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Aug. 28, 2015 Thunderbolt
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Pronghorn hom

by The Goldwater Range is home to the noran pronghorn by military exercises, information system application. This of rainfall from m
SUSAN GLADSTEIN Sonoran pronghorn antelope, which the Air Force funds a team of biologists generates a target closure list based winter of 2002 co
was listed as a federally endangered to monitor target areas inhabited by on location and ordnance type. The count ever – onl
56th Range Management Office species in 1967. The Sonoran prong- Sonoran pronghorn. target closures remain in effect for the
horn is a desert-adapted subspecies of remainder of the day.” This calamity
“Home, home on the range, where the American pronghorn, the fastest land “Monitoring is conducted from strate- response by th
deer and the antelope play …” aren’t just mammal in North America. The So- gic vantage points and includes visual The monitoring program is quite ef- Recovery Team,
lyrics from an old Gene Autry song. It’s noran pronghorn is smaller and paler observations with the aid of binoculars fective — pronghorn injury or mortality experts from U.S
a reality for the Sonoran pronghorn that in color than other American pronghorn and spotting scopes, as well as telem- due to military activities has not been re- Air Force and M
are thriving on the Barry M. Goldwater subspecies. etry surveillance to locate radio-collared corded since the program began in 1997. agers. It was cle
Range. But, it wasn’t always that way. Sonoran pronghorn,” said Aaron Al- of pronghorn w
Historically, Sonoran pronghorn in- vidrez, 56th Range Management Of- Marine Corps Air Station Yuma con- unless wildlife m
habited southern Arizona, southeastern fice wildlife biologist. “Monitoring is ducts monthly telemetry flights with reduce mortality
California, and northwestern Mexico. typically performed at dawn, prior to Arizona Game and Fish Department to vival, which at t
The present U.S. range is limited to initial training missions, when sighting monitor how pronghorn are distributed
southwestern Arizona and is bounded conditions are best.” across the range relative to food, water, One of the f
by roads and fences, including the in- cover and other habitat resources. The placement of tem
ternational border with Mexico. This According to Alvidrez, when Sonoran information is then integrated into Previous resear
area is predominantly federal land, pronghorn are detected visually or by military planning and operations to pronghorn prim
including the Goldwater Range. In ad- radio telemetry, their positions are esti- avoid or minimize negative impacts to from vegetation
dition, two separate populations occur mated using biangulation or proximity pronghorn deployed at po
in northern Sonora, Mexico. to known landmarks. showed prongh
Recovery team efforts water. This dis
Pronghorn monitoring “The coordinates are called in by radio In 2002, the Sonoran pronghorn struction of perm
To reduce potential impacts to So- to the Range Operations Coordination population decreased nearly 80 percent, across the prong
Center and entered into a geographical primarily due to severe drought. Lack
A longer-term
John Kulberg opment of sever
plots, where gr
Two-month old twin Sonoran pronghorn fawns remain vigilant while resting within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge semi-captive breeding facility. irrigate the nat
The Goldwater Range is home to the Sonoran pronghorn antelope, which was listed as a federally endangered species in 1967. The Sonoran pronghorn is Goldwater Rang
a desert-adapted subspecies of American pronghorn, the fastest land mammal in North America. The Sonoran pronghorn is smaller and paler in color than plots were inten
other American pronghorn subspecies. horn survival by
during dry perio

The most sign
covery action w
a semi-captive b
Prieta National
struction was c
by the recovery t
including the A
Corps. A full sq
pen provides a
where prongho
are protected fro
the initial breed
and one male) w
wild and placed
three years eno
produced to beg
Over the past 1
mals have been
into the wild.

“The success
another major r
lishment of anot
States,” Alvidre
recovery team c
mental assessm
tional Sonoran p
within its histo
Arizona. In 201
breeding facility
nearby Kofa Na
and stocked w
Cabeza Prieta p

According to A
now has around

“Thanks to rel
there are now so
new wild herd,”
on its way to reac
ing a viable popu

The future loo
pronghorn.