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Le Conte’s Thrasher (LCTH) is a poorly understood species of desert lowlands in southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. According to SJV, the need for LCTH monitoring and population trend data is of the highest priority. Presently, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is assessing the distribution, developing a monitoring protocol, and describing habitat associations for LCTH on Arizona’s USAF Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR). Project objectives are: (1) assemble a team to conduct and review AGFD’s LCTH monitoring protocol on BMGR in January 2010, (2) concurrently, train and provide playback survey equipment for Mexican biologists, (3) promote discussions to enhance understanding of trends and threats to LCTH and other desert lowland birds in SJV’s Arid Borderlands, and (4) because LCTH activity peaks months before BBS routes, monitor same points in early May 2010 to develop a detectability metric for adjusting LCTH counts in BBS data. We request an SJV Grant to (1) provide travel funds for invited experts and Mexican biologists in January 2010, (2) provide Mexican biologists with playback equipment for future surveys in Mexico, and (3) conduct additional monitoring on BMGR in May 2010 to develop a BBS detectability index.
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John Arnett
Luke Airforce Base