Show I. I Quail Return To Ran Range e E The masked bobwhite quail t tone one of Americas America's rare and endangered endangered endangered en- en species of wildlife is a resident of Arizona again after an absence of 70 years ONE HUNDRED and sixty of the rare birds raised at atthe atthe atthe the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife's Patuxent Research Research Research Re Re- search Center in Maryland were released in southern Arizona this month in a program program program pro pro- gram aimed at restoring the native species to its former range In 1967 the Department of the Interior began a study of the masked bobwhite to determine its status and to investigate the feasibility of reintroducing the birds to southern Arizona TUCSON WAS chosen as the headquarters for this effort because of the pioneer efforts of John J. J and Seymour Levy prominent Tucson sportsmen who had long been interested in this former Arizona native The Levy brothers were able to show Roy Tomlinson Research Research Re Re- search Biologist with the Bureau Bureau Bureau Bu Bu- Bu- Bu reau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife one area in Old Mexico Mexico Mexico Mex Mex- ico where the birds were found TOMLINSON was able to find still another separate population in central Sonora Mexico and studied these two flocks of masked bobwhites The last known sighting in Arizona had been before 1900 but it was known that they were native to the lands south of Tucson meson In 1968 the Mexican government government government govern govern- ment gave its permission and 36 birds were trapped live-trapped in Sonora and sent to the Patuxent Patuxent Patuxent Pat Pat- Wildlife e Research Center Center Center Cen Cen- ter for propagation The captive captive cap cap- tive flock produced nearly young during the summer of 1969 ONE HUNDRED and sixty of these birds now fully grown were released by employees of the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Wildlife Wildlife Wild Wild- life in areas in southern Arizona The release sites in the Altar Valley and near Arivaca were selected by Biologist Dave Brown Drown of the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Tomlinson in close cooperation cooperation cooperation tion with the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service ONE RELEASE site is northeast of of Arivaca and the theother theother theother other two are in the Altar Valley a few miles north of the International Boundary Biologist in charge of the program to reintroduce the masked bobwhite to southern Arizona plan to follow up with more releases in the next two years They say that studies of the program will contine for at least five years before it is known whether or not the ambitious project has been a success |