• Help wildlife conservation: Buy a 2012 hunting or fishing license
• Endangered condors celebrate 15th anniversary since reintroduction into Arizona
• Arizona’s Official Fishing Guide arrives in time for the New Year
• Peoples Canyon receives influx of bighorn sheep
• Next commission meeting is Jan. 13; “Meet the Commission” event is Jan. 14
• Honor your fellow wildlife conservationists at the Commission Awards Banquet
• $1,000 reward offered in illegal slaying of javelina near Pima

Help wildlife conservation: Buy a 2012 hunting or fishing license

Did you know that one of the best ways to help wildlife conservation over the coming year is to buy a 2012 Arizona hunting or fishing license?

Hunters and anglers have known the conservation benefits of buying a license for years. But it’s important for those who don’t hunt and fish to understand that buying a hunting or fishing license is actually one of the best ways to support wildlife conservation in the state.

The dollars provided by license sales help manage for sustainable fish and wildlife resources for future generations to enjoy. That includes not just hunters and anglers, but birders, hikers, photographers, wildlife watchers, and other wildlife enthusiasts. License dollars help fund habitat improvement projects or protection projects that benefit both hunted and non-hunted species. They also help fund game surveys, enforcement of wildlife laws, and public access and recreational opportunities for Arizonans.

Now is a great time to buy your 2012 license because it is good for the entire calendar year, so you can maximize your hunting and fishing enjoyment.

Remember—even if you don’t hunt or fish, you can help wildlife conservation efforts by buying a license.

Licenses can be purchased at any Game and Fish office, at more than 300 license dealers across the state, or online. For license costs and additional information, visit www.azgfd.gov/eservices/licenses.shtml.

Endangered condors celebrate 15th anniversary since reintroduction into Arizona

The endangered California condor population that now spans Arizona and Utah is celebrating a significant milestone this month: the 15th anniversary of the first release of the birds into Arizona after being gone from the area for nearly 100 years.

In December 1996, six condors were released from an acclimation pen atop the Vermilion Cliffs in northern Arizona. Today, the population consists of more than 70 birds that now also use Utah as part of their range.

“This milestone is a significant accomplishment for the reintroduction program and demonstrates what cooperative, adaptive conservation can do for wildlife,” says Eric Gardner, nongame branch chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “We would not have any condors flying over Arizona and Utah if it were not for the experimental, nonessential designation that allowed the project to begin. Now we have over 70 birds.”

Since reintroduction began, challenges have been identified in the program and adaptive management has been implemented to address issues like lead poisoning from spent ammunition and predation. Of 42 known mortalities, 19 birds have died from confirmed lead poisoning. The second leading cause of death is predation with 12 cases recorded.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department implemented a voluntary non-lead ammunition program in 2005 to hunters drawn for hunts in the condor’s core range. The free program has had voluntary participation rates of between 80 and 90 percent each of the past five years, demonstrating the willingness of hunters to play an active role in conservation and that voluntary programs can be successful.

To continue to address lead’s impact on condors, Utah implemented a non-lead program in 2010 to further conservation as the population of condors expands its habitat into southern Utah. Biologists expect to see a reduction in lead toxicity deaths once more Utah hunters begin to use non-lead ammunition in the field.

The Arizona-Utah condor population is classified as an experimental, non-essential population by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the 10(j) rule of the Endangered Species Act. This special rule provides The Peregrine Fund and Game and Fish with more flexibility to manage the population. The 10(j) rule allows the agencies the ability to handle, treat, transport and fit birds with radio transmitters, activities that would be much more difficult to carry out without the special designation. The 10(j) rule also provides that land management practices will not be restricted due to the presence of condors. 

Condors are a long-lived species with low reproductive rates, making their population more slow-growing than most wildlife. While they can live up to 60 years in the wild, they do not sexually mature until six or seven years of age and only mate every other year.

The California condor has gone from only 22 birds left in the world in 1982 to nearly 400 today. The original 22 birds were captured in an effort to breed and save the species. Condors bred and raised in captivity are now periodically released at sites in California, Mexico and at the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona.

The species was added to the federal endangered species list in 1967. The condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. The birds can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 9 1/2 feet.

The Arizona-Utah condor conservation effort is a joint project of many partners, including The Peregrine Fund, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Kaibab National Forest, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

For more information on condors and lead, visit www.azgfd.gov/condor.

Arizona’s Official Fishing Guide arrives in time for the New Year

Arizona’s Official Fishing Guide is hot off the presses and ready for purchase online from Arizona Highways Magazine or at Costco stores.

This “official” fishing guide for Arizona was a joint project between Arizona Highways and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. It was the first major collaboration between Arizona’s iconic magazine and the state’s renowned wildlife management agency. The book should be available soon at all Arizona Game and Fish Department offices as well.

“We didn’t expect the Fishing Guide to be delivered until late December, but luckily it beat the reindeer to Arizona and is now available,” said Rory Aikens, the book’s author.

Aikens works as a public information officer for Game and Fish. He has been producing the department’s weekly fishing report for more than two decades and is an award-winning writer/photographer for the department’s magazine, Arizona Wildlife Views.

“In a way, it's our present to all of you -- 181 fun and interesting fishing holes to visit across the state,” Aikens said, adding, “I am looking forward to fishing each and every one of them again.”

The book not only describes the lakes, the fish you can catch and the facilities you can expect, but also provides fishing tips as well.

This guide book is also cyberspace, cell phone and GPS friendly. It provides Internet contact information where possible, along with GPS coordinates for all the lakes and Internet addresses where you can obtain even more information.

“Our intent was to make it a great companion to your laptop, smart phone, regular cell phone and GPS device. But we also provided maps so you can do it the old-fashioned way – scan, read and enjoy,” Aikens said.

Aikens added that he tried to capture the unique character of each lake, stream or river in the book. “For those fisheries that I didn't know all that well, I relied heavily on those who do, such as our regional fisheries staffs, wildlife managers, fishing guides, tackle shops, sporting goods stores, marinas, and especially anglers I met along the way.”

Aikens also received invaluable assistance from the wildlife/fisheries staffs from the Navajo, White Mountain Apache and San Carlos Apache tribes.

“I hope all of you have as much fun reading and using this book as I had writing it. Arizona is full of possible fishing adventures. With any luck, maybe I’ll see you out there,” Aikens said.

Peoples Canyon receives influx of bighorn sheep
Translocation to provide data, increase diversity

Arizona Game and Fish biologists and several volunteers waited patiently as the doors to a bighorn sheep transport were pulled open.

At first the bighorn sheep were a bit reluctant, but after the first one took off in a gallop to begin exploring its new home, the others were quick to follow, leaping from the transport and bolting for the hillside.

Such was the scene during the most recent supplemental transplant conducted by Game and Fish at Peoples Canyon (also known as Peeples Canyon) in Unit 16A in northwestern Arizona, where 20 bighorn sheep, captured on the Navajo Nation in southeast Utah, were released.

While a small population of bighorn sheep exist in the area just west of U.S. Highway 93 near Bagdad, this transplant is expected to boost both the numbers and genetic diversity within the herd.

The influx of bighorn sheep into the area was composed of 15 ewes and five rams. All were fitted with ear tags and half were fitted with GPS collars for monitoring. The collars will provide information on movement throughout the range and mortality information.

“This translocation project is part of a continuing collaboration between the Navajo Nation and Arizona Game and Fish for wildlife management both on the Navajo Nation and in Arizona,” said Brian Wakeling, Game and Fish game branch chief.

Wakeling explained an additional 22 bighorn sheep were captured on the Navajo Nation: three for the Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park, and 19 radio-tagged and released for study within the Upper San Juan River basin.

To aid in the recovery of desert bighorn sheep in the area, the Game and Fish Commission has authorized a multiple bag limit and use of artificial light for mountain lions in the southern portion of Unit 16A so hunters can assist with the recovery of the translocated bighorns.

With a robust mountain lion population in the area, the goal will be to minimize the influence of predation.

“The commission believes the new regulations will benefit bighorn sheep and allow this re-established population to grow and allow for suitable recruitment to restore this historical population for future generations to enjoy,” said Commission Chair Robbie Woodhouse.

Such measures in regards to mountain lions are in place in the southern portions of Unit 18B, where bighorn sheep were reintroduced in 2006 and received a supplemental transplant in 2007.

Funding for the translocation was raised by the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society through the sale of special big game license tags, with the Game and Fish Department handling and overseeing the capture, transport, and release of the bighorn sheep.

For more information about bighorn sheep and projects like this, visit the Game and Fish website at www.azgfd.gov.

Next commission meeting is Jan. 13; “Meet the Commission” event is Jan. 14

The next Arizona Game and Fish Commission meeting will be held on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, at the Game and Fish Department headquarters at 5000 W. Carefree Highway in Phoenix. An agenda will soon be posted at www.azgfd.gov/commission.

The public can view the meeting any of three ways: (1) attending the meeting in person in Phoenix; (2) viewing it via video stream at any of six Game and Fish regional offices; or, (3) viewing it over the Web at www.azgfd.gov/commissioncam.

Those wishing to submit “blue slips” to present oral comment during the meeting must do so either at the Phoenix meeting or at any of the regional Game and Fish offices (Pinetop, Flagstaff, Kingman, Yuma, Tucson and Mesa). For office addresses and contact information, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.

The public is invited to attend the annual Meet the Commission event the following day, Saturday, Jan. 14, starting at 2 p.m. at the Carefree Resort and Conference Center, 37220 Mule Train Road, Carefree, Ariz. The event gives the public a chance to meet the commission members and ask questions. It begins with the chairman’s welcome and commissioner introductions, followed by a presentation of the Year in Review video and then the question-and-answer and discussion session. The Meet the Commission event will not be webcast.

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is composed of five members (serving staggered five-year terms) appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Arizona Senate. No more than one commissioner may be from any one county. No more than three may be from the same political party.

The commission is the policy-setting board overseeing the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Since its inception in 1929, this organizational structure has served as a buffer for the best interests of science-driven wildlife conservation during eight decades of back-and-forth political change.

To learn more about the Game and Fish Commission, visit www.azgfd.gov/commission.

Honor your fellow wildlife conservationists at the Commission Awards Banquet

Don’t forget to make your reservation for the annual Arizona Game and Fish Commission Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, at the Carefree Resort and Conference Center, 37220 Mule Train Road, Carefree, AZ 85377. The event begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards ceremony. 

The banquet recognizes individuals and organizations that have contributed to Arizona’s wildlife resources, the state’s outdoors heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The cost to attend is $55 for an individual or $500 for a table of 10 (a $50 savings over the cost of the seats if purchased individually). To download a reservation form, visit www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/commission_awards.shtml, click on the link to the RSVP registration form, and return the completed form with your remittance. Forms must be received by the department by Jan. 6, 2012. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Lynn Roe at (623) 236-7332 or lroe@azgfd.gov.

Award Table Sponsorships for organizations are available for $550. To download a sponsorship form or to see a list of award recipients who will be honored at the banquet, click on the link at www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/commission_awards.shtml.

$1,000 reward offered in illegal slaying of javelina near Pima

The Arizona Game and Fish Department Operation Game Thief program is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the illegal killing of five javelina found dead Dec. 15 north of Pima.

A boar was found in a field to the west of Marshall Lane just north of the Gila River, 1.5 miles from Bryce-Eden Road. Approximately 100 yards north of that location a sow and three juveniles were discovered. All had apparently been shot with a rifle and left to waste.

Game and Fish is seeking for questioning the driver of a white full-size truck seen Monday, Dec. 12, along Marshall Lane between noon and 3 p.m., when shots were heard in the area.  

“Poaching is not hunting. It’s a crime against nature and the citizens of Arizona, to whom the state’s wildlife belong,” said Field Supervisor Duane Aubuchon of Game and Fish in Safford.

Individuals with information about the case are urged to call Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700, and reference OGT #11-002077. Callers may remain anonymous. Information may also be reported online at www.azgfd.gov/ogt_form.shtml.

Most poaching cases in Arizona are second-degree misdemeanors punishable by up to four months in jail and a $750 fine. Civil penalties may also apply.

Game and Fish issued 1,143 game citations in 2010, a seven percent increase from 1,060 in 2009.