Survey results shine light on recovery effort in Aubrey Valley, Double O Ranch
SELIGMAN
— The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking volunteers to assist with
spotlighting efforts to help document the population of endangered black-footed
ferrets in Aubrey
Valley and on the Double
O Ranch near Seligman.
As
part of the recovery effort, the department has scheduled two spring
spotlighting projects – March 21-25 and April
18-21 (the department also conducts two spotlighting projects in
the fall). The spotlighting method involves using high-powered lights to locate
and identify black-footed ferrets. Their eyeshine is reflected by the spotlight
and helps surveyors with identifying and locating these elusive, nocturnal
carnivores.
Volunteers
must have the ability to stay attentive from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. while
spotlighting for black-footed ferrets and use, or learn how to use, a Global
Positioning System (GPS). Volunteers can sign up by e-mailing azferret@azgfd.gov —
with “spring spotlighting” in the subject line — by March 15 for
this month’s project and by April 12 for the later
opportunity.
Volunteers
are reminded to include their full name, a contact phone number, month(s) and
night(s) available to spotlight, and full names of others who also will be
attending (a parent or guardian must accompany any youth under 18). Volunteers
also should note any equipment they can bring, such as GPS, clipboard, headlamp,
pen, binoculars, walkie-talkies, compass, cordless rechargeable spotlight,
backpack or 4X4 vehicle.
A
total of nine individual black-footed ferrets were captured in 2018, down from
19 in 2017. Of those nine, eight were captured in Aubrey Valley
and one on the Double O Ranch. Almost 140 volunteers totaled 1,500 spotlighting
hours over the course of the spring and fall projects.
Visit www.azgfd.gov/wildlife and click on “Nongame Species” for more information about the black-footed ferret recovery effort.
