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“The jaguar is being used politically to stop hunting and grazing. [I’m] worried that people will be killing them so FWS won’t be finding them.”
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“The immediate thing you think of is ‘how many calves has this Jaguar taken?’”
Dan Bell, Rancher
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“These animals have been able to follow their habitat pattern. We don’t need critical habitat to protect the animal – they are already protected.”
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“Don’t like the idea of critical habitat. Raises a red flag to ranchers. Afraid it is going to limit the activities to be carried out on lands.”
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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"It’s so much fun to open the cameras and look at the cards and see what’s on them!"
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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“We’re creating the most comprehensive data set of mammalian wildlife on a regional scale . . .”
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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"We’re using markers called ‘Micro-stabilities' and those are the markers that [give] a DNA fingerprint. The same thing you would see in a court case."
Melanie Culver, Scientist
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"I feel that in Altar Valley we have a pretty positive situation where we are trying to work together for a positive outcome."
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“In the Western Hemisphere, the Jaguar is the only truly large cat.”
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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“We need to find ways to make the presence of an endangered species a positive thing. Financial benefits and real legal protections would be very useful.”
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“Ranchlands provide ecosystem services to the rest of us who live in urban areas.”
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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"And I think that the ranching does maintain that delicate balance between protection and use, probably better than any other land use."
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“What we are all looking for is to live in a healthy landscape.”
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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“As a biologist, I have always been fascinated by the cats.”
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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“Can we do [ecosystem services payment program] in a way that takes the regulation out of it.”
Dan Bell, Rancher
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“I believe this should never have become critical habitat, because it’s not critical habitat!”
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“Any improvements we do on the land that benefit livestock also benefit wildlife. Controlled burns, friendly fences, watershed management.”
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“The jaguar carries with it such as awe and mystic because they are such a beautiful predator.”
Melanie Culver, Scientist
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"I think government has to be involved in management. It’s an important job – don’t disagree with the job they are meant to do."
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“The important thing for us was to stay involved and make sure we knew when camera’s we’re being checked and when there was a sighting . . . “
Dan Bell, Rancher
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"The perception that ESA will hinder land improvements and lower land value is a huge problem. To manage large landscapes, we have to have people working together."
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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"We have cameras in 16 mountain ranges across the Southern half of Arizona and New Mexico."
Lisa Haynes, Biologist
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“They avoid humans and therefore we don’t see them very often.”
Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
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“In the list of features that are essential to Jaguars. None of those are influenced by grazing. We don’t see a concern.”
Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
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"My dream for all of us in the Altar Valley is to be proud to have an animal like that living in our area."
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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"I think ranching keeps the country open. Without open country wildlife is sunk."
Southeastern Arizona Rancher
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“We are looking at billions of dollars in ecosystem services benefits every year, things like clean water to flood protection.”
Aaron Lien, Scientist
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"We use scats to compare to a larger study that includes Mexico and beyond."
Melanie Culver, Scientist
