Gather your family and friends for free fishing fun 
on June 11
You have a chance to enjoy family bonding, time with friends, and lots of free fun in the outdoors when Free Fishing Day comes around on Saturday, June 11.

This annual event offers people across Arizona, and the nation, an opportunity to fish at their favorite fishing holes without having to pay for a license.

"Free Fishing Day is a great time to get together with the ones you love and enjoy the outdoors," says Larry Riley, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's fisheries branch. "Every year, we try to make this a special event that people look forward to experiencing in hopes of catching a lifelong fishing memory."

Kids today may be suffering from "nature-deficit disorder," if you listen to the author of the book "Last Child in the Woods," Richard Louv. Fishing is a good way to get children out of the house and learning a positive sport with family and friends.

Free Fishing Day is a part of National Fishing and Boating Week, June 4-12, when coordinated events will be held in most states, including more than 700 on-the-water activities like festivals and regattas. Gov. Janet Napolitano is getting involved with Free Fishing Day by signing a proclamation about the importance of the day.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is hosting seven free fishing clinics across the state, where people can just show up, borrow rods and reels, and get free bait and fishing lessons. The events will be held at the following times and locations:

1. Rose Canyon Lake near Tucson from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
   
    
2. Lower Lake Mary near Flagstaff from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
   
    
3. Surprise Lake in Surprise in the Phoenix area from 9 a.m. to noon.
   
    
4. Red Mountain Park in Mesa from 7 to 11 a.m.
   
    
5. Lynx Lake near Prescott from 8 a.m. to noon.
   
    
6. Dead Horse Ranch State Park near Cottonwood from 8 a.m. to noon.
   
    
7. Garrett Tank near Seligman from 1 to 6 p.m.

A kids-only clinic that requires pre-registration will be held at D'Ambro Pond in the Kingman area. More information on that event is available by calling (928) 692-7700.

Driving directions to each of the fishing clinics and more information on Free Fishing Day can be found at the Arizona Game and Fish Department Web site at azgfd.gov/fish. Click on the link for "Free Fishing Day Information."

While fishing is free at state and urban waters only on June 11, fishing license prices are relatively low year-round. A general fishing license good for the year costs just $18. If you want to fish in Urban Fishing Program lakes in the metro Phoenix or Tucson areas, an urban fishing license is just $16. If you buy a family fishing license, you may actually save a lot of money off those individual costs. You can buy a license at any Arizona Game and Fish Department office, many sporting goods stores, Wal-Marts, online at azgfd.gov, or by calling toll-free (866) 462-0433. Family licenses are only available at department offices and at the Web site.

Hunt draw deadline day is June 14: Avoid stress and apply early
What does the Arizona Game and Fish Department's fall draw deadline day have in common with tax day each year? The answer is: thousands of people who have waited until the last minute, scrambling to submit their paperwork before the deadline.

In the case of draw deadline day, it's hunters, not tax filers, who will fill department offices and parking lots on June 14, trying to beat the 7 p.m. (MST) cutoff. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is urging applicants to avoid stress by applying early.

"Past experience tells us to expect big crowds," says Bob Miles, information branch chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "We'll have lots of extra staffing to handle the volume and answer questions from customers, but applicants can save themselves time and trouble by submitting their paperwork early."

This year's draw application process is different from the past several years because there is no online application option. Applicants must fill out paper forms and mail or hand deliver them, along with all license, tag and application fees, to any Game and Fish Department office throughout the state. The completed applications must be in the department's possession by June 14; postmarks don't count.

Applications and hunting regulations are available at all department offices and authorized license dealers, or they can be downloaded from the department's Web site at azgfd.gov.

"There are several other changes to this fall's draw that people need to be aware of, including the requirement for applicants to purchase a hunting license," says Miles.

Information on the fall draw changes can be found on the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Web site at azgfd.gov/draw.

230 young people shoot for first-ever Commissioners' Cup
More than 230 young sport shooters from across the state have special memories to treasure, after competing in the Arizona Game and Fish Department's first-ever Commissioners' Cup championships this spring.

The Commissioners' Cup comprises three separate championships: trap, sporting clays and skeet. Each competition is divided into three age divisions: rookies (fifth grade and below), juniors (sixth through eighth grades), and seniors (ninth through 12th grades). The competitions concluded with trap shooting championships May 21 at the Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club in Scottsdale.

The championships capped the inaugural year of the Game and Fish Commission's Scholastic Clay Target Program, which introduces young people to shotgun sports in a competitive, team-based format. More than 400 young people participated in the program this year, and the department certified more than 90 instructors. Many parents are involved as volunteers.

"We had a phenomenal first year," says Hays Gilstrap, chair of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. "To some folks, it might seem counterintuitive to connect kids with firearms, but the reality is that these youngsters learn to respect firearms and how to handle them safely. I'm always impressed with the discipline and maturity they demonstrate. This program helps young people become responsible young adults."

The winning squads in each age division will represent Arizona at national events in Detroit and Vandalia, Ohio, later this summer.

Click here for the complete story and results. 

20 Arizona parks benefit from Heritage Fund money
You may soon see some beautiful improvements at your favorite local park, thanks to money from the voter-created Heritage Fund.

In 1990, Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of the Heritage Fund. The fund gives money from Arizona Lottery ticket sales to conservation efforts like protecting endangered species, educating our children about wildlife, helping urban residents coexist with wildlife, and creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation. Recently, $140,000 from the Arizona Game and Fish Department Heritage Fund was set aside for projects at 20 lakes in parks from Tucson to Phoenix to Payson.

"We're so pleased that we can use this money to benefit people in several areas of the state," says Eric Swanson, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Urban Fishing Program. "All of the improvements are at public parks that Arizonans and tourists alike can enjoy."

Swanson worked closely with park managers to identify projects that would best improve the areas around the 20 lakes included in the department's Urban Fishing Program. One project will place new easier-to-read urban fishing signs and fishing information kiosks at all 20 lakes.
"We hope these additions will improve the angling experience for everyone who uses these parks for fishing," says Swanson.

The signs are already in place at Papago Park, Canal Park, and Steele Indian School Park. Many other projects that received Heritage money are either complete or in the process of being done. These include new sidewalks and better angler access at Encanto and Cortez Parks, about 100 new shade trees planted at parks across the Phoenix area, better shoreline stabilization at Papago Ponds and Canal Pond, hundreds of tons of rock used to create fish reefs and spawning beds at Kiwanis and Chaparral lakes, and a new aeration system to improve fishing conditions at Alvord Lake in Cesar Chavez Park.

"With our heavy fish stockings every two weeks and these new improvements at the parks, it's an excellent time to get out and go fishing," says Swanson.

An urban fishing license for the whole year costs just $16. You can buy one at any Arizona Game and Fish Department office, many sporting goods stores, Wal-Marts, and online at azgfd.gov. You can also buy a license by calling toll-free (866) 462-0433.

Arizonans can help raise money for the Heritage Fund every year, simply by buying Arizona Lottery tickets. The money goes to positive projects across the state, including community and research grants. More than two dozen schools in Maricopa County alone have benefited from Heritage money since the fund was created.

Anglers may get a chance to fish for Gila trout: Recovery efforts show promise
They vanished from Arizona waters years ago, but now, the Gila trout may have recovered enough to be reclassified as a "threatened" species, rather than an "endangered" one. The Gila trout is one of only two native trout species in Arizona. Under a new proposal, the fish would be upgraded to "threatened" on the federal government's list.

"Some great strides have been made in Gila trout recovery so far," says Eric Gardner, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's nongame branch. "We're working hard on native fish conservation issues in Arizona, and it's rewarding to reach these milestones. Still, our work is not finished."

The Gila trout has been considered "endangered" since 1967. The species is native to some cold mountain streams in western New Mexico and central and eastern Arizona. The introduction of non-native fish and also human actions in the late 1800s through the mid-1900s resulted in the loss or degradation of much of the Gila trout's habitat. The fish disappeared from Arizona around 1900.

Since 1999, the species has been returned to two Arizona creeks, and work is underway to re-establish the trout in more streams. Arizona efforts are focused on streams that flow into the Blue River and upper Verde River drainages. New Mexico efforts center around the headwaters of the Gila River.

If the Gila trout is designated as "threatened," then anglers in Arizona could have an opportunity to fish for the species in certain, specified waters sometime in the future.

"Few people alive today have caught a Gila," says Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southwest Region. "We think Gila trout populations can withstand fishing pressure under the right conditions."

"Gila trout populations could be developed in the future that could provide unique catch-and-release fishing opportunities that would be carefully managed by the state," says Larry Riley, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's fisheries branch.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will make the final decision on whether to change the status of the Gila trout. Those interested can get a copy of the proposal by calling toll-free (800) 299-0196.

Also, two public meetings on the issue will be held at the following locations and times:

1. Tuesday, June 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Radisson Phoenix Airport, Phoenix I Room, 333 E. University Drive in Phoenix.
   
    
2. Wednesday, June 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Flame Southwest Convention Center, 2800 N. Pinos Altos Road in Silver City, N.M.

Public comment can be provided at the meetings or by contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office by mail at 2105 Osuna Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 or by FAX at (505) 346-2542. Comments received at the office by July 15 will be considered.

"The work of several groups is bringing us all one step closer to the ultimate goal of full recovery of the Gila trout," says Arizona Game and Fish Department fish biologist Scott Gurtin. "These collaborative efforts, with a solid foundation of Arizona Heritage Fund financial support, have made all the difference. It's important to note that Gila trout recovery efforts have taken place under full protection of the Endangered Species Act, with crucial cooperation from many agencies, conservation groups, landowners, and those with permits to use public lands."

Partners involved in Gila trout recovery include the Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Conservation groups, including Trout Unlimited and Federation of Fly Fishers, have also gotten involved.

The Gila trout is an iridescent gold- and copper-colored fish with small black spots on its sides and back. This type of trout grows to be about a foot long.

Hernbrode confirmed as new Arizona Game and Fish commissioner
After spending more than three decades working with wildlife, Bob Hernbrode has been confirmed by the state legislature as the newest member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

"For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in--and working for--wildlife," says Hernbrode. "My father worked for Game and Fish for 28 years. I've known from the time I was a child that I wanted to be a wildlife professional."

Gov. Janet Napolitano nominated Hernbrode. The Tucson resident began his decades-long wildlife career in the early 1960s. He has a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management from the University of Arizona and paid his way through college by working as a firefighter on national forest lands. Hernbrode worked for the Arizona Game and Fish Department for eight years and then spent 28 years working for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. He held several positions for the Colorado agency, including statewide watchable wildlife coordinator and chief of education. He started Colorado's Watchable Wildlife Program in 1986. He also set the hunting seasons for Colorado as the state's big game supervisor for 10 years.

"I'm still young enough and energetic enough that I wanted to apply for the commission," says Hernbrode. "I bring a unique set of experiences to this job, having worked on the other side of the commission, so I understand its role of helping the agency look to the future."

Commissioner Hernbrode has many goals for his five-year term with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. He wants to expand the department's education programs, increase communication with the public, and work on hunter and angler retention programs.

"I want future generations to have the same experiences with wildlife that I've had," says Hernbrode. "I think that's the role of the department. I think the public looks to the agency for that."

Department receives award from Arizona Electric Power Cooperative
Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., (AEPCO) a Benson-based power production company that supplies electric power to more than 115,000 Arizona homes and businesses, recognized the Arizona Game and Fish Department with its annual Distinguished Service Award on May 11.

The award, which recognizes organizations or individuals that support the work of electric cooperatives in Arizona, was presented during a reception following the cooperatives' Annual Meeting at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort and Spa.

"Arizona Electric Power Cooperative has a strong commitment to enhancing the community and safeguarding our environment. The Arizona Game and Fish Department shares these values and the cooperative appreciates the strong partnership with the agency that has emerged over the years," said Kara Downey, manager of environmental, safety and health services for AEPCO. "We look forward to continuing and strengthening that alliance for the benefit of the local environment."

One of the first partnering efforts was the development of the Apache Station Wildlife Area, a protected habitat of approximately 100 acres adjacent to AEPCO's Apache Generating Station in the community of Cochise, Ariz.

A Cooperative Stewardship Agreement was signed between AEPCO and the Game and Fish Department in 1997 to protect a roost site for thousands of sandhill cranes that winter in the Sulphur Springs Valley each year. The area now is maintained as a year-round habitat for a wide range of plant and animal life.

In subsequent years, the two organizations have worked together on other projects, most recently a program to move burrowing owls--displaced by construction in the greater Phoenix area--into man-made burrows in acreage around Apache Generating Station.