Wildlife
- Get to Know Your Border Wildlife Refuges
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife to begin review of tiny owl's status
Get to Know Your Border Wildlife Refuges
(Reprinted from the January-March, 2009, Rincon Group Newsletter)
By Roy Emrick, Vice Chair of the Rincon Group, President of Friends of Buenos Aires NWR
A jewel, the closest to Tucson, is Buenos Aires
National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR). It is
situated on the Mexican border southwest of
Tucson. It was created in 1985 to restore habitat for
the endangered Masked Bobwhite Quail. Lots of folks I
meet, as president of Friends of BANWR, say they’ve
heard of it but have never visited. My goal here is to
give you some very good reasons to go there. You can
hike, bird watch, and drive along the many roads, such
as Pronghorn Drive (yes, you might see some
pronghorn!), through the lush grass and woodlands. The
habitat restoration is benefitting many species! And on
the western horizon you are treated to splendid views
of Baboquivari Peak. (At the end are websites which
will give you all the details, history, maps, and all you
need to know for a great experience there.)
A couple of my favorite hikes can be reached
from Tucson in just over an hour. The closest is the
Arivaca Cienega, at the east edge of the town of Arivaca.
(Go down I19 and turn west at Amado, more details on
website.) If you’re a serious birdwatcher, you probably
already know about it. There is an easy, level trail that
wanders through the grassland around the cienega (cien
aguas or 100 waters, i.e. a wetland) which has many
local birds as well as hosting many migratory birds fall
and spring. Not only birds, but one afternoon I came
upon a bobcat in the middle of the trail. It posed long
enough for me to get a photo. An interpretive center at
the start gives a good orientation as do signs along the
way. The Audubon society also leads Saturday morning
hikes November through April. (See the BANWR web
page “Events”.) There are picnic ramadas at the parking
lot as well, so you can refresh yourself after a good
walk.
A little over a mile to the west of Arivaca is the
Arivaca Creek trail. There is a big parking lot and picnic
tables, too. The trail is well marked and you can wander
along the creek (which runs much of the year) under
beautiful old cottonwoods. Thus, even in the summer it
is not too unpleasant. Of course in the fall when the
cottonwoods are in color it is spectacular. If you go far
enough you come to the Mustang Trail which goes up
from the creek a mile or two to Mustang Saddle. Now
you are in more open country with splendid views back
over the creek and valley. The trail then switchbacks
up into the saddle. If you make it all the way you can
head off trail and get a splendid view out over the whole
Arivaca Valley.
Brown Canyon, at the base of Baboquivari Peak,
has some exquisite riparian habitat which makes for great
hiking. Check the website under "Events", as you need
reservations to explore this part of the Refuge. There
are two more fun ways to visit Brown Canyon. One is
to sign up for one of the National Sierra Club annual
work trips. See the Outings issue of the National
Magazine. You get to spend a week in the rustic
Education Center which is midway up Brown Canyon
and you get out on the Refuge to help with fence and
trash removal or other fun, worthwhile experiences. If
you can’t devote a whole week, Friends of BANWR has
scheduled some weekend events there next spring.
Check Friends of BANWR.org. for dates and topics.
The Refuge Headquarters is about 8 miles north
of Sasabe, AZ on State Route 286. There is a visitor
center in one of the old ranch buildings. A volunteer on
duty there can show you the diorama and other exhibits,
as well as a half-hour video of the Refuge features and
assist you with gift shop items.
BANWR site: http://southwest.fws.gov/refuges/arizona/buenosaires
The map on this site shows all of the features
mentioned here and many more, including location of
campsites.
Friends site: http://www.friendsofbanwr.org
U.S. Fish and Wildlife to begin review of tiny owl's status
May 31, 2008
Associated Press
TUCSON - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to conduct a yearlong status review of the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl in a move that could restore it to threatened or endangered species protection, the agency said Friday.
The action comes in response to a petition from Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
The groups contended that new information was not available or within the scope of analysis when Fish and Wildlife delisted the Arizona population of pygmy owls in 2006 after first listing them in 1997.
"Recently published genetic and taxonomic information, together with updated data on the threats to the pygmy owl and its habitat, are substantial," said Benjamin Tuggle, the wildlife service's southwest director.
"Our initial examination of the information in the petition has prompted us to initiate an assessment of the entire subspecies."
Noah Greenwald, conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the owl is near extinction in Arizona and is declining sharply in northern Mexico. "It desperately needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act to survive," he said.
He said the owl, which has dwindled from 41 birds in 1999 to fewer than 30 in recent years, never should have been removed from the endangered list.
The federal agency could determine to list the bird as endangered or threatened, find that listing is not warranted or that it is warranted but precluded by other candidate species at greater risk.
