Public Asked for Comments on Wildlife Refuge Water Delivery Project

November 2009
The Service has opened a public comment period on water delivery options for the Topock Marsh at Havasu National Wildlife Refuge in western Arizona.  A Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on the three options being considered has been prepared and comments on the Draft EA are being solicited.  This comment period gives all interested parties an opportunity to provide input by identifying concerns, potential impacts, and possible alternatives for Topock Marsh irrigation.   

The comment period runs through December 17, 2009.

Read the Draft Environmental Assessment 
How to Comment

Brown Pelican Populations Recovered, Removed from Endangered Species List

November 2009
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton today announced that the brown pelican, a species once decimated by the pesticide DDT, has recovered and is being removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

“At a time when so many species of wildlife are threatened, we once in a while have an opportunity to celebrate an amazing success story,” Salazar said. “Today is such a day. The brown pelican is back!”

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	Maeveen Behan. Credit: USFWS

Sonoran Desert's Visionary Conservation Leader Passes

November 2009
A driving force behind one of the Nation's most successful community conservation plans has died. Maeveen Behan was a key architect of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, which includes 3 million acres of land in Pima County, Arizona, including the city of Tucson, and surrounding communities.

The conservation plan, initiated by the citizens of Pima County and sustained by Dr. Behan's efforts, is unique in that it was among the first collaborative efforts to bring together ranchers, builders, businesses, environmental groups, citizens and state and federal agencies to conserve southern Arizona's unique cultural, historic, and natural resources, while still providing for continued sustainable economic activity in the region.

"Maeveen Behan was one of the most remarkable people that I have ever met. She had a keen intellect which enabled her to understand the complexities of both the science and economics of Pima County, and she had the drive and energy to make something as far reaching as the Sonoran Desert Conservation become a reality. Maeveen brought together people interested in the environment, economic development, ranching, recreation, and cultural resources to form a plan that will conserve the unique resources of the Sonoran Desert, while also providing for Pima County's economic growth and sustainability. The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan has become a national model of how people can come together and form a vision of what they want their community, including their local natural and cultural resources, to be in the future - their sense of place," said Sherry Barrett, Field Supervisor, USFWS Tucson Ecological Services Field Office

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been a partner in the planning process for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, which resulted in the development of the reserve system, renamed the Maeveen Marie Behan Conservation Lands System on the day of her death. Pima County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Elias shared his thoughts about Dr. Behan. Also, below is an excerpt of 2008 interviews with Pima County citizens, including Dr. Behan, in which they shared thoughts about the goals and process of bringing the Pima County.

Access an audio interview, a video, and the Sonoran Dessert Conservation Plan Overview

	Photo Credit: Jennifer Johnson, USFWS

Special Delivery: Threatened Trout Flown to New Home in Arizona

November 2009
The Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department and numerous other partners took a big step toward recovering Gila trout and establishing a Gila trout fishery in southern Arizona on November 4, when it began stocking Frye Creek on Mt. Graham in the Pinaleño Mountains.

The fish were trucked in from the Mora National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in New Mexico to the AZGFD Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area near Pima, Arizona.  On the morning of Nov. 4, they were transferred to transport drums, which were attached to a helicopter by long line slings, then flown to Frye Creek, which flows down the steep sides of the rugged mountain.

This is only the third effort to establish populations of Gila trout in Arizona.

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Secretary Salazar Honors Veterans with Fee Free Day at National Parks, Refuges, and Other Interior Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced that areas managed by the department will not charge entrance fees on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Visitors to public recreation lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation are invited to take a day to honor and reflect on what our service men and women have done to maintain our freedom and keep peace around the world, Salazar said.

“The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” said Salazar said “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harms way. ”

The Department of Agriculture also is waiving entrance fees at its national forests.

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Hays County Requests Incidental Take Permit for Two Federally Listed Species

November 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced in the Federal Register today the notice of availability of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (dEIS), and an incidental take permit application for the Hays County, Texas, draft Habitat Conservation Plan (dHCP). This announcement begins a 90 day public comment period.
If the permit is approved, the Service would authorize incidental take of the following federally listed species: Golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia) and black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) for a period of 30 years.

Learn More ...
Read the Federal Register notice.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Continues to Seek Northern Leopard Frog Information

October 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has affirmed its desire for public involvement in its decision on whether the western population of the northern leopard frog is warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act.  The Service has extended the period during which it will accept information on this subject through Nov. 27, 2009.

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Public Invited to Comment on Salt Cedar Control at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge

October 27, 2009
The U. S. Fish and wildlife Service opens public comment on Tuesday, October 27^th on options for dealing with invasive salt cedar growth along the Pecos River at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). This comment period gives all interested parties an opportunity to provide input upon two alternatives concerning the control of invasive salt cedar.  The comment period will run through Thursday, November 26.

One of two alternatives will be pursued:

1. No action
2. Removal of salt cedar trees throughout 1500 of the refuge’s 24,536 acres by  mechanical, hand-cutting, and chemical treatment.

A copy of the draft EA is available at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bitterlake/index.html  or by contacting Joe Saenz, Refuge Manager at; Joe_Saenz@fws.gov. 

Navajo Nation Youth Hunt

October 2009
Keeping with a new found tradition, the Navajo Nation Fish & Wildlife Department (Department) held its 5^th annual tribal youth deer hunt September 25-27, 2009.  For a second year Joe early volunteered as a hunt mentor in which he teamed up with a great young man named Julian Francisco, from Prewitt, NM.  Julian, 13 years of age, was an experienced marksman with a BB gun and 22 caliber rifle, but had never before hunted deer, let alone pursued anything larger then a rabbit.

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Mexican Wolf Interdiction Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement Signed

October 2009
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation signed an agreement establishing the Mexican Wolf Interdiction Trust Fund, a groundbreaking program designed to provide assistance to reduce the impacts of wolf/livestock interactions while increasing tolerance for Mexican wolf recovery efforts in the Southwest. The fund will be administered through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization well-experienced in managing financial contributions for natural resources conservation programs.

Learn More...
Mexican Wolf Fund Agreement

Climate Change: Simple Changes, Great Impacts

Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region Funds 10 Climate Change Projects

Climate change is among the greatest challenges ever faced by conservation community in conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region is providing $48,500 as “seed money” to fund 10 employee-initiated climate change project proposals. The projects will be completed within existing agency funds, and address a variety of climate change initiatives including activities aimed at lowering the Service’s carbon footprint, and developing new information to reduce some of the immediate threats to species and habitat based on the best available science.

Read about the 10 Projects

Learn More about the Southwest Region's Efforts to Address Climate Change

Read articles on Climate Change from a variety of news outlets.

BOSQUE DEL APACHE : This 57,191 acre refuge is located along the Rio Grande near Socorro, New Mexico. Within the heart of the Refuge lies over 12,000 acres of moist bottomlands which serve as home to thousands of migrating waterfowl each fall and winter.

Bosque del Apache NWR Upcoming Refuge Events

Digital Photography w/ Long Lens Workshop - Nov 14-17

Festival of the Cranes November 17 - 22, 2009

Free Weekend Tours - Nov-Feb, 2008. Saturdays, 1pm-3pm; Sundays, 9:00am-11am

Ducks of the Bosque: Identification and Behavior - March 29, 2010. 10 am-4 pm

Access a complete list of events and registration information

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