(Photo: Arizona Game and Fish Department)

Wildlife Resort to Water Catchments

When most people think of drought they think of possible personal inconveniences. Should they forego their Lake Powell vacation? Will watering vegetation face restrictions? Will water bills go up?

Drought and dry conditions also affect Arizona’s wildlife. Shown at right are deer and a bighorn sheep quenching their thirst at an Arizona Game and Fish Dept. water catchment. Water catchments are constructed watering holes that provide water to wildlife during the hottest, driest months. Arizona is a leader among states in constructing and maintaining water catchments. The state has more than 800.

AGFD officials say the catchments are essential to replace natural sources of water that are no longer available to wildlife due to drought and development.

As part of a AGFD research project studying water catchments, cameras were set up to film activity at several sites in the Yuma area to determine which critters used the watering holes. An infrared illuminator enabled night viewing. More than 30 different species were noted, including deer, bighorn sheep, quail, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, bats and doves. The catchments served as a year-round resource but were most heavily used during spring and summer.

Researchers also studied various concerns relating to wildlife use of catchments. They looked at water quality of the catchments, wildlife diseases, and predator use of catchments to find and kill prey. Partnering with AGFD in the study were the U.S. Army, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and universities in Arizona and California.

Biologists found that the rainwater stored in the catchments had no dangerous or unhealthy chemicals. Also, trichomoniasis, a disease commonly contracted by animals sharing water holes, was not evident in the hundreds of animals the researchers screened. Further, in 40,000 hours of tape, scientists found only about a dozen events of predation, suggesting that the water catchments do not lower survival rates of indigenous species.

But some researchers still question the necessity of catchments. University of Arizona research biologist Paul Krausman is unconvinced that catchments benefit wildlife. He is conducting studies to determine whether the availability of catchments affect reproduction or survival rates of wildlife. He says, “The studies I’ve done haven’t demonstrated they’ve been beneficial.”

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