Some Goldwater Range roads to close for fawning

Spring doesn't just mean blooming flowers and plants.
 
The endangered Sonoran pronghorn antelope is once again in fawning season.
 
This means that certain roads on portions of public lands near Ajo managed by Organ Pipe National Monument, the Bureau of Land Management, the Barry M. Goldwater Range and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, will all be closed from Wednesday to July 15.
 
“Typically, we start the closures on March 15,” said Jim Atkinson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who is team leader for the Sonoran Pronghorn Recovery Program. “But this year we had so much moisture and vegetation that we felt safe in delaying the closures for a month so that more people could enjoy the desert.”
 
The closure will affect areas south and east of Avenue 40E, according to Gunnery Sgt. Bill Lisbon of the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Public Affairs Office. “This affects Mohawk Valley, the Mohawk Dunes and the Mohawk Mountains. We will have signs warning people and swing gates on roads to block off the closure areas.”
 
The purpose of the closures is to protect newborn fawns, said John Hervert of the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Yuma.
 
“We’ve had a lot of rain this year, which is good for the fawns. But in previous years, we have had bad droughts that drastically reduced the pronghorn population. Recreational use of the land has a relatively minor effect on the population of animals, but a lack of moisture means less nutrition for the mothers, which makes it harder for them to produce milk for the fawns.”
 
According to Hervert, the low year for the herd was in 2003 after two years of drought. “Our active herd was down to 21 animals. We’re now back up to approximately 70 animals in the wild, with another 80 in our captive breeding facility near Ajo. We’re breeding animals to be released back into the wild to try and increase the numbers of the herd.”
 
The purpose of the closures is to keep people away from the areas where the animals tend to gather, said Atkinson.
 
“Antelope tend to run anytime they see anything out of the normal, and when the adults run, the young fawns cannot keep up and often get separated from the herd, resulting sometimes in their death.”
 
To help guarantee the health of the herd, Atkinson said, they are taking some unusual measures.
 
“The worst danger comes after July, when the young fawns have been weaned and have to start foraging on their own. If they can’t find enough food and water, or can’t keep up with the herd in migrating to other food sources, then they die. With this in mind, we have put in some special water holes and some forage enhancement plots that will supply increased vegetation.”
 
Atkinson said wells have been drilled and underground tanks placed for water storage and irrigation. “We currently have four active sites and one coming on line in the near future."
 
Both Atkinson and Hervert said they are pleased with the herd's progress.
 
“We’re very happy with the strength of the herd right now,” said Hervert, “but we know all it takes is a couple of years of prolonged drought and the numbers can drop rapidly.”
 
For information on getting permits to visit the Goldwater range, the Cabeza Prieta Refuge or Area B near Gila Bend, visit the MCAS Yuma range permit office located in Building 952 next to the air station’s main gate Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call Paul Chapman at 269-7150.