Wild+Life E-news
Wild+Life is a monthly e-newsletter with news about wildlife-watching activities, wildlife natural history, habitat and research projects benefiting wildlife, fun facts and upcoming events. Sign up to get Wild+Life delivered to your inbox every month.
February 2023
In This Issue
- AZGFD in the News: As bald eagles return to nesting areas, Arizona imposes restrictions on public lands
- Partner Projects: Endangered Species Act marks 50 years of protecting imperiled species
- Wild Arizona: What is “wild?”
- Walk on the Wild Side: Willcox Playa Wildlife Area
- Upcoming Events: Virtual speaker wildlife series
- Video of the Month: Hike delivers Gila trout to Raspberry Creek
AZGFD in the News: As bald eagles return to nesting areas, Arizona imposes restrictions on public lands
The annual interagency survey of the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel showed an increase in the latest population estimate in the Pinaleño Mountains of southeastern Arizona, likely due to a new survey method.
Kudos to The Arizona Republic and reporter Jake Frederico for a recent news story about how the Arizona Game and Fish Department is helping to ensure a healthy breeding population of bald eagles.
In an interview, the department’s raptor management coordinator, Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, said temporary restrictions on public lands this time of year are critical in giving the majestic birds the best opportunity to bond and successfully reproduce.
Partner Projects: Endangered Species Act marks 50 years of protecting imperiled species
2023 is an important anniversary for wildlife conservation. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted in 1973 to protect at-risk fish, wildlife and plant species from extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains the listing of endangered and threatened species, and works in cooperation with states.
In Arizona, wildlife biologists work to conserve and protect all of the state’s native wildlife — more than 800 species. The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) recently stocked Gila trout into Raspberry Creek, near Alpine, to help restore the native fish’s population.
Gila trout were first listed as endangered under the ESA’s predecessor, the Federal Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1967. The fish species was downlisted from endangered to threatened status in 2006, thanks to collaborative conservation efforts by several agencies and partner organizations. AZGFD continues to increase the fish’s presence within its historical range, helping to ensure the species will be around for future generations.
Wild Arizona: What is “wild?”
Releasing federally listed species comes with its own legal hurdles. Known as “10(j) species,” captively bred populations are considered “nonessential experimental” populations and subject to a different set of rules under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Other 10(j) species the Arizona Game and Fish Department works with include the Mexican gray wolf, California condor and Sonoran pronghorn.
Releasing listed species into the wild is always a tricky balance. While leopard frogs or springsnails might stay close to the release site, other 10(j) species, like the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl, might move long distances in order to find their own territory. Sometimes these territories might be on private lands.
More than 70 percent of North America’s endangered species depend on private lands, so building strong relationships with landowners is critical to the recovery of any reintroduced populations. Under the ESA, 10(j) species are considered threatened (a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future). This listing eases the regulatory burden and provides a little more flexibility, both for wildlife agencies that manage the populations and private landowners that might have concerns that a species reintroduction might result in restrictions to their land.
Walk on the Wild Side: Willcox Playa Wildlife Area
Willcox Playa Wildlife Area is best known for its wintering population of sandhill cranes that migrate to the playa in large numbers, particularly in wet winters.
It’s not unusual to see several thousands of wintering cranes from the viewing area at the power-plant ponds, located on the southwest side of the playa, or at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 600-acre wildlife area on the southeast side. The cranes feed and court, but will begin their migration to their summer breeding grounds in the northern Great Plains in February.
The best opportunity for birdwatchers is from mid-October through March, when more than 15 species of birds of prey may also be found here. It’s also possible to spot a mule deer, javelina, coati, badger, jackrabbit, skunk, foxe, bobcat, coyote or raccoon.
Directions: From Willcox, drive east on State Route 186 for six miles, turn south on Kansas Settlement Road for four miles to the wildlife area.
Upcoming Events: Virtual speaker wildlife series
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has partnered with the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center (SWCC) to host virtual wildlife lectures. In addition to partnering with SWCC, the department’s Wildlife Viewing Program will conduct its own critter-based lectures twice each month.
Coming up:
- Wild About Arizona: The “Unlovable Critters — 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 (AZGFD). Description: For whatever reasons, there are some animals that just creep us out. Well, maybe it’s time to change that way of thinking and learn about these amazing species that live among us. This presentation will examine the natural history of so-called “unlovable critters” that get a bad reputation, like bats, skunks, vultures, opossums, snails, snakes, rodents and arachnids. Register
- Wild About Arizona: Learn the Truth About Rattlesnakes (Beyond the Bad Rap) — 6:30 p.m. March 16 (AZGFD). Description: Snakes have received a lot of bad press over the centuries, and most of that criticism — and even fear — has been directed at rattlesnakes more than any other species. Truth: Snakes serve an important ecological niche and have their own intrinsic value. Learn the truth about the different species, their behaviors, diet, and just how dangerous — if at all — Arizona’s snakes actually are. Register
- Mesocarnivores: Fascinating, Important, Underappreciated Critters — 6:30 p.m. March 30 (SWCC). Description: Mesocarnivores are part of the mammalian carnivore family, and they play a disproportionately large role in the ecosystems that they inhabit. Mesocarnivores are animals whose diet consists of at least 50 percent meat, with the balance consisting of invertebrates, fruits, fungi, plant material, and any other food source available. Learn more about this intriguing group of mammals, including information about their natural history, habits, distribution in the state, and more. Register
Video of the Month: Hike delivers Gila trout to Raspberry Creek
Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists and volunteers recently hiked down to Raspberry Creek, where they stocked — by hand — some 250 Whiskey Creek-lineage Gila trout from the Mora National Fish Hatchery in New Mexico to further the species’ recovery in Arizona’s creeks and streams.
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