YUMA PROVING GROUND, Arizona – As a natural laboratory for testing virtually all equipment in the ground combat arsenal, USA. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) has a special interest in responsible governance of the country.
Despite being in one of the most extreme desert climates in the country, the test site is still home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the Sonoran fork horn, desert tortoises, and bighorn sheep.
YPG’s efforts to protect the environment have been recognized by the Army and agencies such as the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. YPG officials are quick to discover that the success of the facility’s wildlife management program can be attributed in large part to the unwavering support from hunters and athletes in the area.
“We have so much support from groups like the Yuma Rod and Gun Club and the Arizona Bighorn Sheep Society for building white water catchment areas and monitoring animal populations,” said Daniel Steward, wildlife biologist at YPG. “Many of these things depend on volunteer work, and it is our athletes who reliably help to make these projects a reality.”
Generations of athletes in the Yuma area have hunted YPG’s hunting grounds – with over 1,200 square miles of land there is enough space to allow hunters safe access.
“We are required to use some of our facilities publicly if they do not interfere with our mission,” said Steward. “Mission always comes first, but where there is no conflict, we can use hunters.”
Still, for virtually every piece of equipment a soldier is likely to shoot, drive, or carry, YPG’s development test mission means that security considerations make access less free here than in other public areas.
“We have limited access because at YPG we are doing things that we have never done before,” said Steward. “We have safety buffer zones that we have to adhere to for our tests. If we run a test with a large security buffer zone at regular intervals, we may have to close certain hunting units. “
YPG’s hunting areas are divided into these small “units” to ensure that such closure is surgically targeted, rather than a broad stretch of land that goes well beyond the needs of hunter safety and mission safety.
“When we set up these hunting areas, it’s kind of a balance between safety and protection,” said Steward. “They are in places that avoid our busy impact areas and where people can be relatively safe without being a safety issue for our tests.”
Steward says the benevolence of the YPG hunting population is invaluable to the preservation and preservation of the facility’s wildlife.
“Hunters have been helpful to our program: they help us focus our eyes and ears on the range. According to the North American model of wildlife management, the fees, which our athletes pay in large part, finance all national wildlife conservation efforts. “
The largest communication and management tool for hunters is an online system called ISportsman, and YPG’s web address is www.yuma.isportsman.net. A similar system is used to gain access to the Barry M. Goldwater Range, although YPG’s procedure is more stringent because of the post’s primary purpose as a development test facility for military equipment as opposed to a bombardment area.
“YPG’s system is a little different from the Goldwater Range,” said Steward. “A background check is required to access YPG.”
Therefore, hunters are required to provide their full name and address as shown on their driver’s license. Steward emphasizes that all members of a hunting party who are within the boundaries of the YPG must go through this step, even if they do not personally intend to take part in the hunt. People also need to watch a safety video and acknowledge a harmless agreement as part of the process. After completing the background check, all members of the party will receive a free hunting permit.
Hunters must also register any weapons they bring with them to YPG, from long guns and pistols to bows, whether they own the item or borrow it from someone else.
“If you hunt quail and maybe use two or three different shotguns or hunt deer with a rifle and a pistol, you have to register them all,” said Steward. “You can get an unlimited number of these free permits.”
Most importantly, once a hunter has received access and weapons permits, the final step is to call YPG range control at the first moment of entering YPG’s borders.
“It’s always important that you request clearance clearance every time you come to hunt YPG,” said Steward. “It is also important to close the clearance when you leave the shooting range. For safety reasons, it is absolutely essential that our range controllers know your location and your plans while you are here. “
For more information on hunting at YPG, Daniel Steward can be reached at (928) 328-2125.
| Recording date: | 07/29/2021 |
| Release Date: | 07/29/2021 10:56 AM |
| Story ID: | 401719 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING BODEN, AZ, USA |
| Web views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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