AZGFD Montezuma Well Springsnail Survey

AZGFD Montezuma Well Springsnail Survey

Saturday, April 21st

Jeff Sorensen with the AZGFD is looking for a few volunteers (first come, first serve basis) to survey springsnails in Montezuma Well on Saturday, April 21st. Volunteers will be kayaking in places only few are allowed to, receive hands-on training using ArcGIS Collector app and learn about one of our smallest wildlife species in the state.

The Montezuma Well in the Verde Valley is home to a native springsnail found nowhere else in the world. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is working with the National Park Service and student volunteers to conduct annual monitoring surveys on this tiny aquatic snail at the well.

Springsnail surveys by AZGFD were started in 2016. The well’s spring run—or swallet—has an abundant population of springsnails living on the rough-textured rocks. Counts from 2016 and 2017 ranged between the hundreds and thousands of snails in 10-minute duration sampling. We’ll be using iPad tablets with ArcGIS Collector app to record data in the field.

The Department needs 3 to 4 university student volunteers to help out with a survey on Saturday, April 21, at Montezuma Well. Please sign up early if you want to participate, and carpool up to and back from the site. We’ll be meeting at the AZGFD headquarters office at 5000 W. Carefree Hwy, at 8 am on April 21. Dress to get wet—we’ll be wading in the knee-deep spring run and using kayaks to access other areas within the well pond. River sandals or old tennis shoes are recommended footwear. AZGFD will have all the sampling gear, kayaks, paddles, and life jackets to be used. We’ll eat a late lunch at a local restaurant in the Verde Valley area, then return to Phoenix in mid-afternoon.

Contact
Jeff Sorensen
Invertebrate Wildlife Program Manager
jsorensen@azgfd.gov
480-243-5496 cell