $5 million in lost revenue and about 70-80 jobs.  That loss cannot be tolerated!  Do the legislators and governor hope to make a ghost town out of our fair community?

Additionally, the governor has now stolen the Heritage Funds and directed them toward her bottomless pit (of a) mismanaged budget.  The Arizona State Parks Board Heritage Fund was established in November 1990 by voter initiative and provides up to $10 million annually to Arizona State Parks from Arizona Lottery proceeds (A.R.S. §41-503).  Another $10 million annually goes to the Department of Game and Fish to conserve natural resources and protect endangered species.  This portends the ultimate lifeline for State Parks.  Do our state administrators have any answers for the one lucrative revenue source they are killing?  Yes, they will let private companies manage a few of the parks, as it works so well in California State Parks.  This is NOT true.  Californians can pay up to $70 for the luxury of going to a mismanaged and dirty state park that is now managed through a concessionaries contract.  Do not let this happen. Flood your legislators with letters or phone calls.

Please call your legislators today and let them know you will not tolerate the elimination of the state parks as we know them today.  If you would like to be a part of the ongoing fight to save our state parks, please join the Friends for Roper Lake.  You can contact me at 775-230-2225 or [email protected].