Conservation Collective! Arizona Game & Fish and Prois Staffer Jessica Mannuel
Just another day in the life of Prois Staffer, Jessica Mannuel. Jessica is soon to be a commissioner for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Conservation is everything...and Jessica is working daily to achieve great gains in the state of Arizona! Read on!
Once thought extinct, a small population discovered in 1981 is slowing recovering across western states and North America through intensive breeding and reintroduction programs.
Mustela nigripes, The Black-Footed Ferret is North America's only native ferret species. They live in prairies and grasslands dependent on prairie dogs (we have enough of those don't we) as a food and shelter source.
Aubrey Valley is the most popular place to look for the re-establishing population. Of the three sites they have been released in the Copper State, one is a little bit closer to my home. About 8.7 miles from the porch as the crow flies close.
Tonight I got to participate in a way that was more than I expected and quite the exciting and fulfilling experience for me as I got to have the honor of opening a crate and releasing one of North America's most endangered mammals into my backyard.
Wildlife is a passion of mine. I did not make it a career, but a passion nonetheless. Being able to take part in conservation efforts in my spare time brings a contentment that is hard to describe.
Getting to do this, and soon to be moving into my role as a commissioner for Arizona and the Game and Fish Department, is fueling a desire to remain passionate and vigilant for all species in our wild spaces across our nation and beyond.
What a day.
