The eagles have landed: AZGFD’s bald eagle nest cam now streaming

Dec. 18, 2018 Arizona Game and Fish Department The eagles have landed: AZGFD’s bald eagle nest cam now streaming Live stream of bald eagle nest brings wildlife to your smart device PHOENIX — The camera is set, zoomed in and ready to broadcast the day-to-day life of a pair of bald eagles hoping to raise a family inside their nest at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. On Tuesday, Dec. 18, the Arizona Game and Fish Department — in partnership with Salt River Project, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, Arizona State Land Department and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — began live-streaming from the camera perched near the bald eagle nest on Lake Pleasant. Watch the cam Watch eagle cam footage “We are thrilled to bring this camera to fruition,” said Randy Babb, AZGFD watchable wildlife program manager. “Our goal is to provide opportunities for people to truly appreciate and connect with Arizona’s wildlife, and live-feed wildlife cameras such as this help us to do exactly that. People will be fascinated as they learn from and watch these nesting eagles incubate eggs and rear their young in real-time.” Records show bald eagles have inhabited Lake Pleasant since at least 1979, with the first documented nesting attempt occurring in 1984. While no young were produced until 1993, 28 birds have since survived to take their first flight, known as fledging. Two eggs were laid in the nest in early January 2018 and each hatched the following month. The two young successfully fledged in late April. “Park visitors are always excited to catch a glimpse of these magnificent raptors flying overhead while they’re recreating at Lake Pleasant Regional Park,” said R.J. Cardin, director for the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department. “Now, through the addition of the eagle cam, everyone can enjoy this experience from the comfort of their own home.” The camera feed was made possible through permitting and coordination with Arizona State Land Department, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, and Salt River Project. “These beautiful birds often nest in and around the state’s rivers and reservoirs, and we are proud to be a part of a program that allows more members of the public to view these majestic raptors,” said Kara Montalvo, SRP Director of Environmental Compliance and Permitting. The bald eagle cam is the fourth wildlife camera offered by the department, which also provides seasonal views of wintering sandhill cranes in southeastern Arizona, a bat roost at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area and an underwater pupfish cam. All the live streams can be viewed at www.azgfd.gov/livecams. Viewers are asked to check the cameras frequently if there is no activity in the nest. Often the birds will leave at multiple times for feeding. If eggs are laid, viewing will be more consistent and predictable. The Arizona Game and Fish Department Lake Pleasant bald eagle live-streaming camera is funded through Heritage and Pittman Robertson funds, the Southwestern Bald Eagle Management Committee and public donations.   “Viewers wishing to support the Watchable Wildlife program and its wildlife cameras are asked to consider making a donation,” Babb added. “These cameras are very expensive to install and maintain and we appreciate any and all donations.” Did you know? The Arizona Game and Fish Department conserves and protects Arizona’s 800+ wildlife species but receives NO Arizona general fund tax dollars. Contribute to our on-the-ground conservation efforts at www.AzWildlifeHero.com.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AZGFD’s programs or activities, including its employment practices, the individual may file a complaint alleging discrimination directly with the Director’s Office, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attn: Civil Rights Coordinator for Public Access, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS:WSFR, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Director’s Office as listed above. Arizona Game & Fish Dept. · 5000 W. Carefree Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85086 (602) 942-3000 · www.azgfd.gov

Benefits of a non-lead ammunition program for condors

Aug. 24, 2013 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is a pioneer in reducing the amount of lead available in the environment to wildlife species that are particularly susceptible to lead toxicity like the California condor. The department has a successful voluntary non-lead program to aid condor recovery and works extensively with a wide range of partners to monitor lead’s impact on wildlife. The Department feels strongly that a voluntary lead ammunition reduction program creates more acceptance and a more lasting behavioral change than a regulatory ban. 

A recent article in the Huffington Post tried to give readers an erroneous impression that the department favors a mandatory lead ammunition ban. To ensure there is no misunderstanding among constituents who may have read the article, the department reiterates that: 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department and Commission are the state’s leaders in the promotion of shooting sports, and we own and operate more public shooting ranges than any other entity in Arizona. We do not and never have supported a ban on lead ammunition or on lead as a component in ammunition. 

The Department pioneered a voluntary non-lead ammunition public education campaign in 2002. In 2005, an on-the-ground non-lead ammo program was introduced for hunt units in the condor’s core range. In 2007, more field communication, incentives for gut pile removal, articles in hunting publications, an educational DVD and a brochure were added to the outreach effort. Today, 80 to 90 percent of hunters in Arizona core condor range take action to voluntarily reduce the amount of lead available to condors. 

When properly informed and educated with science-based evidence about wildlife management issues, including lead, hunters and anglers have historically done the right thing to prevent negative impacts to wildlife and ensure abundant wildlife populations for future generations to enjoy.

The Department has credible and current science that shows that absent chelation, the leading cause of death for condors in the Arizona-Utah population is lead toxicity and that it is having a population-level effect on the species. We are convinced though that a mandatory ban on lead ammunition is not the most effective way to reduce the amount of lead available to condors and that a ban would not yield greater success in condor conservation. In fact, a ban of lead ammunition and fishing tackle could have serious unintended negative consequences for wildlife management and conservation. 

California chose to enact a legislative ban on lead ammunition in the state’s condor range that has been in effect for several years. Currently, condor deaths from lead exposure in California still exceed 50 percent of annual condor mortality. 

The Department has demonstrated that the best way to gain support and promote continued success in condor conservation is to educate and enlist the voluntary support of hunters, who have become a part of Arizona’s solution. Without regulation, voluntary participation in the use of non-lead ammunition grew from 5 percent in 2004 to 73 percent in 2012, with an additional 15 percent removing leaded gut piles from the field in 2012. 

Arizona’s program influenced the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources to adopt a similar non-lead ammunition incentive program in 2010 for areas within Utah that are now being used heavily by condors. Estimated participation rates for their new non-lead ammo program and gut pile removal are at approximately 55 percent for deer and elk hunts in areas where condors range. 

The Center for Biological Diversity and others petitioned the EPA to ban lead ammo in 2010 and again in 2012 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). That petition was denied by the EPA due to specific language in TSCA that prohibited regulating lead bullets and lead-based ammunition. The Department supports the EPA’s position. CBD and others then sued the EPA in federal court, and the judge dismissed that suit in 2013. 

The Department filed a motion in 2012 to intervene in a lawsuit filed in federal court against the Kaibab National Forest by the Center Biological Diversity and others seeking a mandatory ban on hunting with lead ammunition in the Kaibab National Forest. The case was dismissed by the judge. 

The Department has taken action to mitigate lead poisoning when science demonstrates a population-level cause-and-effect relationship. When wildlife mortalities threaten population health and viability, the Department takes positive, proactive and cooperative steps to manage the situation. 

The Department’s programs, activities and events offer great opportunities to educate the public about hunting and shooting sports and different types of ammunition. Information on lead and wildlife is in the Department’s hunting and fishing regulation booklets and related brochures to increase the public’s awareness of the issue. Some of these opportunities and venues to teach the safe, responsible, ethical use of firearms and ammunition include: 

The Arizona Game and Fish Annual Outdoor Expo (38,000 attendees); 

Ten public shooting ranges owned by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission with one more under construction; 

Scholastic Clay Target youth shooting program (More than 1,000 participants); 

Firearms education, firearms safety, and hunter education; 

Mentored hunting camps and hunt clinics; 

Cactus Wren, Desert Roses, Annie Oakley and other new shooter programs; and, 

Shooting Range Development Grant Programs. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.