Restoration: Is it gone forever, or can we get it back?

A road in the Dragoon Mts. listed as closed in the Forest Service inventory, ...and the same road—now a trail—after SIA decommissioned it, 2004 1999...

Sky Island Alliance volunteers hard at work, closing roads and restoring the land Ft. Bowie’s grassland restoration Holding your ground and getting your water back Remember the Sierra de Álamo Holy Galloping Gullies, Batman! SIA bids farewell to two friends Bob VanDeven exposed: centerfold Buffelgrass outlawed, almost Reconnecting habitat divided by higthways Harvesting rainwater for restoration Packrats preserving the past Alliance outings & other events Spring-Summer 2005 1 Sky Island Alliance Many Thanks to Our Contributors! Campaign for America’s Wilderness communication guru Rachel Bocchino, Sky Island who has the enviable job of letting New Board Members people know how terrific they (and their Alliance neighbors) are; Watershed restoration SIA welcomes two stellar advisors to our board of directors. Angel entrepreneur Jarred Buono; Frog fan, Protecting Montoya (Las Cruces, NM) obtained both his B.S. and M.S. de- volunteer, and writing teacher Jefferson Our Mountain Islands grees from New Mexico State University in Wildlife Science. He Carter; Corredor Colibri’s lively restora- tion master Jennie Duberstein; Tucson & Desert Seas has worked as a refuge biologist with two National Wildlife Ref- uges. Angel is currently working for The Peregrine Fund on aplomado Audubon Society’s Ann Phillips, Manager falcon restoration and monitoring efforts in the Southwestern US of Restoration Projects; Randy Seraglio, 520/624-7080 • fax 520/791-7709 and Northern Mexico. Since 1996 he has conducted research on a the volunteer who always looks guilty [email protected] population of falcons in Chihuahua, Mexico. He has a strong inter- no matter how innocent he really is; epi- www.skyislandalliance.org est in bird and plant communities occurring in desert grasslands. curean Tumacacori friends Nick and P.O. B ox 41165 Chris Roll (Apache Junction, AZ) currently works as an attorney Birdie Stabel; Silver City, New Mexico’s Tucson, AZ 85717 in the civil division of the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, located in gully-fix-it master Van Clothier; long- Sky Island Alliance is a non- Florence, AZ. Chris previously served as the Cochise County Attor- time volunteer and stargazer Tim VanDevender, who grew up with a pack profit membership organization ney from 1999 through 2004. Prior to law school at the University of rat in his locker; native plant booster dedicated to restoring and Arizona, Chris obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in botany and plant pathology at that same university. An Arizona native, he was and long time SIA board member protecting the unique diversity raised on a ranch in Southeastern Arizona. Botany and evolutionary Nancy Zierenberg; and, of course, the of the Sky Islands of Southeast- biology continue to be his avocation. He enjoys hiking and the out- SIA staff. Special thanks go to Bob ern Arizona, Southwestern New doors, and hopes to use his knowledge and experience to assist the VanDeven and Vince Walkosak, who Mexico, and Northern Mexico. Sky Island Alliance in pursuing its goals and staying out of trouble. contributed more to our lives than they could have imagined. STAFF Matt Skroch Executive Director [email protected] David Hodges Table of Contents Policy Director [email protected] Rambling Rants from the Director’s Desk...... 3 Acasia Berry Restoration and restitution...... 4 Associate Director [email protected] Ft. Bowie restoration...... 5 Trevor Hare Restoration at El Coronado Ranch and beyond...... 6 Conservation Biologist [email protected] Reining in galloping gullies...... 7 Cory Jones Planning Coordinator Protecting Sierra de Alamos...... 8 [email protected] In Memoriam...... 9 Janice Przybyl Wildlife Monitoring Program CENTERFOLD SPECIAL: Bob VanDeven exposed...... 10 [email protected] Mike Quigley Buffelgrass listed as noxious weed...... 12 Wilderness Campaign Coordinator Packrats oreserving the past...... 13 [email protected] Sergio Avila Restoration in Mexico and endangered plants...... 13 Friends of the Tumacacori Highlands Wild News...... 14 outreach [email protected] Road Rattlings...... 15 Gita Bodner Watershed Management Group and Tucson Audubon’s restoration wor...... 16 Conservation planning and outreach [email protected] The Guilty Volunteer...... 17 Sky Jacobs Office Assistant Tumacacori update, restaurant review, and wilderness hero...... 18 Newsletter Alliance Notes, field schedule...... 19 Gita Bodner, general editor Dug Schoellkopf, production editor

Board of Directors Seeking SIA newsletter submissions: Paul Hirt, President Send us your poetry, your words of wisdom, your art! Steve Marlatt, Vice President We want to keep this newsletter filled with inspirational, informative material, and we’d like your help! Do Nancy Zierenberg, Secretary Dale Turner, Treasurer you write poetry? Draw, sketch, paint, or photograph? Like to address regional conservation issues? Review Lainie Levick books or websites? Anything that relates to the Sky Islands region is fair game! You can respond to items in our Rurik List recent newsletter, comment on your experiences as a volunteer or conference-goer, etc. Also, let us know if Carlos Lopez Gonzalez you’d like to be a regular contributor, e.g. with a column each issue. The deadline for our next newsletter is Rod Mondt August 1, 2005. Material submitted after that date may be saved for subsequent issues. Please email submis- Angel Montoya Chris Roll sions to [email protected], or mail them to Sky Island Alliance attn: Gita, P.O. Box 41165, Todd Schulke Tucson, AZ 85717. Resolution of digital images should be at least 300 dpi if possible. Give your favorite small- town restaurant a boost by writing a review and letting us promote it!

2 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 ch- ch- ch- changes: Staff plays musical chairs lease welcome Cory Jones as our new Public next 20 years. Cory will be our point person work- area. He’ll also be scouting new jaguar research op- PLand Planning Coordinator. Your generous ing with other organizations, agencies, and individuals portunities across the imaginary line dividing our response to our Special Giving Campaign helped to make sure these plans consider the biological and Sky Islands into two nations. Keep an ear out for his fund this position, and volunteers’ fieldwork will historical uniqueness of our region and are based on patented roar-in-a-bucket jaguar call. help us show what the land actually needs. Thank the best available science. Just below Map Guru and Jaguar Whisperer in you! Previously, as a part-time work-study grunt, Sergio Avilavila, a native of Zacatecas, Mexico, has a the staff hierarchy come various “directors.” Former Cory made SIA’s stellar maps between classes at bachelor’s degree in biology from Universidad de Program Director Matt Skroch is now on the hot the University of Arizona. When he graduated, we Aguascalientes and masters in arid lands management seat as Executive Director. Outgoing ED David snapped up this talented fellow and expanded his from Universidad de Baja California. Sergio comes Hodges is pleased to return to more program work responsibilities with this new job (plus, it would be to SIA fresh from tracking jaguars in the Sierra as Policy Director. Expect to see David in the field dangerous to have such mapping knowledge fall Madre with the Northern Jaguar Project. This bi- more, and send Matt your condolences for being into the wrong hands). The Coronado National lingual punster has taken time from his tent-in-the- stuck in the office or out hobnobbing with other Forest and BLM are both revising the management field lifestyle to help promote Wilderness with the bigwigs! Read about this change in their own plans that will guide the use of public lands for the Friends of the Tumacacori Highlands in the Nogales words below.

Moving over Moving forward by David Hodges, Policy Director by Matt Skroch, Executive Director riends: I am stepping down as Executive Director, but o begin, I want to convey my deepest appreciation and will continue my work in a newly created position within respect for David Hodges, who as our Executive Direc Fthe organization, Policy Director. I will focus my attention Ttor for the last three years steadily guided Sky Island on public lands management planning, several legislative initiatives, Alliance to the forefront of regional conservation organizations and some larger conservation issues with national impact. throughout the country. David’s vision and strategic mind is unsurpassed, and combined with his deep commitment to con- My tenure as ED was unexpected, fought a powerline in the Tumacacoris, but life is funny that way. One day, I fought a mine in the Dragoons, and servation and the Sky Islands, we are delighted that he remains was just doing my job, minding my worked to create effective fire policy and with Sky Island Alliance as our Policy Director. business, and BOOM, out of the blue, forest restoration. I mention all this be- Seven years ago David and I worked ian areas and floodplains, continue to I was ED. Boy, did my life get inter- cause it gets to the crux of why we not and volunteered together for a young identify and protect wildlife corridors, esting! Within the first months we lost only survived trying times but thrived organization that was based out of liv- continue to close and rehabilitate illegal funding from three foundations: One when many struggled–our hard-work- ing rooms and makeshift offices. Then, roads, continue to work with our elected began to only fund projects in South ing volunteers, our dedicated partners, as today, there was a strong vision and officials to pass conservation initiatives, America, one moved from funding the and our talented and innovative staff. energy focused around emerging con- and continue to build a greater appre- Southwest, and another ran out of No organization is about one person, cepts of applied conservation biology ciation and respect for the incredible money as the economy tanked and the and no ED is successful unless sur- and landscape-level planning we found region we call home: the Sky Islands. stock market crashed. I could only rounded by quality people. We owe our refreshing, proactive, and wholly ap- Our approach to conservation is rela- wonder, “What have I gotten myself success to them. Thanks again to all propriate for our Sky Island region. tively simple–we do what it takes. We into?” Despite these challenges, we the wonderful folks who have made Together with many others, we also don’t make assumptions about anyone. prospered and grew during a time my life here much easier: our amazing recognized the power of our fellow citi- That philosophy will continue to flour- when many non-profits were cutting volunteers, who keep us on our toes; zenry. Combining these two main ele- ish at Sky Island Alliance as we move budgets and staff. During this shaky our wonderful staff, who I respect tre- ments–science and citizens–we found forward in our conservation work. We economic period we have more than mendously; and the many partners I’ve a conservation strategy that continues hope that in addition to our on-the- doubled our staff and funding while worked with over the years, including to power Sky Island Alliance to new ground success, we can increase our ef- increasing membership fivefold. SIA other conservation groups, private land- levels of success every year. This foun- fectiveness at educating and involving has thrived in tough times because we owners, and employees of wildlife and dation will continue to grow at SIA. you in the conservation issues we all face. produced results. This is a testament land management agencies. Our future holds many challenges Sky Island Alliance will ask for your to a special group of people: our staff, Thanks, too, for making my experi- for those dedicated to keeping our help in this regard. Your contributions, our volunteers, and our collaborators. ence here a lot richer. landscape whole, protecting our qual- in the many forms they come, will con- During my time with SIA, our vol- Matt Skroch will move from Pro- ity of life, and ensuring our native tinue to increase in importance as we unteers have contributed more than gram Director into the hot seat. Many biota’s continued sustenance. As one begin to build the long-term stability of 50,000 hours to our programs and of you know and have worked with of the fastest growing regions in the SIA. As our conservation strategy projects. They have helped us map Matt; he has been on the staff of Sky country, we’ve added more than 70,000 surely does, our organization must also roads and roadless areas on BLM and Island Alliance since June of 2000. new residents just in the last five years. respect the importance of long-term National Forest lands. Better yet, we Prior to that, he worked with SIA as We can’t blame ‘em–we live in a won- commitments. all went back and closed many of the both an intern and a volunteer. He derful place–but with more and more As our newest Executive Director, roads that encroached on these sensi- has helped build and overseen some people, homes, roads, and other re- I’m humbled and honored with the op- tive areas. More than 100 volunteers of our most successful programs. We source needs comes an added respon- portunity to serve our cause in new have completed our five-day training have great confidence that our work sibility to care for the land and ensure ways. Sky Island Alliance has already workshop on wildlife tracking and will continue smoothly and that we its health. Otherwise we shall spoil blessed me with many fond memories have adopted monitoring transects. will continue to grow and expand our what we love. and experiences. I look forward to many Working with partners, we’ve put on positive influence on the landscapes We will succeed. Together with you, more in my new capacity here and hope two major conferences, halted tele- of the Sky Islands. We are in good our members, volunteers, and support- that we’ll have the chance to meet scope construction in the Santa Ritas, hands. ers, we shall continue to restore ripar- around the campfire soon! Spring-Summer 2005 3 Sky Island Alliance Restoration and restitution By Trevor Hare and Matt Skroch Restoration Function: noun 1: an act of restoring or the condition of being restored: as a: a bringing back to a former position or condition. region’s once lush grasslands. to do what we do best: on-the-ground Restitution •Large carnivores were more preva- conservation action. Function: noun The Landscape Restoration Pro- 1: an act of restoring or a condition of being restored: as a: a restoration of lent and diverse. No longer do we host something to its rightful owner b: a making good of or giving an equivalent for the Mexican grizzly bear or Mexican gram has worked for several years on some injury. gray wolf. While the wolf holds prom- decommissioning and rehabilitating ise for recolonization, our own South- illegal or redundant roads on public e owe her; we owe her big time. Two hundred years of western grizz may be gone forever. lands throughout the region. From unnatural natural resource management has left us •Rivers and streams held more water the Coronado National Forest to Las Wwith degraded rangelands, spider-webs of wildland roads, and supported diverse cienegas, old- Cienegas National Conservation Area erosion, dry rivers, impounded streams, de-watered springs, inva- growth mesquite bosques, and huge to the Big Burros of the Gila National sive species, and loss of large predators and aquatic organisms. The cottonwood-willow gallery forests. Forest, our volunteers and expertise have, to use a terrible pun, paved the judge (our conscience) says pay restitution for taking without giv- With functioning floodplains, most rivers and streams were not “downcut” way for the removal of roads and ing back; Mother Nature is patiently waiting for it. So are we ready or eroded into the to make good on our debts? Yes, Sky Island Alliance is, and we are narrow, deep Some former grasslands will never going out there and paying with blood, sweat, and tears (ok, mostly channels we see sweat). today. regain their topsoil to again •Connections be- •Fire was frequent, widespread, Restoration is defined as “bringing tween Sky Islands resemble their historic conditions. and often of low intensity across back to a former position or condi- were fragmented many vegetation zones in the Sky tion.” This automatically invokes the only by their own With a little help, however, many Island Region. Exceptions may be in question of restoration ecologists topography. All high-elevation mixed conifer or “What is natural?” or “What is the wide-ranging riparian areas may recover within spruce-fir forests where fire continues former condition?” Paleoscientists species moved to be infrequent but high in intensity, spend lifetimes dedicated to recon- relatively freely a matter ot a few years. and Sonoran Desert that naturally structing fire regimes, picking from place to place does not burn. through packrat middens (see article, based on environmental fluctuations, “defragmentation” of our Sky Island •Sky Island valleys had much page 18), and carbon dating artifacts fire, dispersal, or other factors. Spe- landscape. As a foundation of this higher components of grassland over from hundreds or thousands of years cies that did not naturally cross long program, our road-removal work is the past several thousand years. The ago to identify vegetation types, climate, distances remained isolated in resident only a part of the activities it engages San Simon Valley is recognized and other factors that once prevailed populations, each evolving with local in. worldwide as an archetype in deser- across the Sky Island landscape. Some conditions. We’re ramping up a volunteer ripar- tification, speaking volumes to the general observations can be confi- Some former grasslands will never ian monitoring and restoration project changes that Europeans, and perhaps dently made regarding the last 200 regain their topsoil to again resemble that aims to identify potentially viable changing climate, have brought to the years: their historic conditions. With a little sites for native frog reintroduction help, however, many riparian areas can throughout the region. Before moving recover within a matter of a few years. forward with direct restoration And in other cases, years of intensive though, we’re monitoring non-native restoration may be needed to bring bullfrog populations in surrounding back a particular area to a function- areas to understand these nasty ing status. critter’s dispersal capabilities. Too often, In general, we agree that shrub- conservation action occurs with little encroached grasslands need to burn; monitoring or follow-up, thus failing bullfrogs and non-native fish and due to factors, such as bullfrogs, that plants must be eliminated; streams could’ve been considered and ac- must be healed; springs must be pro- counted for up front.

cartoon courtesy www.politicalcartoons.com tected; erosion must be halted and With foresight and planning, repaired; and extirpated critters must projects such as these have great be repatriated. To state the obvious, promise. They involve collaborative we’ve got a lot of work to do! And planning in the beginning, volunteer before we even start our work, what action and involvement throughout, is it we’re trying to do, and when do and monitoring to gage our success we know we’ve succeeded? These on the back end. We look to our Land- aren’t easy questions to answer. scape Restoration Program to succeed Sky Island Alliance’s Landscape and grow in other areas as well. And Restoration Program is designed to remember, there are always great ways tackle these hard questions with our to get involved! Pop us an email at coalitions of volunteers, scientists, Trevor@sky islandalliance.org to find land managers, historians, natives, and out more! cowboys. Once a well-coordinated plan is put into place, our job is then

4 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 Historical accuracy at Ft. Bowie: grassland restoration by any other name by Gita Bodner, Restoring Connections general editor

Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Arizona. Photographs taken from the same point, looking south (left) at an area left untreated, and looking north (right) at an area treated to remove mesquite. The ruins visible at right are from the first set of fort buildings constructed in 1862. he year is 1861. On a limestone ridge, crouched behind of this site. One of his first projects when ruins. It’s a never-ending process. “You a low-growing sandpaper oak, a man scans the grassy val- he arrived in 1991 was to remove mes- have to keep on top of it,” says Ludwig, ley below. Four days before, army agents had taken three of quite from the fort’s parade grounds. He “or you turn around and find out that T and the bare-bones staff spent many a all your work has been for nothing, it’s his family hostage for the return of a boy kidnapped, as it turned out, day out with chainsaws; after stumps re- all grown back.” Sometimes he and his by someone else. The man himself escaped capture only by slicing sprouted, they returned with herbicide handful of staff feel overwhelmed by the through the army tent with a knife. Since then, his own people had to deal each one a final blow. Next they size of their task. “You have to start caught three workers on a freight wagon and offered them in trade. tackled the site of the fort’s first build- small,” he says, “so you can see the re- It had been easy to find such vulnerable travelers; Apache Pass held ings. Then came the “triangle valley” and sults of your efforts, first in one patch, the area around the Post Cemetery, the only reliable water for miles around. Both sides waited, each then in another.” where at one time some 100 people laid Just as the grasslands of the 1860s watching the other’s every move. Several days passed in a standoff; in rest, including such historic figures owed their existence to millennia of wild- signs of Indian presence gradually vanished. Lulled by clear views as medal of honor recipient Orizoba O. fires, managers today feel they need a across this open valley, soldiers gathered and warily prepared to Spence; Geronimo’s son, Little Robe; return of fire to maintain these results. approach the canyon spring—an excellent place for ambush, shaded and many simply marked “Unknown. The Park Service and the adjacent BLM by the only dense trees around. Ensuing violence would throw all of Killed by Indians.” managers have completed a prescribed Today, many of the areas treated are fire plan. Now they wait for the politi- southern Arizona and New Mexico into a bloody cycle of mutual lush with grass (others still mostly weedy cal will and the resources—staff time, retaliation for years to come. annuals). In the triangle valley, Ludwig trained fire crews, money, and weather— Now imagine it’s 130 years later, and by frequent lightning fires. Now fires and Park Service staff piled cut brush to make the plan a reality. you’re standing on the same limestone come seldom, if ever, and hungry graz- into eroded gullies. These gullies have This work is typical of other grass- ridge. The sandpaper oak is still there ers crop down competing grasses. now accumulated up to two feet of newly land restoration efforts in some ways, (or maybe one of it’s offspring). But Changes in climate—more cool-season deposited soil, and the work has clearly but bears some striking differences. Per- when you look across the valley, all you rain seeping below where winter-dor- improved the valley’s ability to hold its haps the biggest difference lies in the see is brush. How could the Apaches mant grasses can reach it—pushed this water as well as its topsoil. Staff again most fundamental questions that resto- have so keenly ambushed individual sol- change, too. So did sloughing off of see deer in the valley. Perhaps best of ration planners must ask: What is “natu- diers and travelers? Through such topsoil that grasses depend on but all, from Ludwig’s perspective, visitors ral” for this area? If we’re restoring it to tangled vegetation, how could they have shrubs hardly need. The result: grass- can again see across from the cemetery some previous state, what time period tracked the precise movements of each lands have become ever more scarce, to the Butterfield stage line, and up to do we choose for our baseline? How do man, and how could the soldiers have taking with them many grassland-de- the hills beyond, can imagine themselves we know what it really looked like? At taken the routes that history recorded? pendent animal species. And our own back in 1861 amidst the clash of Mani- the fort these answers are easy: We want “These historians,” you think, “must just sense of connection with the past be- fest Destiny ideology versus the passions it to look like it did in the 1860s to 1880s, be making things up.” comes distorted. We read about hay- of a people who would stop at nothing and we have photographs to guide us. Across the West, shrubby mes- cutting camps outside of Tombstone; to defend their homeland. Conveniently, the 1860s were good quite, creosote, and junipers have today’s miles of creosote flats imply This transformation has not been easy. times for wildlife in the Southwest. spent the last century growing up that historians must have made a mis- Nearly everything has come out of the Grizzly bears still roamed these hills. through grasslands like these. South- take here, too. site’s limited general operating budget. Massive overgrazing and erosion were eastern Arizona’s Fort Bowie, site for Enter Larry Ludwig, site manager at The park staff has done much of the still a decade or two away. Surely today’s the scene above, is no exception. To Fort Bowie. Ludwig’s post as head of a work themselves, along with a smatter- meadowlarks and scaled quail don’t care be sure, shrubs have tried this tack national historic site charges him with ing of sweaty volunteers. Some mesquite why we’ve brought their grasslands for millennia, but were long held protecting natural and cultural resources, stumps sprout back a year or more after back. But they would have been here in back by competition with thirsty and with helping visitors experience the they were thought to be dead, and new 1861, and their songs add another level grasses, and flamed out of meadows historical events that justify protection mesquites germinate in the midst of fort to the Fort’s historical accuracy. Spring-Summer 2005 5 Sky Island Alliance Holding ground: slope and stream restoration at the El Coronado and beyond by Gita Bodner, Restoring Connections general editor

first met Jho and Valer Austin by proxy, in the form of the methods often work best. Where cattle can heal itself. We don’t have to decide grassy, overhanging banks of West Turkey Creek. I’d driven are causing erosion and soil compaction exactly what it should look like because through miles of shrubby flats and bare arroyos to get here. The problems, taking them off does more we’re just a small cog in the final result I good—for less money—than any other anyway.” Overall, the Austins feel map showed a creek up this canyon. But maps don’t measure health technique. In fact, Jho and Valer rou- they’ve gotten better at working with when they name features, so I hadn’t known what I’d really find— tinely pull cattle off new project areas Nature instead of fighting it, encour- a blind date. After nodding hesitant hellos to miles of degraded soils, for a few years, and them monitor care- aging natural recovery and waiting there it was—a burbling, clear, fish-filled vein of utopia! fully when they return. If the cattle patiently for results. What turn of fortune had blessed this grass; on degraded lands, we may have impede recovery, they come off again. What else has changed? Somewhat creek and left so many others eroded to hold soil manually to give grass a Next in low-cost effectiveness come ironically, after decades of this work the and dry? Look around. The creek bed chance to start growing back and do- loose rock structures, from a few rocks Austins are increasingly inclined to winds its narrow way through roots of ing the rest of the work for us. Our to a few hundred in each wedge or arc- spend their resources protecting lands pines and alders, pours over rocks, and soils and other near-surface ground lay- shaped gully stack. Water runoff and up front instead of starting new slides under overhanging clumps of ers can hold a lot of water, which they soil erosion start at the top of a water- elaborate restoration projects. Nursing deergrass. Endangered Yaqui chub then release slowly to vegetation and to shed. If you can hold the soil and slow degraded places back to health is sat- swish their tails in the shadowed pools. surface features like cienegas and the water there, the creek at the bottom isfying, but what if lands around are Grass covers the upland slopes; a closer streams. But if water flows too fast (or should be able to handle most any destroyed while you’re at it? The look reveals that many of these tufts too deep in downcut channels), it storm. The West Turkey Creek water- region’s landscape-level connections are sprout from soil patches held by small doesn’t get a chance to soak in, and most shed has over 20,000 upland rock piles, real to them; they’ve seen firsthand piles of rocks. ends up in the Gulf of California, along most now holding small patches of soil animals moving from the Sierra Madre filled with native bunchgrass. These up through the Sierra San Luis, were tested after the 1999 Rattlesnake Peloncillos and Chiricahuas. But threats Fire charred forests above the El are real, too, so they founded Fundación Coronado. Post-fire soil erosion often Cuenca Los Ojos to expand efforts to causes more damage than a fire itself, keep these connections open. washing away hillsides and silting up Jho and Valer still refuse to give up streams. Slopes with these rock check on degraded lands but are more strategic dams held far more soil, lost less grass, about which they’ll put their energy into. sent less silt downstream, and recovered One new purchase is land that “nobody dramatically faster than nearby slopes in their right mind would want,” but without such work. they’ll test the limits of restoration be-

photo by Dan Roe Other unplanned fires surprised the cause it was once such a valuable sec- Austins with their own benefits. Two tion of the San Bernardino Valley’s wildfires burned mid-elevation swaths major waterways and connects other of their lands in Mexico. “It looked lands they’ve had great success with. terrible at first,” says Jho, “but the fires The Austins have hosted countless killed fields of shin daggers and shrub restoration workshops and tours, junipers. Now the grass is waist high.” sharing their work with thousands of The Austins’ loose rock structures gently slow a stream, keeping water from scouring off vegeta- Larger earthen berms and rock-and- visitors from around the world. While tion and soil. This stream flows near ground level. High water will spread across the floodplain and wire gabions show mixed results. These they’re especially committed to work- soak into surface alluvium, which will feed water back into the stream once flooding subsides. structures have been placed in larger ing with the local ranchers with whom The tender hands that set these rocks with the extra sediment that fast water channels where erosive forces are much they share stewardship of the same wa- in place belong to Josiah and Valer carries off. If we help slow it enough stronger, and stakes are higher. Some tersheds, they can’t help feeling proud Austin. The pair bought the El that it can drop its rich sediment load have washed out, and some have diverted of how far afield their land’s recovery Coronado Ranch some 20 years ago. (i.e., soil) and soak in, our vegetation channels in unintended directions. has spread. Says Jho, “It’s nice to talk The El Coronado had suffered the same has more soil and water to grow on, and Others have held nicely and have cre- to someone in Somalia who’s putting in degrading forces as most Sky Island streams run longer. ated spectacular improvements, raising loose rock structures because of what slopes and streams—overgrazing, fire To design their restoration methods, wash bottoms by several feet in a few she heard about at the El Coronado.” suppression, timber cutting, road the Austins have studied effects of hun- years and/or recreating historic peren- building, water diversion, introduction dreds of other projects and tried many nial marshes as if by miracle. of non-native species, the works. But techniques that have worked in similar Despite all the scientific planning that the Austins saw its remaining beauty terrains elsewhere. They sought advice has gone into their work, the Austins’ and its potential, as well as its scars. So from experts, especially for their work own image of their goal comes across for two decades now, they’ve been put- repairing habitat and reintroducing na- less like following strict scientific ting their shoulders to the wheel to put tive fishes. While others with National methods and more like raising children. Photo by Gita Bodner this—and subsequent land purchases— Forest grazing leases were quibbling I ask how they decide what an area on the road to recovery. over consulting with the U.S. Fish and “should” look like, or what state they The main principle behind their work Wildlife Service over impacts to endan- are trying to restore it to. Valer responds, is simple: Our lands are lean on both gered species, they went straight to the “I think we try to give an area as much soil and water, so the more of each you late great Dr. Wendell Minckley, who potential as possible. If it has potential can keep in the watershed, the more knew more and did more for southwest- for water, we try to help it hold that productive the land will be. Vegeta- ern fishes than anyone before or since. water, because that supports so much tion—especially grass—holds soil and The Austins learned a lot by trial and wildlife.” “Yes,” adds Jho, “we try to Small rock stacks gather soil and grow native slows water. But you need soil to grow error as well. The conclusion: simple head it in a direction where the land bunchgrasses, which gather more soil. 6 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 Reining in those galloping gullies by harnessing the power of water by Van Clothier, Stream Dynamics Watershed Restoration, Silver City, New Mexico ullies, ditches, arroyos—whatever you choose to call them—are places where the natural geologic process of Gerosion has become concentrated. These watercourses are now cutting deeply into historic meadows, gobbling up acres of good pasture and farmland, drying up the landscape, and causing a vegeta- tion-type conversion from grassland to shrubs. Shrubs, with their deeper roots, proliferate in this degraded landscape, their increasing numbers and thirst for water taxing the system further. The grass cover is dimin- photo by Van Clothier ishing over the years. The next gully washer causes down-cutting when the flood rushes straight down deep channels. Where there is a little extra drop-off, gravity accelerates water as it plunges. When it hits the bottom of the plunge it generates turbulence, scouring material from the bed. This is called a headcut. The headcut moves up valley during runoff events, extending the gully as it goes. Although the Desert Southwest has water table for a half mile or more. Bill Stream recovery aided by “induced meander” method, Mimbres, NM always been prone to flash floods, the reasoned a meandering creek would be ral stream channel—has appealed to pri- the direction of the anticipated flood. It present degraded condition of our wa- able to drop some of its sediment load vate landowners, government agents, must also be built well so that it will still tercourses is a serious ecological prob- in the slower places on the inside of the tree huggers, and cow huggers alike. be there when you go looking for it. lem with anthropogenic causes. Past bends. Streamside vegetation would have I attended my first of many Bill By the time the monsoons finally and present overgrazing, and poorly a better chance to reestablish there, and Zeedyk workshops five years ago. Hav- started later in the summer, I had built designed roads and trails are at the the healing could begin. He started mov- ing done restoration work myself since quite a few of these low rock dams top of the list. Livestock removing all ing rocks around to reshape the creek 1994 as a cooperator in the U.S. Fish and baffles. The canyon flooded sev- the vegetation from fragile soil types bottom and direct water flow. A large and Wildlife Partners for Wildlife pro- eral times, and I had an opportunity and then making rutted trails has flood soon tested his design, moving gram, I was fascinated by Bill’s insight to witness the dynamic process of started many a gully. By speeding run- some of his rocks. But he collected the into how creeks behave. I became one stream flow and sediment transport off down valley, groundwater recharge rocks and tried again. And again. Each of his students and eventually started first hand. Fortunately most of my galleries are denied sufficient time to time he saw how water reacted to (and my own watershed restoration consult- work survived the test, although a few fill. This is one reason we have drop- changed) his structures, and tried new ing business, Stream Dynamics. structures blew out and had to be re- ping groundwater levels—insufficient ways to use the power of water instead One of my first “Zeedyk-method” placed. Building hundreds of these replacement. The arroyo lowers the of fighting against it. restoration jobs was doing the rock low rock structures, along miles of a whole stream system, leaving porous Within three to five years this creek work for a client of Bill’s on Ancheta creek and all the little erosional rills, valley alluvium isolated above all but stabilized with a natural-looking pat- Creek, a tributary of the Mimbres has a cumulative effect. Water, when the most violent floodwaters. And tern of meander bends that have made River. This steep mountain stream in it comes, now slows down and has a speaking of violent floods, imagine the new channel about 25 percent the bottom of a narrow V-bottom can- chance to soak into the cracks in the two drainage networks: one gullied, longer and two to three times wider yon had been overgrazed for about 100 bedrock, recharging the dessicated one not. Which system is more prone than the straight channel he started years, and had lost over 99 percent of aquifer. The ecology of Ancheta to flash flooding? with. Sediment continues to deposit its riparian vegetation in the process. Creek got a jumpstart as grass and These galloping gullies are difficult on point bars, the low lying areas next A recent large flood scoured the creek weed seeds, deposited in muddy sedi- to fix. Many innovative solutions to the stream channel on the inside bottom to bedrock. The Fords and ment, started to sprout in the cracks have been tried. I’ve seen tires and of a bend where the water naturally Chevies were unable to stop its gal- in the rocks. This emergent vegeta- other debris, as well as old refrigera- slows down. Riparian vegetation has loping erosion. tion helped thicken the layer of sedi- tors, Fords, and Chevies pressed into colonized these areas rapidly. The Bill’s client had recently bought the ment deposition in lots of places. By use for erosion control. Eventually creek now looks beautiful, the chan- ranch, excluded livestock from all the the middle of monsoon season, there the water finds its way around the nel bed has aggraded (built back up) streams, and hired him to fix the creek. was a steady trickle of water in the repair, and the gully is galloping up about three feet, and the stable me- The problem was that the channel bot- creek for up to a week after each the valley again. ander pattern now directs the flow tom was pure bedrock in places, and storm. Not perennial yet, but certainly Fortunately keen minds have been away from the bank that the Indian there was nothing to slow the water better than it was. working overtime on new methods to ruin is sitting on! down. No place for it to soak into the Since then I have worked with heal some of these landforms. One of the By observing results after each flood ground. Nowhere for anything to take dozens of Sky Island and Gila-area most intriguing is called Induced Mean- and comparing these to similar but root and grow. In lots of other places streams and arroyos, each with its dering in Incised Channels. It was de- more stable creeks, Bill refined his de- the channel alluvium was scored from own unique needs and teachings. But veloped by Bill Zeedyk in the mid 1990s. sign to a basic formula now being used floods and the vegetation was meager. I still go back to Ancheta Creek to Some well-intentioned person at Hubbell in stream restoration projects all over Several places had remnants of grass read new lessons in its shifting sedi- Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona, had New Mexico and Eastern Arizona. A that were making their last stand ments and to feel the reward of hav- straightened the creek for 1,000 feet with wildlife biologist and former high-level against the drying effect of headcuts. Bill ing made a difference. I find great a backhoe in an effort to protect an im- Forest Service policy maker, Bill also marked 100 places where I should build joy walking the creek during or af- portant Indian ruin. This straightening conducts many hands-on stream res- one-rock dams—so named because they ter a flash flood to witness the power speeded up stream flow, which sliced toration workshops and lectures at wa- are only one rock tall, although they take of moving water, healing myself as I through and carried off huge amounts tershed conferences. His approach—har- many rocks to build. A one-rock dam assist in the healing of the natural of gravel and soil sediment. The creek nessing the power of floodwaters to do goes all the way across the channel bot- system. I look forward to visiting this cut down five to 10 feet and lowered the the work of forming a healthy and natu- tom, and should be many rows long in place, getting a little better each year. Spring-Summer 2005 7 Sky Island Alliance Protecting and restoring Mexico’s Sierra de Álamos and Río Cuchujaqui by Tim Van Devender he Río Cuchujaqui flows southwest from the foothills of

the Sierra Madre Occidental passing just southeast of the photo by Tim Van Devender Thistoric town of Álamos, Sonora, and its adjacent Sky Is- land, the Sierra de Álamos. This area 100 kilometers southeast of Ciudad Obregón was recognized by the federal government of Mexíco as an Area of Natural Protection for Flora and Fauna in 1996. The natural ecology along the Río Cuchujaqui is an excellent northern example of tropical deciduous forest, which is the evolu- tionary home to half the species in the Sonoran Desert. Efforts to study and conserve this unique habitat have been ongoing for nearly The Sierra de Álamos watches over the historic town of Álamos, Sonora. 50 years by biologists from the U.S. and Mexíco, conservation secondary tropical deciduous forest. The activists, and most recently local communities. through much of the spring. The city of Álamos was founded in intense rainy season of the region allows The 1996 designation as an Area of The long-term goal is to 1681 after one of the largest silver de- native herbaceous plants to quickly pen- Natural Protection is an important step posits in North America was discov- etrate. In 30 years the secondary tropi- in recognizing the importance of this protect in perpetuity ered in the Sierra above town. Álamos cal deciduous forest is established, and area. Unfortunately the program is not became one of the wealthiest towns in within 100 years the full diversity may capable of directly managing the habitat inside the area colonial Mexíco with a population of be recovered simply by leaving the land 100,000-hectare reserve which consists designated in 1996 while more than 30,000 people. Heavy min- to its natural cycles. This is the key to of extensive private land holdings. Con- ing activities continued until the de- restoration of heavily used areas in servationists and local Álamos residents enabling ranchers to posit was exhausted in the early 1900s. tropical deciduous forest zones. have begun an international effort to continue living and Following the Mexican Revolution in Ranchers traditionally clearcut an protect retired ranches and bring the 1910 the area was mostly used for agri- area by hand with a machete and then protected status of the area to maturity. working on the land they culture and cattle ranching. In the late burn it to provide open space for This concept is to work with local ranch- have been connected 1950s, biologists from the United States crops or grazing. Buffelgrass was in- ing communities to identify properties realized that remarkably diverse biotic troduced about 50 years ago and is the where cattle grazing is no longer eco- with their entire lives. communities surrounded Álamos. For predominate grass used for grazing. In nomically feasible and begin manage- the past decade the giant farms in the the open, buffel readily overtakes an ment under a single conservation effort. deciduous forest habitat. The 10-meter coastal valleys of Sonora and Sinoloa area in a very short time. A biologic The long-term goal is to protect in per- canopy of trees has dozens of tree spe- have been making it increasingly diffi- survey is beginning to identify the petuity habitat inside the area designated cies including amapa, kapok, mauto, cult for small ranches to survive. various biotic communities in geo- in 1996 while enabling ranchers to con- tree morning glory, and bursura, with Today’s population of 8,000 people is graphic detail. Disturbed areas in the tinue living and working on the land organ pipe and hecho cacti underneath. learning to adjust to an economy based tropical deciduous forest will become they have been connected with their en- A general rule of thumb in distinguish- on tourism and immigration of wealth primary areas of focus to begin manage- tire lives. ing tropical deciduous forest from the from the United States and larger cit- ment and allow a natural recovery to One of the Area of Natural lower Sonoran desert is that the tree ies in Mexíco. Surprisingly little has occur. Diverse riparian communities Protection’s main features is the Sierra canopy is higher than the columnar changed in the town itself though as deep within canyons are also of interest de Álamos, a small Sky Island rising cacti. Continuing up the Sierra or into residents take care to preserve the his- for conservation, though they typically from the tropical deciduous forest at the higher-elevation reaches of the Pro- toric nature of the town and restore its are too steep for heavy use. 1,300 feet to pine-oak woodlands at tection area brings us into pine-oak for- mansions to their former glory. Local schools are also teaching 6,700 feet. The Sierra is estimated to ests similar to areas in Arizona such as One important change to note is the children a restoration technique us- have 1,200 species of plants. A very long the Huachuca Mountains. reforestation of mining areas that once ing handmade clay seed balls. Native day’s hike can take you from town up Tropical deciduous forest relies on covered the base of the Sierra de seeds are collected and then rolled into the rugged canyons to the summit and heavy monsoon rains from July to Oc- Álamos. The natural tropical deciduous small pellets of clay and compost. The back. The other primary feature is the tober. The forest changes from decidu- forest of the region has an amazing abil- seed balls may then be distributed by Río Cuchujaqui, which flows through ous bareness to a bright green canopy ity to regenerate; abandoned areas simply tossing them out in an area. Sonora from the Chihuahua border within a week after the first rains in quickly progress into secondary growth During the next rainy season the seeds west toward Álamos, then south to the July. After leafing out in the wet sum- tropical deciduous forest. Regrowth germinate and restoration has begun. Sinoloa border. The Area of Natural mer months, the forest canopy com- even forces out the highly invasive Protection also extends north along the pletely hides the giant cacti from view. introductions of buffelgrass (see ar- Chihuahua border into 7,500-foot pine- A secondary winter rainy season brings ticle, page 12). The very rapidly photo by Tim Van Devender oak forests. the yearly average of precipitation to growing boat-thorn acacia estab- The Río Cuchujaqui is a bedrock can- 16 inches. During the dry season the lishes almost immediately in the yon with perennial pools and streams trees drop their leaves and the under- Álamos climate. As long as there are lined with Mexican bald cypress and lying columnar cacti are revealed. Of- no fires (tropical deciduous forest strangler fig trees. Along 21 kilometers ten it is difficult to identify which trees does not naturally burn), this acasia of the river, 740 species of plants have are present on a hillside until they be- forms within 10 years a stand that been cataloged. Almost 400 species of gin to flower in the dry season. Many shades out buffelgrass. Next the birds frequent these spots including el- of the trees flowering times are keyed amapa, kapok, tree morning glory egant trogans, macaws, and Mexican The dry season’s leafless trees reveal columnar cacti. to the length of the days and with each and other deciduous trees with or- Having tree canopies over such cacti is a defining parrotlets. The slopes above the river and species triggering in succession. This gan pipe and hecho cactus rise up feature of tropical deciduous forest. throughout the area are prime tropical stunning progression of color lasts through the acacia canopy to form 8 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 Bob VanDeven June 11, 1967–April 5, 2005 Benefit Auction June 10 n April 5th, our close friend and long- spend an entire Bob’s family and friends set up the Bob time volunteer Bob VanDeven passed day in one place VanDeven Wilderness Fund in his honor. The away after he was struck by a vehicle waiting for the per- O fund invites you to a silent auction in memory while riding his bike in downtown Tucson. His fect light before of Bob, on Friday, June 10, 4-8 p.m. at Heart unexpected departure leaves a void in our hearts snapping a photo, V (61 E. Congress St., Tucson, AZ). The auc- and souls; he was a large part of Sky Island or hike 15 miles tion will feature prints of Bob’s photographs Alliance and a stellar example of the humor, over his esteemed (see www.vandevenphoto.com), and other commitment, persistence, patience, and talent Galiuros to get to items. Proceeds will benefit the unique ecology we all aspire to. his favorite camp of Southern Arizona through this fund. The event Many of you knew Bob from SIA field for the night. Ver- coincides with Heart V’s happy hour and includes events—the tireless hiker always carrying his satility was second entertainment by local bluegrass great Greg tripod, telling off-color jokes around the camp- nature to Bob. If Morton and NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre. fire. Others remember the superb lecture series a situation ever he organized a few years ago. Every reader of turned sour, Bob Restoring Connections knows Bob; each issue was the one who Among so many admirable traits, Bob’s unselfish- from the last two years featured Bob’s stories kept it together— ness was perhaps his greatest. He had an unbending and photographs (see back issues at the one whom oth- dedication to critters, landscapes, and people who www.skyislandalliance.org). ers found refuge Bob VanDeven, 1968, age one and a needed his voice to speak out for them. He had so Bob was multi talented— a standup comedian half, awaiting The Simpsons’ debut and many interests and time commitments that even as in. practicing the laid-back grin he would with the driest sense of humor imaginable, a Bob held himself use on all of us. good friends, we couldn’t keep track of the many talented professional landscape photographer, to the highest of wonderful things Bob did. a poet and writer, an avid hiker, professional standards. He never produced anything that was sub- Bob was clearly at peace with himself. Despite guide, and backpacker. standard. All the same, Bob wasn’t a person who our loss we can be confident that Bob, in some weird Bob’s fascination with the minutiae of life was scoffed at others attempts—his kindness and accep- way, appreciates his new voyage (hopefully he gets wholly inspiring for all that knew him. He could tance were never surpassed. to ask lots of questions). —Matt Skroch

wo short months ago, an SIA board mem- thing distinctive in the foreground helps “anchor” Hunched over the light table, landscapes come to ber phones to say he’s never seen so many the image, creates movement and depth as the eye life in each two-inch luminous square. “Maybe Tflowers in the Peloncillo Mountains and settles first here then travels through the image. Aha! my best ever,” he says. Sure enough, the vistas will pay for a professional photographer to catch I recognize this same technique in his writing, anchor- that were overwhelming in person Bob has their fleeting glory. Of course I call Bob. “I know ing a story with something close-by—a word, an framed, lit, and cropped until their true glory is you’re swamped with student teaching, but can I image, an idea, a personal moment—and expanding accessible to the rest of us. Here lies the beauty tempt you out just for a couple days? Please? My from there to principles that guide the world. of the living world, and of Bob’s love for it. treat; I’ll drive, I’ll cook, I’ll even get up early.” Our two days are packed with poppies, mallows, Bob, you are now an anchor in our lives, so Turns out Bob has liberated himself from teach- bladderpods, and boulders. With so many colors close to our hearts that you are here whenever we ing the day before. Out we go, Bob the artist and and shapes, Bob can’t get enough. I must return to frame a view. Our eyes find you in the foreground, I the chauffer, friends on an adventure. town, but Bob heads back out. A few days later he and the world spreads out beyond. You’re that As we scout for sunset, scout for night, scout calls. “I’ve got the first set of slides.” We oooh and dash of color, that solid form, that guides our for sunrise, Bob reveals bits of his craft: The eye ahhh, laugh about how we froze our butts off for sights to the fullness of our own lives in the world loves a sense of distance, he says. Having some- the night shot, and head off to pick up the rest. you always cherished. —Gita Bodner

Vincent Joseph “Vince” Walkosak June 20, 1970–April 15, 2005 April was a doubly sad month for Sky Island Alliance when yet another friend was taken suddenly from our midst. Sergio Avila reflects on the goodness Vince shared and still shares with us. t is never easy to talk about somebody who has passed away, father. An intelligent, enthusiastic, and connection to Nature. especially because we want to express how good he or she was and active Nature lover, Vince had a And I think Vince will be back, and Iand how great our times together were. But sometimes we must. very special connection with the maybe this time he will be a majestic I knew Vince for a little over a year, Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson for natural world: He worked for wild- bald eagle soaring above us, a mythical yet even in that short time it was easy a long time, until they found a way to life, its study, and preservation. jaguar, or a silent vine snake. to see what a committed and interested- hire him, and then he worked more. There is a term in some eastern reli- What I know is that Vince’s soul in-wildlife person he was. Mostly it was Vince volunteered for the Jaguar gions, Karma, which means “deed” or (spirit, energy) roams not only in the peace and happiness that I got from Detection Project, and that’s when “act” and more broadly names the uni- deserts of Arizona, it runs inside every Vince’s company. I spent most of the time with him. versal principle of cause and effect that person he met and shared with; and it Some days ago, I had the pleasure He had great luck and found jaguar governs all life. Some karma accumu- definitely lives in his daughter Sidney’s of reading a letter he wrote when he scat, a mountain lion skull, and lates and returns unexpectedly in this smile, whose lively eyes make Vince’s was around six years old, describ- tracks. He was always looking for or other incarnations. Kriyamana karma, presence so strong. And he lives in his ing what he would be when he grew “bugs” (spiders, scorpions, reptiles, is the karma that humans are currently wife Shiloh’s love, strength, determi- up: “…a scientist, somebody who etc), especially his favorite: the creating and will bear fruit in the fu- nation and commitment to work, to would look for and work with ani- Mexican vine snake (Oxybelis ture. Meritorious acts may create rebirth achieve both their goals and to keep mals and protect them.” I was im- aeneus). Just like this secretive into a higher station, such as a superior working for all those “bugs”, small and pressed with Vince’s conviction, snake, Vince was a quiet, smart, car- human being or a godlike being. I think big, that share the world with (and de- motivation, and accomplishment of nivorous guy, and I am happy to re- Vince had lived before and reincarnated spite of) us. his goals. He did it! member him as an always-smiling, in the higher human being he was, to Thank you Vince for touching us all… Vince volunteered at the Arizona- good friend and loving husband and share and to show some of us the path We miss you. Spring-Summer 2005 9 Sky Island Alliance Bob Bob Bob Bob Bob — — — — —

Peloncillo Mts AZ,, March 2005

Dragoon Mts, AZ, 2004 What we value can save. It will take time, much capital, intelligent decisions, and the What we value can save. It will take time, much capital, intelligent decisions, and the participation of those who live and play in the woods, as well manage them. participation of those who live and play in the woods, as well manage them. VanDeven VanDeven

What we value can save. It will take time, much capital, intelligent decisions, and the participation of those who live and play in the woods, as well manage them. VanDeven

VanDeven VanDeven

What we value can save. It will take time, much capital, intelligent decisions, and the What we value can save. It will take time, much capital, intelligent decisions, and the participation of those who live and play in the woods, as well manage them. participation of those who live and play in the woods, as well manage them.

Recently I drove out to Cochise Stronghold in the Dra- goon Mountains—last refuge of the legendary chie and today accessible by a single trail—to try some moon- light photography. My left rear tire blew out on the highway and I didn’t arrive until 7 p.m. The June sun

San Bernardino Valley, AZ, March 2005 had raised temperatures to well over 100 degrees and even at dusk the terrain fairly glowed with heat. Afte 10 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 San Bernardino Valley, AZ, March 2005

and I had the whole enchilada to myself. As I write this I - three sweaty miles on the trail and an hour of bush- haven’tthe Big gottenDipper theswung film around back yet.the EvenNorth if Starevery and slide I had turns the f whacking I found a good location, a tiny perch amid outwhole black, enchilada it was worth to myself. it. As I write this I haven’t got- - towering granite pillars and monstrous boulders, a land- ten the film back yet. Even if every slide turns out black, e scape full of potential and the ghosts of Apaches. In it was worth it. n between long exposures I managed to grab an hour of d sleep. It was a Monday evening and the rock climbers r had coiled their ropes and gone home; Cassiopeia and Spring-Summer 2005 11 Sky Island Alliance Now we all agree: This weed is obnoxious by Nancy Zierenberg, Arizona Native Plant Society

ost of us have heard about the problems that non-na- and transported within the state! It ap- tive animals cause to ecosystems: rabbits devouring pears that there is still fear and trepi- Australia, rats killing off huge island bird colonies, or Eu- dation of riling the ranching industry M by totally banning buffelgrass in Ari- ropean starlings forcing our own Gila woodpeckers out of their zona. If the department had listed it saguaro-hole nests. Plant introductions can wreak just as much under a “restricted designation,” this havoc on native systems. would have required that all buffelgrass We can guess why many trees (Afri- Buffelgrass out-competes some of infestations be controlled to prevent can sumac), shrubs (lantana), or wild- our native shrubs and trees by steal- further spread. flowers (African daisies) have been in- ing water and nutrients or by shading Our challenge now is to change the troduced: They provide good shade, out young plants with its dense will of the Agriculture Department to grow fast, have edible fruits, are growth. Even more damaging is the really deal with this invasive species drought tolerant, or the flowers are plant’s ability to carry hot fires in before it truly is too late. Private sec- pretty. Most introduced grasses have Sonoran desert ecosystems that are not tor plans are being made to mount a been brought in intentionally either for fire-adapted. This invader fills in massive public education campaign to livestock fodder or for erosion con- spaces between saguaros, ironwoods, involve all our neighborhoods in eradi- trol—replanting after floods, fire, or and palo verdes. When fires start, cating buffelgrass. This team has de- Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) road building. veloped a good PowerPoint presenta- cent decline in amphibian diversity Bermuda grass was tion describing why and completely wiping out the leop- one of the first non-na- The listing prevents the importation of plants and we need to move full- ard frog population in the laboratory. tives brought into Ari- seeds from outside of Arizona... But because the steam ahead on the This is not a simple issue, but if we zona (1902) to control eradication effort are to really stop this buffel beast, now erosion along Cienega Arizona Department of Agriculture chose to list it now, and not 10 years is the best opportunity we have. The Creek. Lehmann under the “prohibited and regulated weed rules,” from now. We’re de- coalition effort to move forward with lovegrass (from Africa) veloping materials to this is our best shot and we hope to see was brought in 1932 by buffelgrass grown in Arizona will still be allowed to help people distin- exponential growth in eradication efforts the Soil Conservation be sold and transported within the state! guish it from other that out-compete this hardy invader. Service to “rehabilitate” grasses and know Sources: overgrazed grasslands. what to do about it. Special thanks to Travis Bean and Julio In less than 10 years, it began showing buffelgrass’ dense growth and layers Although buffelgrass is a prolific Betancourt at the Tumamoc Desert up in areas where it had not been of dry leaves fuel the flames into a flowerer and is almost always found with Laboratory for providing background planted. Because cattle prefer native frenzy, boiling saguaros alive and turn- seed heads, the seed appears to have a material for this article. To schedule a grasses to Lehmann lovegrass, the ing other desert plants into charcoal. relatively short life span, only staying presentation on buffelgrass to your neighborhood or organization, please contact natives are under more pressure, and In this indirect way, buffelgrass kills viable in the soil for about three years Travis at: University of Arizona, School of the advantage goes to the lovegrass, our desert plants and makes even more or so. Keeping mature plants out of an Natural Resources, The Desert Laboratory, which eventually out-competes na- “disturbed” habitat for expanded area for three to five years might be 1675 West Anklam Road, Tucson, AZ tive bunchgrasses. buffelgrass populations. enough to eliminate it. Pulling by hand 85745; ph: 520/629-9455 x 104; bean@ The introduced exotic grass that may This real and looming threat of ever- is the best way to maintain a buffelgrass- email.arizona.edu. prove to be the most devastating to the larger fires seems to have finally free zone, using a digging bar for large For information about the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers, please contact Wendy Southwest is buffelgrass (Pennisetum spurred some action on the part of of- plants and dense stands. This method Burroughs with Pima County Natural ciliare). Originally imported to Arizona ficials here in Arizona. A coalition of has succeeded in some places. The Resources, Parks & Recreation at 520/877- by the Soil Conservation Service for scientists; landscape and transporta- Sonoran Desert Weedwackers have 6122 or wendy.burroughs@parks. pima.gov. livestock forage sometime in the 1930s, tion department employees from the yanked plants for five years in an effort The Desert Grassland, edited by Mitchel P. this African grass did not really spread city, county, and state; land manage- to keep Tucson Mountain Park free of McClaran and Thomas R. Van Devender, U widely here until the last 20 years. Now ment agencies; and representatives buffelgrass. It works, but because there of A Press, 1995. the spread is exponential, mostly along from nonprofit organizations (includ- are still seed sources coming in from roadsides, streams, disturbed lots, and ing Sky Island Alliance) teamed up to other stands, it is a constant job. Imag- photo courtesy Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum throughout our urban areas. A recent figure out just how to get a handle on ine if everyone got inspired to pitch in: effort to map the invasion in Arizona buffelgrass, including how to get this the city began removing it along road- showed dense stands along major high- most dangerous invader onto the state’s sides, pulling buffelgrass clumps from ways and roadways, spread by vehicles noxious weed list. road medians, the county and state do- and fed by the extra heat and water run- This time our lobbying effort finally ing the same, neighbors pulling it in off from asphalt. But stands also thrive bore fruit (even though this has been their neighborhoods. in undisturbed areas, in parks as well as tried numerous times in the past), but The herbicide Roundup is actually in many Tucson and Phoenix neighbor- only partially. The listing prevents the quite effective at killing buffelgrass, hoods. Worse, millions of acres have importation of plants and seeds from though concerns for neighboring native been purposefully bladed and planted outside of Arizona (like from Texas grasses, water pollution, and harm to with buffelgrass in northern Mexico, A&M, which is working on develop- wildlife are good reasons to stay away subsidized by the Mexican government ing a more cold-tolerant variety of from chemicals if possible. A recently as short-term cattle feed. This blading buffelgrass!). But because the Arizona published study on effects of herbicides continues—the state of Sonora is slated Department of Agriculture chose to list on non-target species (Ecological Appli- for the eventual conversion of 15 mil- it under the “prohibited and regulated cations, April 2005) has confirmed that lion acres, providing Arizona with a gi- weed rules,” buffelgrass grown in Ari- Roundup does indeed affect water crea- This organ pipe cactus was boiled alive by ant seed source. zona will still be allowed to be sold tures like amphibians, causing a 70 per- fire fueled by surrounding buffelgrass. 12 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 Can’t find your car keys? Check the packrat midden in the yard. While you’re Preserving the past in packrat pee there, you might as well find out what lived here over the past 40,000 years. by Tim Van Devender osing something strange to a packrat—keys, wrenches, a bike sprocket, necklace, view of our life and times. pocketknife, whatever struck the rodent’s fancy—is a rite of passage for residents of A midden identifies many major species at a site, the Southwest. These collectors can be annoying pests if they damage something a but does not provide a complete record of the flora L or fauna. Packrats have preferred foods and con- human values (engine parts, false teeth…). But their incessant collecting may also help us to struction supplies, and will readily drop any item in plan restoration of places where humans have caused far more damage. favor of a better one. Some items, like sport utility There are 22 species in the genus Neotoma, com- pear, but any other impenetrable material will do. vehicles and ATVs, are simply too big for a packrat monly known as packrats or woodrats. The genus Packrats generally eat seeds, berries, and small in- to carry. We can understand and compensate for ranges across North and Central America, with four sects, then discard other collected goodies in the trash these past collecting biases by comparing what mod- species in the Sky Islands. These cute rodents grow heap or “midden.” ern Neotoma dens contain versus the flora and fauna up to eight inches long with a furry tail that doubles The packrat has another curious characteristic— living around them. One major limitation on our their length. They all create dens using materials its urine turns into a thick and penetrating liquid ability to reconstruct the past is the fact that middens collected mostly within 100 meters of the nest. The known as amberat. Amberat can soak in, solidify, preserve best on rocky slopes with dry crags, so den floor plan includes interior living chambers, a and preserve the den’s trash heap. Middens develop these middens may not accurately reflect what was defensive barrier that insulates the nest and protects stratigraphic layers as successive residents deposit growing on alluvial valley floors. its residents from predators, and a trash heap. The their own finds. As long as the petrified midden stays Knowing the historical timeline of biologic mi- defensive layer is often made of cholla or prickly dry, material in it survives. Many caves and crev- gration is vital to understanding how humans ices on the rocky slopes of western North have changed the landscape beneath them. Many America contain midden deposits up to written records mark the introduction and ex- 45,000 years old. Packrat middens con- termination of charismatic species in the United photo by Gita Bodner tain leaves, needles, twigs, pollen, exosk- States, but few exist for the less noticeable spe- eletons, small bones, and left-over seeds. cies or for most of Mexico. A packrat midden A researcher can reconstruct the living may be the sole source of information pointing history of a site ranging over tens of thou- to what flora and fauna were abundant prior to sands of years, just by identifying and ra- modern human use. In this way a small rodent dio-carbon dating the materials in midden picking up whatever it finds and dumping it in strata. Modern layers may mix seeds its trash may provide valuable insight into what from all over the world with Barbie doll False teeth from a packrat midden found at Ft. Bowie plants and animals are present in a healthy, natu- heads, coins, and keys—a pretty accurate ral environment. SIA volunteers, restoration in Mexico, and the discovery of an endangered plant: a recipe for success by Jennie Duberstein ake a small-scale, no-frills restoration project in northern ging contour lines, building gabions and Verde, but in the Upper San Pedro wa- Sonora; add in the enthusiasm, skills, and expertise of a planting cottonwood and willow poles. tershed as a whole. T & E, Inc. (a Tuc- Resting from their hard work, volun- son-based small-grant supporter) en- small group of SIA volunteers; mix carefully; if you stir it T teer Dale Turner and pals decided to abled PCC to do just that in the fall of just right, you just might end up with a previously unknown popu- explore a beautiful one-kilometer 2004. With their support, PCC imple- lation of a highly endangered plant. stretch of cottonwood-willow riparian mented specific Huachuca water umbel Ingredients: important habitat for people and wild- habitat that had recently been fenced surveys along the entire one-kilometer 1 riparian area in the Upper San Pedro life, including nearly 200 species of birds. to exclude cattle from the restoration restoration site. 1 grassroots habitat restoration project PCC has worked with landowners to site. They hadn’t gone far when Dale In-depth surveys showed three main Assorted SIA volunteers develop and implement low-cost or no- came across a small, nondescript plant patches of Huachuca water umbel along Instructions: cost, low-tech restoration projects. Us- near the creek’s edge. Later examina- this stretch, ranging in length from 19 Invite Sky Island Alliance volun- ing locally available materials, including tion confirmed Dale’s suspicions: the to 175 meters, totaling approximately teers to join you for a weekend at Villa ocotillo, mesquite, and bear grass, PCC plant was Huachuca water umbel 244 meters of creek, or 24 percent of Verde in the Upper San Pedro water- staff, landowners, and volunteers have (Lilaeopsis shaffneriana var. recurva), the restoration site. Preliminary findings shed of Sonora, Mexico. Add in low- constructed vegetative gabions, dug con- listed in 1997 as endangered by the U.S. suggest that Villa Verde supports one of cost and low-technology restoration tour lines, and planted and transplanted Fish and Wildlife Service. It was a thrill- the largest known populations of activities. Mix well (it is normal to a variety of native species from seedlings ing and very important discovery. This Huachuca water umbel in Mexico. hear laughter, music, and/or singing). and poles. In 2003, Matt Skroch of Sky semi-aquatic plant is threatened PCC’s restoration efforts here have Marinate for 24 hours. Serves ap- Island Alliance and Juan Caicedo of throughout all of its range by habitat continued since the SIA work weekend, proximately 20. PCC organized a work weekend in loss and erosion. working with area landowners to pro- For the past four years, Proyecto Mexico for SIA volunteers. The week- Dale’s discovery prompted more tect and better understand these impor- Corredor Colibri (PCC) has worked end was also a memorial for Mike comprehensive water umbel surveys. tant habitats. Collaboration and coop- with landowners in the Upper San Seidman, a beloved and tireless Sky Is- With funding from the Sonoran Joint eration such as this will be key in the Pedro Watershed of Sonora, Mexico, land conservation activist and long-time Venture, PCC conducted baseline long-term protection of spots like Villa to protect and restore critical riparian member of the SIA board (see Restor- plant surveys at Villa Verde. Cursory Verde. Only by taking into account the habitat. One of PCC’s project sites is ing Connections spring 2003). A crew surveys in part of the fenced area complex social, environmental, and eco- Villa Verde, a main tributary to the of some 20 volunteers drove to Villa showed a patch of water umbel approxi- nomic pressures affecting the area can Upper San Pedro river in Sonora. Villa Verde to help PCC, enjoy the area, and mately 75 meters long. More focused we hope to achieve sustainability for Verde’s large reservoir and 10 km of cot- celebrate Mike’s life. examination was needed to better un- both the ecosystems and the people who tonwood-willow riparian habitat provide SIA volunteers spent the weekend dig- derstand this species not only at Villa depend on them. Spring-Summer 2005 13 Sky Island Alliance Restoring landscape connectivity where ecological and transportation corridors intersect–and sometimes collide by Janice Przybyl, Wildlife Monitoring Program Coordinator hat would you think if you saw 139 adults emerging from Our roadside field trip was sandwiched three yellow school buses stopped by the side of a high- between two days of presentations on Wspeed highway? This was the sight encountered by mo- torists on April 12 as they traveled Highway 260 outside of Payson, how to mitigate landscape fragmentation Arizona. Nope, we were not the roadside clean-up crew. Had we large by tailoring structural design of culverts, plastic bags in hand you might have been right, but we were toting cameras and notebooks, listening intently to our group leaders and land bridges, and other highway taking photographs of bridges and culverts. We were a diverse bunch structures to meet the needs of wildlife. of planners, engineers, and biologists from resource and transporta- tion agencies, municipalities, counties, non-profits, and foundations ing the road to a separated four-lane wildlife friendly culverts. Maybe this based throughout the Western U.S. and Canada. We gathered for the highway would potentially inhibit elk is where a land-bridge over the high- Rockies Wildlife Crossing Field Course to share information about herd movement between feeding way will be appropriate? restoring landscape connectivity through wildlife crossings. grounds and disrupt seasonal migra- Although the workshop concen- Event organizers included Southern portation planning. He introduced at- tion patterns. trated on roads and highways, hu- Rockies Ecosystem Project (special tendees to BCMoT’s systematic To reduce the incidence of wildlife- mans are a population on the move thanks to Monique DiGiogio), Arizona monitoring of highway-related wild- vehicle collisions and maintain land- and we move more than vehicles Game and Fish Depart- scape permeability for over roads. We move power ment (AZGFD), wildlife movement, through power lines and pipelines. Yellowstone to Yukon ADOT incorporated 11 We move water through canals and Conservation Initiative, wildlife underpasses, six irrigation ditches. We move goods Arizona Department of bridges, and ungulate- over rail lines. We move words and Transportation proof fencing. The information over telephone and fi- (ADOT), and USDA unique aspect of this ber optic lines. We are covering the Forest Service. Our highway project is that as landscape with systems and infra- roadside field trip was information about elk structures that contribute to habi-

sandwiched between photo by Janice Przybyl usage is gathered at com- tat fragmentation and diminish two days of presenta- pleted bridges, adjust- landscape permeability for wildlife tions on how to miti- ments are made to im- and ecological processes. It became gate landscape frag- prove permeability at the apparent during the workshop, that mentation by tailoring next site down the road. scientific information on the use structural design of Using video surveillance and effectiveness of wildlife cross- culverts, land bridges, equipment both in the ing structures is becoming more and other highway passageways and on the readily available. The next step is structures to meet the road above, Norris to incorporate this knowledge into needs of wildlife. Researchers speculate that this type of culvert inhibits elk from passing by Dodd and Jeff Gagnon the culture of transportation and providing a ledge upon which predators may hide. Presenters ranged from AZFGD monitor planning departments so that wild- from Paul Beier, professor of Con- life mortality and then integrating not only elk presence but also elk be- life movement and ecological con- servation Biology at Northern Ari- that data into the planning process. havior in response to traffic volume and siderations become fundamental zona University, to Leonard Sielecki During our “road trip” along High- noise. A burst of noise and movement pieces of the entire planning pro- from the British Columbia Ministry way 260, we observed how these from a single vehicle can inhibit an elk cess–from the blueprint and budget of Transportation (BCMoT). Beier themes could be applied to highway from entering a structure more than stage through continued monitoring reported on the progress of two sci- construction in the context of the natu- steady vehicular activity does. of effectiveness after construction. ence-based efforts to develop wild- ral world. Since 2002, ADOT, AZGF, The primary species of con- life networks linking suitable habitat and the Tonto National Forest have cern is elk, but monitoring data blocks. The South Coast Missing been engaged in applying adaptive from cameras and track sets Linkages Project in California uses a management principles to a phased record other species using the focal species approach, and the Ari- construction project along Highway culverts and bridge passage- zona Wildlife Linkages Workgroup is 260. The highway is being upgraded ways. Engineering consider- developing a statewide map identify- in stages, from Payson east to Heber, ations were also discussed. The ing wildlife movement corridors. Both to accommodate increased travel pat- mountainous landscape from programs are science-based and are col- terns as more people from the Phoe- Payson to the Mogollon Rim cartoon by Andy Singer laborative efforts between public and nix metropolitan area seek summer ref- offers deeps drainages that private sectors. This theme was con- uge in the Tonto National Forest. Even make it easier to design and sistently emphasized throughout the before the project was on the boards, construct wide, high bridges other presentations: the need for elk-vehicle collisions were a major con- with natural cover through the multi-agency collaboration with input cern throughout this stretch of high- passageways. As construction and effort from non-governmental or- way, not only because of property on HWY 260 moves eastward ganizations. Sielecki’s presentation re- damage, but also because of the seri- and over the Mogollon Rim, the flected another recurring topic: infus- ous injury potential to both species– terrain becomes flatter, hence ing science and monitoring into trans- elk and human. In addition, convert- more challenging to include 14 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 Road Rattlings by Trevor Hare, SIA Conservation Biologist get asked a lot about how we use the data our volunteers and wonderful, and only beautiful truths emerged: collect in the field. The simple answer is to help in the fight Leopard frogs; floods; bald eagles mating at 1,000 feet against the darkside. The darkside in my short answer is easy to define—those with golden eagles looking on; a fresh lion kill (cow!); I and unspoiled Wilderness (well, there is one ugly ideas and actions that don’t honor and conserve biological diversity and ecosystem truth—the powerline running through it). complexity. The darkside in real life is harder to define—it resides in a discordant In March we finished our road inventories for our gradation from dark to light that is spatially and temporally askew. It is a slave to Aravaipa Ecosystem Management Plan recommenda- command-and-control, top-down institutions and a master to political power. It is in- tions, and I want to thank everybody who contrib- sidious and cosmopolitan, strong-willed but weak-minded, and it is long-winded while uted to an excellent effort that will have lasting con- servation benefits! Our recommendations are beauti- being remarkably shortsighted. It is top-heavy, mostly appointed, has never walked it, ful truths in a sea of ugly ATVs. Screech owls, big- and wont ever know it. Thank the gods that folks like us get it, walk it, and will speak horn sheep, black hawks, frogs, snakes, and lions all up about it. seemed to agree. Take any land or wildlife management entity: At ecosystem to our great grandchildren? No it does not In April we visited with turkeys, black hawks, first glance the system seems like it works. It works work, and if we don’t keep an eye out there they will for the folks who hunt, fish, and ATV. Or it mostly overwhelm us. The beautiful but ugly truth in works. Yes there are complaints against them, but most So back to the original question—how do we use people get what they want from them—clean camp- the data? We use the data to propose new Wilder- the Dos Cabezas is that the grounds, abundant fisheries, hook-raised trout, some ness, protect existing Wilderness, advocate for pro- trees (usually scarred), and a semi-wild experience, tection of roadless areas, fight for truly healthy for- lands to be traded to the BLM, not so much to upset grandma but enough to get the ests, plan and carry out riparian restoration and road kids out torturing trees and giving the adults a chance closure projects, research and protect landscape link- while beautiful and a great to rip it up a bit with an ATV and a gun. Does it work ages, and finally to influence policy. Policy is the for us, those of us who want to leave a functioning lynch pin in all this, and, as we all know, it is the addition to the public lands of sickle of the darkside. Healthy the area, are being traded for Forests, Clear Skies, No Child Left Behind, all a bunch of bad lands above Safford so Phelps policy with no relationship to what Riparian species the name says. Healthy Forests Dodge can open a giant open- mean more profit for timber com- inventory workshop panies; Clear Skies means more pit mine smack dab between pollution and less regulation; No Dorsolateral fold, sexually dimorphic Child Left Behind unless your two of our favorite areas—the tympanum, vestigial oviducts. child is poor, black, or brown. The Gila Mountains and Turtle I don’t know the terminology yet. truth is missing in the policies of I don’t know if I’ll ever know the current administration and its Mountain. cronies in big business and a big- the terminology. I forgot how much ger military, but we aim to bring trogons, and lions in a beautiful little canyon on the these people, these biologists, like funky smells. it, and bring it hard. west flank of the Huachuca Mountains. The ugly truth Formaldehyde. Secretions. Decay. Searching for truth over the last in this small paradise is that it is infested with the I want to be useful, to be of use, six months has taking us to some dreaded, nasty, introduced critter known as Rana gorgeous spots and shown us both catesbeiana, the American bullfrog. But we are plan- but I don’t know. I can’t even kiss my beautiful and ugly truths. In De- ning restitution for the assault unleashed here, and we wife goodbye until she brushes her teeth. cember we visited the Dos hope to eliminate the bullfrogs and let the native ri- Our group leader knows the protocols. Cabezas Mountains to look at the parian-loving critters have a chance. Wilderness boundary on the east Between study sites, wash yourself down Also in April, as we will do almost every month for side and explore lands that will at least a year, we went out to Las Cienegas National with five percent bleach solution. Do not urinate soon be traded to the BLM. The Conservation Area to close more roads. And you all near ponds and streams. He doesn’t personalize beautiful but ugly truth in the Dos are invited to be a part of a beautiful truth this fall on the subject, which is Rana chiricahuensis, Cabezas is that the lands to be Las Cienegas when we re-close the Narrows for the traded to the BLM, while beauti- final time with a large-scale closure that will need lots the Chiricahua leopard frog, endangered ful and a great addition to the pub- of volunteers to pull off! (Stay Tuned!) by Rana catesbeiana, the bullfrog, invasive, lic lands of the area, are being I encourage all of you Sky Island heads to come out omnivorous as a lawnmower. He knows traded for lands above Safford so with us and help us celebrate these beautiful truths, we’ll be hiking to the banks of the Phelps Dodge can open a giant and discover the ugly ones and work to fix them. We open-pit mine smack dab between will conduct invasive plant surveys along the beauti- water body after dark, aiming our flashlights, two of our favorite areas—the Gila ful Blue River in May and June; do road and riparian gigging the bullfrogs, whose corpses Mountains and Turtle Mountain. surveys in the Peloncillos in June and September; we we’ll tag and sort, sort and tag until dawn. In January we started a new will close and rehabilitate more roads on Las Cienegas year of road closures on Las in July, August, September, and October; we will re- —Jefferson Carter Cienegas National Conservation visit the Huachuca Mountains in August and Novem- Area, and we all know the ugly ber; and take a water break in a box canyon some- truth out there! where out there in July (see field schedule, page 19). In February we visited the Mes- And of course we will have our soon to be a legend, cal Mountains. It was wet, wild, third annual Labor Day gathering in the Chiricahuas. Spring-Summer 2005 15 Sky Island Alliance Watershed Management Group helps landowners conserve soil and water by Jared Buono, Watershed Management Group, Inc he Watershed Management Group, Inc (WMG) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping people and communities Tin need through better management of our shared natural resources. Founded by graduate students at the University of Arizona’s Watershed Management Program, photo courtesy WMG the group focuses primarily on community-based approaches to soil and water conser- vation and environmental planning. WMG was started in 2003 when the founders discovered they all aspired to apply their skills to help those in need. Since then, the organization has grown steadily, inducting new members, developing programs and educational materials, and generally establishing a base of operations in Southern Ari- zona. To date, all the members are volunteers putting in hours on nights and weekends. However, this hasn’t stopped them from getting to the business of community conser- WMG’s Jared Buono measures a headcut while helping a vation. They are currently helping the San Pedro Natural Resources Conservation landowner solve her watershed erosion problems. District to develop an area-wide conservation plan for the Middle San Pedro. They Over the next few years, WMG hopes to create re- sources that will satisfy the needs of our changing land- have also conducted several workshops on soil conservation practices in the San Pedro scape. The group has already developed a program for and Sulfur Springs Valleys. landowners that includes the theory and hands-on ap- By working within the framework of watersheds, scape where small land holders are in need of hands- plication of watershed practices. Currently, they are WMG is able to work at the local, regional, and inter- on training to prevent erosion, harvest and conserve publishing a set of educational materials aimed at back- national scale. Members have spent time working and water, and generally manage their land. “It is the yard conservationists and active community groups. studying in the U.S.-Mexico border region to learn ‘ranchette’ community that has been our biggest cli- These materials cover basic watershed processes as well more about binational watershed management, such ent so far”, says cofounder Catlow Shipek. Many as examples and instructions for building erosion con- as in the Santa Cruz watershed. The group is realiz- ranchette owners seem to be clamoring for conserva- trol structures and water conservation measures. The ing there is an urgent need for community-based wa- tion assistance; however, their lands are often too small group is looking to expand its volunteer base and its tershed management both in developing nations and for assistance from the Natural Resource Conserva- board of directors. If you are interested in this or any here at home. Since its inception, WMG has been tion Service (NRCS). As our local watersheds con- other aspect of WMG’s work please contact them at: overwhelmed by the amount of local inquiries regard- tinue to be subdivided, small landholder conservation Watershed Management Group, Inc., PO Box 65953, ing conservation practices. Most of the interest ap- practices will become increasingly necessary to main- Tucson, AZ 85728; ph: 520/ 440-2316; email: pears to be from the changing rural and exurban land- tain soil, water, and biological resources. [email protected]; www.watershedmg.org/. Using water-harvesting microbasins in habitat restoration by Ann Phillips, Manager of Restoration Projects, Tucson Audubon Society he Tucson Audubon Society (TAS) Santa Cruz River Habi- from a surface, and putting it to ben- tightly compacted. The bottom of the eficial use, typically to support plant basin is gently sloped and is not com- tat Project North Simpson site, consists of river corridor and growth. Rainwater harvesting reduces pacted, since this would retard infiltra- Tadjacent abandoned farmland in the floodplain of the lower the frequency of irrigation that is nec- tion of rainwater. Microbasins take 15 Santa Cruz River. The site is located northwest of Tucson, Arizona, essary to help establish plants and in- to 30 minutes to dig by hand in reason- in the Sonoran Bioregion. The river flow is supported by releases of creases the amount of soil water avail- ably soft soil. secondary effluent from regional wastewater treatment plants around able for plants after supplemental irri- We placed one to three plants within gation has stopped. a microbasin, typically arranged in a 18 miles upstream. A burgeoning cottonwood/ willow habitat lines Microbasins are small depressions row along the bottom of the U-shaped the channel, while sparse upland plants are present on the massive dug in the ground and partially sur- portion of the basin where most of the earthen flood control berms on either side of the channel. Off-road rounded by a sturdy rounded berm con- water collects. To imitate the natural vehicle use, grazing, long-term farming, burning, dumping, and flood- structed downhill from, and to the sides concentration of plants found around ing have damaged the site. TAS conducts restoration work on this of, the depressions. Rainwater falling nurse trees in native habitat, a native land through its 99-year right-of-entry agreement with the City of on the catchment area above the tree was placed in the center of the microbasin is intercepted by the depres- microbasin (e.g. mesquite, blue palo Tucson, which owns the land. Since on-the-ground work began in sion and berm, and collects in the bot- verde), a heat-tolerant plant was placed 2001, around 250 acres of this site has been seeded and planted. tom of the basin, where it infiltrates into on the west side of the tree (e.g. four- Restoration work is con- the ground around the plant’s roots. wing saltbush, creosote), and a plant ducted both along the river Natural depressions can function as that grows well as midstory or under- channel and on the hot bare microbasins as well. story was placed on the east side of the slopes of the adjacent In addition to collecting Microbasins are constructed by dig- tree (e.g. wolfberry, graythorn). earthen flood control berms. rainwater, water-harvesting ging out a gently sloped depression rang- At the North Simpson site, we typi- A number of innovative ing in size from several feet to several cally irrigate plants for two years, gradu- techniques have been used basins also capture seeds yards wide, depending upon localized ally reducing irrigation frequency and to support restoration efforts conditions. Dirt removed from the ba- volume to harden the plants out to natu- at the site including placing and organic material blown sin is used to build up the berm on the ral conditions. We found that the pres- plants in hundreds of water downhill side of the depression. The ence of a microbasin can substantially harvesting microbasins. Wa- by wind or carried by berm is carefully shaped to wrap around increase the depth of rainfall infiltration ter harvesting is the process either side of the basin to create a U- after a monsoon storm. For example, the of slowing or completely in- rainfall runoff. shaped container for the harvested wa- first monsoon storm of the summer of tercepting rainwater runoff ter. After final shaping, the berm is continued on next page 16 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 The guilty volunteer, or how I learned to stop

worrying and love the drug blimp by Randy Seraglio photo by Ellen Lark Editor’s Note: A version of this article originally appeared in the Tucson Weekly. tes that are stalking the just got back from a Sky Island Alliance volunteer weekend, more popular migrant and boy do I feel guilty. I spent the weekend helping survey a corridors near Douglas has spread like word-of- Ilocal canyon for wilderness potential. Whence comes the guilt? mouth wildfire in the Let me count the ways. staging areas of Sonora, It’s not just because my girlfriend received marching orders and necessary pushing migrants even Louise is doing an internship there, equipment—maps, GPS, radio, camera, further into wild areas Trevor and Mike “in-seine” a stock pond. collating data and helping to write wilderness inventory forms, everything like the one we were in. folks. There were the usual scruffy comments on the Aravaipa Canyon we would need to thoroughly document It’s a shame. Will the clatter and trash desert rats, including a trio we’ll call management plan. And it’s not just be- our hike—and set out down a delicate chase away the common black-hawk we the Clanton Brothers, who were armed cause I can claim volunteer hours for little canyon with an intermittent spring saw nesting along the watercourse? How and dangerous (mostly to bullfrogs, and the sort of thing I would be doing in trickle winding through it. Our task was about the elegant trogon we heard themselves, until Trevor engaged the my spare time anyway—namely, ex- administrative safety on ploring the forests and deserts of the their toys). But there Sky Island region. Luckily I convinced a very sensible judge that the University of was also a perfectly nor- No, this conflation of guilt and Arizona athletic department’s dictation of nearby neighborhood mal woman named volunteerism goes back a ways for me, Nancy, and another at least a couple years. That’s when I parking ordinances was not only idiotic but unjust, thus named Ellen, a 20-year- showed up at David and Gita’s house old Pima College stu- to watch a basketball game and got a qualifying me for “community service” hours in the field with dent working on her parking ticket because… there was a Sky Island Alliance in lieu of a big fat fine. class project, and the in- basketball game! Luckily I convinced evitable Guy Who a very sensible judge that the Univer- Lives In His Truck. sity of Arizona athletic department’s to seek water and corresponding ripar- croaking in the trees, which precipitated The Pima student said things like dictation of nearby neighborhood park- ian habitat, document the existence and a sneaky surveillance that resulted in my “Dang, that was a great big spider!” ing ordinances was not only idiotic but condition of travel ways (paths, roads, long-awaited first glimpse of this majes- and we concocted a fairly ingenious unjust, thus qualifying me for “com- jeep trails, etc.), and note any critters tic bird? (The guilt, the guilt!) Just “Free the Blimp!” campaign, although munity service” hours in the field with we encountered, especially those of the about everything people in this country you’ll have to see me in person to get Sky Island Alliance in lieu of a big fat endangered and threatened persuasion. do to stop drug smuggling and illegal the details. fine. Seemed appropriate. And keep a special eye out for snakes. immigration does nothing to even slow On Sunday the whole pack of us went Louise and I lit out on a Friday af- Trevor loves snakes. them down, but does result in mount- to seine a nearby stock pond, although ternoon to the northeast flank of the The point is to compile a database ing damage to the environment. I’d say in-seine might be the better term. Huachuca Mountains, armed with full of reasons to close roads and ex- We completed our assignment and It was pretty goopy. A couple of us tried two days worth of food, beer and fine pand wilderness. We succeeded, returned to camp in time to do some to warn Trevor that he’d be hauling up tequila, and Trevor’s typically cryp- though at times the map didn’t make more exploring. A few dozen yards about four tons of sopping organic mat- tic directions: “Take a left here, I sense (there was no jeep trail where from our tent a pair of buff-breasted ter even if he did somehow miraculously think it’s signed, go two to four miles there should have been one, which I flycatchers (whose only U.S. range is drag that net all the way across the bot- on this dirt road….” Two, or maybe guess is a good thing). In one side can- in the Huachucas!) worked a tiny tom of the pond. But he was determined double that. Sigh. yon we found no water, but we did marshy area. We walked farther and to find out what was in there. But, as usual, we made it. The one run into a group of 20 Mexican mi- watched a tarantula hawk wasp exca- Well, to make a long spectacle short, disturbing thing was the looming pres- grants cooling themselves in the shade. vating a spider-sized hole in anticipa- much hilarity ensued. In the end we ence of the ridiculous drug blimp that Startled, all I could think to say was tion of a successful hunt. Toward hauled up about a half dozen bullfrog hovers over the north end of the “Buenas tardes!” (much to their evening I had a fine gobbling conver- tadpoles, many colorful water beetles, Huachuca range, floating above the amusement), and be on my way. sation with a wild turkey. Although and some fearsome predatory larvae. piney ridgeline like a vast, flying white But I wasn’t half as startled as he was quite talkative, he never did And a whole lotta goop. elephant on a very long leash, accom- Trevor when 30 more stumbled across let us see him. It was glorious, guilty fun. I highly plishing nothing. The closer we got to him as he tried to take an environmen- On Saturday night some of us kept recommend it, if you’re in the mood the site, the closer we got to that blimp. tally correct dump the next morning. Trevor up late, eating chocolate and pie- for self-serving volunteerism, and you Kinda creepy. My border spies tell me that a greatly iron treats and passing bottles around don’t mind getting a little goopy in On Saturday morning about 10 of us inflated legend of the wacko vigilan- the fire. It was an odd collection of the process.

continued from previous page ing basins also capture seeds and organic material concentrated sources of native forage plants and seeds 2002 resulted in four inches of infiltration on sloped blown by wind or carried by rainfall runoff. Native available to birds, insects, herpafauna, and other wild- land next to a microbasin, and 20-plus inches of infil- annuals and perennials have volunteered in the higher life. They act as concentrated seed sources, increasing tration within the microbasin. Water harvesting is par- moisture conditions created within water harvesting the density and diversity of seeds available for recruit- ticularly effective on gently sloped land, but can also basins at the North Simpson site. The berms act as ment outside the basins. The 15- to 30-minute invest- be used on flat land. In either case, it will concentrate low windbreaks, sheltering small seedlings from the ment it takes to construct a water harvesting microbasin rainwater, though the effective catchment area drain- hot dry southwesterly winds that prevail in late spring is well worth the effort! ing to a basin on a slope will be larger then the effec- and early summer, and retain mulch added to reduce Editor’s note: For a personal account of using tive catchment area on flat land. evaporation loss from bare soil. At the TAS restora- microbasins for water catchment, see Restoring Con- In addition to collecting rainwater, water-harvest- tion site, water harvesting microbasins have become nections, volume 7, issue 2, page 8. Spring-Summer 2005 17 Sky Island Alliance Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Proposal update by Mike Quigley, Wilderness Campaign Coordinator here have been some exciting happenings on the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness campaign! The most important news Tbeing the release of a poll of voters in Pima and Santa Cruz counties asking specifically about their views on Wilderness for the Tumacacori Highlands. Seventy- six percent support Wilderness, with 61 percent saying they “strongly support” the

proposal! Support for Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness is high across political af- filiation, geography, and ethnicity. After becoming informed of the proposal, 75 per- photo by Frog cent of self-identified conservative voters support Wilderness; Hispanic voters sup- port Wilderness by an astounding 95 percent; and hunters and ORV riders support Wilderness by 71 and 74 percent, respectively. And, 75 percent of all voters said Arizona has too little Wilderness and we need more! Of course, we are thrilled with these results!! It’s always nice to know that there are so many people from all back- Cantrell Maryott takes advantage of a moment of inspiration at grounds and walks of life who agree that our wild areas need preserving. SIA’s Art in Wilderness weekend in the Tumacacoris. Since our last update, we have greatly hosted 15 artists for an Art in Wilder- voted unanimously in favor of a Resolu- for the Tumacacori Highlands is an is- expanded outreach efforts in the City of ness weekend field event in early April. tion of Support, calling on Congress to sue that he should champion. Calls or Nogales. We’re working to secure Reso- The weekend was a blast, and was the designate the Tumacacori Highlands as letters to the Senator expressing your lutions of Support from the Nogales City first step of our Art in Wilderness Wilderness. The Chamber Directors see support for the proposal and asking for Council and the Nogales-Santa Cruz project, which aims to showcase the the value of Wilderness to the economic his sponsorship would be very helpful. Chamber of Commerce. In late March, beauty and importance of the growth of the region and to the quality Please address letters to The Honorable Congressman Grijalva attended a spe- Tumacacori Highlands through poems, of life of residents. The vote was the John McCain, 241 Russell Senate Of- cial business mixer sponsored by the essays, paintings, songs, sketches, pho- capstone of a wildly successful outreach fice Building, Washington, D.C. 20510; Nogales-Santa Cruz Chamber of Com- tographs, and other art forms. Inspired effort by our volunteers in the area, par- ph: 202/ 224-2235; fax: 202/ 228-2862; merce. The Tumacacori Highlands Wil- by the Art in Wilderness weekend, lo- ticularly Birdie Stabel. We enjoyed dis- local: 520/ 670-6334; John_McCain derness proposal was featured with dis- cal Tucson singer/songwriter Kevin cussing Wilderness with the Chamber @McCain.senate.gov; www.mccain. plays, educational materials, and sup- Pakulis performed his Tumacacori song Directors and are very pleased to have senate.gov. portive comments from the Congress- “Jaguar Blues” at the Tucson Folk Fes- their full support. For more information, visit our man. Many Nogales business leaders at- tival on May 1 to an audience of more Currently, we’re working to expand website, www.TumacacoriWild.org. tended and it was a great way to get the than 500 cheering fans. Look for a trav- our outreach and educational efforts, We’re looking forward to an active and word out and have some substantive dis- eling exhibit to open next autumn! particularly in Green Valley and exciting summer and remainder of the cussions about the proposal. A very exciting development has been Nogales. We are also working to con- year. As always, if you’d like to get more In a preview of things to come, we that the Tubac Chamber of Commerce vince Senator McCain that Wilderness actively involved, please call us! Roulade with a view Birdie Stabel chosen as wilderness hero by Nick and Birdie Stabel, Friends of the by Rachel Bocchino, Campaign for America’s Wilderness Tumacacori Highlands Birdie Stabel was honored as a Wilderness natures and Birdie’s work to educate business Two of our long-time favorite restaurants in Tubac, Hero in April for her dedication and determina- owners about the value of protecting wilderness both supporters of the Tumacacori Highlands Wil- tion to preserve and protect Arizona’s resulted in the Tubac Chamber of Commerce’s derness proposal, are Melio’s Ristorante and Shelby’s Tumacacori Highlands. For Birdie’s long-time casting a unanimous vote of support recently Bistro. Each is excellent, different, and we’ve never involvement in protecting her beloved for the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness pro- been disappointed by the food or the service. Tumacacoris, she was recognized by the Cam- posal. Ten of the 13 Chamber Board members While living in Italy, Melinda met Elio, and one of paign for America’s Wilderness, the Sierra Club, had already individually signed the resolution. the results was Melio’s, their trattoria transplanted from and The Wilderness Society. “Birdie ‘gets it’ about wilderness and the need Rome. They’re locally famous for wonderful appetiz- Roberta “Birdie” Stabel is a true lover of na- for preserving Arizona’s wild places,” says Mike ers, great salads, a fine selection of pasta dishes and ture and a dedicated champion of wilderness for Quigley, the wilderness coordinator for Sky Is- finally, a variety of meat and fish. Our favorite is an the Tumacacori Highlands. An avid hiker and land Alliance. “And because she’s so passion- insalata mista with one of the excellent pasta dishes horseback rider, Stabel resides just three miles ate, honest and hardworking, she helps other and a carafe of Chianti followed by a cappuccino. The from the Tumacacori Highlands, and has lived people ‘get it,’ too. In fact, one of our organiz- food is always good and reasonably priced. The ambi- in the region for 17 years. “It’s my backyard, ers keeps saying, ‘We need a Birdie in Nogales.’ ence is pleasant with windows overlooking the Santa the first thing I see in the morning,” she says. I think we need a Birdie in every community Rita Mountains; arrive in the early evening and watch “It’s an extremely important part of my life.” working to protect our wild lands.” the mountains glow in the sunset. Located on the east Stabel has been extremely influential in gar- The Wilderness Heroes program, part of a cel- frontage road between Tubac and the country club, nering business support for the wilderness pro- ebration of the 40th anniversary of the Wilder- they’re open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday posal. So far, she has collected 60 signatures from ness Act, highlights the work of ordinary people through Sunday. Tubac-area business leaders on a resolution of making a difference in protecting the nation’s Shelby’s is named after the owner’s young daugh- support for protecting the Highlands. Those sig- public lands. ter, and the bistro is owned and operated by a sister- brother team of Joan Buckelew and Anthony Tey. Anthony is the chef; Joan manages the restaurant, just for us. Specialties include salads, soups, gourmet mushroom burgers, wraps, and pizza. Located in the oversees the dining area and also does some cooking. pizza, seafood, pasta, beef, chicken, and pork. Our Mercado de Baca at 19 Tubac Road, over the bridge You can dine indoors or out. We prefer the outside all-time favorite is the chicken roulade; it’s hard to behind the Tortuga Book Store, they are open for lunch tables with views of the mountains to the east and order another dish because we like the roulade so much. and dinner Wednesday through Saturday. west. We think the spectacular sunsets are ordered The lunch menu includes great salads, portabello We highly recommend both establishments! 18 Sky Island Alliance Spring-Summer 2005 Field Schedule Summer to Fall 2005

Defend Your Mother! Get your hands dirty, your boots muddy, and your soul back! Join Sky Island Alliance in the Field–50 Years of Conservation Since 1996 Please contact Sky Island Alliance at 520/ 624-7080 or trevor@ skyislandalliance.org if you are interested in any of the following events. May 27th–30th. Upper Blue River Tamarisk Survey Project. Join SIA and the Arizona Wilderness Coalition in a project to map locations of this nasty invasive weed that is sucking our precious rivers dry! This will be the first step in an eradication program along the beautiful Blue! Get wet and wild! 3.5 hours from Tucson. June 10th–12th. Riparian Inventory Weekend. Peloncillo Mountains/ Animas Valley, 3.0 hours from Tucson. June 24th–27th. Lower Blue River Tamarisk Survey Project (details above). July 8th–10th. Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Road Closure. Come out, swing a pick, get your hands dirty, and play a direct role in improving the ecological health of your public lands! 1.5 hours from Tucson. July 22nd–24th. Apache Box Exploratory Weekend. An amazing box canyon––hiking, climbing, bears, swimming. Limited space available. 3 hours from Tucson. August 12th–14th. Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Road Clo- sure (details above). August 26th–28th. Huachuca Mountains Riparian Inventory. What bet- ter time to get wet looking for fish and frogs? 2.0 hours from Tucson. September 2nd–5th. Labor Day Gathering at Onion Saddle! Time to hike and just hang out with this diverse and committed group of friends. Bring your own expertise and excitement to share with birders, botanists, butterfliers, and the rest of us nature nuts in one of the loveliest settings in the Southwest. September 16th–18th. Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Road Closure. (details above) September 30th–October 2nd2nd. Peloncillo Mountains Roads Inventory. 3.0 hours from Tucson. October 21st–23rd. Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Road Clo- sure. (details above). November 11th–14th. Riparian Restoration Project, Huachuca Mountains. Join or renew here 2.0 hours from Tucson. or through our website: Join Us! www.skyislandalliance.org f you received this newsletter and it’s time to renew your membership, please send in your check! If you are reading a friend’s newsletter, Iconsider joining us! We rely on members for our basic operations. Contributions are tax-deductible; we are a 501(c)3 organization. Basic membership is only $35, but if you add a little to that, here’s a sampling of what your dollars can do: •$50 will help us survey 30 miles of roads. •$75 will sponsor volunteer training workshops. •$100 will close one mile of road. Your Name ______Address______Become an SIA Program Fund Donor City ______State _____ Zip ______tories in recent newsletter issues have featuredprojects in our Phone ______E-Mail ______Rewilding Program: road inventory and restoration, wilderness $35 $50 $100 Other $____ (any amount helps and is appreciated!) S work, wildlife monitoring, and ecosystem defense. All the necessary road closures, •Mexico—the Chihuahua Research My check is enclosed. . tracking workshops, and wilderness Station in Janos and the Jaguar I’d like to pay by credit card. Master Card Visa American Express advocacy gets done only with extra Program in Sonora. funding, so please consider a special Please make your check out to Sky . Fill this out, or donate online. It’s quick, easy, and safe! . donation to one of the following funds: Island Alliance, with a note in the Amount $______Card #______Exp. Date______•Roads & Restoration, memo line about which fund you’d like •Wildlife Monitoring (Tracking), to support. We’ll make sure your money Security Code _____(usually the last 3-4 digits on the back of the card, in the signature panel) •Missing Link, goes to the programs that mean the most Card billing zip code (if different)______•Wilderness, and to you, and we’ll send you reports! Sky Island Alliance, P.O. 41165, Tucson, AZ 85717 Spring-Summer 2005 19 Sky Island Alliance Non-Profit Org. Sky Island Alliance U.S. Postage P.O. Box 41165 PAID Tucson, AZ 85717 Tucson AZ Permit # 1156

Sky Island grasslands in the 1850s. Painting of the San Lazaro land grant ranch in the upper Santa Cruz Valley, by Henry Cheever Pratt. This area still holds some of its grass today, but it, like so many across the West, is gradually losing soil and filling with shrubs. This area could be restored to its former grassy glory—if we change our management soon enough.

“Our course today was nearly south, over a broad valley, from eight to 10 miles across, hemmed in on both sides by high ranges of mountains. So level was that valley, and so luxuri- ant the grass, that it resembled a vast meadow.” –John R. Bartlett, US-Mexico Boundary Commission, 1851, trav- eling across the Sky Island region. e Sky Island residents often talk about our “mountain islands surrounded by desert seas.” WFor most of the last 10,000 years, though, it was waves of grass that blew across vast reaches of these seas, not the shrub deserts that are so common today. We look out at creosote flats, and we wonder what insanity caused Texas cattle barons to bring hundreds of thousands of head here in the 1870s and 1880s. The vast grasslands that tempted these herders have been so diminished and degraded that we can barely imagine their former glory. Our lowlands still show the scars cut grow grass again in our life- by this onslaught of hooves and times. Lost soil, exclusion of mouths. The great drought of the natural fire, continued grazing 1890s left cow carcasses strewn all pressure, and climate changes Status of current and former grasslands in the Sky Island region. Open grasslands are ones with less across the region and stripped whole have conspired to convert large that 10% shrub cover. Restorable grasslands have 10% to 35% shrub cover. Lost grasslands have less river systems of their spongy marshes. areas of grassland to shrubland. than 3% perenial grass canopy; these are now so dominated by shrubs that they will not recover with fire or rest from grazing within the next 40 years or longer. Data is from Gori, D.F., and C.A.F. Bare riparian soils were easy fodder Return of fire and rest from Enquist. 2003. An Assessment of the Spatial Extent and Condition of Grasslands in Central and for “gully washer” storms that dug grazing can bring many of these Southern AZ, Southwestern NM, and Norhtern Mexico. Prepared by The Nature Conservancy, channels 10 feet down in a season or degraded grasslands back to AZ Chapter. Our map combines some of the original categories. Data for Mexico is not shown here two. their former open structure. But because so much less is known about grassland status south of the border. Nature is a forgiving mistress, but because shrubs hold less water and more difficult to turn around. From a costly) intervention. Many landown- even she has her limits. Many of these less soil than grasses do, once shrubs triage approach, these former grass- ers and managers are now working to damaged grasslands rebounded from reach a density threshold, grassland lands are terminally ill; bringing them nurse back to health the patients with this20 crisis. Sky Others Island lost too much Allianc soil to losse accelerates and becomes much back would require heroic (and verySpring-Summermore promise, labeled on this 2005 map as