Woolhouse | Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy

The Woolhouse COA is an approximately 17,000-acre Wildlife Quiet Area (WQA) within the Lakeside Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Situated within a busy and heavily-used wildland-urban interface, this COA provides quality winter range for American pronghorn and elk, as well as relatively undisturbed habitat for both game and nongame species alike. Wildlife Quiet Areas are managed with an emphasis on improving wildlife habitat and maintaining existing wildlife developments. Three habitat types occur within this COA, with the Petran montane conifer forest found within the higher elevations, and Great Basin conifer woodland and Plains and Great Great Basin grassland occurring elsewhere. Elevation ranges from approximately 7,360 feet atop one of the many volcanic cinder cones within the Woolhouse COA, which rise abruptly from the surrounding landscape, to approximately 6,500 near the COAs northern boundary along Highway 60.

Conservation Goals

Maintain travel, hiding, and thermal cover for a wide variety of wildlife species.
Maintain forest, woodland, and grassland vegetation communities within their range of natural variability to maintain and 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

3.2: Droughts

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

8.2: Problematic 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.
Maintain natural fire regimes on the landscape through prescribed burns and natural fire management.

3. Species Management

3.1: Management of specific species of concern

Implement long-term monitoring protocols for vulnerable species and habitats to inform adaptive management.
Establish new wild and/or captive populations of climate-vulnerable SGCN, such as leopard frog species.
Conduct research targeting species and habitat types likely to be vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Collect specimens or samples for taxonomic analysis, genetics, research, and/or disease testing.