Biologists team with juvenile corrections program to help native fish species
   

Youth from Eagle Mountain School release native topminnow at Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, supervised by Game and Fish biologist Tony Robinson and Eagle Point youth program supervisor Lawrence Simpson.

PHOENIX —  This was “moving week” for two native fish species that were transported to new homes at the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, an Arizona Game and Fish Commission-owned property near Buckeye, about 40 miles southwest of Phoenix. 

About 600 Gila topminnow and 130 desert pupfish were introduced into two ponds at the property on Nov. 17 as part of a Safe Harbor Agreement for topminnow and pupfish. This agreement allows non-federal landowners to participate in conservation and recovery efforts of these endangered species by providing habitat for establishing new populations.

Assisting Game and Fish biologists in preparing the ponds were a half-dozen youth from the Eagle Point School juvenile correction facility near Buckeye. The young men, participating in the facility’s “Skills for Work” program, spent parts of the previous two weeks cleaning the pond areas, trimming trees and removing overgrown vegetation.

“This was an exciting day on a number of fronts,” said Jeff Sorensen, native fish and invertebrate program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “It’s the first time that topminnows and pupfish have become residents at a state wildlife area. Establishing new refuge populations here at Robbins Butte will move us another step closer to recovering these endangered fishes.

“It was also gratifying to provide these kids a chance to contribute to this effort and learn about wildlife.”

The Skills for Work program gives high-achieving youth at Eagle Point School the opportunity to learn new skills, gain work experience, and build confidence and self-esteem, says Lawrence Simpson, a youth program supervisor at Eagle Point School. Simpson has worked with Robbins Butte Wildlife Area Manager Phil Smith to arrange a variety of opportunities.

“Robbins Butte offers such great experience for these young people,” says Simpson. “They have helped on projects ranging from cleanups, landscaping and baling hay to setting up the stations for the annual juniors dove hunt. The kids have learned work skills, and they’ve also developed an interest in wildlife and the outdoors.”

Desert pupfish.

The topminnow and pupfish re-establishment was carried out through a cooperative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Game and Fish, and each of the donor sites that provided the fish.

The topminnow (Sharp Spring lineage) for the Robbins Butte effort came from the Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in New Mexico. The pupfish came from a variety of sources, including the Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Garden, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Deer Valley High School, and Dexter National Fish Hatchery, where captive populations of these native fish are maintained.

Once common throughout most of the Gila River basin, Gila topminnow and desert pupfish are now found in only a fraction of their historic range. Habitat alteration and loss, and the introduction of competitive and predatory non-native fishes, have contributed to declines in natural populations of these two species. Both topminnow and pupfish are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Gila topminnow.

These species provide the added advantage of a natural vector control, effectively preying on mosquito larvae and helping to control mosquito-borne illnesses. Both natives pose fewer threats to other native species sharing the same habitat than do the non-native species introduced during the last century to provide insect control.  

To learn more about the Gila topminnow or desert pupfish, visit www.azgfd.gov.