John,



I’ve found that the best enforcement guys were often poachers as kids, ya know the old “know thy enemy” routine And we call the “best of the LE lads” you’re talking about “Ego Rangers.” Much to their credit, some of them actually think the label is funny, and your right they do a good job with busting bad guys, sometimes a little too good, but there is no better person to have watching your back! Anyway, it sounds like AZ is much like many of the states I’ve had experience in, where the Wardens do have to wear both hats because of budgetary constraints, which I think leads directly to the criticism many herpers levy at the Wardens, namely that they can’t tell a kingsnake from a ratsnake. What percentage of the wardens you’ve worked with have difficulty identifying/differentiating the native critters (herps or other wise, because I know AZ makes herps a much higher priority than other states do)? In AZ where you wear both hats, who is it that changed the law on the collection of chucks in the Park if not you?



It has been a few years since I have spent any time in AZ, and I don’t remember ever having been to the park you’re talking about, so I’m going to have to bow to your knowledge on this. However, as a general rule I think you will have to agree that development, agriculture and other forms of environmental destruction are fragmenting the habitat for many species in North America. The result is a loss of “metapopulation structure”, and thus an increase in extinction probability for all the usual reasons. That’s where I was going with my questions anyway, but it seems from what you and Chris are saying, the park habitat is already naturally isolated and there is no development going on in the area, and you seem to imply that there has not been any development in the area for the last 200 years. Now my curiosity is peaked as to how the chucks got to such an isolated habitat.



So my next question is, do you think your Park is a “typical” case, or do you think it is unusual in AZ?



Take it easy.



Bubba

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