 Background:
The Mexican spotted owl is a federally-listed threatened species, and
is considered a species of special concern by the Arizona Game
and Fish Department (AGFD), and a sensitive species by the U.S.
Forest Service. Camp Navajo is cooperating with Northern Arizona
University and AGFD on a forest restoration project in the western
portion of the installation. In 2000, AGFD biologists inventoried
approximately 14,000 acres based on consultation with the Fish
and Wildlife Service and Camp Navajo biologists to assess forest
restoration impacts on Spotted Owl habitat. In 2000, owls detected
by AGFD were assumed to be owls from the Volunteer Canyon area
and no nests or roosts were found. No Spotted Owls were detected
during the 2002 or 2003 survey seasons.
Location:
Camp Navajo is located on the Coconino Plateau about 10 miles west of
Flagstaff near Bellemont, AZ.
Approach:
After formal consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),
Camp Navajo biologists contracted spotted owl surveys on approximately
21,250 acres of ponderosa pine, pine-oak, and mixed-conifer forest in
1997 and 1998. Although no spotted owls were located on Camp Navajo,
in both years a spotted owl was detected during surveys and a pair of
owls (presumably the same pair) located at a roost site outside the boundary
of Camp Navajo, on the Coconino National Forest. We are currently in
the process of conducting surveys according to the U.S. Forest Service
Region 3 Mexican Spotted Owl Inventory Protocol, dated 2/96. The 2003
field season survey replicated the 2000 and 2002 surveys conducted by
AGFD, which established 42 calling stations in 4 inventory areas.
Benefits:
The presence of spotted owls occupying an area can be indicative of ecosystem
health. Intensive surveys and monitoring provide information about the
complex functions of the environment enabling us to make the adjustments
in conservation strategies or implementing forest restoration treatments
that will minimize impacts to Spotted Owls.
For more information
contact:
Mylea Bayless, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
.
Phone: (928) 213-9591 E-mail: mbayless@gf.state.az.us
Michael Ingraldi, Ph.D., Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
.
Phone: (928) 523-5625 E-mail: mingraldi@cybertrails.com
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