Arizona Game and Fish Department
2015-2016 Annual Report
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
To our constituents and wildlife/outdoors enthusiasts everywhere:
Forty-three years ago, my wife Donna and I spent our wedding night at Kohl’s Ranch.
We cut our honeymoon short because the following day, I started a eld assignment as a
Wildlife Manager Trainee with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. I didn’t know
then that my love of wildlife and wild places would eventually lead to nine years in the
Director’s Oce.
We’re all blessed with Arizona’s magnicent and abundant natural resources. We share a
love for her natural wonders and diversity of wildlife. I’ve been blessed to work in your trust
to help you conserve your wildlife.
As my 43-year career with the Department draws to a close, I reect on the foundations
I shared with the Commission when I applied for the Director’s job. e eectiveness and
credibility of your Arizona Game and Fish Department grows out of the quality and integrity
of our science, the intellectual capacity and passion of our workforce, the autonomy of our
Commission, and Arizona’s passion for wildlife.
e men and women of Arizona Game and Fish and I are blessed to serve a public whose
passion for our wildlife future is boundless. You are blessed to have a wildlife agency with
state-of-the-art wildlife science, data and information, and whose workforce has intellectual
capacity, energy and a passion for wildlife just like you. We’re all blessed to have a system
of citizen governance in the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, unwavering in its mandate
to conserve Arizona’s wildlife, free from the swings of partisan politics or the emotions of
the moment.
Lastly, I’m blessed with the comfort of handing our new Director Ty Gray the reins of
arguably the nest conservation agency in America. Ty is an amazing leader, and he’ll guide
our state and the Arizona Game and Fish Department toward our shared wildlife future.
He deserves and will need your support.
ank you for the support you have given me and God bless.
Larry D. Voyles
Note: This Annual Report includes information on AZGFD activities and achievements
in calendar year 2016 and nancial information from FY2015-16. We’ve repeated
this Director’s Message from Director Larry Voyles, which originally appeared in the
July-August 2017 edition of
Arizona Wildlife Views
magazine, in honor of his 43-year
career with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Director Voyles is retiring at the
end of June 2017. Deputy Director Ty Gray has been appointed by the Game and Fish
Commission as new Director, effective July 1, 2017.
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 1
e iis dolecum ex eum as qui nobis mos ut eaqui
consequis et am est evenienihita volleni hicitatem dolessi
tatium velent.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Outdoor Expo draws record weekend crowd
e Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2016
Outdoor Expo, presented by Shikar-Safari Club
International, drew a record crowd of 41,100
people during the April 2-3 weekend at the Ben
Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. Combined
with 4,500 students, teachers and chaperones
who turned out for the Friday, April 1, Youth
Day, the 45,600 total was the second-highest
three-day turnout in Expo history. e Expo
showcases activities such as shing, hunting,
shooting sports, archery, camping, o-highway
vehicle recreation, boating recreation, and wildlife
viewing. In addition to the hands-on activities,
more than 150 exhibitors were on site, including
sportsmen’s and conservation organizations,
government agencies, and commercial vendors of
outdoor products and services.
AZGFD introduces new PointGuard option to
protect hunters’ bonus points
e Arizona Game and Fish Department
introduced an innovative new program
called PointGuard for the 2016 fall draw.
PointGuard ensures that if a successful hunt
draw applicant is unable to participate in a
hunt for any reason, the accumulated bonus
points that were expended to draw that hunt
permit-tag will be reinstated. A bonus point
is an accumulated credit that authorizes the
department to issue an applicant additional
computer-generated random numbers during a
draw. An applicant accumulates a bonus point
each year in which he or she submits a valid
application and does not draw a hunt permit-
tag. PointGuard is available to applicants who
apply online for a draw tag. e cost is $5 per
species, per applicant, purchased at the time of
completing the online application, or prior to
the application period deadline.
Governor signs HB 2324 as a boost to
Arizona military families
A bill to allow spouses of active duty military
personnel stationed in Arizona to qualify for
Arizona resident hunting and shing licenses
was signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey.
e Arizona Game and Fish Commission earlier
in the year voted unanimously to support this
expression of gratitude for the families whose
service and sacrice protect our liberties. Under
current law, an active duty member of the
armed forces of the United States stationed in
Arizona either permanently or temporarily may
e 2016 Outdoor
Expo drew a record
weekend crowd,
with more than
41,000 people
attending to learn
about Arizona’s
plethora of outdoor
activities.
2 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
Female 1346 was one of two pups successfully
cross-fostered into the den of the Dark Canyon
Pack in New Mexico in 2014. e Arizona
Game and Fish Commission and Department
support this cross-fostering technique that
introduces very young pups from captivity and
places them into a wild-born litter of the same
age. e pups are then raised in the wild rather
than captivity, which may make them less
likely to get into human-wolf conicts. Cross-
fostering has been used in genetic management
of other species but until recently was unproven
for Mexican wolves. Organizations involved
in fostering eorts include AZGFD, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Chicago
Zoological Society and the Endangered Wolf
Center. e Mexican Wolf Reintroduction
Project is a collaborative eort of USFWS,
AZGFD, White Mountain Apache Tribe,
USDA Forest Service, USDA Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service - Wildlife Services,
and several participating counties in Arizona.
Tiger trout stocked for rst time in selected
Arizona lakes
AZGFD personnel stocked hybrid trout new
to the state in four Rim Country and White
Mountains lakes this year. Willow Springs
Lake and Woods Canyon Lake were stocked
Catchable-size tiger trout were stocked in four lakes,
adding diversity to anglers’ opportunities.
purchase a resident license permitting the taking
of wildlife. HB2324, which was sponsored by
Rep. Frank Pratt, now extends that privilege
to their spouses as well. rough the years,
the department has consistently implemented
programs that provide hunting tags and
opportunities for veterans, wounded warriors,
and military personnel to hunt on military
installations throughout AZ. e department
also has partnered with non-prot organizations
serving veterans so that unused hunting permits
or tags may be donated to veterans with service-
connected disabilities.
License discount campaigns show success
e Arizona Game and Fish Department this
year conducted several promotional campaigns
that oered discounts on shing licenses.
Legislation passed in 2013 gave the Department
the ability to oer license discounts. As an
agency that receives no Arizona general fund tax
dollars, AZGFD has to be more entrepreneurial
than most government agencies and nd ways
to generate more revenue. All of these digital
marketing campaigns provided lifts in license
sales and revenue. Two half-price short-term
license campaigns for the Memorial Day and
4th of July holidays led to license sales increase
of 370% and 267%, respectively compared to
the comparable periods last year. A Father’s Day
campaign that oered $5 o a general shing
license resulted in a 67% increase. Another
promotional campaign promoting the shing
experience (but not a license discount) led to
a 21% increase in shing license sales over the
same period last year.
Mexican Wolf Recovery Program nds
cross-fostering success
In a critical breakthrough in Mexican wolf
management, biologists with the Mexican Wolf
Interagency Field Team (IFT) learned that a
cross-fostered wolf pup introduced to a pack in
2014 has produced a wild ospring of her own.
e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that
a genetic test of male wolf 1561 revealed that it
is the ospring of male 1293 and female 1346.
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 3
with catchable size (8-10 inch) tiger trout, a
brown-brook trout hybrid. As a result of this
hybridization, the tiger trout is sterile and
unable to reproduce. As tiger trout grow, their
worm-like pattern becomes more distinct. e
department received about 18,000 tiger trout
ngerlings (3-6 inches) from the Utah Division
of Wildlife Resources in 2015. e trout were
raised at the Tonto Creek Hatchery near Payson
until they grew to a catchable (at least 8 inch)
size. ese four lakes were chosen because they
are currently managed for rainbow trout sport
shing. Adding tiger trout to the lakes will add
diversity and expanded opportunities to the
Arizona shing experience.
AZGFD offers rst-ever wildlife and outdoor
recreation summer camp
Parents of children 8-14 years of age had a new
option this summer thanks to the Arizona
Game and Fish Department’s rst-ever wildlife
and outdoor recreation summer camp. Camps
were held for two consecutive weeks in June
at the department’s Hirsch Conservation Area
e Arizona
Game and Fish
Department’s rst-
ever wildlife and
outdoor recreation
summer camp
provided hands-on
learning experiences
for 200 children.
located on the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in
north Phoenix. ey included hands-on science
experiments, shing, kayaking, archery, air
ries, wildlife encounters and more. Both camp
sessions lled their 100-person capacity well
ahead of the registration deadline. e camp is
sponsored by the department and the non-prot
Wildlife for Tomorrow.
Ribbon-cutting at Willow Beach National
Fish Hatchery celebrates successful
partnership
A ribbon-cutting event at the Willow Beach
National Fish Hatchery celebrated the renewed
collaborative eorts by the Arizona Game
and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and Mohave County that will boost
economic activity and preserve trout shing on
the lower Colorado River in Mohave County
for future generations. Trout stockings at the
hatchery, which had ceased in 2013 due in
part to a water intake system failure, support
approximately 1,700 jobs and generate $75
million in economic activity along this stretch
of the river. With continuous support from
Sen. John McCain, stockings from the Willow
Beach National Fish Hatchery were anticipated
in early 2017. AZGFD’s commitment to
anglers for great trout shing opportunities on
this area of the Colorado River is evidenced
by great relations with local businesses and
organizations. Ongoing stockings have been
made possible by donations from local pest
abatement districts.
4 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
“I Support Wildlife” membership program
upgraded with improved online mapping
feature
e Arizona Game and Fish Department
enhanced its “I Support Wildlife” membership
program with an upgraded “premium” online
mapping feature that allows people to mark
their own waypoint locations and automatically
save and sync that data to all of the individual’s
devices (including mobile devices having
cell service). e mapping feature includes
various data layers, including a detailed USGS
topographic base map, game management units,
land ownership, wildlife waters, and more.
A promotional sale from Sept. 16 to Oct. 16
oered a $5 discount o the regular $25 price.
e promotion resulted in the sale of more
than 1,000 “I Support Wildlife” memberships,
more than had been cumulatively sold over the
previous year. Other features of the “I Support
Wildlife” membership program include a one-
year subscription to the bimonthly “Arizona
Wildlife Views” magazine, up-to-date sh
stocking reports, and a window decal showing
the member is a wildlife supporter.
Arizona Big Game Super Rafe nets record
$633,750 for wildlife
e 11th annual “Arizona Big Game Super
Rae” raised a record $633,750, topping
$598,400 in 2015. Each year, one special
big game tag for each of Arizona’s 10 big
game species is raed o. is year’s prizes
also included a New Mexico elk hunt and a
Swarovski optics package. Rae winners were
announced on July 21 at the Arizona Game and
Fish Department headquarters in Phoenix. e
money raised for each species through the rae
is returned to the Department and managed by
the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee for
that species. e rae is conducted by a non-
prot entity and overseen by a volunteer board
of directors from sponsoring organizations.
Exciting new shooting program offered
monthly at Ben Avery Shooting Facility
Arizona Game and Fish introduced the new
“Saturday Steel” target-shooting program in
May. Held the third Saturday of each month on
the Ben Avery small bore range, the program
oers recreational shooters of all ages and skill
levels the opportunity to shoot at steel targets
in a non-competitive, no-pressure environment.
For a at fee of $20 for adults, $13 for youths
(price includes the $7 facility daily range pass),
customers have the option to shoot from several
stations, with distances varying from 15 to
85 yards. Time is allotted for each customer
to shoot one full magazine and reload up to
two times, if they have extra magazines loaded
and ready. ose customers who are shooting
revolvers are able to reload using speed loaders.
Only ries and carbines chambered in .22
Short, Long and Long Rie or pistol caliber
ammunition are allowed. A range safety ocer
or mentor is available to assist customers at each
station.
An annual $25 “I
Support Wildlife”
membership includes
the premium version
of the Recreational
Access Arizona online
mapping feature.
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 5
Arizona’s bald eagles
break breeding-season
records yet again in
2016
Arizona’s bald eagles
continue to impress
biologists with their
upward growth trends
and year-after-year breeding records. Key
productivity records that were broken in 2016
include number of: breeding areas, occupied
breeding areas, eggs laid, active breeding
areas, successful breeding attempts and young
hatched. All of these measures are important
indicators of the species’ health. Annual
productivity records indicate that bald eagles
continue to ourish in the state. Bald eagles
were removed from the federal Endangered
Species Act in 2007. e Department’s
conservation eorts contributed to the species
recovery. Nationally, the birds remain protected
by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection
Act. Continued support from the committee,
State Wildlife Grants and the Heritage Fund
(Arizona Lottery ticket sales), will help ensure
that Arizona’s bald eagles continue to thrive.
Happy 20th anniversary to Arizona’s
endangered black-footed ferrets
Arizona’s endangered black-footed ferret
population celebrated the 20th anniversary
of its reintroduction to Arizona with the
CONSERVATION
release of more animals into a new privately-
owned reintroduction area. rough a new
Safe Harbor Agreement, the Double O Ranch
outside of Seligman on Oct. 4 became the third
reintroduction site in Arizona. e species was
thought to be extinct until a small colony of
ferrets was discovered in Wyoming in 1981.
Disease outbreaks reduced this population to
about 18 individuals, which were captured to
begin a captive breeding program to save the
species. e descendants of the original 18 ferrets
have now been introduced into reintroduction
sites across the west, including the Aubrey Valley
outside of Seligman, Ariz. Today, biologists
estimate there are a minimum of 800 to 1,000
individual ferrets living in the wild.
AZGFD helps pronghorn cross barriers
In between winter storms that hit north of
Flagsta near Wupatki National Monument,
the Arizona Game and Fish Department and
a group of volunteers captured and collared
23 pronghorn in an ongoing eort to track
their movements and improve connectivity
between herds. One of the biggest challenges
in managing pronghorn is nding ways to
minimize the impact of roads, highways
and fences that act as barriers and lead to
fragmentation of habitat. Wildlife biologists
in that area have found genetic dierences in
populations of pronghorn on either side of
the main highway that left to continue may
adversely aect the populations. Fences, in
particular, are problematic for pronghorn. While
pronghorn have the ability to jump over a fence,
they almost always prefer to crawl under. For the
past several years, the department has worked
Arizona’s bald eagle
population continues
to increase, as new
productivity records
were set in 2016.
is year
marked the 20th
anniversary of the
reintroduction of
endangered black-
footed ferrets into
Arizona.
6 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
with the USDA Forest Service, the Arizona
Department of Transportation, the National
Park Service, local ranchers, and organizations
like the Arizona Antelope Foundation to
modify miles of fencing, including cutting the
bottom strand of barbed wire and replacing it
with a smooth wire 18 inches above the ground.
e idea is to let the pronghorn out without
getting tangled, while keeping livestock in. e
capture eort north of Flagsta was particularly
successful with the help of the Esri-produced
Collector for ArcGIS, which allows biologists
and volunteers to better track observation
data. With the app installed on their tablets
or smartphones, crew members were able to
collect, update and share pronghorn sightings
while in the eld.
Record $2.4 million raised for Habitat
Partnership Committee to help wildlife
Once again, hunters came through to support
Arizona’s wildlife when a record $2.4 million
were raised during the 2015-16 funding cycle
for the Habitat Partnership Committee (HPC).
Most of the money was raised through the
auctioning or raing of special big game
permit-tags, although the committee strives to
incorporate multiple funding sources to bring
the maximum benet to wildlife. Proceeds are
anticipated to fund more than 70 projects to
improve habitat or management for big game
species. ose same projects mutually benet
other wildlife as well. e Arizona Game and
Fish Commission annually approves three
special big game permit-tags, per species, that
are awarded to non-prot wildlife conservation
organizations to auction or rae. Every dollar
generated from these auctions and raes
comes back to the department and is used to
benet the species for which the special big
game permit-tag is issued. Funds are
allocated through the HPC program
by collaboration between the
department and the organizations.
Joint project identies valued hunting,
angling destinations
When it comes to telling others about their
“secret” spots, hunters and anglers are famous
for holding their cards close to their game or
shing vests. Yet, more than 1,200 Arizona
sportsmen have willingly tipped their hands,
circling their favorite destinations on a map, as
part of a national initiative to conserve sh and
wildlife habitat while protecting and improving
public access for hunting and angling. While the
maps will be useful to sportsmen, they largely
were developed to guide conservation eorts.
e maps have been assembled in a geographic
information system (GIS), where they can
be overlaid with maps of critical habitat,
land ownership and other data. e resulting
maps will provide important and previously
unavailable data to state and federal agencies for
utilization and aid in important matters.
Threatened narrow-headed gartersnakes
introduced into Pinetop wetland
e Arizona Game and Fish Department
partnered with Northern Arizona University
(NAU) to release two male and one female
narrow-headed gartersnakes into a newly created
wetland adjacent to the AZGFD Pinetop
regional oce. Narrow-headed gartersnakes are
listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. Before the narrow-headed
gartersnakes were introduced, the wetland was
stocked with speckled dace and blueheaded
suckers, to provide a food source for the snakes,
and northern leopard frog tadpoles. NAU
provided the snakes that were raised in captivity,
and provided valuable input on the wetland’s
role in maximizing gartersnake persistence, as
well as post-release snake monitoring.
ree narrow-headed gartersnakes, a threatened species, were
released into a new wetland near the Pinetop regional oce.
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 7
A new overpass
and underpass on
SR77 in Pima
County showed
quick success, with
numerous animals
using the structures
to safely cross the
highway.
New video shows deer and other animals
using Oracle Road wildlife bridge
Just weeks after construction was nished,
new camera footage documented a variety
of animals using the new wildlife crossings
on north Oracle Road in Pima County. e
Arizona Game and Fish Department installed
video and still cameras on the crossings in early
April, and, within days, mule deer, coyote,
and javelina were lmed using the wildlife
bridge and underpass to cross Oracle Road, an
oftentimes deadly 6-lane divided highway. Now
that these crossings are “open for business,” this
stretch of highway is not only safer for both
motorists and wildlife, but also provides habitat
connectivity essential for wildlife survival.
is unique project is a result of many years
of community collaboration among local and
state jurisdictions, elected ocials, conservation
groups, and neighbors. e wildlife crossings
were funded by a countywide excise tax of the
Regional Transportation Authority, built by
Arizona Department of Transportation, and
connected lands managed by the Arizona State
Land Department, U.S. Forest Service, and
Rancho Vistoso Homeowners Association. Pima
County funded additional land acquisitions
adjacent to the wildlife bridge, and Arizona
Game and Fish Department wildlife experts
helped develop the project through all phases.
Relict leopard frogs not in need of
federal protection
A frog species in Arizona and southern Nevada
does not need federal protection under the
Endangered Species Act, thanks to the multi-
partner conservation eorts of the Arizona
Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and other federal and state
agencies that make up the Relict Leopard Frog
Conservation Team. e Fish and Wildlife
Service has determined that relict leopard
frog populations are stable or increasing.
Collaborative eorts to save the species included
ongoing habitat management, establishment
of new sites, and restoration activities. ese
resulted in an overall reduction of most
threats and an improvement in the species’
status. Members of the Relict Leopard Frog
Conservation Team have included the Arizona
Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management,
National Park Service, Nevada Department of
Wildlife, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources,
Bureau of Reclamation, Environmental
Protection Agency, Clark County (Nevada), the
Southern Nevada Water Authority (including
the Las Vegas Springs Preserve), the University
of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of
Nevada, Reno.
8 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
Game and Fish Commission and
Senators McCain and Flake say
Grand Canyon bison management plan
should include state’s hunters
e National Park Service released a plan
that calls for managing overpopulated bison
herds within the Grand Canyon National
Park through capture/removal, the use of
sharpshooters and localized fencing around
sensitive park resources. Noticeably absent
from the Park Service plan was a cost-eective
solution that would utilize the state’s sportsmen
and sportswomen as a bison management
option, which is supported by the Arizona
Game and Fish Commission, U.S. Sens. John
McCain and Je Flake, and U.S. Rep. Paul
Gosar. e proposal comes as Congressional
lawmakers were considering a pair of bipartisan
bills aimed at protecting the Grand Canyon’s
North Rim habitat, cultural and archaeological
sites from further bison damage by requiring the
U.S. Department of Interior and the Arizona
Game and Fish Commission to coordinate on
a plan that allows sportsmen with valid state-
issued hunting licenses to assist in managing
the bison population. Because hunting is not
allowed within park boundaries, it has become
a safe haven for the exploding bison population,
which has led to overgrazing and damage to the
Grand Canyon’s natural resources.
Court mandates new recovery plan for
endangered Mexican wolf
An Arizona judge approved a settlement
agreement in a lawsuit led by the Arizona
Game and Fish Department and the Arizona
Attorney General’s Oce against the
Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service for failing to develop a new
recovery plan for the endangered Mexican wolf.
Under the terms of the settlement, approved
Oct. 18, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is
mandated to update a decades-old recovery plan
by Nov. 30, 2017. e current recovery plan,
developed in 1982, fails to provide for several
key legal requirements, such as identifying
criteria that are required to downlist and delist
this subspecies of wolves from the Endangered
Species Act (ESA). Without these criteria,
it would be impossible to remove Mexican
wolves from endangered status. Additionally
under the terms of the settlement, the federal
agency also must provide regular status updates
on the planning process, and must complete
an independent peer review of the draft plan,
through which it will solicit and consider all
available scientic information from appropriate
state agencies and other entities. Arizona
Game and Fish maintains that to measure
success of the recovery program, an updated
recovery plan must include an integrated, bi-
national approach that incorporates the recovery
work already being done in Mexico, where more
than 90 percent of the Mexican wolf’s historic
range is.
It’s estimated that more than 600 bison live in and near
Grand Canyon National Park, but many experts say the
appropriate number should be around 250.
Under the terms of a
settlement agreement
in a lawsuit led by
AZGFD and the
Arizona Attorney
General’s Oce,
the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service must
update a decades-old
recovery plan for the
Mexican wolf by Nov.
30, 2017.
ISSUES
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 9
Game and Fish Commission
passes resolutions on burro
management, land use
e Arizona Game and Fish Commission
approved two resolutions in January,
including one to address an “extreme
overpopulation of burros” impacting the
state’s wildlife, and another that bolsters
the department’s eorts to ensure public
access to public lands. e resolution on
burro management states that “the Arizona
Game and Fish Commission recognizes
there is an extreme overpopulation of burros
in Arizona that negatively impacts wildlife,
wildlife habitat and public safety.” Under
the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros
Act of 1971, there should be no more than
1,676 burros within the state. e current
population is estimated at 4,860, according to
the Bureau of Land Management, the federal
agency legally required to maintain burros at
established “appropriate management levels.”
e overpopulation of burros negatively
aects habitat relied upon by bighorn sheep,
mule deer, Gambel’s quail, sensitive migratory
songbirds and other wildlife species that have
evolved to live in the desert. Burros consume
native plants and grasses down to the roots,
preventing them from growing back. ey
also muddy waterholes used by other wildlife
and disturb sensitive nesting grounds.
Land management
ocials are
grappling with
how to manage
the overpopulation
of burros, which
negatively impact the
habitats that native
species rely on.
Discovery of adult quagga mussel at
Canyon Lake could impact recreational
and municipal water users
In late 2015, the Arizona Game and Fish
Department positively identied an adult
quagga mussel attached to the hull of a
boat removed from Canyon Lake, a major
recreational lake on the Tonto National Forest.
Due to these discoveries, the department
ramped up its monitoring eorts at Canyon
and Saguaro lakes. In addition, the department
expedited plans to use 2016 federal AIS grant
money to add personnel dedicated to the issue
and to purchase several mobile watercraft
decontamination units. is will aid in assisting
the public to “clean, drain and dry” – and
especially decontaminate – their watercraft and
equipment prior to exiting this area of the Salt
River chain of lakes. ese increased eorts are
necessary to curtail the advancement of this
highly invasive species to other waters in central
Arizona and the rest of the state.
10 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
MISCELLANEOUS
“Arizona Wildlife Views”
honored with 7 regional Emmy Awards
e producers of “Arizona Wildlife Views,”
the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s
television show, took home seven regional
Emmy Awards in four dierent categories from
the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of
the National Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences (NATAS) on Oct. 8. Award categories
included Program Feature / Segment / Special,
Environment – Program Special, Director (non-
live), and Video Journalist. Award recipients
included two Arizona Wildlife Views shows and
the lms “A Triumph for Pronghorn Antelope,”
and “Bats and Burned Forests. “Arizona
Wildlife Views” is a half-hour original series
produced by the Information Branch of the
Arizona Game and Fish Department. e show
airs on local PBS stations, city cable channels
across the state and YouTube.
Public engagement helps spur
withdrawal of proposed USFWS
boating restrictions at Havasu
Wildlife Refuge
anks to engagement by the local community,
the Arizona Game and Fish Commission,
and elected ocials (including Sen. John
McCain and Rep. Paul Gosar), the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service in June withdrew its
draft Recreational Boating Compatibility
Determination (CD) for the Havasu National
Wildlife Refuge, citing the need for further
deliberation. e Service in April had
announced the draft CD, which proposed
additional boating restrictions for parts of
the refuge. e proposed restrictions sparked
a strong reaction from the local community
during the formal comment period, with
numerous comments expressing concern over
the restrictions, the rationale behind them,
and the impact they might have on the local
economy. e Service subsequently withdrew
the draft CD as currently written, committing
to further discussions with the community and
other stakeholders before taking any further
action.
AZGFD’s video producers took home seven regional
Emmy awards in four dierent categories from the
Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 11
New wildlife cameras give people
a glimpse into nature
AZGFD made it easier for worldwide audiences
to enjoy a wildlife experience with the launch of
two live-stream cameras. One camera provided
a view of sandhill cranes from October through
April at their wintering grounds at Whitewater
Draw Wildlife Area in southern Arizona. e
second camera, which ran during the spring,
provided a peek into the lives of a breeding pair
of peregrine falcons living atop the Maricopa
County Administration building in downtown
Phoenix. e crane live stream was only the
second one in the nation focused on the big,
impressive sandhill crane, and the only one
that gives viewers a glimpse into their wintering
habits. e peregrine camera showcased the
laying, incubation and hatching of one nestling.
Unfortunately, the nestling died after falling
from the nest area just before edging, but
thousands of viewers (many of whom had never
previously interacted with the department) had
an opportunity to see the challenges faced by
wildlife in rearing young.
A live-stream video
feed lets the public
view sandhill cranes
at their wintering
grounds October
through March.
Public swaps 300 old life jackets
for new in 2016 under
AZGFD’s Life Jacket Exchange Program
e Arizona Game and Fish Department
(AZGFD) swapped more than 300 old and
tattered life jackets with new ones during
life jacket exchange events at area lakes
this summer. e AZGFD Boating Safety
Education program helped to ensure 304
people were safer on the water by swapping
old, less-eective life jackets for new ones
during visits to Lake Havasu, Saguaro Lake,
Lake Pleasant, Lake Powell and Canyon Lake.
All boats in Arizona must have a life jacket
aboard for every passenger and those 12 years
old and younger must wear a life jacket at
all times, under state law. e Department
began the life jacket exchange program in
2008 to help save lives and to encourage
watercraft users to remain safe on the water.
e program is funded through U.S. Coast
Guard funding to purchase new jackets in a
variety of sizes.
12 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
After receiving its
rst stocking of
rainbow trout in
March, Patterson
Ponds became
AZGFD’s latest
addition to the
Community Fishing
Program.
New Community Fishing Program water
added in St. John’s
Patterson Ponds, located in the rural
community of St. Johns in the White
Mountains of northeast Arizona, has become
the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s
newest Community Fishing Program (CFP)
water. e ponds received their rst stocking
of rainbow trout during the week of March
21-26. e site is composed of an upper and a
lower pond that total approximately 8.2 acres.
e plan is to stock the ponds at least two times
per year with trout, three times per year with
catsh, and once with sunsh. is represents
an incredible opportunity for the kids and
families of this community to enjoy a heritage-
rich activity together—shing and being in the
outdoors.
Gilbert man catches state record for
native roundtail chub
Rudolph Homan of Gilbert was shing on the
Verde River above Clarkdale, Ariz., in February
when he found a large pool of water and began
reeling in multiple roundtail chub. e rst
measured at about 17 inches. en another at
18 ... then 18 ½ inches. Finally, a 19-inch chub
took a ¼-ounce bronze spoon with a spinning
rod and 8-pound uorocarbon line. is Gila
robusta set a new state catch-and-release record
for roundtail chub. “ere is really something
special about being able to catch and release a
sh that has been part of our Arizona waterways
for tens of thousands of years,” Homan said.
AZGFD has initiated numerous conservation
eorts since the early 2000s. Maintenance of
healthy roundtail chub populations were likely
inuenced by all of these conservation measures
in the Verde River.
201516 ANNUAL REPORT 13
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Fiscal Year Revenues by Fund 2015–16
Game and Fish Fund ..................................................................... $34,754,774
Watercraft Licensing Fund................................................................. 4,544,161
Game, Nongame Fund .......................................................................... 154,968
Federal Assistance (Includes Matching Funds) ................................ 48,214,917
Heritage Fund .................................................................................. 10,163,039
Off-Highway Vehicle Fund ................................................................. 1,792,525
Capital Improvement/Conservation Dev Funds ..................................2,496,220
Wildlife Conservation Fund ................................................................6,533,665
Indirect Cost Fund .............................................................................4,064,945
Other Funds (See Detail Below) ......................................................... 3,950,741
Total Revenue All Sources ...........................................................$116,669,955
Other Funds Detail 2015–16
Federal Grants ...............................................................................$705
Wildlife Conservation Recovery Fund ................................................... 0
GF Land & Water Conservation/Recreation Dev. .............................. 259
Wildlife Theft Prevention Fund ...................................................171,518
Wildlife Endowment Fund ......................................................... 195,166
Credit Card Clearing Fund .......................................................(235,784)
Trust/Donation Fund ..............................................................3,588,629
Firearms Safety and Ranges Fund .............................................. 31,600
W/L Habitat and Restoration Fund ....................................................... 3
Game & Fish Nevada Col Stamp .................................................24,559
Game & Fish California/Col Stamp ................................................... 116
Game & Fish Big Game Permit .........................................................466
Game & Fish Kaibab Coop ...............................................................930
Publications Revolving Fund ..................................................... 172,574
Total Other Funds ................................................................$3,950,741
Fiscal Year Expenditures by Fund 2015–16
Game and Fish Fund .....................................................................$32,012,784
Watercraft Licensing Fund.................................................................3,083,556
Game, Nongame Fund .......................................................................... 113,210
Federal Assistance (Includes Matching Funds) ................................44,945,024
Heritage Fund .....................................................................................7,992,121
Off-Highway Vehicle Fund .................................................................1,969,994
Capital Improvement/Conservation Dev Funds .................................. 2,696,715
Wildlife Conservation Fund ................................................................ 6,361,186
Indirect Cost Fund .............................................................................4,952,902
Other Funds (See Detail Below) .........................................................4,373,297
Total Expenditures All Sources .................................................... $108,500,789
Other Funds Detail 2015–16
Federal Grants ................................................................................... $0
Wildlife Conservation Recovery Fund ........................................ 749,663
Wildlife Theft Prevention Fund .................................................. 159,001
Federal Economic Recovery Fund .................................................... 891
Trust/Donation Fund ..............................................................3,290,422
Firearms Safety and Ranges Fund .............................................. 24,002
Publications Revolving Fund ..................................................... 149,319
Total Other Funds ............................................................... $4,373,298
Calendar Year Licenses and Stamps Sold 2015
Resident General Fish.......................................................................... 148,086
Nonresident General Fish ....................................................................... 17,9 24
Resident General Hunt ........................................................................... 53,985
Nonresident General Hunt* .............................................................................. -
Resident Combo Hunt/Fish .................................................................. 102,754
Nonresident Combo Hunt/Fish .............................................................. 25,688
Youth High Achievement Scout .................................................................. 133
Youth DLR ............................................................................................. 46,440
Resident Youth Combo Hunt/Fish .......................................................... 20,450
Nonresident Youth Combo Hunt/Fish ....................................................... 3,050
Resident Migratory Bird Stamp.............................................................. 13,407
Nonresident Migratory Bird Stamp .......................................................... 3,789
Resident Short-term Combo .................................................................. 17,406
Nonresident Short-term Combo ............................................................. 28,641
Migratory Bird DLR ................................................................................ 36,768
Community Fishing DLR .......................................................................... 4,649
Resident Community Fishing .................................................................... 1,104
Nonresident Community Fishing ................................................................. 507
Totals ...................................................................................................524,781
Calendar Year License, Tag and Stamp Sales 2015
Fishing ............................................................................................$6,473,262
Hunting .............................................................................................2,009,377
Hunt/Fish Combo ..............................................................................9,968,842
Youth ................................................................................................... 350,705
Community Fishing ...............................................................................150,268
Migratory Bird Stamps .........................................................................269,820
Short-terms .......................................................................................... 902,187
Permit Tags ...................................................................................... 7,789,255
Nonresident Permit Tags .................................................................. 2,037,403
Application Fee Revenue .................................................................. 4,363,926
Total License, Tag, Stamp & Application Fee Revenue ............. 34,315,045
Dealer Commissions .......................................................................... (547,544)
Total less Dealer Commissions ...................................................... $33,767,501
*Discontinued in 2014; must buy Nonresident Hunt/Fish Combo
14 ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT
THE GAME AND FISH COMMISSION
Under the provisions of the Arizona Revised Statutes 17-231, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission
establishes policy for the management, preservation and harvest of wildlife. e Commission makes
rules and regulations for managing, conserving and protecting wildlife and sheries resources, and
safe and regulated watercraft and o-highway vehicle operations for the benet of the citizens of
Arizona. In support of the Commission’s obligations, the Director, as Chief Administrative Ocer,
provides general supervision and control of all Department functions and activities.
e Commission is composed of ve members appointed by the Governor pursuant to ARS 38-211.
e Governor is assisted in the selection of Commission candidates by the Arizona Game and Fish
Commission Appointment Recommendation Board.
e Commission appoints the Director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Director
serves as Secretary to the Commission. No more than one Commissioner may be from any one
county. No more than three may be from the same political party. Each Commissioner serves a
ve-year term, staggered. Commissioners customarily serve as Chair during their last year.
OUR MISSION
To conserve Arizona’s diverse wildlife resources and manage for safe, compatible outdoor recreation
opportunities for current and future generations.
e Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or
disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AZGFD’s
programs or activities, including employment practices, they may le a complaint with the Director’s Oce, 5000 W. Carefree
Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086, (602) 942-3000, or with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attn: Civil Rights Coordinator
for Public Access, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS:WSFR, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. Persons with a disability may request a
reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Director’s Oce as listed above.
Kurt R. Davis
Edward “Pat” Madden James S. ZielerJames R. Ammons Eric S. Sparks
201516 A NN UA L R EPORT 15
5000 W. Carefree Highway
Phoenix, AZ 85086
(602) 942-3000
www.azgfd.gov
LARRY D. VOYLES Director
TY GRAY Deputy Director
JIM PAXON Special Assistant
to the Director
KENT KOMADINA Special Assistant
to the Director
KEVIN KINSALL Natural Resources
Intergovernmental Coordinator
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
JIM DEVOS Wildlife Management
TOM FINLEY Field Operations
JOHN BULLINGTON Support Services
TONY GUILES Information, Education
& Recreation
REGIONAL OFFICES
Region I — CHRIS BAGNOLI, Supervisor
2878 E. White Mountain Blvd., Pinetop 85935
(928) 367-4281
Region II — CRAIG MCMULLEN, Supervisor
3500 S. Lake Mary Road, Flagstaff 86001
(928) 774-5045
Region III — SCOTT POPPENBERGER,
Supervisor
5325 N. Stockton Hill Road, Kingman 86409
(928) 692-7700
Region IV — PAT BARBER, Supervisor
9140 E. 28th St., Yuma 85365
(928) 342-0091
Region V — RAUL VEGA, Supervisor
555 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson 85745
(520) 628-5376
Region VI — JAY COOK, Supervisor
7200 E. University Drive, Mesa 85207
(480) 981-9400
Arizona Game and Fish Department
