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CAWA in the News
More than 50 speak as Chino Valley P&Z postpones decision on Embry-Riddle runway
By STAN BINDELL, For the Courier Jan 7, 2026 Updated Jan 7, 2026
"After hearing from more than 50 speakers, Chino Valley Planning and Zoning commissioners voted unanimously, with two absences, to continue the issue of whether to recommend to the Town Council a conditional use permit and an agreement that would pave the way for an airport runway at Perkins Ranch, where Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students would be trained ...
Greg Murray, president and CEO of the Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance, said airstrips are not good for people or wildlife, especially pronghorn. He said this area is one of the best in the state for pronghorn, as it is not unusual to see a herd of 30 to 40 out there. He said too often wildlife corridors are fragmented making it hard for them to survive, and this would be another example of that." You can read more here.
Letter Sent to Regional Leadership, July 2025
Dear members of Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, and Yavapai County government and staff,
Please see the attached document and map outlining an opportunity to connect the new regional park and preserve at Glassford Hill with wildlife habitat to the north. There is an opportunity to provide connectivity for American Pronghorns (sometimes called pronghorn antelope) between Glassford Hill and more extensive habitat in Chino Valley, but that opportunity may not last for long. Without action now, the new regional park and preserve will be completely isolated from additional habitat that provides for animal movement patterns and population health. Please see the document for details, share with other members of city or county government and staff as you see fit, and feel free to contact me with any questions.
K. Greg Murray, Ph.D., on behalf of the Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance
The Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance (CAWA) applauds Prescott Valley’s Wildlife Corridor initiative (https://www.prescottvalley-az.gov/government/projects/wildlife_corridor.php) – in our view, it’s an approach that our entire region needs to ensure that people and wildlife can thrive together in a landscape that epitomizes the natural and cultural history that make our region such a desirable place to live, work, and play.
In the spirit of extending the objectives of Prescott Valley’s initiative over a broader area, CAWA wants to draw the attention of area policymakers to an opportunity to connect the new regional park and preserve to the grassland habitat north into Chino Valley, and thereby retain a part of our natural heritage that is absolutely unique to North America. Not long ago, the grasslands that extend from well north of Interstate 40 south through Chino Valley and into Prescott and Prescott Valley were populated by North America’s most iconic and unique mammal, the American Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). There were healthy populations using Glassford Hill and the area around and to the south of Willow Lake as recently as 25 years ago, and though the Willow Lake herd was permanently lost with the construction of the Prescott Lakes development, there are still a few pronghorn left on Glassford Hill. Unfortunately, any population of animals that becomes isolated by barriers like roads, commercial and residential developments is unlikely to survive because its seasonal movement patterns and breeding opportunities are disrupted. But now that it is protected, Glassford Hill could restore and retain a population of pronghorn if it could be effectively connected to the more extensive grassland habitat to the north.
I have attached a pdf of one of the maps that I shared with Gilbert Davidson and Janelle Kiehl after the special wildlife corridor meeting in Prescott Valley a few weeks ago. My apologies to others of you who've already seen it, but it shows the pronghorn sightings on part of the area covered by CAWA’s citizen science smartphone survey, along with many of the larger land parcels in that area, color-coded by owner. You can see a more complete summary of the survey’s results at https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/fd102ed0d8bb4459abb705ad5641d65c and get instructions on how to download and use the survey tool yourself at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fqDy3-sQPeSTAui61QIEDryikL6KZJnq/edit. Of course, those sightings are not an accurate representation of pronghorn density, but rather where people see and report them. Nevertheless, the information is valuable as a reflection of what areas are frequented by pronghorns, especially when augmented by satellite imagery that shows habitat characteristics. The reason that I started looking at this area in detail is that the regional park and preserve is already completely isolated from any other pronghorn habitat – except for two narrow parcels directly to the north. Those parcels belong to Arizona Eco Development (AED) (shown in orange; currently zoned MF-M) and Granite Dells Estates (in yellow; currently zoned SF-35). Just to the north of those parcels is state land and, of course, route 89A. These parcels separate residential developments (Jasper, which is part of Prescott Valley, and Granite Dells Estates, which is part of Prescott) by just about 1/4 mile, but since the developments only approach one another along a short stretch, this could probably be an effective corridor for pronghorn. Of course, route 89A to the north of these parcels is a hard barrier at present, but if these parcels remained undeveloped, there would be the potential for a corridor if a crossing was constructed under or over route 89A on state land. But without conserving those parcels now the possibility of a corridor will be lost forever, regardless of any future willingness to put a crossing on that stretch of 89A.
Note that this seems to be the ONLY possibility to connect the new regional park and preserve with any other pronghorn habitat. Note also that both of these parcels are within Prescott - not Prescott Valley - and that therefore it would be imperative to get Prescott and Prescott Valley to cooperate with one another to approach the subject with the landowners. Before long, this last opportunity will be lost, so time is of the essence. Moreover, note also that with some combination of land swaps, purchases, or conservation easements between state land and AED lands north of 89A, there could be a substantial corridor of connected habitat well up into Chino Valley!
We realize that city and town councils and staff are busy with other important issues, and that we have an election coming up. But there will never be a better time to consider this issue, and it’s clear that the potential to connect Glassford Hill to other wildlife habitat could soon be lost forever. The public’s love of pronghorns transcends age, political persuasion, and every other factor that divides us, and efforts to maintain them in our midst will be appreciated by everyone for generations.
We at CAWA would like to suggest that this is an opportune time for leaders at the municipality and county levels to discuss this issue before it’s too late. Perhaps the formation of a task force of representatives from Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, and Yavapai County could be formed to discuss the issue and potential approaches with the relevant landowners and representatives of Arizona Game and Fish Department and conservation groups.
We often look at what we’ve lost over the years and wish we could go back and make different decisions. Reading Joanna Dodder’s Courier articles from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s about the plight of the Willow Lake and Prescott Valley herds makes us wish that different decisions had been made 20-25 years ago. Will we be kicking ourselves 25 years from now because we failed to take advantage of the opportunity to do something great for the community now? Wouldn’t it be great if our grandchildren and great-grandchildren could still see pronghorns and a healthy grassland ecosystem from their yards and favorite trails, and be proud of us for looking into the future and making all of that possible?
Dr. K. Greg Murray, Ph.D, (gmurray54@gmail.com), on behalf of the Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance (CAWA)
Letter Sent to Arizona Game and Fish Commission, May 2025
May 4, 2025
Arizona Game and Fish Commission
5000 W. Carefree Highway
Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
cc:
Arizona Game and Fish Department, Region II, Flagstaff, AZ
Todd G. Geiler, Commission Member, Prescott, AZ
Dear Chair Hernandez and members of the Arizona Game & Fish Commission:
The Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance (CAWA) was formed in response to public concern about our diminishing local pronghorn population and because of pronghorns' role as an umbrella species for grasslands.
Our members unite public interest and knowledge to promote land management that meets human needs without diminishing the wildlife we treasure. To that end, CAWA sees a Central Arizona where wildlife and people thrive together. To ensure healthy wildlife populations and the health, environmental, and economic benefits they bring us, we envision interconnected open space across public, agricultural, and residential lands, protected in perpetuity.
We seek ways to work with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and the Department to achieve this goal.
In conjunction with other interested parties, we submit this request to the Commission for the purpose of conserving and restoring the American pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) that reside in the central Arizona grasslands. Even prior to statehood, the residents of central Arizona have proudly coexisted with pronghorn on our landscape. Today, the herds that inhabit the central grasslands are threatened on multiple fronts, especially by habitat degradation, fragmentation, and the translocation of selected herds to other areas of the state.
Our vision for the pronghorn and their management in the central grasslands includes the following components:
Re-engage stakeholders, land management and transportation agencies (Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization, Arizona Department of Transportation, and others), and their biologists through interagency coordination.
Ensure the connectivity of the grassland habitat from Chino Valley to the northern undeveloped portions of north Prescott and Prescott Valley, and to Skull Valley to Reimer Flat and down to Perry Mesa (mostly in the Chino/Coconino Grasslands and Shrub-steppe ecoregion and Lower Mogollon Transition ecoregion; EPA level IV ecoregions).
Encourage land managers and private landowners to set aside and maintain some areas (e.g., by reducing cattle grazing) with the taller vegetation needed by pronghorn for fawning areas.
Support efforts to keep pronghorn in areas currently under high development pressure, such as Big Chino, Lonesome, and Williamson Valleys; Granite Creek; the Town of Prescott Valley; and areas where solar projects are proposed.
Establish designated migration corridors and update the 2006 wildlife linkages assessment.
Help fund the construction of additional overpasses or underpasses and augment fence removal and modification.
Promote safe passage across major paved roads (e.g., I-17; Highways 69, 169, 89, 89A, and Fain Road).
Maintain diverse and self-sustaining populations.
Secure water sources that allow migration and interconnection among sub-grassland areas.
Better understand the migration of various herds in the central grasslands.
Continue to monitor the pronghorn census through aerial surveys.
Track and document the movement of individuals and herds using the least harmful methods.
Consider adding data from the Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance’s Survey 123, developed in partnership with the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, to your wildlife knowledge base.
Educate the public about the natural history, habitat needs, and population trends of pronghorn.
Please keep us informed of your efforts to protect pronghorn in the central grasslands. We would appreciate meeting to discuss this at your earliest convenience. Again, our goal is to support and help augment the efforts of Game and Fish to conserve and restore pronghorn in our region.
Sincerely,
Joanne Oellers, Chair
Central Arizona Wildlife Alliance
centralazwild@gmail.com
Linn Williams, Land Stewardship Manager
Cosanti Foundation
linn@arcosanti.org
Tim Flood, Chair, Natural Resources Committee
Friends of Agua Fria National Monument
tjflood@att.net
Jenny Cobb, Yavapai Prescott Broadband Leader
Great Old Broads for Wilderness
cobbsrun@msn.com
Charles Babbitt, Conservation Chair
Maricopa Audubon Society
charlesjbabbitt@gmail.com
Joe Glaves, President
Prescott Audubon Society
contact@prescottaudubon.com
Isabel Cerecedes, President
Prescott Valley Citizens Alliance
isabelcerecedes@gmail.com
Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director
Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter
sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org
Gary Beverly, Chair
Sierra Club – Yavapai Group
gbverde99@gmail.com
Mary Hoadley, Chair
Upper Agua Fria Watershed Partnership
earthhous@aol.com
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