Show Masked Bobwhite Rides Again The masked bobwhite quail one of Americas America's rare and endangered species of wildlife wildlife wildlife wild wild- life is a resident of Arizona again after an absence of 70 years OF THE rare birds raised at the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife's Patuxent Patuxent Patuxent Pa- Pa tuxent Research Center in Maryland were released in southern Arizona this month in a program aimed at restoring restoring restoring re re- re- re storing the native species to its former range In 1967 the Department of the Interior began a study of the masked bobwhite to determine determine determine deter deter- mine its status and to investigate investigate investigate gate the feasibility of reintroducing reintroducing the birds to southern Arizona Tucson was chosen as the headquarters for this effort because of the pioneer efforts of John J J. J and Seymour Seymour Seymour Sey Sey- mour Levy prominent Tucson meson sportsmen who had long been interested in this former Arizona native THE LEVY brothers were able to show Roy Tomlinson Research Biologist with the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife one area in Old Mexico where the birds were found Tomlinson was able to find still another separate population in central Sonora Mexico and studied these two flock of masked bobwhites The last known sighting in Arizona had been before 1900 but it was known that they were ere 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 Wildlife Research Center for propagation The captive flock produced nearly young during the summer of 1969 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 in areas in southern Arizona The release sites in the Altar Valley and near Arivaca were selected by Biologist Dave Brown 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 Arivaca and the other two are in the Altar Valley a afew afew afew few miles north of the International International International In In- Boundary BIOLOGISTS IN charge of the program to reintroduce the masked bobwhite to southern Arizona Adzona plan to follow follow follow fol fol- fol- fol low up with more releases in inthe inthe inthe the next two years They say that studies of the program will continue for at least five years before it is known whether or not the ambitious project has been a success |