Harquahala Plain | Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy

The Harquahala Plain is bounded on the west and south by the Eagletail Mountains, the north by the Harquahala Mountains, and the east by the Bighorn Mountains and Saddle Mountain. Centennial and Tiger washes both run across the plain from northwest to southeast and eventually flow into the Gila River near Arlington, AZ. These washes provide important sources of forage and nesting habitat, as well as serving as travel corridors for area wildlife. Interstate 10 and the Central Arizona Project Canal both bisect the plain running east-west and significantly limit wildlife movements. Agricultural activities also occur within the southern half of the plain west of Saddle Mountain. The area is a high-use area for outdoor recreational activities such as hunting, wildlife viewing, and camping. In addition, the portion of the plain south of the interstate provides habitat for Sonoran pronghorn within the 10J recovery area outside of the Kofa NWR allowing them to utilize suitable habitat to expand their range within the recovery area.

Conservation Goals

Maintain the Harquahala Plains as intact quality habitats that support a variety of SGCN.
Improve habitat connectivity across I-10 and maintain connectivity between adjacent open spaces.
Work with the renewable energy industry to plan and implement habitat improvement projects within the Harquahala Plains which will improve wildlife resiliency if blocks of the habitat are developed.

Map

Primary Threats

3. Climate Change and Severe Weather

3.1: Habitat shifting and alteration

3.2: Droughts

6. Energy Production and Mining

6.3: Renewable energy

7. Human Intrusions and Disturbance

7.1: Recreational activities

7.2: War, civil unrest and military exercises

Potential Conservation Actions

1. Land and Water Protection

1.2: Resource and habitat protection

Develop conservation easements on private lands in order to maintain and protect wildlife habitat and connectivity areas.

2. Land and Water Management

2.1: Site/area management

Develop and enhance artificial waters on the landscape to support wildlife.

2.3: Habitat and natural process restoration

Restore native vegetation and habitats such as mesquite bosques at appropriate locations using adaptive management techniques to improve success.
Remove barriers to improve landscape connectivity of this important wildlife movement corridor.
Develop alternatives that would improve connectivity across I-10, a major landscape barrier in the area.

3. Species Management

3.3: Species reintroduction

Continue to support Sonoran pronghorn reintroduction and recovery through capture-and-release operations and habitat improvement projects across their range.

4. Education and Awareness

4.2: Training

Conduct research to better understand impacts of utility-scale solar energy production facilities on wildlife populations and movement in order to better inform site selection, avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures for projects.

4.3: Awareness and communication

Increase awareness of effects of specific threats on wildlife species and habitats with an emphasis on how the threats can be reduced.

7. External Capacity Building

7.2: Alliance and partnership development

Partner with other agencies and NGOs to improve habitat connectivity across barriers such as I-10.
Increase collaborations with the renewable energy industry to improve wildlife habitats that may be adversely affected by these projects.