wildlife

They call him “El Jefe,” he is at least 12 years old and his crossing of the heavily guarded U.S.-Mexico border has sparked celebrations on both sides.

Pinyon jays are sky blue birds that live in large flocks in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the Colorado Plateau. They are not officially endangered, but their populations have plummeted in the last half-century. The Audubon Society has found an unusual way to raise awareness about their plight: specialty brews from the Drinking Horn Meadery in Arizona, and the Bosque Brewing Company in New Mexico.

More than 200 organizations representing Mexico, Canada, the U.S., and Indigenous Nations, came together for a multi-national summit on conserving North America’s Central Grasslands. More than 50 million acres of grassland have been lost in the last 10 years alone as human development and climate change impact conservation efforts.

A federal judge has given U.S. wildlife officials 18 months to decide if wolverines should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The move follows years of dispute over how much risk climate change and other threats pose to the rare and elusive predators.

Arizona wildlife officials say the state’s hot and dry conditions have raised the chances of bears wandering into areas where they’re typically not seen in search of food.

State wildlife officials are urging the public to be aware of increased bear activity as dry conditions and hot temperatures persist in the region.

Pronghorn used to roam widely in northern Arizona. But European settlement dramatically altered the open grasslands on which pronghorn depend, reducing the population of these graceful deer-like creatures. Today, conservation organizations are working to help pronghorn—by lessening the impact of the fences that now crisscross the land.

An appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court’s rejection of two ranching groups’ challenge to a federal agency’s designation of certain riparian areas in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado as critical habitat of a mouse species.

Authorities in Yavapai County say a javelina went for a wild ride last week after getting stuck inside a Subaru station wagon, attracted to a bag of Cheetos.

SP Crater northeast of Flagstaff is closed to recreationists through May to protect nesting golden eagles.