Plan Ahead! Out and About in Arizona

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

Central Mountains-Sonoran Activities

Saturday, March 27th

Join the Arizona Wilderness Coalition and the Tucson BLM in a day of stewardship in and around the White Canyon Wilderness. We will complete illegal route surveys and wilderness boundary signing, which could include restoration of illegal routes found intruding into the Wilderness. Details for camping and meeting will be completed in early march, please contact Jason Williams for more information, or if you would like to help plan this stewardship trip. 

E-mail jwilliams@azwild.org

Phone: 928-717-6076, or 928-925-6472 

Area Description:

Intricately carved and scenically splendid, White Canyon runs north-south through the middle of this Wilderness. Narrow in places, this canyon's walls rise as much as 800 feet above the bottom. Throughout you'll find delicate, eroded formations and numerous side canyons. Sand, slickrock, and willows cover the canyon's bottom. The Rincon, an enormous, amphitheater-like escarpment, stands near the southern boundary. Set in the rugged southeast portion of the Mineral Mountains, this Wilderness features a perennial stream that supports a variety of vegetation from saguaro cacti to chaparral. When rainstorms flood the area, especially during summer "monsoons," waterfalls pour over the rim of White Canyon, or form quiet pools within sculpted terraces. Wildlife includes a myriad of birds, thanks to the steady presence of water, often scarce in other regions. Black bears and mountain lions are permanent residents.

Rock climbers trek here to scale the canyon's vertical faces. Because of its year-round water supply and proximity to Tonto National Forest, this area is a fine choice for extended backpacking trips, despite its relatively small size. Description taken from wilderness.net

Sky Island and Tucson-area Activities

Please contact the Sky Island Alliance office at 520.624.7080 or trevor@skyislandalliance.org if you are interested in attending any of the following events.

January 10th. Wildlife Tracking at the Audubon Research Ranch. We will be tracking lion, bear, coati, and other mammals in these beautiful rolling grasslands. No experience necessary. Leaving Tucson at 6:30 AM and returning by mid-afternoon. 1.25 hours from Tucson. Contact Janice at Janice@skyislandalliance.org for more info.

January 16th - 18th. BLM Inventory in the Peloncillo Mountain Wilderness. Situated just north of Interstate 10, and west of the New Mexico border, this rugged and remote area should be an adventure! 2.5 hours from Tucson.

January 24th - 25th. Santa Rita Mountains Inventory (Note -We will be Meeting on Saturday). Join the Sky Island Alliance in Tucson's backyard. We will be cleaning up the fantastic work previously done and taking a look at the fast growing Southwest side. 1.0 hours from Tucson.

February 13th - 15th. BLM Inventory in the Mule Mountains. We're moving into the BLM lands! Help us kick off our BLM inventory here just outside of Bisbee in these little traveled mountains (except for critters!). 2.5 hours from Tucson.

March 5th - 7th. Road Closure and Restoration Project . Get your hands dirty and play a direct role in improving the ecological health of your public lands! Contact Matt at matt@skyislandalliance.org for more info.

March 13th - 14th. Tumacacori Highlands Proposed Wilderness Trip (Note -We will be Meeting on Saturday). Arizona's Next Wilderness! Join us as we explore the Tumacacori Mountains. 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.

March 19th - 21st. 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.

April 2nd - 4th. Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Inventory. Join the Sky Island Alliance in one of the most gorgeous areas of central Arizona. Birds galore! Flowing Water! Non-use grazing llotments! Need we say more? 2.5 hours from Tucson.

We will also be hosting two Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Training Programs in April and May. If you are interested in volunteering to assess riparian areas and look for riparian animals please contact Trevor Hare: trevor@skyislandalliance.org.

Grand Canyon Region Activities

Coming in the March newsletter!

But watch for alerts regarding the Colorado River Management Plan's Draft Environmental Impact Statement, coming out for public comment by the end of the year. We'll need your support for wilderness on the river.

Western Deserts Region Activities

Stay tuned...until Jay returns.