The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to expand hunting on three wildlife refuges in southern Arizona and allow hunting on a fourth for the first time.
The proposed changes would open or expand hunting and fishing in 97 national wildlife refuges and nine national fish hatcheries overall and would be finalized in time for the fall 2020-2021 hunting season.
But, environmentalists argue the plan could further endanger imperiled species on fragile landscapes already at risk from climate change.
The 2,700-acre Leslie Canyon refuge would be open to hunters for the first time since its establishment in 1988. The other three Arizona refuges targeted for expanded hunting are the Buenos Aires, the Cibola on the lower Colorado River and the Cabeza Prieta.
