Turnout low for ranch cleanup
By: Don Martin, MSC
I’m not sure what the 4,000 sportsmen who will be getting Unit 10 big game this year were doing on the weekend of June24-25, but it’s safe to say that they weren’t at the Boquillas Ranch cleanup.
This year, only 70 dedicated persons were on hand for the Mohave Sportsman Club/Arizona Deer
Association sponsored Boquillas Ranch cleanup, down from about 80 who attended the project in 2005.
The good news is that a lot of those that were in attendance were Mohave County residents,
Attendees ranged in age from about four-years-old to several who no doubt are drawing social security.
The low attendance sure can’t be blamed on the lack of exposure. By my count, it was listed on
three major Internet web sites, advertised in almost all of the major Arizona conservation groups newsletters and websites, listed on the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s volunteer website, and MSC
president Rad Green was interviewed on two different Phoenix area radio stations!
Oh, let’s not forget that the Kingman Daily Miner published several stories about the
event, and Dave Hawkins at a local radio station in Kingman did a nice job of getting the information out on the airwaves.
There is only pure speculation at this point on why more people didn’t attend. High fuel
prices, weather conditions, going on vacation, and the fact that you can’t use quads on the ranch were several of the explanations that were received for why people were NOT in attendance.
For those that made the trip, it was dirty, dusty work and as usual, just a small trailer of
mostly old ranch trash was picked up on the 750,000-acre ranch.
The positives including participants seeing lots of wildlife, including mule deer, antelope,
javelina, and elk, plus a plethora of small game including rabbits, quail, doves, birds of prey, and all different species of song birds.
I had the pleasure of sharing the day with MSC members Page McDonald, Jerry Gardner, and
Flagstaff resident Bruce Johnson.
We picked up a truck full of trash, which consisted mainly old relics that had been left
behind during the hey-day of ranching, but a number of aluminum pop and beer cans, and some paper products were also found.
As one volunteer so correctly put it, “it doesn’t matter who left the trash, we’re here and we
are going to pick it up.”
After a day of collecting trash, we ended back at Pica Camp and dropped off the “booty” we had
gathered.
Other volunteers started to roll in and it was obvious that the trash problem on the Boquillas
is nothing like we have seen in other areas of Mohave County or around the state.
Once the gloves were put away, it was time to head to Pine Canyon, to meet with others who had
come out to help fulfill the agreement that sportsmen have with the Arizona Game & Fish Department and the Navajo Nation, the owners of the ranch.
This year, there were more families and kids involved in the project, which was billed as a
family event by the MSC.
Local sportsman Shane Moline was there with his wife, kids and even a niece and nephew.
Kingman resident Joe Hererro had his kids and a couple of nephews there. Tony Keller, Keith and Rhonda Terrell participated, and brought up their family. Walt “Rooster” Rugh had his family up there as
well.
One person who attended hails from Blairsville Pennsylvania.
Lewis Scott is a “snowbird” and a member of the Arizona Predator Callers. Scott spends the winter in Florence, and was there as he wanted to see a different area of Arizona.
I think it was safe to say that the kids who were involved had a lot of fun in the great
outdoors, seeing wildlife and enjoying the quality time they were spending with other family members.
It is these young people who will be carrying the torch of conservation in a few years, and
developing a sense of pride and ownership on these kinds of projects is essential.
The Arizona Deer Association did all the cooking for the project. Pete and Cathy Cimellaro,
along with Domenic and Aimee Lopano, served up the hamburger/hotdogs with the fixins’ on Saturday evening. The biscuit and gravy breakfast on Sunday morning left everyone full and ready to make the trip
back home.
Members of several different conservation organizations, including the Arizona Deer
Association, Arizona Predator Callers, Antelope Foundation, Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and the Arizona Elk Society were all represented at the cleanup.
One of highlights of the project was when Unit 10 Wildlife Manager Tim Pender participated in
an informal talk about the status of access on the Boquillas Ranch, plus he gave a very detailed report on the wildlife in the unit.
For those who have applied for big game tags here, just listening to the information on the
locations of the deer, elk, javelina turkeys and antelope on the ranch would have made the trip worthwhile.
Troy Christensen, who is the G&F Department’s Access Program Manager, made a presentation
of a Certificate of Appreciation to the MSC.
The department thanked the MSC for its efforts for 14-years in keeping the Boquillas Ranch
open for public access through the department’s “Adopt-A-Ranch” program.
Rad Green, president of the MSC said he wished more people had participated, but appreciated
the help of all those that were involved. “Those sportsmen who will be hunting on the Boquillas this fall, will get to do so in part because of the efforts of these volunteers. This project will also
keep the ranch open for hikers, campers, 4 X 4 enthusiasts and bird watchers.”
Green also lauded the support of Northern Ice and the local Bashas’ store for their donation
of ice and food for the event.
“It is really great when local businesses help out on projects like this that benefits the
community,” Green said.
The Arizona Game & Fish Department (Region III) also donated food and bottled water for
the project, which is held annually on the fourth Saturday of June.
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