Photo By Cpl. Jade Venegas | A Flat-tailed Horned Lizard rests on the ground during an occupancy survey at the...... read more read more
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[MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, ARIZONA] – For the past two months, biologist from Arizona Game & Fish Department collaborated with members of the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, range management and conservation office to conduct an occupancy survey about of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard on the Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR) near the air station.
The purpose of this occupancy survey was to determine if Flat-tailed Horned Lizards inhabit the area. There have been various failed attempts to list the species as endangered. In 1997 a conversation agreement was developed between state and federal agencies that oversee the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard habitat with the purpose of creating and implementing a Rangewide Management Strategy (RMS). That strategy created a foundation for securing and managing the 500,000 acres of range space in order to monitor the population of the species. Today, with the collaboration of MCAS Yuma and state agencies such as the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, we can continue to keep the species off the list.
Samuel “Pat” Barber a natural resource specialist with MCAS Yuma Range Management says, “within the natural resource management world it's part of our mission to maintain and support biodiversity species… If the populations aren't kept stable as they are now, then there's a risk of it being proposed and listed under the Endangered Species Act.”
Barber explains the complications of this possible outcome, “we want to prevent that from happening because if it's listed under the Endangered Species Act, it brings with it a lot of regulation and actually makes some of the conservation programs do we have in place through the RMS more difficult to implement through the regulatory framework of the Endangered Species Act.”
A team of biological technicians from the Arizona Game and Fish Headquarters in Phoenix were sent to conduct the survey at the BMGR and were occasionally assisted by range management personnel at MCAS Yuma. The survey was executed with a team of biologists observing a total of 75 preestablished plots six different times, with most of the plots located on the BMGR and others at the Bureau of Land Management in California. The location of the plots was determined by previous data of where the Flat-tailed Horned Lizards have been spotted.
Ryan P. O’Donnell, regional wildlife specialist supervisor with the Arizona Game and Fish Department explains, “with the occupancy survey we have these 75 plots and they’re all spread out. It gives us an overall picture of how the population is doing. How much of this area where they could be found, are they found? How is the distribution or how is the population?”
Throughout the duration of the survey the biologist would document onsite whether or not they had encountered a Flat-tailed Horned Lizard. They also took record of the length, weight, gender and photograph the lizard before returning it into their habitat. Furthermore, to assist with the survey the biologist would also mark points on a GPS identifying predators or other reptiles in the area such a sidewinder rattle snake, the Goode’s Horned Lizard or the Yuma Desert Fringe-toed Lizard.
The biologist had to be extremely observant of the Yuma weather, taking note of the wind, humidity and heat. If the temperature of the ground rose too high, the chances of finding the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard would be close to zero as bury themselves underground to stay cool.
The Flat-tailed Horned Lizard is native to the Colorado Desert, which is a part of the much larger Sonoran Desert. They are found in California, Arizona, and Mexico. They can be found anywhere from the Yuma County of southwest Arizona, to the Imperial and Coachella Valleys of California.
Some features that are unique to the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard are: they roughly three or four inches in size, a tan or sand colored body, a distinctive black stripe that runs along their spine, long narrow spines on the lower jaw, a flat tail and of course, a crown of horns around their head. Flat-tailed Horned Lizards have adapted to the lose sand of the Sonoran Desert and rely heavily on camouflage for survival. As mentioned before a characteristic of this lizard is that they will bury themselves underground not only to stay cool but to hide from predators.
In 2011, document citation 76 FR 14209 published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conclude that, “we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, determine that the listing of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), is not warranted… and we therefore withdraw our November 29, 1993, proposed rule to list it under the Act. We made this determination in this withdrawal because threats to the species as identified in the 1993 proposed rule are not as significant as earlier believed.”
Since then, the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard population has been stable and it could not have been done without the support of federal and state governments. MCAS Yuma commanding officer, Col. Jared K. Stone says, “the reason that it's important and significant is if it were be to become a federally listed endangered species, it would start to really encumber the ways that we're able to train in the range space. So, are very invested in making sure that we maintain the health of the population so we can avoid that.”
Stone shares his experience of getting to interact with the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard, “it's probably the species that we're watching the closest right now…the lizards get a lot of attention because they're very fragile, that’s a good way to describe the status of their population. It's exciting for me to come out and actually see one, be able to hold one. I'm putting faces the names, if you will.”
Although Stone has been the commanding officer for about a year and has been enlighten about multiple range management and conservation efforts, such as the capture and release of the Sonoran Pronghorn that took place last December. Stone also visited the site where the regenerative grazing pilot project was being conducted earlier this year with the help from Grasslands Regeneration Project, a renowned organization in the agricultural community.
Stone’s involvement with the station’s range management and conversation team shows just how important and perplex the mission of MCAS Yuma really is.
Stone took the time to explain the misperception people generally have with the military is that this training would have a negative impact on the environment, “I think it's important that the public realize that this is really not the case… we are very dedicated to preserving the space we have. We understand that it's a national asset in the sense that there's really nowhere else that we can do the kind of military training that we do here.”
He continues, “It's just a phenomenal, natural asset, which is one of the reasons why we open up most of the range space out here to civilian recreation, we manage this space for recreation year round and thousands of people come and drive around out here, to hike in the desert or to be able to engage with the wildlife in ways that they wouldn't be if we weren't managing these programs.”
As we move forward MCAS Yuma along with other federal agencies continue to ensure the population of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard remains safe and the management of their habitat is protected.
To learn more about the MCAS Yuma Range Management and Conversation Office please visit:
https://www.mcasyuma.marines.mil/
Resources:
https://www.fws.gov/species-publication-action/withdrawal-proposed-rule-list-flat-tailed-horned-lizard-threatened-0
https://awcs.azgfd.com/species/reptiles
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/6/Flat-Tailed-Horned-Lizard
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2024 12:46 |
| Story ID: | 478322 |
| Location: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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