The Prescott National Forest wildlife officials lifted closure restrictions and opened the John’s Tank Trail #94 on the east side of Lynx Lake. All closure signage and barricades were removed. The trail has been closed to public entry since December to provide protection to nesting bald eagles. Bald eagles have used Lynx Lake as a nesting site for the last sixteen years and have been successful for eight of those years.
Unfortunately, nesting failed this year at the Lynx Lake site as the female bald eagle died from unknown causes. Results of a US Fish & Wildlife necroscopy, the study of the bird following death, will be available soon. Wildlife officials state the male will maintain the breeding territory and is expected to establish a pair bond with a replacement female by the 2025 breeding season.
The closure order on the bald eagle nesting area along the Verde River, south of Camp Verde will remain in place until Monday, July 1, 2024. The Ladders closure area is located south of Camp Verde along a 2-mile section of the Verde River and adjacent National Forest lands in the vicinity of the “Verde Falls” downstream to below Sycamore Canyon. Nest site monitoring by the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Nestwatch program confirmed fledging of one young by the breeding pair. The young bird is known as a fledging until its wing feathers are developed enough for flight.
The Closure Order and the Bald Eagle Nestwatch Program are two of many management actions that agencies use to ensure that Arizona will always have bald eagles for the public to enjoy. The Forest Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department would like to thank the residents of the Verde Valley and of Arizona for their cooperation with this bald eagle closure area.
The Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Arizona Game and Fish Department would like to thank everyone for their cooperation while the closures were in effect. Striking a balance in managing recreational uses around bald eagle nesting areas ensures their presence for generations to come.
To learn more about the management of the southwestern bald eagles in Arizona, visit Southwestern Bald Eagle Management Committee or Arizona Game & Fish. If you have any questions please contact Albert Sillas, Fisheries Biologist at (928) 567-1124.
