A Busy Day for Stocking Endangered Fish Inside This Issue: #TRENDING NOW
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Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Spring 2015 A Busy Day for Stocking Endangered Fish Inside this issue: #TRENDING NOW ................ 2 The Arizona Game and Fish Department organized and biologists completed 7 km of New Acquisition for Bubbling Ponds Hatchery ..................... 2 led a successful stocking of four endangered fish species habitat mapping in the at sites in upper Bonita Creek, Arizona and Mule Creek, upper drainage and found Aquatic Research and Conservation Center .............. 2 New Mexico in November 2014. suitable riffle and run habitat for Loach Minnow IN THE FIELD ........................ 3 These fish stockings were and Spikedace. Recent and Upcoming AZGFD- completed under the Gila River led Activities ........................... 3 Basin Native Fish Conservation When additional Spikedace New Home for Pupfish at Mesa Program—a mitigation program progeny become available Community College................ 3 for the Central Arizona Project. from the Department’s BACK AT THE PONDS .......... 4 Aquatic Research and As project partners, the U.S. Fish Native Fish Predator and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Conservation Center (ARCC) Conditioning Study ................. 4 near Page Springs, those fish Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and New Mexico will also be stocked into Department of Game and Fish upper Bonita Creek. Annual participated in the stockings. monitoring near stocking sites will occur to determine A total of 680 Desert Pupfish and the fate of stocked fish. 663 Gila Topminnow were released into two large beaver Mule Creek was a fishless ponds in upper Bonita Creek, stream identified for Gila Chub repatriation because downstream of the San Carlos A contracted helicopter uses a Apache Reservation. Further longline to haul a fish transport only one population of Gila downstream near Midnight barrel. Photo by AZGFD. Chub persists in New Canyon, 385 Gila Topminnow Mexico. Gila Chub were first stocked into Mule Creek in were stocked into a beaver pond Gila Topminnow were stocked 2012 as part of an ongoing and 288 Loach Minnow were upstream of the barrier. stocked at the head of a long collaboration between the riffle. In New Mexico, 60 Gila Unfortunately, green sunfish two states. Additional chub Chub were stocked into Mule and yellow bullhead reinvaded were collected in May 2014 Creek. the treated reach in 2009, and and held at ARCC for BLM has since led mechanical treatment of parasites. The Bonita Creek native fish removals of those nonnatives. These fish were then flown restoration project began in into the creek where 2008 with the completion of a Through annual monitoring at biologists from both states Reclamation-funded fish barrier fixed sites, BLM found Gila stocked them into suitable and a Department-led rotenone Topminnow established in the habitat. treatment of the 4.3 km reach middle portion of the stream, immediately above the barrier. but also observed increased By Tiffany Love-Chezem, CAP Native Fish Specialist and Tony Robinson, beaver activity that may have After the treatment, salvaged CAP Native Fish Program Manager, aquatic wildlife were returned to degraded the habitat for Loach Nongame Wildlife Branch the stream and Spikedace, Loach Minnow and Spikedace. <°))))><{ Minnow, Desert Pupfish, and In April 2014, Department Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Spring 2015 | Page 2 The acquisition “ #TRENDING NOW of this property serves two New Land and Water Acquisition for Bubbling Ponds purposes… to In December 2014, the mandated to offset impacts allow the Department to Department acquired 31.5 from the Department’s expand fish production on increase fish additional acres of property, sportfish stocking. CAMP will the newly acquired property production and adjacent to the Bubbling ensure long-term sustainability and the neighboring Ponds/Page Springs Fish of the gartersnakes on the Bubbling Ponds Hatchery. to conserve the Hatcheries in Yavapai County. new property through Approximately 2.5 acres of The acquisition of this property conservation commitments additional production ponds resident serves two purposes: to and the entire funding of the can be built. address the Department’s need purchase will contribute to northern By Chris Cantrell, Chief of Fisheries, to increase fish production and required mitigation. Fisheries Branch Mexican to conserve the resident northern Mexican gartersnake. The additional water rights will <°))))><{ gartersnake. Northern Mexican gartersnakes are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and now occupies <10% of its former range. The main cause ” of decline is attributed to destruction or modification of habitat. A significant portion of this newly acquired property contains sensitive habitat for the snakes. The acquisition of the property also contributes to the Department’s Conservation and Mitigation Program (CAMP), a program which is Map of Page Family Property, Bubbling Ponds Hatchery and ARCC. Bubbling Ponds Native Fish Conservation Facility Now Called “Aquatic Research and Conservation Center” Located just south of the over 15 years, and maintains was based largely on a desire Department’s Bubbling Ponds several refuge lineages of to avoid confusion with Hatchery, the newly-named endangered Loach Minnow and Bubbling Ponds Hatchery, and Aquatic Research and Spikedace, among other native to highlight the center’s Conservation Center (ARCC) fish species for research and emphasis on research and is focused on research and recovery purposes. conservation of native aquatic conservation of native species. aquatic species. Although the focus of the Department’s work at this By Esther Rubin PhD, Research Branch This facility, supported by Chief, Research Branch Bureau of Reclamation funds, facility is not changing, the has been in existence for decision to change the name <°))))><{ Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Spring 2015 | Page 3 IN THE FIELD Recent and Upcoming AZGFD-led Activities Around the State Region I Pinetop: Region III Kingman: Region VI Mesa: • April 8-10: Upper Harden Cienega • March 9-10: McGee Creek (tributary to • March 9-10: Gap Creek and Indian Creek Creek Gila Chub translocation Trout Creek) survey surveys • April 11-13: San Francisco River survey • Week of March 16: East Ash Creek • March 16-17: Marsh Creek Green Sunfish • April 27: Lower Blue River Loach Green Sunfish mechanical removal mechanical removals Minnow and Roundtail Chub stockings • March 23-25: Stone Corral and Wilder • March 17-18: Seven Springs Wash and • Mid-April to mid-May: Willow Springs Creek surveys upper Lime Creek surveys Lake Smallmouth Bass electrofishing • March 31-April 2: Conger Creek survey • March 19: Roundtree Canyon survey removal • April 13: East Ash Creek Green Sunfish • March 19-20: Walnut Springs (Cross F • May 4-7: Chitty Creek (tributary of mechanical removal Allotment) fish and frog salvage Eagle Creek) survey • March 24: Rock Creek and Cottonwood • May 18-21: KP Creek and Grant Creek Region V Tucson: Creek surveys barrier evaluations • March 23: Bear Canyon Longfin Dace March 31: Tortilla Creek survey • May 26-28: McKittrick Creek survey collection and translocation to • April 29-29: Longfin Dace collection in Peterson Ranch Pond Ellison Creek and translocation to Dude Region II Flagstaff: • April 15-16: Slate Creek and Little Creek • March 23: Towel Creek survey Saddle Mountain Creek surveys • May 5-7: East Verde River Headwater • April 20-24: Fossil Creek hoop-netting • April 20: San Bernardino National Chub survey and collection for ARCC of the 2012 treatment reach Wildlife Refuge Yaqui Catfish salvage • May 19-20: Chase Creek survey • April 27-29: C.C. Cragin and Knoll • April 27-30: Cave Creek (Chiricahua reservoir spill surveys Mountains) survey Phoenix Headquarters: • May 12: Spring Creek (tributary of Oak • May 4-5: Sheehy Spring Gila Chub • April 20: Statewide Native Fish Creek) Spikedace and Gila Topminnow survey Conservation Team meeting, followed by stocking • May 26-28: Redfield Canyon Green AZ 6-species suckers and chubs • May 18- 22: Oak Creek electrofishing Sunfish mechanical removal Agreement and Strategy meeting survey • May 26-29: Santa Cruz River • April 23: Native and Wild Trout gartersnake surveys Conference (registration required) Desert Pupfish Find a New Home at Mesa Community College The endangered Desert Pupfish took another The fish that were released came from ponds at step towards recovery recently when over the Phoenix Zoo and Nina Mason Pulliam Rio 300 fish were released in late 2014 by the Salado Audubon Center. Both partners work to Department into a refuge pond at Mesa help propagate pupfish. Community College (MCC) Red Mountain Campus. Prior to the pupfish stocking, Longfin Dace from the MCC pond were removed and taken to the This site was recently enrolled under the Phoenix Zoo’s Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Topminnow and Pupfish Safe Harbor Foundation Conservation Center as live prey for Agreement between the Department and gartersnakes being propagated at the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Safe Conservation Center. Harbor Agreements allow non-federal landowners to directly participate in By Lynda Lambert, Public Information Officer, Information Branch and Ross Timmons, Native Fish Coordinator, recovery of endangered and threatened Nongame Wildlife Branch species by providing wild and refuge habitat Partners stock Desert Pupfish for new populations. <°))))><{ into the Red Mountain Campus outdoor pond. Photo by AZGFD. Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Spring 2015 | Page 4 BACK AT THE PONDS Arizona Game and School is in Session