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Arizona agencies plan for wildlife linkages in Maricopa County News Media Mar 12, 2008 A forward-thinking group of Arizona agencies recently met to identify existing and potential wildlife habitat connectivity areas that are vital within Maricopa County. The connectivity areas identified are critical for maintaining wildlife biodiversity and preserving the range of wildlife species found in the area. The Maricopa County Wildlife Linkages Workshop provided a forum for gathering local and regional knowledge about wildlife movement patterns in the county. Participants applied expertise in local landscapes, habitat and wildlife species to map the most important linkage areas. "As the Valley undergoes more and more development, wildlife populations are suffering habitat fragmentation that will inevitably lead to reduced numbers and possibly extirpation from the area," says Ray Schweinsburg, an Arizona Game and Fish Department research biologist and Maricopa County Linkages Steering Committee member. "Bringing this group of experts together allowed us to think ahead and develop a tool for planners to use to preserve our wildlife resources." The Maricopa County Wildlife Linkages Assessment will include those linkages previously identified in a statewide study and new linkages important at the county scale. The data collected during the workshop is currently being refined by the workgroup to include in a countywide linkages map and linkage data tables. The resulting map and data tables will be made available to planners for incorporation into activities including wildlife crossings, land protection measures and community planning. "The development of this planning tool will assist public agencies in developing programs and projects in ways that will help to maintain and preserve biodiversity," says Jon Loxley, Flood Control District of Maricopa County landscape architect planner and Steering Committee member. "This tool may also prove useful to private sector landscape planning and design professionals here in Maricopa County." Supporters in the wildlife linkages effort include Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona State University Global Institute of Sustainability, Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Maricopa County Department of Transportation, Northern Arizona University and the Sonoran Institute. |
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