Group claims Kofa refuge threatened due to power corridor, species management

The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge has been named one of the 10 most imperiled wildlife refuges in the nation by a nonprofit environmental group.

The ranking, released annually by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, is developed using information from interviews with refuge staff, the group says. A refuge is considered "imperiled" if it is environmentally threatened.

"When you look at what's going on with Kofa, it's not being run in a way that we think is consistent with respecting the ecological web," said Daniel Patterson, ecologist and southwest director for PEER.

PEER describes itself as a national alliance of state and federal resources professionals dedicated to upholding environmental ethics.

The Kofa refuge, located northeast of Yuma along Highway 95, made the list of imperiled refuges for what PEER called problems with power transmission corridors as well as the management of bighorn sheep at the expense of other species.

Ron Kearns, retired Kofa refuge biologist and current PEER member, explained that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has allowed power companies to maintain an underground gas line as well as a power line across the refuge since the early 1950s.

"Recently they wanted to put a second power line within that corridor and people think that might further restrict movement of animals," said Kearns, who worked for the refuge for 25 years.

But Mitch Ellis, complex manager for the Southwest Arizona National Wildlife Refuge Complex that includes the Kofas, said that the second power line is no longer an issue.

"That application has been withdrawn and our agency never considered that a threat."

Patterson said he still has some concerns.

"It's been put on the shelf, but it has certainly not gone away."

The other issue, and the one that has caused some controversy, has to do with the management of bighorn sheep.

In 2006, a survey revealed that there had been a marked decrease in the population of bighorn sheep. Since then, agencies have been working to increase their numbers. But sometimes, PEER claims, actions taken to improve the situation of the sheep have hurt other species.

Kearns said that the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service decided to place artificial water impoundments inside the refuge. This was done before the proper environmental assessments could be performed, and was intended to benefit bighorn sheep.

But Kearns said these attempts were misdirected.

"Over a year and several months, not one bighorn sheep used the waters. Only mule deer use those waters."

Kearns said that the extra water could cause a rise in deer populations or even extend the range of predatory animals in the Kofa. The unnatural shift, he said, could cause more problems than it solves.

Ellis defended the tanks, saying the waters have been helpful to many species. He stressed that the water tanks are necessary on the refuge.

"Humans have done a lot to alter the landscape and some of these larger animals do not have access to water. The habitats have been fragmented and water is scarcer. Adding water is just mitigation."

But water tanks are the least of PEER's worries. Kearns said that agents utilized tracking collars to locate and shoot two mountain lions because they had consumed bighorn sheep.

"There was no data to say, but they guessed it was a serious problem and one of the reasons for a decline in the sheep populations."

Kearns said he finds it unethical to kill animals for doing what they have evolved to do.

"As a wildlife biologist I'm concerned about all the animals on the refuge. It's called biodiversity. You're suppose to manage for all the wildlife."

Ellis was quick to explain what appears to be an unfair focus on the health of bighorn sheep.

"The purpose of the Kofa refuge was partly for the conservation of bighorn sheep, so they're a priority species. It's our job to make sure the sheep are properly managed at Kofa."

Patterson said that Ellis's management style will have to change if agents want to see Kofa off the list of imperiled refuges.

"Mitch needs to do his job. The Kofa is his responsibility and he needs to make sure all wildlife on the refuge are protected. Our concern is holistic management for the conservation of all wildlife on the Kofa."

Asked about the future of the Kofa, Ellis said that the agencies are "working on it."

"We're trying to figure it out. There are a lot of things that could be the reason (for population decline) but we're not sure just yet."

The USFWS expects that an environmental assessment of the Kofa will be available to the public later this summer.