PHOENIX - Arizona has received national recognition for a groundbreaking program that helps keep our wildlife from going thirsty, even during a drought.

You may not realize the Arizona Game and Fish Department has a team of experts who, with the help of volunteers, create water catchments, piece by piece, even in remote areas so that deer, elk, bighorn sheep and other wildlife can always have water. This team has just received the prestigious Presidents Award from the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI).

The award was presented to the department at a special ceremony March 18, during the 70th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Arlington, Va. It recognizes a federal, state or provincial conservation agency for exceptional programs and activities that improve natural resources management.

"The Arizona Game and Fish Water Development Program was selected over a host of other outstanding nominees," says Richard McCabe, executive vice president of WMI. "In particular, we commended the program for its publications on wildlife water development design standards and summary of the importance of artificial watering structures, as well as its mapping, prioritizing, scheduling, and monitoring of new and existing developments."

WMI also lauded the department's emphasis on communication and involvement with external customers and stakeholders.

"Our program would not succeed without the support of numerous sportsmen's and conservation groups and land management agencies," says Michael Demlong, water development program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "Their contributions have been invaluable."

According to Demlong, this program has seen a number of significant achievements in the past few years, among them:

• Publication of "Wildlife Water Development Design Standards," which illustrates proven components, designs and materials specifications, and has been distributed to federal, state and tribal agencies, city and county governments, and sportsmen's and conservation organizations.
  
  
• Publication of a wildlife water development "biological vision" document summarizing the importance of artificial water sources.
  
  
• Design and implementation of a searchable, Web-based database archiving all known department wildlife waters in the state, including approximately 2,000 to 3,000 managed by federal agencies.
  
  
• Design and installation of a remote monitoring device (transmitted via radio frequency) that tracks the water level in a development, and provides data and weather information through an Internet site.
  
  
• Creation of an implementation schedule, a list of funded projects, and when they will be developed.

The department's development branch and water development team are spearheading the program. For more information, contact Michael Demlong at (623) 236-7483 or mdemlong@azgfd.gov.