Turner Conservation Trust

BOLSON TORTOISETO PREVENT THE EXTINCTION OF BOLSON TORTOISES IN THE WILD, WE ARE WORKING TO ESTABLISH FREE-RANGING POPULATIONS ON THELADDER AND ARMENDARIS RANCHES IN NEW MEXICO. DUE TO A SUITE OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SAFETY ISSUES, THE STATUS OF THE BOLSON TORTOISE IN THE WILD IS LARGELY UNKNOWN. THE LAST POPULATION SURVEY, CONDUCTED IN THE 1980S, ESTIMATED A POPULATION OF FEWER THAN 10,000 ANIMALS. DURING THE NEXT 20 YEARS, WE WILL USE CAPTIVE BREEDING TO PRODUCE JUVENILES TO BUILD A LARGE CAPTIVE POPULATION OF BOLSON TORTOISES. WE WILL USE THE CAPTIVEPOPULATION TO ESTABLISH UP TO FOUR WILD BOLSONTORTOISE COLONIES ON SUITABLE PRIVATE AND/ORPUBLIC LANDS IN THE U.S.ADDITIONAL DETAILED INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

MEXICAN GRAY WOLFMEXICAN GRAY WOLVES (MGW) ARE A DISTINCT SUBSPECIES OF GRAY WOLVES THAT ROAMED MOST OF THE SOUTHWESTERN US ANDPORTIONS OF MEXICO UNTIL THEY WERE FUNCTIONALLY ERADICATED IN THE WILD THROUGH AGGRESSIVE GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED PREDATOR CONTROL MEASURES. BY THE TIME THE MEXICAN GRAY WOLF WAS LISTED AS ENDANGERED UNDER THE ESA IN 1976 IT WAS ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION. WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS CAPTURED THE LAST FIVE WOLVES REMAINING IN THE WILD AND BEGAN A CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAM. AS A RESULT, THE SUBSPECIESIS NOW SECURE IN CAPTIVITY. DURING THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, TESF WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MEXICAN GRAY WOLF RECOVERY BY PROVIDING A CAPTIVE FACILITY ON THE LADDER RANCH THAT HOUSES UP TO 25 WOLVES AT ANY ONE TIME, INCLUDING BREEDING PAIRS AND WOLVES TRANSITIONING BETWEEN THE WILDPOPULATION AND CAPTIVITY. THE LADDER RANCH FACILITY WILL RESPOND TO THE NEEDS AND OVERALL PROJECT GOALS SET BY THE USFWS.ADDITIONAL DETAILED INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

BLACK FOOTED FERRETTESF IS A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET RECOVERY IMPLEMENTATION TEAM (BFFRIT).TESF IS INVOLVED WITH REVIEWING THE OVERALL MANAGEMENT AND DIRECTION OF THE RECOVERY PROGRAM AND PROVIDES BOARD POLICY AND PLANNING GUIDANCE TO THE US FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE AND THE BFFRIT SUBCOMMITTEES.BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS ARE AN OBLIGATE PREDATOR OF PRAIRIE DOGS AND PRAIRIEDOGS HISTORICALLY REQUIRED BISON GRAZING THROUGHOUT A LARGE PORTION OF THEIR HISTORIC RANGE IN ORDER TO PERSIST.TESF'S CONTRIBUTION TO FERRET RECOVERY BEGANIN 1998 WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN OUTDOOR PRECONDITIONING FACILITY AT VERMEJO. OUR GOAL IS TO RESTORE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET POPULATIONS TO THREE TURNER PROPERTIES. WE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO FEDERAL BLACK FOOTED FERRET RECOVERY OBJECTIVES BY REINTRODUCING BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS ONTO LARGE/STABLE PRAIRIE DOG COMPLEXES (I.E., FERRET HABITAT) ON TURNER PROPERTIES.ADDITIONAL DETAILED INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRAY WOLFOUR GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ECOLOGY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRAY WOLF ON THE FLYING D RANCH AND INFORM WOLF RECOVERY EFFORTS THROUGHOUT THE SPECIES'HISTORICAL RANGE. OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WE WILLLOCATE AND IDENTIFY PREDATOR-KILLED PREY ANDANALYZE WOLF SCATS TO DETERMINE PREDATIONCHARACTERISTICS OF THE WOLF POPULATION ON THEFLYING D RANCH. ALL CARCASSES WILL BEEVALUATED FOR CAUSE OF DEATH, BODY CONDITIONAND ANY PREDISPOSITION TO PREDATION BYCLASSIFYING FEMUR MARROW AND BOILING LEGBONES AND JAWS TO IDENTIFY ARTHRITIS OR INJURIES.DURING THIS TIME, WE WILL MONITOR THE FLYINGD'S WOLF POPULATION AND WILL WORKCOOPERATIVELY WITH THE FLYING D RANCHMANAGER AND MONTANA HUNTING COMPANY TOTRACK BISON HERD HEALTH, HERD SIZE AND THERESIDENT ELK AND DEER POPULATION.ADDITIONAL DETAILED INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.