Photo by James Driscoll
Raptor Management Projects
In the past only listed species, those petitioned to be listed, or a candidate species under the Endangered Species Act were monitored to assess population status. Such reactionary management is mandated by federal law. However, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and other states are becoming more proactive in addressing raptor management issues. The department established the Raptor Management Program to identify population status, trends, and threats, and to implement management activities to help ensure that raptor populations remain healthy and prevent listing under the Endangered Species Act.
Monitoring, research, and management help biologists: 1) determine the status of raptor populations, 2) study and identify issues that may be limiting raptor abundance or distribution, and 3) fix the problems. With the help of federal, state, and local agencies, Native American Tribes, and private organizations, the Raptor Management Program is committed to keeping common raptor species common, and to improve the status of those species experiencing low population numbers.
To address these concerns, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently drafting Guidelines for Raptor Protection from Human and Land Use Disturbances in the Western U.S.. The department will use these guidelines to develop the Arizona Raptor Management Plan. Both documents, when completed, will outline how federal and state agencies will manage raptor species in Arizona.
In addition, the Department and its partners have recently completed, or are currently conducting, research, management, or monitoring projects on bald eagles, golden eagles, burrowing owls, and peregrine falcons.
Photos by Dave Lampkin, Bruce Taubert, George Andrejko