by Mike Evans
Conservation Director
Desert Rivers Audubon Society
On the afternoon of May 24th, I received a call from Scott Cleaves, the Park Ranger for the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch Park. In the previous two weeks he had only seen one cat in the Riparian Preserve. He had repeatedly tried to catch it over that time. He called me to report that he had finally been successful. To the best knowledge of GWR and Riparian Preserve staff, there were NO feral cats left at GWR! The most recent survey in mid-March reported only 13 cats left in the preserve. The staff trapped eight of those cats. Coyotes or natural causes are believed to have accounted for the other five. (Coyotes have been photographed this spring with one adult and two kittens in their mouths.) This compares to last October’s survey that had 82 cats and two litters of hidden kittens living in the preserve.
Signs have been installed at the GWR prohibiting the dumping of any type of animal at the facility. An ordinance prohibiting the dumping of animals has been drafted and circulated for comments. It will come before the town council this summer for adoption. Town employees will continue to trap for cats should any more appear at GWR.
If you run into Scott Anderson, Riparian Preserve Executive Director, Lisa Hermann, Education Director, Ranger Scott Cleaves, or Naturalist Jennie Rambo during a future visit to GWR, please thank them for their efforts to make the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch a feral cat-free facility. Thanks go out as well to the members of Save the Cats Arizona for their cooperation in the removal of the cats.
Thank you to all those that contacted Gilbert town staff and elected officials regarding this issue. The hard work of the birding community has been rewarded with a cat-free Important Birding Area (IBA) here in Gilbert, AZ.
However, since that happy day in late May, I have received two emails reporting additional cats in the preserve. Both reports gave detailed descriptions and very good locations. I have forwarded them on to Riparian Preserve staff so that they can be trapped and removed. Please continue to let me know at mascatce@cox.net if you see any on your visits to GWR.
For those of you interested in our Important Birding Area (IBA) program here in Arizona, the Arizona Audubon Council and Audubon Arizona are planning a conference for this October 1st at the Rio Salado Nature Center. The conference will focus on threats to the IBA from power line and transmission tower corridors that are scheduled to be established across our state due to the planned increase in alternative power sources. This is a classic public policy conflict, when two desired goals and their implementation conflict with one another. Please save the date on your calendars if this is of interest to you. More details will be coming soon. (So, I suppose there are a few of you wondering, “What the heck is the Arizona Audubon Council?” Well, that is the organization where all of the Audubon societies in Arizona work together on conservation issues.)
Our board was recently asked by Audubon Arizona to sign on to a letter from the Arizona Wilderness Coalition regarding a threat to roadless areas on the Coronado National Forest. As a former USFS firefighter on the Coronado NF and a former park Ranger at Chiricahua National Monument, that is a part of the state near and dear to me and also to many other birders. We added our support to the letter. If you would like more information, you can go to the AZ Wilderness Coalition website for more information: http://azwild.org/action/foresttravel.php.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking public review and input on an action plan for wildlife viewing recreation in Arizona. The Wildlife Viewing Action Plan outlines objectives and strategies to help guide and implement a statewide watchable wildlife project. It identifies programs, products, and services the department is currently providing in wildlife viewing recreation, discusses opportunities and challenges for the future, and identifies new approaches that, if implemented, will help take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges. Game and Fish is seeking input from the public on the general topics and strategies that have been developed in the plan. Here in the East Valley, a public meeting will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, June 29, at the Arizona Game and Fish Department Mesa Regional Office, 7200 E. University Drive. Here is a link to the Action Plan: http://www.azgfd.gov/images/outdoor_recreation/watchablewildlife/WildlifeViewPlanForReview.pdf. For additional information of the Watchable Wildlife program, check out this link: www.azgfd.gov/wwreview.
Finally, one last note, if I may. I’m sure there are others like me that are just as heart-sick as I am at the destruction brought on by a man-caused fire in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeast Arizona. As I write this, there are over 72,000 acres burned in the sixth largest fire in our state’s history. Containment is projected for sometime in late June. If you are of the mind to do so, please keep our brave wildland firefighters battling “the beast” (as our firefighters call big fires) in your thoughts and prayers.
Desert Rivers Audubon 