Happy 2003 and welcome to the premier issue of Call of the Wild, the quarterly newsletter of the Arizona Wilderness Coalition! We hope you like this first edition and that it will help to keep you apprised of AWC's work, events, and volunteer opportunities as we move ahead with wilderness advocacy in Arizona.

As always, your feedback is appreciated. Please send editorial comments, story ideas, and other suggestions to AWC Communications Coordinator Kate Mackay at kmackay@azwild.org, or by phone at 602-254-0361. We look forward to your comments and hope that 2003 will be a promising and successful one for Arizona wilderness protection. Enjoy the new issue and thank you for your interest!

Call of the Wild - Quarterly News from the Arizona Wilderness Coalition
Issue 1, Winter 2003

OUT OF THE BLUE…
Don Hoffman photo
From his homestead on the Blue River, AWC Executive Director Don Hoffman shares his thoughts on why the added protection of wilderness designation in our parks and monuments is the right thing to do. Read more…


IN DEPTH

Redwall photoA Wilderness River by Kim Crumbo
With 30 years of river guiding with the National Park Service under his belt, AZ Wild’s Grand Canyon Regional Coordinator Kim Crumbo knows a thing or two about big rivers. The Colorado is perhaps our last chance to experience a wilderness river in North America. Read more…


Adopt a Wilderness, Save a Treasure by Jason Williams
Saguaro dancing photo
These days, you can adopt a highway, an elephant, a wolf, and now a portion of wilderness, thanks to a new program by the Arizona Wilderness Coalition that gives volunteers the chance to roam a potential wilderness tract and catalog its special features. The information is then used to advocate for the area’s congressional designation. Read more…


Roadless Lands Are Essential to Landscape Conservation by Matt Scroch
A recent ruling in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals gives conservationists reason to celebrate. The court upheld the Clinton Administration’s “Roadless Rule,” which protects millions of acres of national forest land from continued degradation and fragmentation resulting from road building. Read more…



WILDERNESS TO WATCH
Tumacacori and Atacosa Highlands
These rolling verdant hills are home to many rare, subtropical plant and animal species, but vacation home development, high density housing, and illegal roads threaten to fragment and degrade these spectacular highlands if they are not formally designated as wilderness. Read more…


BOOK OF THE SEASON

Take yourself away to your favorite wilderness, through the wonders of Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World, by Bernie Krause

Wild Soundscapes is the first comprehensive guide to listening to-and recording-nature. Learn how to tune in to nature's biophonies, or creature symphonies, how to use simple microphones to hear more, how to record, mix, and play with sounds you gather. Keep it simple or launch yourself into a new creative field. Whether you're an amateur naturalist, novice field recordist, musician, want to create your own natural sound library, or just want to gain further appreciation for the natural world, this is the book for you.

Wild Soundscapes comes with a full-length CD, narrated by Krause, that samples a variety of natural sounds: the crashing sea, the singing of ants, the bugling of Yellowstone elk, the plop of falling Costa Rican crabs, and more. With the help of this CD, Krause demonstrates techniques and tricks for field recording success.

Learn more about Bernie Krause and his extensive forays into the world of bioacoustics at his web site www.wildsanctuary.com.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Current Issue Index

AZ Wild Web Site

SHORT TAKES

Lizard photo courtesy of Wendy Hodges, UC-Riverside
Photo courtesy of Wendy Hodges, Center for Conservation Biology, University of California-Riverside

PLAN AHEAD!
binoculars graphic Make your late winter and early spring outdoor plans here! Visit our comprehensive list of day outings, inventory trips, meetings, and upcoming AWC events for the latest in wilderness “happenings” around the state. Read more…

DID YOU KNOW…?
Landscape photo
Official wilderness designation from Congress is the only way to provide permanent protection from development and degradation for the biologically diverse and spectacular lands in Arizona.

Arizona spreads across more than 72 million acres of magnificent desert, mountains, and canyons. Yet only about 6% of the state has been officially protected as wilderness.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE…

Check out this comprehensive link, courtesy of the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to one of the most wildlife-rich areas in Arizona. If you decide to visit a wildlife refuge, walk softly and bring binoculars!!

Bill Williams Refuge photo
The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge is an important part of the lower Colorado River ecosystem. More than 275 bird species and the largest remaining cottonwood and willow stands in the river’s ecosystem are found here.
Photo: Jay Krienitz