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WUPA Gagnon 2014 Research Permit - Restoring Landscape Connectivity for American Pronghorn
Flagstaff Area National Monuments » WUPA Gagnon 2014 Research Permit - Restoring Landscape Connectivity for American Pronghorn » Document List
Wupatki National Monument (Wupatki NM) is proposing to capture and perform Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry on American pronghorn to determine if previous barrier mitigations to improve pronghorn connectivity/permeability have been successful. To accomplish this task the National Park Service (NPS) in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) proposes to place GPS collars on no more than 15 pronghorn within Wupatki's eligible wilderness. This project would occur over a three year period, beginning in the winter of 2015-2016. The ear tags would remain on the animal indefinitely, and the GPS collars would remain on the animal for approximately 24-35 months, after which they would fall off and be collected by NPS and/or AZGFD staff.
The American pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), also known as "antelope" is an iconic grassland species in northern Arizona. The animals are nomadic, and typically range long-distances in search of nutritious forage and available water, which are highly variable from year-to-year in southwestern landscapes (Yoakum and O'Gara 2000). Once roaming the grasslands of the American west in vast herds totaling around 35 million, pronghorn suffered severe population reductions due to over-hunting and habitat loss, with the continental population reaching an estimated low of 30,000 animals in 1924 (Yoakum 1986). In Arizona, the total pronghorn population has declined from an estimated 45,000 individuals in the late 19th century (Knipe 1944) to a recent low of 7,500 in 2002 (Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD), unpublished data). Currently, American pronghorn are species of conservation need in Arizona.
The American pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), also known as "antelope" is an iconic grassland species in northern Arizona. The animals are nomadic, and typically range long-distances in search of nutritious forage and available water, which are highly variable from year-to-year in southwestern landscapes (Yoakum and O'Gara 2000). Once roaming the grasslands of the American west in vast herds totaling around 35 million, pronghorn suffered severe population reductions due to over-hunting and habitat loss, with the continental population reaching an estimated low of 30,000 animals in 1924 (Yoakum 1986). In Arizona, the total pronghorn population has declined from an estimated 45,000 individuals in the late 19th century (Knipe 1944) to a recent low of 7,500 in 2002 (Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD), unpublished data). Currently, American pronghorn are species of conservation need in Arizona.