Category: State News

PHOENIX – Wildlife biologists at Arizona Game and Fish have launched a statewide spring adoption drive to find homes for Sonoran Desert Tortoises that have been abandoned or illegally bred in captivity. Just in time for Earth Month, tortoises have emerged from their winter brumation (slumber period) and need permanent homes before desert temperatures climb. Biologists at Arizona Game and Fish Department cite fewer winter adoption applications submitted this past season, leading to plenty of tortoises available, and are asking for the public’s help. To make this process as easy as possible, adoption applications and instructions on how to build…

PHOENIX – With Tax Day just a few weeks away, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is doing its part to take some of the hassle and stress out of filling out those forms.  MVD’s online portal, azmvdnow.gov, provides a free summary of vehicle license tax and fees paid during 2023 for every vehicle that is registered. “This is the simplest way for customers to get this information for filing their taxes,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “Getting this report just takes a few seconds and it’s much easier than going into each vehicle to collect all your…

PHOENIX – Arizona State Parks and Trails is announcing the winners of its Opt Outside Photo Contest. The agency received more than 1,300 images from more than 500 people during the contest, which ran from November 24, 2023 to January 15, 2024.  The Opt Outside Photo Contest showcased the talent of photographers and the beauty and diversity of Arizona’s more than 30 state parks. The contest invited photographers of all levels to submit their best shots in Arizona’s state parks for the chance to win prizes and recognition in five categories: * Living creatures, spotlighting Arizona plants, animals, and insects * Friendly…

The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s proposed recommendations for the 2024 deer, javelina, bighorn sheep, bison, black bear, mountain lion, predatory and fur-bearing mammals, small game, migratory birds, trapping, and population management seasons, as well as for the 2025 spring javelina, black bear and bison seasons, are available for review at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.  The hunt structures and recommendations were formulated based on the hunt guidelines approved by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. All questions or comments about a particular game management unit or hunt can be emailed to AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov. The public also is invited to call any of the department’s regional offices…

The Bureau of Land Management has released its annual wild horse and burro population estimates, which show a marked reduction in wild horse and burro overpopulation on public lands. This is the third year since 2020 that the overpopulation of wild horses and burros has declined. The BLM estimates there were approximately 73,520 federally-protected wild horses and burros on BLM-managed public lands as of March 1, 2024 – 9,363 fewer animals than what was estimated in 2023. Due to the realities of aerial and statistical analyses, the population estimate accounts for a range of uncertainty between 63,432 animals to 85,249 animals. “Protecting…