Issue 3, Summer 2003

Plan Ahead! Out and About in Arizona

Hikes, Day Trips, Classes, Wildife Watching, and More…

August 29 – September 1. Wilderness Boundary Survey. Chiricahua Mountains. Join the Sky Island Alliance as we revisit a favorite haunt! We will be camping in Pinery Canyon and looking at the northern boundary of the existing Chiricahua Wilderness. Trogons! Ridge-nose rattlers! Coatis! 2.5 hours from Tucson. Contact Trevor Hare:trevor@skyislandalliance.org

September 6. Granite Mountain Wilderness "Adpot a Trail" day. AWC will be working on restoring many parts of this heavily used trail inside Granite Mountain Wilderness. Call Jason Williams for more information: 928-717-6076.

September 12 – 14. Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Weekend. San Rafael Valley. Join the Sky Island Alliance’s Riparian Inventory/Monitoring Program in a project to assess the San Rafael Valley as a site for the conservation and management of our sensitive riparian fauna. 2.0 hours from Tucson. Contact Trevor Hare:trevor@skyislandalliance.org

September 19 – 20. Fourth Annual Sedona EcoFest, Sedona, Arizona. Join us for this exciting perfoming arts event that promotes ecological education. Visit http://www.sedonaecofest.com/ for more information.

September 19 – 21. Tumacacori Mountains Roads Inventory and Advocacy Trip. Threatened Landscape! Join us as we inventory the roads on the South and West side of the Tumacacori Mountains. On Sunday we will have a presentation on the area and natural history hikes. The Tumacacori Mountains are one of the most sub-tropical and species-diverse mountain ranges in the US. 2.0 hours from Tucson. Contact Trevor Hare:trevor@skyislandalliance.org

September 20 – 21. The Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Capter Wilderness Committee has scheduled a service trip in the Eagletail Mountains Wilderness. Training for Wilderness stewards will be scheduled later this summer. Please e-mail Michelle Pulich at flora22selva@yahoo.com for more information.

October 5 – 6. Roads, Riparian Areas and Biological Surveys. Peloncillo Mountains and San Bernardino Valley. The Peloncillos are the only Sky Island mountain range that stretches from Mexico to the Gila River! We will be doing a variety of work both in the mountains and down in the valley. 4.0 hours from Tucson. Contact Trevor Hare:trevor@skyislandalliance.org

October 10 –12. Sky Island Festival. Stay tuned for lots of big adventures! Parties! Lectures! Hikes! Contact Trevor Hare:trevor@skyislandalliance.org

October 17 –20 . Joint New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and Sky Island Alliance Trip to the Burro Mountains. Help us finish the roads surveys of the Burros, a gorgeous mountain range just south and west of Silver City. 3.0 hours from Tucson. Contact Trevor Hare:trevor@skyislandalliance.org

 

 

 

 

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SHORT TAKES


Drone of motors or a peaceful drift?

SLOW DOWN IN THE HEAT.
binoculars graphicOur list of outdoor events has diminshed somewhat due to the Arizona summer heat, but take a look anyway! We are offering several exciting wilderness excursions around the state. Read more…

DID YOU KNOW…?
A jaguar is the 3rd largest cat in the world.
The Sky Islands region in southeastern Arizona boasts the highest concentration of jaguar sightings in the nation. Arizona is believed to be at the northern end of the jaguar's historic range, which once covered nearly all of Latin America. The Tumacacori mountain range, southwest of Tucson, is a particularly wildlife-rich region, due in large part to its geographical connection to more sub-tropic Sky Islands to the south.

Roads, and their associated effects on habitat fragmentation, degrade jaguar habitat and wilderness areas upon which these magnificent animals rely. Without wilderness and roadless areas, including unobstructed wildlife corridors to and from Mexico, we'll lose our chance of sharing our public lands with the awe-inspiring jaguar.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE…

Broad-billed male hummingbird. Photo: Sherri Williamson, SABO
Birders rejoice! In southeastern Arizona, the Chiracahua Mountains alone host more than half of the recorded bird species in the United States. Wilderness areas help protect the fragile web of life for birds and other wildlife that thrive in the verdant hills and lush valleys of the Sky Islands. The Arizona Wilderness Coalition is launching a major campaign to raise awareness and garner support for new wilderness in this region.