Ranchers to help with renewal of endangered species

08:42 PM MST on Monday, April 21, 2008

By Jim Edwards, Fox 11 News

The operators of two Cochise County ranches have agreed on a plan with the Fish and Wildlife Service to assist in the recovery of six endangered species on their land. The threatened species include the Beautiful Shiner, Chiricahua leopard frog, Yaqui catfish, Yaqui chub, Yaqui topminnow and the Huachuca water umbel aquatic plant.

The two ranches, the BarBoot and the 99 Bar Ranch, include over 24-thousand acres in the upper Leslie Canyon watershed downstream from the Coronado National Forest Boundary and upstream from the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge. The ranchers will work to enhance and maintain the watershed through improvements such as partial fencing, erosion control activities and other riparian and hydrologic improvements.

Comments on the draft agreement are being sought through June 10.

Go here (pdf) to view the Safe Harbor agreement.