Cottonwood Seep | Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy

The Cottonwood Seep COA is a small 2,900-acre area of Petran montane conifer forest within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, situated atop the Mogollon Rim at an elevation of approximately 7,000 feet. Bordering the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to the south, this COA consists of the Cottonwood Seep Wildlife Quiet Area (WQA), which provides quality travel, hiding, and thermal cover for a wide variety of species, many of which are SGCN. It also provides an abundance of browse species important for deer and elk, as well as relatively undisturbed habitat for both game and nongame species alike. Unauthorized livestock use and trespass by illegal OHV traffic are probably the biggest threats in this area. Wildlife Quiet Areas are managed with an emphasis on improving wildlife habitat and maintaining existing wildlife developments.

Conservation Goals

Maintain travel, hiding, and thermal cover for a wide variety of wildlife species.
Maintain forest and meadow vegetation communities within their range of natural variability to improve wildlife habitat and to make these communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Map

Primary Threats

1. Agriculture

1.2: Wood and pulp operations

2. Biological Resource Use

2.3: Logging and wood harvesting

3. Climate Change and Severe Weather

3.1: Habitat shifting and alteration

3.3: Temperature extremes

3.4: Storms and flooding

7. Human Intrusions and Disturbance

7.1: Recreational activities

8. Invasive and Other Problematic Species

8.1: Invasive non-native species

9. Natural System Modifications

9.1: Fire and fire suppression

Potential Conservation Actions

1. Land and Water Protection

1.1: Site/area protection

Conserve a variety of habitats that support healthy populations of fish and wildlife as climate changes.

2. Land and Water Management

2.1: Site/area management

Restore and maintain diverse habitats to support broad species assemblages that account for range shifts.

2.3: Habitat and natural process restoration

Identify and protect key wildlife corridors for landscape connectivity.
Implement projects focused on improving the quality of altered systems and creating suitable habitat and/or habitat features for wildlife.
Maintain natural fire regimes on the landscape through prescribed burns and natural fire management.