Southwest Wildlife Advisory Group

Current Projects:

Review and provide advice to various sporting conservation organizations on all elements of the on-going Mexican wolf reintroduction program.
Provide science-based review of mule deer management on the Kaibab Plateau to assist in meeting goals of the Arizona Deer Association
Review and provide comment on hunt opportunity guidelines for several species. This is a collaborative program with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and several sporting conservation organizations.
Preparation of NEPA documentation required to complete habitat restoration projects in the Buckskin Mountains of northern Arizona/southern Utah.
Developing technical approach and obtaining funding required to investigate factors that affect the bighorn sheep population on Tiburon Island, Mexico.
Assisting in studies on the Three Bar Wildlife Area to document mortality causes for neo-natal mule deer fawns. This is being done in coordination with staff from Texas Tech University and the Arizona Deer Association.

Collection and interpretation of data needed to prepare a pronghorn management plan for a private landowner that owns/manages approximately 1.0 million acres in northern Arizona.
Develop an assessment of the impacts of increasing user densities on wildlife populations and habitat in northern Arizona
Assist in the review and selection of an appropriate site for a shooting facility in northern Arizona.

Habitat Acquisition Partnerships

SWAG staff coordinated the acquisition of more than 70,000 acres of wildlife habitat with high biodiversity. This acquisition required grant writing, interagency coordination, and drafting and securing concurrence on appropriate agreements to accomplish the project.

Habitat Restorations

Habitat conditions have deteriorated for mule deer on the Kaibab Plateau due to woody species expansion. SWAG staff have prepared technical approaches to restore habitat and has obtained funding to accomplish on-the-ground treatments. In total, the goal is to restore 10,000 acres of winter range in proximity to the Kaibab Plateau.