| Camp
Navajo pronghorn: Migration, Timber Encroachment,
and Fences |
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 Background:
Because habitat quality determines future viability of pronghorn populations,
Arizona Game and Fish Department completed a statewide assessment of
pronghorn habitat in 1996. During that large-scale assessment, Camp
Navajo was completed in 1994 and revisited in 1996 as part of Game
Management Unit 6B. Major issues with pronghorn on Camp Navajo were
(1) fences around and within the installation did not meet standards
to allow pronghorn movements, (2) ponderosa pine densities were too
dense in many areas, (3) shrub diversity was insufficient to provide
optimal forage, and (4) water sources were unreliable and often in
forested areas. A finer scale assessment of Camp Navajo is warranted
to assist forest restoration plans and aid in developing a management
plan for pronghorn using Camp Navajo.
Arizona Game and Fish Department has been conducting a cooperative research
project on pronghorn in Game Management Units (GMUs) 6B-8-19A since October
1999. Radio-marked pronghorn were tracked from aircraft over the last 3
years to identify movement corridors and pronghorn interactions among GMUs.
Although approximate movement corridors were determined in several areas,
movements among patches of suitable habitat occurred rapidly, and the flight
schedule did not pinpoint exact travel routes, including how pronghorn
moved on, through, or around Camp Navajo. More detailed information on
movement corridors, using GPS-equipped collars collecting locations every
9 hours, will improve land use planning for maintaining connectivity between
Camp Navajo pronghorn and other pronghorn.
Location:
 Camp
Navajo encompasses about 50 mi2 south of Interstate
40 about 10 miles west of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Previous monitoring of pronghorn movements
suggests that Camp Navajo pronghorn also interact
with pronghorn from Rogers Lake, Fry and Mills
Parks Garland Prairie, Hat Ranch, Putney Flat,
Drake, Little Black Mesa, upper Lonesome Valley,
and the Phoenix Cement Plant herd on the Verde
River near Clarkdale. Thus, pronghorn movements
will likely include a much larger area up to
50 miles wide and ranging about 50 miles to
the south.
Approach:
GPS-equipped collars collecting locations every 9 hours have been attached
to 9 adult female pronghorn since mid-October 2003; additional pronghorn
will be collared if funding becomes available. These locations will be
used to evaluate detailed habitat use patterns and identify travel corridors
between seasonal ranges. Modifications to the statewide evaluation model
will be added from these results, with additional testing and assessment
of Camp Navajo and vicinity. Final plan development will incorporate knowledge
gained from the 18-month GPS study and habitat assessment.
Benefits:
Results from this project will provide detailed movement patterns allowing
evaluation of seasonal migration routes through timbered regions, the impact
of fences and fence types on pronghorn movements, and characteristics of
seasonal habitat use patterns. These findings will be used to develop a
pronghorn management plan for Camp Navajo and provide recommendations for
habitat improvement projects to enhance travel corridors for seasonal pronghorn
migration and for more localized movements between water sources and optimal
habitat types.
For more information
contact:
Richard Ockenfels, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
.
Phone: (623) 236-7221. E-mail: rockenfels@gf.state.az.us |
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