 Background:
Low level flights over wild animals may cause physiological and/or behavioral
responses that reduce fitness including breeding, habitat use,
and increased energy expenditure of animals that frequently have
limited energetic budgets. The Arizona Air National Guard is proposing
to expand helicopter operations at the Western Army National Guard
Aviation Training Site (WAATS) in Yuma, Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal
counties of Arizona. Such an expansion of operations would result
in an increase in low-level helicopter overflights in southern
Arizona where Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis)
are known to occur. In accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a biological
opinion on effects of the proposed training site expansion on Sonoran
pronghorn dated July 16, 2003. The proposed conservation measures
section of the biological opinion states that Arizona Army National
Guard will conduct noise studies on non-listed American pronghorn
at Camp Navajo. This pronghorn subspecies will act as a surrogate
for the listed Sonoran pronghorn in order to help evaluate potential
effects of training site expansion on Sonoran pronghorn.
Location:
Camp Navajo is located on the Coconino Plateau
about 10 miles west of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Approach:
In February 2004, we will trap and fit telemetry
collars on 14 pronghorn. The pronghorn will
be selected from herds in and around the
Camp Navajo Army National Guard Installation.
We intend to fly black hawk helicopters over
radio-collared pronghorn and monitor behavior:
1) prior, during and after overflight episodes;
2) among consecutive weeks of overflights;
3) among the four consecutive overflights;
4) between the breeding and non-breeding
seasons; and 5) among daytime and nighttime
overflights.
Benefits:
The primary purpose of this investigation
is study the behavioral responses of free-ranging
pronghorn to low level military helicopter
overflights. Such knowledge may indicate
potential risks that overflights may have
on the fitness of pronghorn and suggest methods
to mitigate these effects.
For more information
contact:
Mylea Bayless, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
.
Phone: (928) 213-9591 E-mail: mbayless@gf.state.az.us
Michael Ingraldi, Ph.D., Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
.
Phone: (928) 523-5625 E-mail: mingraldi@cybertrails.com
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