Gila Trout Recovery in Arizona: How Cooperation, Communication and Collaboration Can Lead to Conservation

The Pinaleño Mountain Gila Trout project is a multi-year, multi-agency recovery project that is co-funded by Sportfish Restoration funds and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.   A shining example of inter and intra-agency coordination and cooperation, the project began in 2008 and is nearing 70 percent completion.  Involving three streams in the rugged terrain of the Pinaleño Mountains in southeastern Arizona, it is the first multi-stream project involving the listed Gila trout Oncorhynchus gilae in Arizona.   Once complete, it will satisfy recovery criteria #3 of Gila Trout Recovery Plan and offer the first opportunity for angling of Gila trout in Arizona.    This presentation will showcase the highlights of the project, demonstrate how to overcome hurdles in coordination of a project of this magnitude, and offer tips in maintaining sanity when leading such a project.