By Glen Dickens, VP/Grants/Projects Mgr.

Another successful AAF fence modification/removal project was completed by 23 volunteers in Southeastern Arizona on September 28 and  29, 2018 in the northeast end of game management unit 32 near Bonita. 

We modified 3 miles of existing boundary fence  north and south of the High Creek Road.  We removed the bottom barbed wire strand and replaced with smooth, along with installing replacement stays along the fence line.  Fridays work day was spent removing mesquite that had grown up along the fenceline.  During the project weekend, multiple sightings of rutting pronghorn occurred by most everyone traveling to the camp site on USFS land at the western end of the High Creek Road.

This effort is in direct proximity to ongoing mesquite removal for the Bonita Grasslands NRCS/G&F restoration project with a goal of improving an additional 10,000 acres in the next 4 years.  Over the past 8 years, the areas adjacent to and within this project have been grubbed and new waters and boundary fence installed.  These projects will help ensure that resident pronghorn and mule deer can safely utilize open grassland corridors without interference due to fence line obstructions.  It assisted in accomplishing a key portion of the overall Bonita Plains pronghorn travel corridor improvement project.

This project effort benefits the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant in that all labor hours, materials and mileage from this project were used to match the AAF’s $430K 8-year grant for our “Southeastern Arizona Grasslands Pronghorn Initiative”. The grant has a goal of improving up to 100,000 acres of “Pronghorn habitat connectivity”. This goal was met in April of 2018 at Elgin and we are continuing to add to that total through the end of the grant period in calendar 19.

Dinners was served on Friday and Saturday nights with the sides was provided by Mary and Bill Keebler and they hosted Saturday and Sunday morning breakfasts as well,

Thanks Mary and Bill!

Thanks, go out to several  folks that contributed to this successful project:

 -Representing the AAF Board:  Ken Meadors, Gary Boyer, Al Sue, Ken Meadors, Joe-bill Pickrell and yours truly.

-Other AAF members and volunteers:   Betty Dickens,  John Millican, Mary and Bill Keebler, Dale Maas, Ron Day, Dave Cruce, Jason Angell, Cameron Becker, Jeff Gillon, Clyde Morris Joelle Buffa, Dave Laird, Darrel Wood, Rene Dube, Warren Adams, Bill McClendon, Jeff Hannum and Steve Tritz.    

Thanks, everyone for your efforts!

Photos by Betty Dickens