BLM Improving Habitat Quality in Arizona and Utah Big Game Migration Corridors

Description

Background: Secretarial order 3356 (Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting, and Wildlife Conservation Opportunities, and Coordination with States, Tribes, and Territories) instructs the BLM to collaborate with State, tribal, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to attain or sustain State, tribal, and territorial wildlife population goals during the Departments land management planning and implementation, including prioritizing active habitat management projects and funding that contributes to achieving wildlife population objectives, particularly for wildlife that is hunted or fished, and identifying additional ways to include or delegate to States habitat management work on Federal lands.⿝ Secretarial Order 3362 (Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range & Migration Corridors) instructs the BLM to ⿿work with our state partners and others to conserve and/or improve priority western big game and migration corridors.⿝ The BLM, along with other DOI bureaus is working with state fish and wildlife agencies to identify big game migration corridors by conducting research and gathering empirical data on wildlife movements. The BLM cannot know where to prioritize conservation and site-level management activities such as habitat restoration, installing wildlife-friendly fencing, and avoiding habitat disturbance without knowledge of where migratory corridors exist for mule deer. The BLM needs information quickly on where these migratory routes occur. This information will help to conserve mule deer on BLM-managed public lands and provide wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities to the public. Objective: Arizona: Determine mule deer migration/movement corridors that provide connectivity between the Vulture, White Tank, & Estrella Mountains, Sonoran Desert National Monument (BLM), Ironwood National Monument (BLM), and Tucson Mountain Park. Researchers will collar 60 mule deer and track movements across this area, and will share geospatial data delineating these migration corridors with the BLM. Utah: Determine mule deer migration/movement corridors that provide connectivity between the Oquirrh and Land Mountains where there are significant amounts of BLM-managed public lands. Researchers will collar 40 mule deer and track movements across this area, and will share geospatial data delineating these migration corridors with the BLM.

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