- Game and Fish launches new ?Recreational Access Arizona? web mapping tool
- Largemouth bass virus detected in Lake Pleasant
- Board recommends 2 candidates to governor for commission vacancy
- Up to $10,000 reward offered in elk poaching case near Payson?
- Endangered Mount Graham red squirrel numbers stable?
- High-flow release at Glen Canyon Dam to be conducted on Nov. 19
- Arizona?s finest wildlife photography featured in calendar
- AZGFD volunteer coordinator receives ATHENA Young Professional Award
- ?Welcome back the trout? to Tempe Town Lake on Nov. 20
- Get a behind-the-scenes look at wildlife center open house this weekend
- National Park Service issues mussel monitoring update for Lake Powell
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Game and Fish launches new ?Recreational Access Arizona? web mapping tool
The Arizona Game and Fish Department has launched an exciting new web-based mapping tool, ?Recreational Access Arizona,? that provides hunters, anglers, and other outdoor recreationists with important information about access to and through private lands.
The free tool, which utilizes GIS mapping technology, is available at www.azaccessmap.com.
Recreational Access Arizona was developed as part of the Game and Fish Department?s efforts to secure, maintain and enhance public recreational access to private lands, or to federal or state-owned lands that are ?land-locked? by private lands. It provides a wealth of other information as well.
Want to see the boundaries of the Game Management Unit you?re in or where water catchments are located? Are you interested in what wildlife species are in a particular area? All the information is available with the click of a mouse anywhere on the map. The more places you click, the more information you can find.
To help get you started, just click on the ?How to Use the Map? link in the upper right-hand corner of the page after you?ve logged on.
Even more exciting is that you can create your own map using this tool with a topographic map, aerial images, or street maps as the background. Just export the map you make and print it out on your home printer, or take it in to a printing service to print a large map.
Development and maintenance of this tool was made possible through a grant that Game and Fish received from the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, which is a federal program authorized in the 2012 Farm Bill.
The department plans to add information that is useful to hunters and other outdoor recreationists over time, so users are encouraged to use the ?Send Comments? link in the upper right-hand portion of the web page to e-mail comments for consideration.
For more information, visit www.azaccessmap.com.
Largemouth bass virus detected in Lake Pleasant
Fish disease poses no risk for people, pets or water supply
Arizona Game and Fish Department officials have confirmed the presence of largemouth bass virus in Lake Pleasant.
Lab tests on largemouth bass tissue samples collected during a routine survey in October by Arizona Game and Fish and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel showed presence of the disease in some samples.?
While the virus can affect largemouth bass, it doesn?t pose a risk to people and pets, and the water is safe for drinking water supply and recreation.
?Largemouth bass virus is not known to infect any warm-blooded animals, and any fish that are caught by anglers are safe to eat,? said Marc Dahlberg, Game and Fish water quality program manager. ?However, we always recommend that people thoroughly cook any fish they intend to eat, and never use fish found dead or dying for food.?
Game and Fish has not documented any fish kills at Lake Pleasant associated with largemouth bass virus to date. At this time, fishing is still very productive and there have been no recreational impacts. Lake Pleasant is the top fishing recreation site in Arizona, producing more than 520,000 angler use days.
Prior to this sampling, the only fish health survey that had been conducted at Lake Pleasant was in 2002, and largemouth bass virus was not detected then. Therefore, the virus most likely entered the Lake Pleasant fishery within the past 10 years.
Dahlberg explained that although the virus can cause mortality in largemouth bass, not all bass become infected, and not every fish becomes sick. For instance, only five lakes in Texas suffered fish kills even though the virus was found in 23 of the state?s reservoirs.
?Usually the number of infected fish that die is relatively low compared to the entire population, with the virus mostly affecting older and larger fish,? said Dahlberg.
The virus has been found in 18 states dating back to 1991. In Arizona, Saguaro Lake, Bartlett Lake, Roosevelt Lake, and now Lake Pleasant have tested positive for the disease. There have been no impacts attributable to largemouth bass virus at Saguaro, Bartlett or Roosevelt to date.
Although other fish species can carry the virus, it only affects largemouth bass. It is not precisely known what triggers the activation of the virus into a disease outbreak, but it has been associated with stress events, such as high water temperatures. The virus appears to diminish over time.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department emphasizes that there are precautions the public can take to help stop the spread of the virus, as well as other aquatic invasive species, such as quagga mussels. One preventive measure that is vital is that people absolutely avoid transporting live fish or water from one body of water to another.
?You might be spreading an unwanted disease or even introducing an unwanted organism, such as quagga mussels, that could substantially affect a fishery or lake ecosystem,? said Dahlberg.??Don?t transport live fish caught from a lake ? period. It?s the wrong thing to do and it?s unlawful.??
It?s also important to clean, drain and dry your boat before leaving any lake at any time, and to disinfect your boat or wait at least five days before launching your boat on another water. In fact, at several lakes, including Lake Pleasant, it?s now the law that you do so. This is extremely important as the bass virus can live for up to seven days in standing water.
Other ways anglers and boaters can help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species:
- Dispose of all unused bait in the trash, never in the water.
- Never transfer live fish from one body of water to another.
- Rinse any mud and/or debris from equipment and wading gear.
- Drain any water from boats, bilge, bait buckets, and live wells before leaving the launch area. A mild mixture of bleach and water can be used to disinfect your equipment. Allow everything to air dry before moving to another body of water.
- If you see any dead or dying fish, please report your observation to Arizona Game and Fish at (623) 236-7257.
- Educate others to follow these steps.
More information on largemouth bass virus is available at:
http://www.bassmaster.com/news/largemouth-bass-virus-lmbv-fact-sheet.
Board recommends 2 candidates to governor for commission vacancy
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission Appointment Recommendation Board has forwarded the names of two candidates to Gov. Jan Brewer for her consideration in making her 2013 appointment to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.
Julie M. Bradley and Edward P. Madden were selected from three candidates who were interviewed by the board at its public meeting?on Nov. 13 at the Arizona Game and Fish Department headquarters in Phoenix. The three who were interviewed were chosen from an initial slate of seven applicants previously considered by the Appointment Recommendation Board at its Nov. 5 public meeting.
Per Arizona State Statute 17-202 (which became effective in July 2010), the Arizona Game and Fish Commission Appointment Recommendation Board shall assist the governor by interviewing, evaluating and recommending candidates for appointment to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. The Commission Appointment Recommendation Board shall recommend at least two, but no more than five, candidates to the governor. The governor must select and appoint a commissioner from the list submitted by the board.
View the board's letter a www.azgfd.gov/board.
For additional information about the Commission Appointment Recommendation Board,?contact the Governor?s Office of Boards and Commissions at (602) 542-2449,?toll free at 1-800-253-0883, or on the web at www.azgovernor.gov.
For more information on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, visit www.azgfd.gov/commission.
Up to $10,000 reward offered in elk poaching case near Payson
The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona Elk Society are seeking the public?s help in finding the person(s) responsible for the illegal shooting of four elk in the Payson area in Game Management Unit 22.
Game and Fish officers investigating the case said that two young bull elk and one cow elk, all illegally shot and left to waste, were found in close proximity to each other in the Chaparral Pines community and were most likely poached between the evening of Oct. 24 and Oct. 25.
A fourth elk, also illegally shot, was found Oct. 31 in the same general area. Investigators believe it was poached on Oct. 27 or 28.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department?s Operation Game Thief Program is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. An additional reward of up to $5,000 is being offered by the Arizona Elk Society for information leading to a conviction in the case.
?The wasteful poaching of this many elk is a travesty to those of us that work hard to improve the health and habitat of elk in Arizona,? said Steve Clark, president of the Arizona Elk Society.
Anyone with information regarding this case or others can call the Operation Game Thief Hotline toll free at (800) 352-0700 or use the online form at www.azgfd.gov/thief, and please reference OGT #12-002661. All calls will remain confidential upon request.
?Poaching of wildlife is stealing from you,? said Game and Fish Wildlife Manager Jarrod McFarlin. ?Protect your wildlife by reporting poaching incidents.?
To learn more about Operation Game Thief, visit www.azgfd.gov/thief.
Endangered Mount Graham red squirrel numbers stable
As part of a conservation program for the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted an annual squirrel survey and estimated approximately 214 animals in the Pinale?o Mountains in southeastern Arizona.
The latest survey count is in line with the population numbers found in 2010, but represents a decrease of 26 squirrels from the 2011 estimate.
Small mammal species like the Mount Graham red squirrel typically have cyclical populations that depend on the conifer cone crop, their primary food resource. Biologists continue to explore new ways to conserve the species, including habitat improvements, squirrel research and consideration of a pilot captive breeding program.
The red squirrel survey is conducted annually in the fall by visiting a random sample of known middens (areas where red squirrels store or cache their cones).
The Mount Graham red squirrel population spiked to around 550 animals in the late 1990s, but typically ranges between 200 and 300 individuals. Habitat losses caused by fire and insect infestations and poor cone crops caused by drought are considered primary factors in the species? recent trends.
?Squirrel numbers commonly fluctuate due to available habitat and food resources, so it is not unusual to see a small drop in the population numbers,? says Tim Snow, nongame specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. ?The lack of winter and summer rains over the last few years is suspected to have impacted the squirrels? cone crop.?
Mount Graham red squirrels live only in the upper elevation conifer forests of the Pinale?o Mountains and feed primarily on conifer seeds. Females produce two to seven young annually. The species was added to the endangered species list in 1987.
The multi-agency Mount Graham Red Squirrel Recovery Team, including the Coronado National Forest, Game and Fish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Arizona, Native American tribes and others, oversees conservation of the species.
High-flow?release at Glen Canyon Dam to be conducted on Nov. 19
The U.S. Department of the Interior will trigger the first ?high-flow?release? at Glen Canyon Dam since 2008 on Monday, Nov. 19. The release is part of a new long-term?strategy announced in May by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to meet water and power needs, as well as to allow better conservation of sediment downstream and?to better address the important resources in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam.
In cooperation with five Interior agencies, the upcoming release is designed to take?advantage of sediment deposited by Colorado River tributaries as a result of recent rainstorms and monsoons. Scientists have determined that the right conditions exist to conduct a high-flow release to benefit downstream resources.
The total maximum release from the dam will reach approximately 42,300 cubic-feet-per-second, consisting of 27,300 cfs of full powerplant capacity releases and a bypass release through the four river outlet tubes sending an additional 15,000 cfs of water out over the Colorado River. The total duration of the high-flow release will be nearly five days,?but only about?24 hours at the peak release rate.
Fishing at Lees Ferry, 16 miles downstream from the dam, has been excellent this year, and this high-flow event should have no notable effects on fishing this fall or winter. The effect of this release is to loosen up some of the gravel?beds and prepare them for an excellent spawn by trout this spring.?More is being learned every year about how to use the operations of the dam to better conserve resources and to enhance fishing opportunities. Fall is a good time to go Lees Ferry and partake?of a unique fishing experience that you just can't find anywhere else.??
For more information on the high-flow event, visit http://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/gcdHFE/2012/.
Arizona?s finest wildlife photography featured in calendar
The wildlife photo calendar issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine is now available for sale two ways. Pick up single copies at any Arizona Game and Fish Department office for $3, or start a new magazine subscription at the holiday sale price of seven issues for only $7.
Featuring winners from this year?s wildlife photo contest, the 2013 calendar is a feast for the eyes. A band of pronghorn, a young bobcat and a trio of California condors are just three of the 13 memorable winners. Thirty-eight more images were selected by our judges for honorable mention as well.
We welcome new subscribers to Arizona?s award-winning magazine about wildlife and outdoor recreation. To subscribe during the holiday sale, visit www.azgfd.gov/magazine or call (800) 777-0015.
AZGFD volunteer coordinator receives ATHENA Young Professional Award
Jamie Lyons, the volunteer administrator with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, has received the ATHENA Young Professional Award from the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. The honor recognizes her outstanding contributions as a young professional in her daily work, as well as her inspirational role as founder of the Veteran Career Assistance Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization that helps military veterans returning home prepare for the transition into the workforce.
Since joining the department in 2008, Lyons (photo, center)?has earned her reputation as an outstanding leader. In her capacity as volunteer coordinator at Game and Fish, Lyons manages more than 3,000 volunteers statewide, is involved with program policies and procedures, links volunteers with key organizations and oversees the volunteer-operated organizational structure she created.
?Ms. Lyons is especially gifted when it comes to pairing the right people with the right tasks,? said Game and Fish Director Larry?Voyles. ?She has a true knack for recognizing talent in people that they might not even realize they have. Jamie is an outstanding leader who energetically embraces teamwork and generously shares her time and talent. We are tremendously proud of her, and grateful to have such a gifted person in our organization.?
Lyons is a U.S. Air Force Security Forces Veteran and holds a Master?s Degree in Business Administration. During her 10 years of active duty, she was stationed in Japan, Florida and Arizona, and served two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. After separating from the military in 2008, she realized how difficult the transition can be for even the well-prepared. Although the Air Force provided some helpful tools, there was little person-to-person support available.?
?It?s difficult for a lot of vets to translate their military experience into civilian language for their resumes and interviews,? Lyons said. ?There was a real need for face-to-face services that could help veterans work through the process of transitioning to civilian life and finding their place in a civilian work force.?
To meet this need, Lyons founded the Veteran Career Assistance Foundation in August 2011, and has helped dozens of veterans transition into the civilian job market. It is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that provides vets with free, face-to-face training, skills evaluations, resume writing, consulting and job placement services with some of the best professionals in the area, Lyons said.
?Developing relationships with local business owners who want veterans in the workforce has been essential for the success of the career assistance program,? Lyons said. ?We have actually lived the military life, so we know and really understand the needs of our veterans.?
One of the foundation?s awareness projects was?visible on Nov. 11, Veteran?s Day, when scores of vehicles outfitted with American flags?offered a show of support for veterans and gratitude for the freedoms they protect, Lyons said. To learn more about the foundation visit www.vetworkforce.org.
The prestigious ATHENA Awards were presented on Oct. 25 by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, marking the 25th anniversary of the ATHENA Award Program. Winner of the?Young Professional Award, Jamie Lyons, is pictured in the photo above (center), with?Public Sector winner Deborah Ostreicher (left), and Private Sector winner Dr. Anne McNamara (right). The ATHENA program is operated in conjunction with ATHENA International, a foundation dedicated to creating leadership, business opportunities and a voice in government for women in their communities and around the world. Lyons was one of three winners chosen from 11 finalists and more than 80 nominations.
?Welcome back the trout? to Tempe Town Lake on Nov. 20
The trout are making their annual Thanksgiving comeback to Tempe Town Lake.
The City of Tempe and the Arizona Game and Fish Department will host the annual Welcome Back the Trout Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at SRP Tempe Town Lake Marina from 3 -5 p.m.
Families and community members are invited to come down and watch as thousands of rainbow trout are released into Town Lake.
?Welcome Back the Trout is a wonderful community event that the city is proud to present with Arizona Game and Fish,? said Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell. ?Every year, it is great to see families and community members enjoying the lake as young children learn to fish.??
Each year at this event, many children have an opportunity to catch their first fish. Arizona Game and Fish provides anglers of all ages with the gear and advice they need to try their hand at the sport.
Game and Fish will conduct a fishing clinic starting at 3 p.m. About 100 free loaner rods, reels and bait will be available during the event, along with instruction and tips from seasoned anglers.?
?Whether you?re a first-timer or an experienced fishing pro, this is a great event to come out and fish,? said Eric Swanson, manager of Game and Fish?s Urban Fishing Program. ?It?s a perfect opportunity for families to spend some quality time together and enjoy the outdoors.?
Attendees will also be able to fish without a fishing license during the event from 3-5 p.m. Information on obtaining a license for future use can be found at www.azgfd.gov/eservices/licenses.shtml.
For more information on the event and a map of Tempe Town Lake, visit www.tempe.gov/lake.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at wildlife center open house this weekend
A bald eagle, bobcat, ringtail, birds and reptiles ?What better way to spend the weekend than seeing all of this wildlife and more? The Arizona Game and Fish Department?s Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center will be hosting a free open house for the public on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18 from 10-3 p.m. daily.
During this rare glimpse into the center?s operations, visitors will have the opportunity to see wildlife up close, view educational displays and meet wildlife experts.
The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center is a wildlife triage, treatment and rehabilitation facility operated by Game and Fish in cooperation with the nonprofit Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary. Its original focus, when founded in 1983, was on treating and rehabilitating sick and injured wildlife. It is funded by the Heritage Fund, a voter-passed initiative that provides for wildlife conservation and education through Arizona lottery ticket sales.
Although the center continues to provide immediate triage and rehabilitation services?more than 1,000 sick or injured animals are brought to the facility annually?emphasis has shifted more toward wildlife education. Staff and volunteers conduct educational outreach programs at events and schools across the state, reaching more than 100,000 Arizonans a year.
The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center is located north of Pinnacle Peak Road just west of I-17 in Phoenix. It is on the same property as the Adobe Mountain Juvenile Detention Center. Officers and volunteers will be giving directions for parking once at the facility.
Admission and parking for the open house are free, and food will be available for purchase.
For more information about the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, go online to www.azgfd.gov/wildlifecenter.
National Park Service issues mussel monitoring update for Lake Powell
National Park Service (Glen Canyon) news release from?Nov. 1, 2012
Recent monitoring samples from Lake Powell have revealed evidence of?microscopic?quagga mussel?larvae?and the National Park Service (NPS) has accelerated laboratory and field efforts to identify the source, reported Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Superintendent Todd Brindle. Quagga mussel larvae and DNA were found in separate water samples collected?near Antelope Point?and Glen Canyon Dam. "We don't know yet if there is a population trying to establish in the lake," said Brindle. "The DNA can last after the organism is dead, so there is a possibility that it could have washed off boats that had been in other infested waters."??
NPS aquatic?ecologist?Mark Anderson provided additional details on the sampling results.?"The bodies of four?larval mussels were found in four?different samples near the Glen Canyon Dam. The sampling process kills mussel larvae so it is not known if any?of them were alive in the lake," stated Anderson.?"One of them had a broken shell, suggesting that it was dead when it was collected."
Anderson explained that testing?occurs?using two separate methods: DNA and microscopy. The DNA method is more sensitive and potentially detects the presence earlier, but can be less accurate. Detection using microscopes is more accurate but requires an organism or piece of organism that is large enough to be visible in the microscope. Samples are taken?using both methods at multiple sites around Lake Powell.??
Superintendent Brindle remains hopeful that the?monitoring results are?not?evidence of an established?population?of mussels. If it is an early?detection, the mussels may not?establish and grow into adults, said Brindle.?"Scientists are not sure why, but many western waters have shown similar findings and then never developed a noticeable population,?such as at?Lake Granby, Lake Pueblo, Electric Lake, Red Fleet, Navajo Lake, Grand, Shadow Mountain, Willow Creek, and even Lake Powell in 2007."??
In the meantime, monitoring and testing?by the NPS will?continue.??"It is possible that these results will not be duplicated and a population of quagga mussels is not developing," said Anderson.?In addition to the water sampling,?NPS divers and underwater remote operated vessels will be used to search for adult mussels.?"However, if test results continue to?show positive for DNA or if there are adult mussels visible,?it could indicate that a population is starting," Anderson said.??
If there?is a population of mussels, Superintendent Brindle said he is committed to working with all agencies and?partners to determine the extent of the population and investigate?and implement?strategies for control. Depending on the extent of an early population, removing, wrapping or burying the mussel colony might be effective in preventing additional reproduction.
"We?will continue the boat?inspections that are currently in place," Anderson stated. "Prevention is still the most effective?way to fight invasive species. Continue to clean, drain, and dry your?boat?and equipment after every use."??
Additional monitoring?information?and updates are posted on the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area webpage at?www.nps.gov/glca/parknews/musselupdate.htm.?
Source: http://azgfd.net/artman/publish/WildlifeNews/Wildlife-News---Nov-16-2012.shtml
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