Bullhead Removal
Aravaipa & Bonita Creek, AZ

Aravaipa Creek and Bonita Creek are located in southeastern Arizona within the Aravaipa Ecosystem Management Area and Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area (RNCA), respectively. These streams are unique and valuable as both support intact native fish assemblages and exceptional riparian and aquatic environments. Bonita Creek supports populations of federally endangered Gila Chub (Gila intermedia) and Gila Topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis occidentalis) with other established native populations of Longfin Dace (Agosia chrysogaster), Speckled Dace (Rhinichthys osculus), Sonora Sucker (Catostomus insignis), Desert Sucker (Pantosteus clarkii), and Sonora Mud turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense). Aravaipa Creek supports populations of federally endangered Loach Minnow (Tiaroga cobitis), Spikedace (Meda fulgida), and Gila Topminnow as well as other native species including Roundtail Chub (Gila robusta), Longfin Dace, Speckled Dace, Sonora Sucker, Desert Sucker, and Lowland Leopard Frog (Rana yavapaiensis). 

After successfully removing Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) in Bonita Creek, a new project was initiated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with a goal of removing Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) from both Aravaipa and Bonita. The project was initiated in 2017. The work was partially funded by the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) Gila River Basin Native Fishes Conservation Program for Bonita and Aravaipa Creeks, and the field work was conducted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Stafford field office, and Marsh and Associates (M&A) biologists. Removal efforts continue, although the federal contract that provided funding for this project to M&A was cancelled in February 2025.