translocating and releasing five pairs of red-cockaded woodpeckers from the Apalachicola National Forest to the Avalon Plantation during November. Never before had a project of such magnitude been undertaken. As of early December, six of the ten birds had established themselves on Avalon, including one breeding pair. This level of “retention” of released birds was not expected and bodes well for the 1999 breeding season.

continuing efforts to restore aplomado falcons and California condors to New Mexico. During late 1998 the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish softened its opposition to the reintroduction of these species. Accordingly, we began working on a partnership with The Peregrine Fund to simultaneously implement restoration efforts for both species.

placing 12 black-footed ferrets (four males and eight females) at the breeding facility at Vermejo Park Ranch. Offspring produced by these animals will be released to the wild by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) throughout the west.

intensifying efforts to restore black-tailed prairie dogs. During 1998 we conducted the first large-scale release of prairie dogs by translocating 70 animals from Vermejo Park Ranch to the Armendaris Ranch. Survival was high and we are planning additional large-scale releases for 1999 and beyond. Our short-term objective is to restore prairie dogs to 1,000 or more acres at Vermejo Park and the Armendaris Ranch. Once this is accomplished we will be able to consider reintroduction of black-footed ferrets. Currently Vermejo Park’s prairie dogs inhabit about 350 acres, while fewer than 100 acres are occupied at the Armendaris.

continuing efforts to breed and prepare Mexican wolves for release to the wild by the USFWS. During November two females were transported from the Ladder Ranch to a release site in Arizona and during January 1999 a family of two adults and three pups will be taken from the Ladder and released in Arizona. Once this occurs, the Ladder ranch will have contributed seven quality animals to the restoration effort.

continuing our assessment of the suitability of Vermejo Park Ranch as a gray wolf reintroduction site.

continuing efforts to restore desert bighorn sheep. As of mid-November, 45 sheep inhabited the Fra Cristobal mountains at the Armendaris Ranch. There is a need to augment the existing population and we are lobbying New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to translocate additional sheep to the Mountain during 1999 and 2000. The last 18 months of our intensive monitoring indicate that predation by mountain lions is an important source of mortality. To ensure proper management of the sheep we need to know more about the lion population. Accordingly, we propose to begin a 3 to 5-year study of resident lions which will facilitate restoration of sheep to the Fra Cristobal and possibly other sites in New Mexico.

developing a bi-national campaign to conserve migratory pollinators and their 1,500-mile migration corridor that stretches from the southwestern U.S. to southern Mexico. The campaign will be administered by the Pollinator Conservation Consortium at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The campaign will focus on four imperiled pollinators (including the endangered lesser long-nosed bat) and the habitats on which they depend at 10 critical staging sites along the corridor. The Fund will provide cornerstone financial support and biologists to assist with campaign design and implementation. During November 1998 staff from the Fund met with Secretary Babbitt and explained the problem of declining pollinator populations. The Secretary was so struck by the gravity of the situation that he decided to host a meeting on the topic with leading scientists and environmentalists. The meeting is scheduled for January 15, 1999; four seats have been reserved for the Fund. Also on the 15th staff from the Fund will meet privately with the Secretary to update him on our efforts to restore wolves, aplomado falcons, and California condors.