INSIDE: El Lobo Fate of The Once and Future Wolf

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Tumacacori update
Sky Island outings  other events Winter 2004 1 Sky Island Alliance Many Thanks to Our Contributors!

Jane E. Evans, afficionado of na- tive grasses; Jan Holder, Arizona Sky Island Front cover: Photo illustration based on photograph by Dr. Robin Silver of predator-friendly rancher; Sky captive Mexican gray wolf “Chico,” alpha male at the Phoenix Zoo’s Mexican Jacobs, self-trained naturalist and Alliance gray wolf breeding facility. artist; Craig Miller, Director of Protecting Back cover: View of the Sky Islands’ Pinaleno Mountains, native territory for Southwest Programs for Defenders Mexican gray wolves, seen from the Blue Range region of the current Mexican of Wildlife; Jean Ossorio, SIA Our Mountain Islands gray wolf recovery area. Wolves can easily cross such distances, but current US tracker who represents the South- & Desert Seas Fish and Wildlife regulations call for wolves to be caught or killed if they wander west Environmental Center on the outside the artificial boundaries of their release area. Photo by Tim Van Devender. Southwest Gray Wolf Recovery 520/624-7080 • fax 520/791-7709 Team; Dennis Pepe, owner of the [email protected] excellent Green Fire Bookshop in www.skyislandalliance.org Tucson, AZ; Kathy Pitts, exclusive P.O. B ox 41165 Table of Contents Flora and Fauna columnist for Re- Tucson, AZ 85717 Rambling Rants from the Director’s Desk...... 3 storing Connections; Asante Office: SIA in the News...... 3 Riverwind, Chiricahua Mountains Historic YWCA artist and activist; Nancy Reid, SIA 738 N. 5th Avenue, Suite 201 Wilderness in the Tumacacori Highlands...... 4 tracker; Michael J. Robinson, who Sky Island Alliance is a non-profit represents the Center for Biological Help Protect Mo’ Wilderness...... 5 membership organization dedicated to Diversity on the Southwest Gray restoring and protecting the unique The Once and Future Mexican Gray Wolf...... 6 Wolf Recovery Team; Robin Silver, diversity of the Sky Islands of South- physician, photographer and activ- eastern Arizona, Southwestern New Will the Real Mexican Gray Wolf Please Stand up...... 7 ist; Bob VanDeven, photographer Mexico, and Northern Mexico. Reward Increases as Wolf Killing Continues...... 7 and writer extraordinaire; and Tim Van Devender, SIA volunteer and S T AFF Predator-friendly Ranching...... 10 David Hodges wolf enthusiast; and, of course, the Executive Director Booknotes: Return of the Mexican Gray Wolf ...... 10 SIA staff. [email protected] Acasia Berry Poetry...... 11 Associate Director Road Rattlings...... 12 [email protected] Upcoming Issue Matt Skroch Tracking el Lobo...... 12 2004 marks the tenth aniversary of the Field Program Director first conference to feature our “Madrean [email protected] Wildnews!...... 13 Archipelago” Sky Island area as a distinct Trevor Hare Conservation Biologist Biodiversity and Mgmt of the Madrean Archipelago II...... 14 region worthy of attention and protection. In honor of this, we’re co-hosting a [email protected] ...... back cover Cory Jones follow-up conference in May (see page GIS Specialist 14). We’re also focusing our next news- [email protected] letter on the region’s changes and trends, Janice Przybyl ten years back and ten years forward. Wildlife Monitoring Program The newsletter feature “Looking [email protected] Back, Thinking Ahead” will be a com- Gita Bodner munity effort. We invite submissions on Conservation planning this theme from all perspectives and all [email protected] formats (biology, hydrology, culture, poli- Caroline “Frog” Tinker tics, etc., in prose, poetry, drawings, pho- Events Coordinator tographs, etc.). Look back and reflect on [email protected] how the region has changed in the last 10 Jennifer Wolfsong Legal Intern years (or longer, but using 10 years as a [email protected] bench mark). Think ahead and speak Lenny Alvarado about what you hope for, what you fear, Legal Intern what you expect, and what your intuition [email protected] sees. What predictions of a decade ago Jennifer Katcher have come to pass and which have not? Webmaster Where have we made progress and where [email protected] have we slipped back? Chart the history of your favorite issue and show us where Newsletter its future meets the horizon . Submissions Gita Bodner and are due April 4, 2004 (see below). Dug Schoellkopf, general editors Bob VanDeven, feature editor Board of Directors Seeking SIA newsletter submissions: Rod Mondt, President Send us your poetry, your words of wisdom, your art! Randall Gray, Vice President We want to keep this newsletter filled with inspirational, informative material, and we’d like your help! Do you write Nancy Zierenberg, Secretary poetry? Draw, sketch, paint, or photograph? Like to address regional conservation issues? Review books or websites? Dale Turner, Treasurer Anything that relates to the Sky Islands region is fair game! You can respond to items in our recent newsletter, comment on Curtis Bradley your experiences as a volunteer or conference-goer, etc. Also, let us know if you’d like to be a regular contributor, e.g. with a Paul Hirt Lainie Levick column each issue. The deadline for our next newsletter is April 4, 2004. Material submitted after that date may be saved for Rurik List subsequent issues. Please email submissions to [email protected], or mail them to Sky Island Alliance attn: Carlos Lopez Gonzalez Gita, P.O. Box 41165, Tucson, AZ 85717. Resolution of digital images should be at least 300 dpi if possible, but we can work Steve Marlatt with some lower-resolution images. Miss our restaurant reviews? That’s because no one sent us any! C’mon, folks, you know Todd Schulke there are some great eats out there. Give your favorite small-town restaurant a boost by letting us promote it! 2 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 Rednecks for Red Wolves During the summer of 1996 my family population for this species. Reintroduc- is looking at other areas within the South- this piece, long-time wolf advocate and I had the good fortune to spend time tion of the red wolf into North Carolina west, far from baileyi’s native range. Michael J. Robinson captured the issue traveling and camping in North Carolina. began in 1987 and today nearly 100 This in itself would not affect the return dead-on. “Mexican gray wolves would Surprisingly, the most common bumper wolves live in the wild and range across of wolves to the Sky Islands, however the successfully adapt to Colorado, as would sticker we saw that summer proudly pro- an area covering a half million acres. This Fish and Wildlife Service has taken the po- Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves claimed “Rednecks for Red Wolves.” Upon is a testament to the generosity of the sition that any wolf found outside of the ar- from Yellowstone National Park. But further investigation, we found that not people of North Carolina who embrace bitrarily derived recovery zone will be re- there is more at stake. The Endangered only were rednecks for red wolves, but all their own natural heritage to welcome moved. Nowhere else that the Fish and Species Act is intended to ‘provide a sorts of other folks were as well. Young, back native wildlife. Wildlife Service is involved in wolf recov- means whereby the ecosystems upon old, rural, and urban folks were proud of For more than a decade much attention ery does this onerous burden exist--not in which endangered species and threatened the fact that a part of their heritage had has been focused on the efforts to reintro- the southeast, the Great Lake states, or in species depend may be been restored. We left the Carolinas im- duce the Mexican gray wolf to the South- the northern Rockies. In the case of the red conserved.’ Putting lobos in Colorado pressed with how well people and wolves west. What hasn’t always been clear dur- wolf, the recovery program started out us- should not come at the expense of allow- could live with one another. ing this time is that Canis lupus baileyi, the ing a model similar to ours with poor results. ing them to recover in the habitats in In many ways the plight of the Eastern Mexican gray wolf, rarely existed in the Only after this boundary restriction was which they evolved along the US-Mexico red wolf parallels our own Mexican gray United States outside the Sky Islands re- lifted did red wolves begin to flourish. If this border. The diminutive Coues white- wolf. In the early years of the 20th cen- gion and then only after adjacent regions barrier to recovery is not removed and/or tailed deer deserves the predator which tury the red wolf was believed to be re- suffered the extirpation of their own native the decision is made to establish the second graced it with keen alertness; the pig-like sponsible for widespread cattle losses. wolves. In 1986, Fish and Wildlife Service population outside of previously studied javelina should not be cheated of the rea- This combined with unfounded fear of the wolf expert Ronald M. Nowak (and sub- sites in the Sky Islands, Canis lupus baileyi son for its inch-long tusks and occasion- wolf created hysteria that led first to sequent researchers utilizing genetic analy- will likely never exist in the US portion of ally aggressive disposition.” bounty killing followed by a systematic sis) emphasized how different baileyi was its former range. Those of us who would like to see our predator control program. Additionally, from all other gray wolf subspecies. He One glimmer of hope is the Paquet Re- native wolf restored to the Sky Islands the red wolf was affected by mining, log- advised releasing them in “an area relatively port, prepared for the Fish and Wildlife Ser- must act fast and forcefully. Decision mak- ging, road building, water diversion and close in ecological conditions to those that vice by the Conservation Breeding Special- ers need to hear your voices. Please send a drainage projects, and the clearing of land baileyi lived under, and also an area within ist Group in 2001. It contains many recom- letter today to H. Dale Hall, Southwest for development, which altered and de- one of the states that bordered Old mendations designed to improve the recov- Regional Director, US Fish and Wildlife stroyed its habitat. By 1980, the red wolf Mexico.” The Blue Range Wolf Recovery ery efforts on behalf of the Mexican gray Service, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, was extinct in the wild with 14 captive Area into which wolves were reintroduced wolf. Several key recommendations are to NM 87103, and send copies to members wolves forming the original breeding in 1998 comprises the Gila and Apache Na- “immediately modify the final rule and de- of the Arizona and New Mexico congres- tional Forests, approximately 80% of which velop the authority to conduct initial releases sional delegation, especially Senators John is outside of baileyi’s historic range. This into the Gila National Forest.” and “imme- McCain (AZ) and Jeff Bingaman Sky Island subspecies of the gray wolf has diately modify the final rule to allow wolves (NM). Please demand a federal rule yet to be restored to its native range (see that are not management problems to estab- change that would follow the recommen- back cover for range map). If politics and lish territories outside the Blue River dations of the Paquet Report, including special interests continue to drive the gray [Range] Wolf Recovery Area.” If the Fish direct release into the Gila National For- wolf recovery program in the Southwest, and Wildlife Service adopts the Paquet Re- est and especially allowing wolves to roam wolves will not return to the Sky Islands. port as management policy, wolves would outside the boundaries of the recovery The recovery plan calls for two separate once again populate the Sky Islands on their area, just as all other endangered wildlife populations of the wolf. The original five own. With the potential future reintroduc- is permitted to do. We must bring sound areas studied for reintroduction efforts tion of the gray wolf to the northern Sierra science and common sense into this pro- were three mountainous complexes in the Madres, our Sky Island population would gram, and public input is the key to mak- Sky Islands, the Blue Range of east-cen- be a bridge between wolf populations in ing this happen. Thanks for your help. tral Arizona, and the White Sands Missile Mexico and those in the Blue Range and –David Hodges, Executive Director Range. Eventually, the Blue was chosen the Gila Wilderness. Only then would we For more information, the Paquet Re- for initial reintroduction efforts. Of grave be able to consider Canis lupus baileyi re- port (recommendations on pgs.65–68) is concern to us is that the current recovery covered in its native range. online at: mexicanwolf.fws.gov/Docu- team does not appear to be considering the Recently, I received a copy of an op-ed ments/R2ES/Mexican_Wolf_3 Sky Islands as a second recovery site, but that ran in the Rocky Mountain News. In _Year_Biological_Review.pdf. Sky Island Alliance in the News by Acasia Berry, SIA Associate Director The Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness parian trail.” The map depicting the area it always remain this way.” Wilderness designation is not the only campaign continues to draw media atten- on the full-page piece was created by our Here in Tucson the proposal is also get- story that put the work of Sky Island Al- tion. Both the Green Valley News and own Cory Jones. ting a fair amount of ink. The Tucson Citi- liance in the news though. Phelps Dodge Sun and Nogales International, the two January 20, Nogales International zen ran a January 9 editorial stating that stepped closer to opening a massive open newspapers closest to the proposed area, editor Kathleen Vandervoet’s editorial the “Tumacacori Highlands warrants the pit copper mine outside of Safford. In its have run extensive stories along with sev- Tumacacori Wilderness Area Must be protection because it is an exceptional area December 11 story the Arizona Daily eral pro-wilderness letters to the editors. Created urges readers to “take a little time for native plants and animal species…” Star quoted SIA executive director Some of the highlights of the coverage at least once a year to ask ourselves what Meanwhile on January 25, in The Arizona David Hodges who refuted claims by include the Green Valley News and kind of Earth we want to live on.” She Republic, Mary Jo Pitzl’s wrote on the Wayne King of the BLM’s Safford office Sun’s Diversions Section on January 14. then called on citizen’s to fulfill their “re- history of wilderness in Arizona and the that the proposed mine won’t have any Staff writer Tim Hull inspired readers to sponsibility to look out for the protection specifics of our proposal while quoting our significant problems. “I’m always skep- visit and experience the vast wild ex- of the land around us” by calling our own Matt Skroch: “We’re looking at this tical when a mining company says there’s panses of the Highlands. “It is so quiet elected officials. She goes on to say “A and saying, ‘We like it as it is,’ “ said Matt not going to be any impacts. We’ve heard here. Nothing but the wind and an occa- wilderness is something we can enjoy Skroch, a member of Friends of the that a few thousand times, and it’s never sional screech disturbs the wonderment now, and it’s also a gift we can give to our Tumacacori Highlands, the group pushing turned out to be true,” said Hodges This that even the most hardened human will children, grandchildren, and great grand- for the wilderness label. “We don’t want it story also ran in the February 2 edition likely succumb to standing on the windy children. Now is the time to act to pre- cut up with roads, we don’t want it blown of High Country NewsNews. plains or hiking along a wet and misty ri- serve the current wild area and assure that out with campsites.” Winter 2004 3 Sky Island Alliance Following the Trail to Wilderness in the Tumacacori Highlands by Matt Scroch, SIA Field Programs Director “In order to assure that an increasing population, n January 10, more than 100 folks gathered at the accompanied by expanding settlement and growing base of Tumacacori Peak in Tubac, Arizona, to hear Congress- Oman Grijalva and local residents release a plan to designate a mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas portion of the Coronado National Forest as wilderness. within the United States and its possessions, leaving no The proposal would add approximately to wandering jaguars, rolling hills of oak 84,000 acres to the National Wilderness grassland, and deep canyons, the lands designated for preservation and protection in Preservation System, which currently en- Tumacacori Highlands represent the larg- compasses about 106 million acres of pub- est remaining roadless area on Arizona’s their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the lic lands across the country. The National Forests not designated as wilder- policy of the Congress to secure for the American ness. If so designated, it would become the fourth largest wilder- people of present and future generations the benefits ness area on Arizona’s national forests. of an enduring resource of wilderness.” Wilderness areas are created by the United States Congress gress to secure for the American people of nation protects. photo by Sky Crosby through legislation brought by present and future generations the benefits In Congress, we look to the Arizona Del- one or more congressional mem- of an enduring resource of wilderness.” egation for support. Arizona’s last Wilder- bers. The purpose of wilderness When passed unanimously almost 40 years ness bills in 1990 (BLM lands) and 1984 is embodied in the 1964 Wilder- ago, Congress had the foresight to protect (Forest Service lands) were led by the late ness Act which states, “In order areas from degradation for future genera- Congressman Morris K. Udall—a champion to assure that an increasing popu- tions. Through the decades that legacy has of public lands management and advocate lation, accompanied by expand- continued to grow. Without wilderness pro- for wild places across the country. Those bills ing settlement and growing tection, places like Pusch Ridge and the enjoyed support from Democrats and Re- mechanization, does not occupy Chiricahua Mountains as well as Aravaipa publicans alike, and we aim to bring a di- Rep. Raúl Grijalva at January 10 press conference and modify all areas within the Canyon might not offer the solitude and verse range of voices to Congress when the Tumacacori Highlands, about 15 miles United States and its possessions, leaving unspoiled beauty they do today. These Tumacacori Highlands bill is ready. northwest of Nogales, Arizona, contain no lands designated for preservation and places, including the yet undesignated Representative Jim Kolbe—who sup- outstanding resources of wildlife, cultural protection in their natural condition, it is Tumacacori Highlands, provide a unique ported Wilderness in 1990 and takes credit sites, and recreational opportunities. Home hereby declared to be the policy of the Con- opportunity to enjoy untrammeled lands for important environmental legislation and experience our public wildlands in their such as the San Pedro National Riparian natural state. While hunting and ranching Conservation Area and Las Cienegas Na- Powerline Update are not affected, wilderness restricts motor- tional Conservation Area—represents a ized vehicles to existing roads that do not portion of the Santa Cruz River Valley and Tucson Electric Power’s proposed powerline through Arizona’s largest remain- penetrate the designated area. While illegal could be an important spokesperson for ing unprotected roadless area continues to threaten this magical landscape and roads increasingly plague the Coronado Na- preserving the natural characteristics of the nearby communities. In October 2003, the Coronado National Forest and De- tional Forest, wilderness provides a strong Tumacacori Highlands. We hope Senator partment of Energy closed the public comment period for the Draft Environmen- mandate requiring their closure. John McCain, who also has supported tal Impact Statement they released in August. Today, we await the final planning The Tumacacori Highlands document that will outline the preferred route and foreshadow the Dept. of En- Wilderness Campaign is led by ergy and Forest Service’s eventual decision on where the line would be allowed, an ad-hoc coalition called the and with what restrictions. Thank you to all our dedicated members and volun- Friends of the Tumacacori teers who took time to write letters opposing this disastrous project! Highlands, of which Sky Island During the public hearings held in September 2003 in Green Valley and

Alliance is a cooperating orga- photo by Kate Mackay Nogales, communities of southern Arizona spoke out against this huge powerline. nization. This coalition, consist- In solidarity, citizens called for real solutions to Santa Cruz County power needs– ing of more than 70 businesses not a massive proposal that sidesteps the interests of the public. After the Green and organizations in addition to Valley hearing resulted in almost unanimous opposition to all proposed routes, hundreds of individuals, con- TEP representatives tried to salvage their public image by stating that citizens tinues to build a strong in Nogales support the proposal. Two days later in Nogales, the hearing again groundswell of support showed almost unanimous opposition–sending a strong message to the federal throughout our communities. agencies, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), and TEP that this This wilderness proposal is powerline proposal does not benefit southern Arizona. founded on public support. No matter where the current powerline proposal goes, it will be met with stiff The overwhelming majority of people at the press conference To ensure that the support wilderness designation for the Tumacacori Highlands. opposition and litigation if necessary. We will continue to advocate for cheaper Tumacacori Highlands re- and better solutions – a smaller powerline, local generating plant, or renewable main as they are today, the Friends are Wilderness—both the 1984 and 1990 resource technology. The ACC would be wise to listen to the communities of south- dedicated to working with all interested Acts—will also be an important advocate ern Arizona and change their hardline stance on such a massive, destructive, and stakeholders. We share common ground in the Senate as we head to Congress later unneeded project. As long as TEP hides behind the ACC and pretends to be inter- with the ranching community, the business this year. Your voice is needed to help con- ested in solving Santa Cruz County’s power needs while greedily eyeing specula- community, and those who work or recre- vince these legislators of the value of this tive Mexican power markets, the citizens here will not look favorably upon their ate in these fantastic mountains. Our out- new Wilderness bill (see page 6). proposals. reach efforts have already made great We have a challenging but rewarding Many of you are asking how this relates to Wilderness designation. If the strides. In the small community of Tubac road ahead of us. Building support, writing Tumacacori Highlands had not been left out of the 1984 Wilderness Act, this area alone, more than two dozen businesses letters, and seeking endorsements from a would have already been protected against against such damaging powerline have signed on to support wilderness. Lo- wide spectrum of viewpoints is no small schemes. Wilderness designation now would, of course, prevent future assaults of cal elected officials from Santa Cruz task. We look forward to this worthy work this type. As it stands, however, TEP’s current powerline proposal will likely have to County have also expressed their support and will continue to advocate for a solid pro- be defeated on its own lack of merit. for designation. In addition, hunting-ori- posal built upon the hard work of citizens This issue may take a while to resolve. We’ll keep you posted! ented groups are beginning to appreciate who care to see the Tumacacori Highlands the wildlife habitat that Wilderness desig- remain as they are—a wild and special place. 4 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 Help Protect Mo’ Wilderness by Diana Rhoades, SIA Wilderness Organizer his September our nation will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act, the landmark legislation that has protected T more than 106 million acres of public lands as road-free wilderness in 44 states. Thanks to volunteer action and progressive leadership, Arizona is one of those states, with some 4.5 million acres protected in congressionally-designated Wilderness areas. Legendary congressman Mo Udall led the legislative fight, sponsoring Wilderness bills for Ari- zona in 1984 and 1990. But between the passage of the 1990 Wilderness Bill and the next census in 2000, Arizona’s population increased by 40 per- cent (from 3.7 million to 5.3 million) and roadless acres have declined. Clearly it’s time for new Wilderness designations. Acording to US census data, Arizona’s ley News have also run favorable articles. population is growing three times as fast Located southwest of Tucson and north- as the rest of the nation and shows no signs west of Nogales in the Coronado National of slowing. Motorized recreation—which Forest, the Tumacacori, Atascosa and has a large per-person impact on fragile, Pajarito mountains are an exceptional arid lands and on the sense of solitude arena for the intermingling of sub-tropical sought by other users—has boomed dur- and northern species of plants and animals. ing this same time. As valuable as our past They’re home to 50 sensitive species—one Wilderness bills were, only some six per- of the highest concentrations of imperiled cent of Arizona’s land base is currently pro- or rare plants and animals in the state. tected under the Wilderness Act. This tiny Plants of the area include sub-tropical amount is simply not enough to protect the trees, epiphytes, rare annuals and cacti, fragile parts of our natural heritage against and numerous species of wildflowers. Ani- this onslaught of new residents. And six mals of the area include the Mexican spot- percent is nowhere near enough to provide ted owl, Chiricahua leopard frog, gray opportunities for solitude and low-impact hawk, Mexican vine snake, tropical king- recreation for this growing population. bird, great plains narrow-mouthed toad, On January 10, Congressman Raúl buff-collared nightjar, desert tortoise, and Contact these key elected officials! of course the jaguar! Since 1900 there Grijalva kicked off the new year with legis- th lation to protect southern Arizona’s have been only 60 sightings of jaguars— Call and write Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ, 8 District) and Sen. John Tumacacori Highlands. Like they did for the all in southern Arizona. McCain (R-AZ) and ask them to add their support to Rep. Raúl 1984 Pajarita and Mt. Wrightson Wilderness Join the Friends of the Grijalva’s Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness legislation. areas, residents and businesses from Tucson Tumacacori Highlands The Honorable John McCain to Tumacacori, Tubac to Nogales, and The Honorable Jim Kolbe One way people are getting involved is by Arivaca to Green Valley are working hard to US Senate US House of Representatives joining Friends of the Tumacacori Highlands, protect approximately 84,000 of public land 241 Russell Senate Building 2266 Rayburn House Building a grassroots coalition of organizations, busi- in their back yards. These people see that Washington, D.C. 20510 nesses, and citizens supporting the Wilder- Washington, D.C. 20515 Wilderness designation will help preserve the ness designation. Groups include Sky Island Phone: (202) 224-2235 Phone: (202) 225-2542 charms of southern Arizona in the face of Alliance, Friends of the Santa Cruz River, Fax: (202) 228-2862 growing populations drawn by these charms. Fax: (202) 225-0378 Santa Cruz River Alliance, Rex Ranch, Ari- These people choose to defend our collec- Local: (520) 670-6334 Local: (520) 881-3588 zona Quail Alliance, Arizona Wilderness tive natural legacy and recognize that the www.mccain.senate.gov/ www.house.gov/kolbe/ Coalition, Tucson and Arizona Audubon So- longer we wait, the harder it will be to pro- cieties, Ruby Mine, Arizona Native Plant So- tect the dwindling amount we have left. The Write letters to the editor to help rally friends and ciety, Republicans for Environmental Pro- Nogales International and the Tucson Citi- tection, Southwestern Biological Institute, neighbors. These letters do make a difference! zen have published editorials in favor of Wil- Sierra Club, and hundreds of citizens in Santa derness, and The Connection and Green Val- Nogales International Arizona Daily Star Cruz county and throughout Arizona. P.O. Box 579 P.O. Box 26807 Nogales, AZ 85621 Tucson, AZ 85726-6807 Talking Points on the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Proposal: (520) 281-9706 (520) 573-4141 fax • Protects Arizona’s largest unprotected national forest roadless area [email protected] [email protected] from destructive road building, unregulated off-road vehicles, new min- ing claims, new utility lines, and other damaging development; The Connection Tucson Citizen • Protects non-motorized recreational activities such as hunting, hik- P.O. Box 338 P.O. Box 26767 ing, horseback riding, and camping; Arivaca, AZ 85601 Tucson, AZ 85726-6767 • Protects habitat for magnificent species such as the jaguar, gray hawk, (520) 398-2379 (520) 573-4569 fax Chiricahua leopard frog, tropical kingbird and mountain lion; (520) 398-3025 fax [email protected] • Protects clean air and water in the Santa Cruz River watershed; [email protected] • Protects cultural and historical sites; We want to gather all the letters for • Preserves access roads including Ruby Road and several Forest Green Valley News & Sun a big wilderness event—so please Service roads for reaching wild areas; P.O. Box 567 send a copy of your letter to Friends • Does not affect existing grazing operations or existing mining claims; Green Valley, AZ 85622 of the Tumacacori Highlands, P.O. • Reduces proliferation of roads used by smugglers, but does not pre- (520) 625-8046 fax Box 8102, Tumacacori, AZ 85640, vent Border Patrol agents from doing their law enforcement jobs. [email protected] or email: [email protected]. Winter 2004 5 Sky Island Alliance Policy and Law The Once and Future Mexican Gray Wolf by Michael J. Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity attempt is a now-or-never effort.” Such funds completely foreign to Canis lupus baileyi n August 1915, a 25-year-old drifter from Oregon landed on his were never allocated and no additional wild while ignoring the value to the wolf of re- older brother’s ranch along Turkey Creek in southeastern Arizona’s wolves have since been confirmed in Mexico. turning to its native range. Canelo Hills, and decided to stay. Stanley P. Young, smart and ambi- Although a few progressive minds in the Today, a new recovery team has been con- I Fish and Wildlife Service were in favor of vened to decide where within this area tious but rudderless, had been drifting in and out of colleges for years and reintroducing the wolf, it took 18 years of wolves will be allowed to live—and re- working in gold and mica mines. He had grown up hunting, and devel- litigation and political maneuvering to begin quired to recover—as a standard for oped skills as a trapper during his wandering years. In October 1917, the to overcome the agency’s predator control removing them from the endangered U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey hired Young as a hunter for its two- legacy and agree on a plan to get Mexican species list. Under this scheme, wolves year-old program to exterminate predators that threatened livestock. One gray wolves back into the wild. The extended might well be de-listed merely for inhabiting of Young’s first tasks directly benefited himself and his brother: killing a process included an evaluation by Arizona’s areas in northern Arizona and Colorado (as Game and Fish Department of three poten- well as their current recovery area), with- pair of wolves whose territory ranged from Mexico into the Canelo Hills. tial wolf habitats in the Sky Islands Ecosys- out any population of lobos established in The wolf pair had been killing newborn dant, and individuals periodically crossed tem—the Chiricahuas, Galiuro/Pinelenos, the sole part of the United States where they calves. Their tracks were unmistakable—the over into Arizona and New Mexico. and Patagonia/Atascosas—each wholly evolved: the Sky Islands. male was missing the middle toe on his right From the 1930s through the 1960s, the within the historic range of the Mexican wolf Recovery of the Mexican gray wolf can front foot, lost to a leghold trap that had made Biological Survey (which in 1940 became and each drawn to include more than two be seen as a journey of three steps. The him perpetually wary. The pair shunned poi- the US Fish and Wildlife Service) sta- million acres. All were found capable of sup- first is simply the survival of individual sons and avoided attempts to run them down porting wolves. But atten- wolves beyond the confines of metal cages with hunting dogs. It took Young four weeks tion turned instead to the and captive breeding facilities. Founding of tracking them on their regular 70-mile cir- larger roadless areas of a stable breeding population in the wild cuit, crossing the international border at two above the Mogollon Rim. represents the second step, of greater im- places, before he located a spot where cattle These lay in the historic portance for the future of the species. Fi- and mounted cowboys wouldn’t stumble into range of a neighboring but nally, the third critical step involves re- a trap and yet the wolves would. At a 6,000- now extinct gray wolf sub- turn of wolves to the mountains and grass- foot-high pass in the Canelo Hills he care- species; the accepted lands they once inhabited. Unfortunately fully concealed two steel traps. range of the Mexican gray for the wolves, the recovery process has The female wolf stepped into his trap, wolf extended only as far stalled since we achieved the first step back pulled it from the ground, and dragged the north as the Gila River in in 1998. The Blue Range/Gila wolves have trap and its chain through brushy ravines southwestern New not yet reached the status of a viable breed- while fighting off the dogs that Young Mexico and southeastern ing population, largely because of the brought in to track her. Young caught up to Arizona. With more unyielding boundary encircling them and her on horseback in the San Rafael Valley roadless acres and greater the continued poaching described on page below, ending her travails with a shot from Devender Van Tim availability of certain prey, seven. The Endangered Species Act is his Colt revolver. According to Young, she the first lobos were re- intended to “provide a means whereby the was the first wolf in Arizona killed in this Let me out! leased in March of 1998 in ecosystems upon which endangered species federal program. The male wolf, his caution tioned a hunter along the Mexican bor- the Apache National Forest with a recovery and threatened species depend may be overpowered by longing, became the second der to prevent “re-infestation” of the area that also included the Gila National For- conserved,”and Congress has directed the victim 17 days later when he stepped into a Southwest with wolves. In 1950 the est of New Mexico. Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize list- trap baited with his deceased mate’s urine, agency sent salaried personnel and a new, As part of a political compromise made ings of species precisely where the greatest and ground-up gall bladder and anal glands. deadlier poison called Compound 1080 to to meet the livestock industry’s strident conflicts with extractive interests lie- partly The federal government had entered the Mexico (and Young went to Canada) to objections, the wolves were officially con- to ensure that the most imperiled landscapes wolf-killing business in 1915 after ranchers duplicate the cooperative, district-by-dis- fined to the artificial boundaries of these receive the conservation attention they and bounty hunters failed to exterminate the trict extermination program that had been two national forests. El Lobo was formally deserve. By failing to recognize the unique species in previous decades. To make room successful in the U.S.. Ten years later, all banned from the Sky Islands—its true character and historic range of the Mexi- for domestic livestock, millions of deer, elk, but a few of Mexico’s wolves were gone. home—even when the recovering wolves’ can gray wolf, the Fish and Wildlife Ser- pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and bi- By 1970, after years of the Fish and Wild- territories are on national forests or BLM vice has set the stage to write off conserva- son had been gunned down in the late nine- life Service’s defensively insisting in Con- public lands. Today, the population above tion of the habitat in which it evolved. teenth and early twentieth centuries. The gressional hearings that it would never the rim is struggling due in large part to the Ultimately, to ensure the lobo is allowed gray wolves, largely deprived of their natu- drive a species to extinction, wolves cross- government’s policy of killing or repeatedly to roam the hills it once knew, an active con- ral prey, readily turned to livestock as a new ing into the U.S. were an almost unknown removing wolves that leave the official re- stituency of people must demand its return. food source. The Bureau of Biological rarity—but still were given no sanctuary covery area. Even when re-released, wolf A broad coalition of conservation groups, Survey’s program of salaried hunters from the agency’s ubiquitous poisons. packs that have been moved almost invari- including the Center for Biological Diver- proved far more efficient than the bounty Only President Richard M. Nixon’s sign- ably break apart and the separated animals sity, is suing to overturn last year’s perni- laws that often allowed a few savvy wolves ing of the Endangered Species Act on De- are much more vulnerable to poachers. cious Southwestern Gray Wolf reclassifi- to escape and perpetuate their kind. cember 28, 1973, reversed these policies On April 1, 2003, the Fish and Wildlife cation. As the 1982 recovery plan notes, Poison soon became the government’s pri- and led to the capture of the last five wolves Service codified a gray wolf reclassifica- Mexican wolves evolved in sparse habitats mary tool and by the early 1920s the agency in Mexico between 1978 and 1980 for an tion rule that essentially lumped Canis lu- that required them to roam vast distances was producing around three million tabs of emergency captive breeding program to pus baileyi together with several very differ- to find sufficient prey. That roaming is part strychnine each year. These were concealed stave off extinction. Their progeny joined ent subspecies, all of which are now extinct. of their essence, and the lobo is part of the in one-inch chunks of horseflesh and dropped a handful of others already in captivity, This rule superseded a 1978 regulation that spirit of the Sky Islands and part of the func- around water sources and wildlife trails. some of which were the offspring of a lobo had ensured that any wolf recovery effort tioning of its ecosystems. The tentative first By 1928 Young had worked his way up to captured in 1959 in southern Arizona’s be informed by knowledge of the various step toward recovery has been taken, but national chief of predator control. Consis- Tumacacori Mountains. subspecies and their historic ranges. The the journey is far from over. tent use of the word “control” was Young’s In January 1982, an interagency and new regulation created a so-called South- Michael Robinson represents the Cen- innovation to assure critics that there was no bi-national recovery team released a west Gray Wolf Distinct Population Seg- ter for Biological Diversity on the South- danger of complete extinction. Yet by 1928 Mexican wolf recovery plan. It con- ment area extending from Mexico to west Gray Wolf Recovery Team. This only scattered lone wolves and few if any tained a plea for resources, recommend- northern Utah and Colorado. On the sur- article is drawn from his recently com- breeding packs were left in the western United ing “that money be made available for face it looks as though the wolves have States. In Mexico’s Sierra Madre Moun- additional intensive survey work and at- gained more territory in which to roam. In pleted history of the federal wolf exter- tains, however, the Mexican gray wolf sub- tempts to capture wolves located during reality the regulation simply grafts onto the mination and reintroduction programs, species (Canis lupus baileyi) was still abun- the survey. The feeling is that this final already artificial range map a chunk of land for which he is seeking a publisher. 6 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 Will the Real Mexican Gray Wolf Please Stand Up by Kathy Pitts, Special to Restoring Connections t turns out, the wolf is one of those animals you think you know a picked up from the Peck Canyon area of large. (Instead, it’s becoming apparent they lot about and don’t. You grew up on tales of Red Riding Hood and the Tumacacori Mountains in 1959. Des- prefer elk to deer.) ignation of this area as wilderness (as pro- Perhaps we will have an opportunity to Iat some point switched to Farley Mowat, but what you know may posed by Friends of the Tumacacori begin studying what writer Barry Lopez still be more legend than fact. Highlands) might someday allow the re- called “the conversation of death”—the and extermination efforts that extinction turn of a once-native son. (Is this appro- moment of decision between predator and loomed south of the Canadian border. priate and/or likely?) prey as to who will be chased and who What we know of wolf family structure, The wolves have already been re- will live another day. We may even put to communication skills, hunting habits and turned to another of their haunts, made rest that old cliché about how wolves mate life cycle has come to us since then from famous by Aldo Leopold’s conversion to for life. We don’t and they don’t, and it field studies of eastern and arctic gray conservation in the dying light of a wolf’s would be edifying to understand why not. wolves in the northern latitudes. eyes. It is here, in the Blue Range Wolf But in order for us to have this “con- Meanwhile, a review of the popular litera- Recovery Area, that we may once more versation of life” there is still much work ture proves that romantic notions die hard. have an opportunity to learn about these to be done to ensure the establishment Do wolves only kill the weak and small? Do intelligent and adaptable predators and of Mexican wolves in their old home. Ac- they really mate for life? What does domi- their importance to the Southwestern cording to Parsons, illegal mortality— nance mean when it comes to wolf packs? ecosystem. continuing attacks on wolves by hu- And then there’s the Mexican gray wolf, For, as wolf specialist David Parsons mans—presents a serious problem. He Canis lupus baileyi, the subspecies native to noted in a 1996 report, “Wolves pursue is hopeful that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

photo by Robin Silver our Sky Islands. Old accounts are reliable their prey by chasing, sometimes over Service will be more responsive to the only in their relentless litany of the slaugh- long distances, and often hunt in groups, issue now that a new recovery team is in ter of the wild canids, with descriptive in- while other large predators [mountain li- place. formation typically limited to tall-tale brag- ons or bears] hunt singly and usually rely Because somewhere out there is the gadocio about how fierce, large, and cun- on ambush or opportunistic encounters real wolf, whom we have yet to meet. ning the beasts were. with their prey. Thus, the evolutionary This smallest and southernmost of North influence of Mexican wolves on their * Parsons, D.R. 1996. Case Study: The America’s gray wolves was exterminated prey was unique and was not replaced in Mexican Wolf. Pages 101-123 in E.A. from this country long ago. Remnant popu- their absence.”* Herrera and L.F. Huenneke eds. New Female Mexican gray wolf at the Phoenix Zoo’s lations remained in Mexico long enough We may learn whether it’s true, as they Mexico’s Natural Heritage: Biological captive breeding program for stragglers to be seen here into the ‘50s say, that Mexican wolves have smaller Diversity in the Land of Enchantment. Serious research into wolf biology and and for a select few to become the found- packs and larger ranges than their north- New Mexico Journal of Science, Vol. 36. ecology didn’t begin until something like ing generation for the current effort to re- ern cousins. Or maybe this won’t turn out Parsons, USFWS wolf recovery program 30 or 40 years ago, when the animals establish wild populations. to be any more true than the idea that leader from 1990 to 1999, is now a con- were already so reduced by habitat loss One of those wild-caught lobos was Mexican wolves choose small prey over sulting wildlife biologist in Albuquerque. Reward Increases as Wolf Killing Continues in Southwest by Craig Miller, Defenders of Wildlife o stop the tide of lawless wolf killings in Arizona and New Mexico, REWARD Defenders of Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a Tcoalition of conservation and civic groups are announcing a Mexican wolves are protected by federal and state law. significant increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of wolf killers. The current $20,000 reward is being They are threatened by illegal killing. increased to $45,000 for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the shooting deaths of Mexican gray wolves. Public-interest organizations and private individuals will contribute to the current The reward increase results from breaking news that two more reward offered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a total of up to endangered Mexican gray wolves have been found dead, bringing the total to 11 deaths in New Mexico and Arizona since March. Anyone found guilty of killing an endan- Mexico at (505) 346-7828 gered wolf is subject to criminal penalties State Game and Fish Departments of up to $25,000 and/or six months in jail, in Arizona at (800) 352-0700 $45,000 or a civil penalty of up to $25,000. The or in New Mexico at (800) 862-9310. recent killings include a female wolf from All calls will be strictly confidential. the Hondah Pack that was found dead on New Mexico and Arizona residents take for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone illegally the White Mountain Apache Reservation action! We need your help to protect on Christmas Eve and an alpha male of the Mexican gray wolf! Please help us killing a Mexican wolf or transporting Mexican wolf hides or parts. the Cienega Pack that was found on the distribute reward posters at local businesses Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in including post offices, schools, grocery contact: Arizona on December 21. Both deaths are stores, libraries, town halls, and under investigation by the U.S. Fish and laundromats... especially in wolf country. US Fish and Wildlife Service Posted by private individuals and public-in- Wildlife Service. Anyone with informa- If you would like a copy of the reward (480) 967-7900, (505) 346-7828 terest organizations representing millions tion about any of the incidents is urged to poster or if you would like to sponsor an or your nearest state game and fish office. contact one of the following agencies: ad in a regional publication, please contact: of concerned people. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ari- [email protected]. Any way you Arizona (800) 352-0700, New Mexico (800) 862-9310 zona at (480) 967-7900 or in New can get the word out will help. Winter 2004 7 Sky Island Alliance “Of 7,563 beverage containers retreived from Sky Island wild lands, 96.5% belong to one brand...”

Analysis of beer can and bottle numbers found on wild lands in the Sky Island region of Arizona and New Mexico by Trevor Hare, Sky Island Alliance, PO Box 41165 Tucson, Arizona 85717. 520 624-7080, [email protected] Dislaimer: some of us do, in fact, drink this stuff, but we ALWAYS bring back more cans than we take out. 8 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 Between 2001 and 2004 Sky Island Alliance staff and volunteers counted An analysis of brands shows that of the 7,563 total containers found 7,298 and identified beer cans and bottles found on wildlands in the Sky Is- or 96.5% were Bud Light containers, and 151 were Natural Light con- land region of Arizona and New Mexico during the normal course of tainers (2%), 76 were Coors Light containers (1%), and 30 were Sky Island Alliance road and wilderness boundary surveys. Beer cans Budweiser containers (<0.5%). One Fat Tire Amber Ale bottle was found and bottles were only counted if seen on or within 10 meters of either in the Chiricahua Mountains, and seven Tecate cans were found in a side of an assigned transect. During approximately 65 two-day volun- migrant camp in the Huachuca Mountains. The predominance of Bud teer field weekends or 1,300 person/days a total of 7,563 containers were Light cans was surprising, and the only conclusion we could draw from documented, of which 7,426 were cans (98%) and 137 were bottles (2%). the evidence is that yahoos have terrible taste in beer. Winter 2004 9 Sky Island Alliance Good Eats Better Beef by Far: Raised Predator-friendly by Jan Holder, Anchor Ranch he Anchor Ranch is located in east central Arizona near Eagle people in that they will do what- Creek in a beautiful grassland valley west of Clifton. The valley ever seems easiest to them. They butts up against the Mogollon Rim and the ecology of the sur- don’t go looking for trouble, and T in fact they’ll go to extremes to rounding area is incredibly diverse; within half an hour one can travel from avoid it. This isn’t necessarily the desert scrub to Ponderosa pine forests. Because of these qualities the region case with reintroduced wolves was incorporated into the primary recovery area for the Mexican Wolf. raised in a captive breeding pro-

At the Anchor Ranch we have made a so a string with ribbons tied to it will work gram, but that’s a whole separate photo courtesy Jan Holder commitment to allow predators to coexist for a day or two but might not work after issue. For all intents and purposes, with our cattle. Unless we encounter a ra- that. It may, however, work for another predators don’t like trouble. When bid or deviant animal, we allow nature to couple days if we move the string or swap we’re around our cattle, we try to take its own course. Through non-lethal, the ribbons for tin cans. spread our scent around the area. pro-active management practices we have Strength in numbers: Predators can Predators know that humans are been able to minimize loss due to preda- be efficient killers but they are extremely trouble and don’t hang around to tors. We encounter predators—cougars, vulnerable to injury. Injury prevents find out what we’re doing. They wolves, bear, coyotes, and bobcats—on a them from performing their best and may leave us alone, we leave them alone, regular basis. Dealing with these animals ultimately end in starvation. Predators and everyone’s happy. The Holder family peacefully co-exists with predators. is complex; each acts a little differently see large herds as a greater threat than This would probably be a good and requires different management tech- single cows or small groups. For this rea- time to admit that I am no Tim Treadwell turn we get to hear the elk at night as we’re niques. To make things more complicated, son we like to keep our cattle together [Editors note: Tim Treadwell became fa- going to sleep, their bugles echoing off the each animal has its own particular person- instead of spread out all over the place. mous for “befriending” Alaskan grizzlies. hills until they sound like whale calls. ality, and environmental changes such as From a predator’s point of view, it’s easier In October 2003, he and his girlfriend were Of course, there are those rare nights drought or cold can alter their behaviors. to attack a single cow than a group of killed by one of these animals]. I don’t want where the stillness is broken by the shriek All this aside, there are some broad tech- 100; believe it or not, large herds can ac- to be a “brother” to the wolf. I would imag- of an animal going down under the claws niques that we’ve found effective. Here is tually seem frightening. In one instance ine my flanks are pretty tasty, and the fact of a predator, but that’s how life works. a brief description of some of these tech- I saw a group of 300 yearling cattle chas- that I have small children gives me pause And there is even some beauty in that. niques: ing two coyotes. when thinking about predators. We at the Editor’s note: For more information, visit Change: Predators like to be confident Avoidance: This isn’t very glamorous, ranch have a tremendous respect for the www.ervins.com. In Tucson, you can buy and leave as little to chance as possible. but it works. When predators show up in killing potential of lions and wolves as well Ervin’s Grassfed Beef at Tucson Coopera- Even small changes in their habitat make one part of the country, we move the cattle as lightning storms, rattlesnakes, and hanta tive Warehouse, (800)350-2667. For Phoe- them uneasy. When a predator is in the to another area. It’s simple and nearly 100 virus for that matter. nix delivery, e-mail [email protected]. neighborhood we try to move our cattle to percent effective. The only downside is that Having respect for predators is all a part We made green chile stew with Ervin’s different places within the pasture, even if during a drought the cattle may already be of living out in the wilderness. I could say Natural Beef last week. It was scrump- it’s only the other side of the canyon. We stressed for pasture and moving them to it’s a good trade off, but it isn’t really a trade tious! We were glad to know that no preda- can even put up a string with some ribbon another spot may not be an option. We off at all. We’ve simply learned what we can tors were killed for our meal, and that this tied to it and the predators won’t cross it. can’t use avoidance all the time, but when and can’t do, and it’s become a way of life— cow had never been fed ground-up animal Any sort of change seems to work. Of course we can, it works well. we bring the dog food in at night, we don’t parts. No mad cows here—just happy din- they can grow accustomed to these things, Human interaction: Predators are like step or reach where we can’t see, etc. In re- ner guests!

Return of the Mexican Gray Wolf review by Dennis Pepe, owner of Greenfire Books, Tucson, AZ hat is it about the wolf? Like the buzz of the rattlesnake’s she gives us a firsthand account of her suc- cessful crusade to reintroduce wolves to their tail, the deep chesty bawl of the wolf seems to transcend the natural habitat. She takes the reader back to Wtraditional bounds of communication between species. Every 1988 when she attended a wolf-dog club living thing pays heed. Whether it is shivers up the spine of a lone hiker, meeting and first made the decision to take a reminder of the way of all flesh to the deer, or the sensation of a shared on the reintroduction project as a retirement integration with the mountain by the pine tree, the howl of the wolf has project. The book follows her path and man- ages to give a thorough and easily accessible been the call of the wild for more than a million years. history of the struggles that both she and the Not long ago human beings brought the ferent story. All the Mexican wolves have wolves have overcome. Thanks to Holaday’s frontier lifestyle to theWest. Since domes- been captive-raised, thus, no matter what approach of getting to know the ranchers’ tic livestock proved to be easy prey for is done to prevent them from getting used perspective, she was able to bring them into the wolf, the wolf proved to be enemy to people, it is nowhere near enough. They the fold almost as allies. She lauds the practi- number one to the frontiersmen. By 1970, end up hanging out too close to roads, sus- cality and success of working collaboratively with the help of the federal government, ceptible to the many wolf-haters that still with ranchers and agencies to avoid the ex- wolves had been wiped out of every one roam the same terrain. Nevertheless, the tremist stance that has crippled many envi- of the lower 48 states except Minnesota. Mexican wolf restoration effort is suc- ronmental efforts over the years. As years passed and attitudes about na- ceeding thanks to the efforts of folks like This book is unique because of who like a mountain.”As a mountain understands ture and wolves shifted, wolf reintroduc- Bobbie Holaday. Bobbie Holaday is. It is an in-depth read on the importance of the wolf, the deer, and the tion became one of the conservation Far from a career environmentalist, Bobbie her approach at influencing wolf reintro- trees to its existence, Bobbie Holaday shows movement’s success stories. Truly wild Holaday got started by joining her employer’s duction and a must read for anyone truly us the importance of bringing wolf-huggers wolves were captured in Canada and sim- hiking club and gradually transformed her- interested in wolf reintroduction in the and wolf-haters to a middle ground where ply transplanted to the Yellowstone or self into one of the most dedicated and ener- Southwest. It gives insight into wolf behav- wolves and people and mountains can mu- Rocky Mountain regions in states to the getic wilderness advocates in the Southwest. ior, which I found fascinating, but ultimately tually exist and we can still enjoy the call of north. In the Southwest it’s been a dif- In The Return of the Mexican Gray Wolf this book shows that Bobbie Holaday “thinks the wild. 10 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 I stretch out, back pulled Grassland hard to Earth I don’t mind the boisterous silence broken by westerly heaves wind sighs all over this grassland its dry tongue drags across my skin I’m thrilled to be stroked by this formless lover

I’m surrounded by many tribes they dance, shake their heads wildly wave to the sky, Apache blue, these natives know how to make the wind sing different songs

the sounds I try to spell SSShheesheuessiiuuooh fffhhwuehffhsseoouhhaaah but think it better to say

Oceanic grass its rise and fall rustles blades and spikes, golden heads bend in worship windstream motion, symphonic sway, swirl, and swoosh

So, this is what true love is I stand up to look it in the eye breathe deep the long sweep stretched far to flirtatious hills I laugh at these oak-studded swells they beckon me to lose my way discover secrets —Nancy Reid

Winter 2004 11 Sky Island Alliance Road Rattlings by Trevor Hare, SIA Conservation Biologist eer and dust. Beer and mud. Beer and snakes. Beer and bears. close some roads! Sky Island Alliance has bear near camp and then bullfrogs where Beer and mountains. Beer and deserts. Beer and downpours. been contracted to close roads on the Las they don’t belong (which is anywhere in Cienegas National Conservation Area. We the West). We saw native grasses stand- Beer and droughts. Beer and cowboys. Beer and hippies. Beer B will also get to do other fun things such as ing thigh high and then drought and cow- and beaches. Beer and peaks. Beer and wildlands. Beer and cities. Beer riparian and wildlife inventories, and ripar- blasted rangelands. We talked to ranch- and back roads. Beer and highways. Beer and confusion. Beer and lucid- ian restoration. ers who care and ATV enthusiasts who ity. Beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, and beer. Why beer? Why not? Beer Since my last missive Sky Island volun- don’t. We talked to hunters who don’t care is a gift, a gilded shining gift. A foamy, fuzzy, fizzy, fantastic gift. More teers have checked the integrity of Wilder- and ATVers who do. ness boundaries in the Chiricahua Moun- I know that as sure as we find these sad beer, less beer? More beer, less stress. More beer, less anger. More beer, tains, chased water and frogs in the San facts and circumstances out there, amazing more smiles. Beer. So had enough beer? Hops, barley malts, spring wa- Rafael Valley and the Southern Peloncillo sights and opportunities will present them- ter. Simple and refreshing on the brain. There is only one thing better! Mountains, hiked through the proposed selves. So hang on and enjoy the ride because So why this paean to the golden elixir? from Baboquivari to the palm oases in the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness, helped we all can make a contribution to preserving Number one -we work hard out in the Kofa Mountains. I want to walk the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance finish their the wild places and animals we love. And off field and for those who do indulge noth- Peloncillo Mountains from the Nantec Rim roads inventory of the Burro Mountains, and we go: In March we will be closing roads in ing beats a cold beer! Number two—we to the Rio Bavispe. And I do not want to finished the roads inventories on Turtle the Las Cienegas National Conservation work hard in our field, my brain hurts see a road, I do not want to see a vehicle, I Mountain and around the Peloncillo Moun- Area and exploring and learning about the sometimes, trying desperately to get a do not want to see a man, and I do not want tain Wilderness. And by the time you read proposed Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness; handle on the conservation measures we to see a cow. I want to see a wolf, a grizzly, this we will have double-checked the bound- In April we will backpack into the Aravaipa must take. Number three—because we a pack of coati. I want to see a gray hawk, aries of the proposed Tumacacori Highlands Canyon Wilderness to check the integrity of work hard and it numbs the pain. But a black hawk, a golden eagle. I want to hear Wilderness, and started a roads and wildlife the wilderness boundaries. Then during the enough about beer, although sometimes I a ridge-nosed rattlesnake, a chorus of na- linkage inventory in the Mule Mountains in summer we will mix it up with monitoring think it is the fuel that drives the conser- tive frogs, the running of a desert stream. I cooperation with a bunch of dedicated some old friends, exploring and inventory- vation community and inspires creative want to feel the cold rain of the Huachuca’s Bisbeeans, the Mule Mountain group. ing new areas, restoring roads and riparian thinking, dialogue, and cooperation. and the warm rain of the Mohawk Dunes. We found amazing sights and sad facts areas, and of course sitting around the camp- I myself rarely drink...when I am driv- I want to smell cottonwood and mesquite out there, but our enthusiasm never fire, imbibing our favorite beverages and tell- ing. But driving I do, too much of it, and I campfires and the creosote flats after a flagged. We came across an unmapped ing stories of conservation. do not like it. I want to walk, and not on monsoon storm. cliff dwelling and then vacation lots for roads. I want to walk the Sky Islands and But as I have lamented before in this sale next to a Wilderness boundary. We

desert grasslands from the Rio Grande to space, it is off to drive and walk more roads. found a Mexican vine snake and then photos by Jean Ossorio the Rio Colorado. I want to walk the desert But the good news is this spring we get to ATV tracks inside Wilderness. We saw a

Following in the Tracks of El Lobo by Jean Ossorio, SIA tracker and member of the Southwestern Wolf Recovery Team e arrived in the Blue Range Mexican wolf recovery area on the sunny October weekend in 1999 when the Fish the situation became clear. Wand Wildlife Service opened the area closure surrounding Our feet barely sank into the Campbell Blue pen. The Hawk’s Nest pair, released from their half the snow, frozen to a hard acre holding pen in early June, was still roaming the immediate vicinity crust overnight. The wolves, whose weight was with their three pups. perhaps half of ours, and Near the pen, empty now except for a Our first experience with wolf tracks distributed over four large, scattering of bleached bones from the illustrates one of the best ways to become soft paws, were making road-killed elk and deer that fed the pack familiar with Mexican wolf tracks: Find scarcely any impression on during their captivity, the road had been them in association with scats, and pref- the snow. Placing the pre- turned to mud by heavy rains. Now dry, erably, with real, live wolves! The fol- sumed wolf trail between it formed a record of animal activity in lowing year, in October 2000, we had us and the sun, we looked the area. Among the tracks frozen in mud the incredible luck to camp in the vicin- closely and picked out a were a group of very large canid prints. ity of the Francisco pack, at Double Tracks of adult Mexican wolf and pup (top). The ruler is six neat row of tracks, barely inches long for scale. Near them we found a reasonably recent Cienega, after an eight-inch snowfall. etched into the crust. The scat, nearly as big around as one barrel Their tracks led through our camp, al- have been easy to pick up their tracks importance of careful observation not of my binoculars. We were such novices lowing ample time to study them. Vol- an hour later, after they disappeared only of the tracks, but also of substrate at track identification that we didn’t even unteer wolf trackers confirmed the iden- behind the trees, and we gave them conditions, cannot be overestimated. have a ruler for measurement. tification, and let us hear the pack’s sig- plenty of time to put distance between Tracks of Canis lupus baileyi, the un- Our suspicion that these were Hawk’s nals, which placed them very close. The us. After all, we knew exactly where they disputed Bigfoot of southwestern canids, Nest tracks was given ample justifica- cooperative wolves howled three times had crossed the marsh. are sometimes difficult to positively iden- tion, however, when we were suddenly during the night, in various directions When we set out to intercept their tify. Distinguishing wolf tracks from coy- startled by a long, low howl from the from our tent. tracks, however, there wasn’t a track to ote tracks is relatively easy. Although both slope above the road, followed by a sec- The following morning, the seven be found. It was as if the wolves had share the characteristic “x” pattern be- ond “deep, chesty bawl,” a moment later. wolves themselves appeared, as we were been an illusion, or perhaps some dis- tween the toes, and sometimes leave a little We looked up and caught a brief glimpse cooking breakfast. They milled around embodied spirit wolves, levitating above raised pyramid in the center of the track, of alpha male 131 (identified for us later among the trees, and then struck out the snow. It took us a few minutes to dis- just in front of the plantar pad, coyote by Fish and Wildlife Service law en- across the snowy cienega, sniffing here cover our mistake. We retraced our tracks are much smaller than wolf tracks. forcement officer Doug McKenna, at the and there. The four pups rolled and steps, and as we approached the spot An average adult wolf will make an im- road junction with US 191, using a wrestled in the snow, just like a litter of where the pack must have crossed the print in mud approximately 10 x 10 cm. tracking radio). half-grown domestic puppies. It should snow, we looked at our own tracks and continued on next page 12 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 Wildlife Monitoring Year in Review by Janice Pryzbyl,Wildlife Monitoring Program Coordinator ere it is 2004 and time to sit back and reflect on our accom- plishments of the past year. There is no stopping the momen- Htum of the Wildlife Monitoring Program! Last year we conducted two training workshops, one in Tucson, and our first ever in New Mexico (more on that later). We plan to keep on track with this pattern: spring workshop in Arizona and fall workshop in New Mexico. With the influx of new volunteers from incredible weekend of learning and fun. the spring workshop, we were able to ex- The cooperative local wildlife provided pand monitoring in the Cienega Creek the right teaching aids when needed. The watershed. For two years, volunteers have first morning, Chris Hass discovered a

surveyed four transects north of Interstate long set of tracks left the previous night photo by Janice Pryzbyl 10, and now we established three new by a mountain lion who passed within 20 transects immediately south of I-10. The feet of the house where staff lay snooz- purpose of this project is to document the ing (actually one staff member was sleep- presence of our six focal species in the re- ing outdoors at the time). Later that gion between the Rincon Mountains and morning, after lessons on the differences the ranges further south, the Empires and between canine and feline tracks and on the Whetstones, and then on to the Santa how to measure tracks, the students went Rita and Patagonia mountain ranges. The outside to scrutinize the tracks for feline Spring 2004 workshop–to be held on the characteristics. Because the mountain Las Cienegas NCA in conjunction with the lion was so kind as to walk down a dusty Tracking on the Gila River. Volunteers search for beaver tracks and other wildlife sign along the Gila River in The Nature Conservancy’s Gila Preserve. BLM and the Sonoita Valley Planning dirt road, we had plenty of tracks to mea- Partnership–will fortify our surveying ef- sure. But that’s not all; later on a coati bountiful wildlife sign we discovered and Fugagli, Tom Gibbons, April Green, Rich forts throughout this corridor. sauntered by! After Chris’ lecture on documented emphasized to us the impor- Griffiths, Matilde Holzwarth, Billie As mentioned earlier, we held the fall coati ecology, including plenty of photo- tance of protecting the upper Gila River Hughes, Jean and Peter Ossorio, Donna workshop in New Mexico. On Novem- graphs of coati tracks, she took the group watershed. Stevens, and Cynthia Wolf. ber 7-9, 14 new volunteers, instructors, outside to study the real thing. I’m going Graduating volunteers from this work- and SIA staff gathered at The Nature to hire that mountain lion and coati for shop will adopt transects in our new Sky Island Alliance’s Conservancy’s Lichty Ecological Re- all future workshops. project area in the Peloncillo Mountains search Center on the Gila River for an On that first Saturday evening, we along the New Mexico-Arizona border. Wildlife Monitoring watched the We will concentrate efforts in the Steins Program moonrise over the Pass area where I-10 bisects the moun- mountains and tain range. The Peloncillos form a moun- trains and mobilizes volunteers to held front row tain link with the southern end originat- collect data on wildlife presence be- seats for the lunar ing south of the border in Mexico and tween the mountain ranges of the eclipse. During stretching all the way north to the Gila Sky Island ecoregion. These both weekends, River. What mammals travel its moun- “grassroots naturalists” conduct flocks of sandhill tainous spine, and how do they and track surveys along pre-established cranes regaled us where do they get over or under the for- transects. We are particularly con- cerned with the movement of four

photo by Janice Pryzbyl with their elegant midable barrier of four lanes of interstate beauty and their highway? We hope to help address these large, wide-ranging mammals: black morning and questions with the data collected by our bear, mountain lion, jaguar, and evening calls from new volunteers. Mexican gray wolf and two smaller the surrounding In parting, I would like to welcome the mammal species, bobcat and coati. farm fields. On new volunteers. Many are from New Sky Island Alliance’s long-term vi- the final day of Mexico–from Gila, Silver City, Deming, sion is to use data to advocate for the workshop, and Las Cruces. We also have new mem- protection of wildlife corridors volunteers con- bers from Tucson, Green Valley, and Si- threatened by human development of ducted a full track erra Vista. I appreciate their willingness open spaces. If you are interested in Looking for tracks in trees? No, that’s Mike Fugagli with son Dominic, Donna survey in the to travel great distances to their newly volunteering, contact Janice Przybyl Stevens, and Carol Fugagli finding hairs from a black bear that scratched and at [email protected] or rubbed on the tree along Rain Creek trail in the Mogollon Mountains, Gila TNC’s Gila Pre- adopted transects in the Peloncillos. So call 520-624-7080 x203. Wilderness. serve along the welcome to George Carlisle, Jo Ann Gila River. The Caruthers, Josh Ferris, Mike and Carol

continued from previous page tween rounded dog tracks and more oval ing front foot track (direct or double reg- about 3 cm. and often full of hair and (4 x 4 inches). Coyote tracks, on the other wolf tracks may be a distinguishing fac- istration). Wolves also generally walk bone fragments) in the immediate vicin- hand, average around 7 cm. long, and tor among more northern wolves, we along in a straight, deliberate line, do- ity tend to support an identification of about 5 cm. in total width (about 2 ½ in. have observed that most Mexican wolf ing considerably less moseying around— Mexican wolf. long and 1 ¾ in total width). (Wolf pups tracks appear quite rounded, especially a characteristic of domestic canine be- may leave coyote-sized tracks, but they when impressed in mud or snow. A track havior any dog owner will recognize. Jean Ossorio and her husband, Peter, will often be associated with adult tracks.) we cast in the Apache National Forest, Finally, circumstantial evidence such have observed and photographed tracks The real problem arises in telling a which was later observed and confirmed as human or horse tracks accompanying of at least five Mexican wolf packs in the wolf track from the track of a large do- as a wolf track by project personnel, suspect canid prints along roads or trails wild: the Hawk’s Nests, the Franciscos, mestic dog. Authors of some tracking measured almost exactly 10 x 10 cm. may lend weight to an identification of the Saddles, the Cienegas, and the books (e.g. Paul Rezendes), suggest that Total confidence in wolf track identi- the tracks as those of dogs, rather than Bluestems. Following a spate of wolf dog tracks have a more rounded appear- fication is often impossible. One strong wild wolves. On the other hand, tracks killings by gunshot and vehicle in 2003, ance than wolf tracks, caused by the indicator of wild canid tracks is the ten- not associated with humans or horses, only two of those packs remain intact in splaying out of the dog’s toes as the foot dency of wolves to place the rear foot and the observation of wolf howls or the wild. hits the ground. While the contrast be- almost directly on top of the correspond- wolf scats (with a diameter greater than Winter 2004 13 Sky Island Alliance Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago II Connecting Mountain Islands and Desert Seas

May 11-15, 2004 (5th Conference on Research and Resource Management in Southwestern Deserts)

What’s the best way to learn a lot about the Sky Island region in a short time? There’s no replacement for spending time out in it. But spending time with an expert, someone with intimate knowledge of a place or a species or a topic, can give you a jump start on understanding the depth of a place. You’ll get many chances to do just this during five days in May. Ten years after the first conference to Plenary talkstalks: Other ways of knowing feature our Sky Islands as a distinct region, Field Trips, Saturday May 15, the second conference on Biodiversity and all day. Register soon; trips will fill early. We’ve assembled a star studded cast cast Along with the research and management Management of the Madrean Archipelago, Dispatching Buffelgrass in of speakers to talk about the key issues af- knowledge, we’ll celebrate the aesthetic ways “Connecting Mountain Islands and Desert Saguaro National Park. Join re- fecting us all, including: of knowing this region. The conference will Seas” will bring together current research source management staff Mark Gary Nabhan: Corridors, Barriers, and include: and long-term perspectives on what makes Holden and Danielle Foster in the Biodiversity in the Sky Island Region An invitational art show – photography this region special and what can be done to Rincon Mountains to learn about in- Leonard DeBano and Peter Ffolliott: by some of the best artists around (with help protect it. With more than 160 presenters vasive buffelgrass (Pennisetum Ecosystem Management in the Madrean from the Etherton Gallery) from many backgrounds and perspectives, ciliare). Tour a study site testing con- Archipelago: A 10-Year (1994-2004) Janos and the Grasslands of North it will cover such issues as: trol methods (joint study with Univer- Historical Perspective. America – a photographic narrative on a • fire - its ecological role in these systems sity of AZ and USGS). Feel virtuous Diana Hadley: Between the Sky Islands: threatened biotic community and how best to manage it; by assisting with mechanical eradica- Historic Land Uses in Cross-Border Valleys. Art from the field-sketches from the field • hydrology - relationships between bio- tion (aka pulling) of buffelgrass at a Tom Swetnam: Fire History and Climate notebooks of astute observers (like you? See diversity and surface and ground water; nearby site. Expect moderately strenu- Cycles. website for contest and submission details) • biogeography - the distributions of spe- ous activity (hiking and working on Ann Lynch: Insects as Agents of Change in Petey Mesquitey-stories and songs about cies and implications for conservation; steep terrain). the Sky Islands. growing native in a glorious land • ecology - the region’s distinctive relations Ironwood Forest National Monu- Dave Goodrich: Research and Decision between species and their environment; ment Botanical Dream Team Tourour. Making: Making Two Worlds One in • invasive species - the newcomers that Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum bota- Watershed Management. Free public reception Julio Betancourt: Ecological Responses threaten native biodiversity; nists Tom Van Devender, Mark Thursday May 13: • global climate change - changing abiotic Dimmitt, and John Wiens lead an ex- to Climate Variability in Time and Space: patterns that will affect all other issues; pedition through the new monument. A Southwestern Synopsis. View art, meet presenters, Paul Martin: Sky Islands and Near • ecosystem monitoring - challenges and Visit the limestone Waterman Moun- socialize at cash bar benefits of monitoring at different scales. tains and dine at Ragged Top, home Time: Revisions for the Future. of the Southwest’s richest little micro- Concurrent sessions will run all See www.madreanconference.com Doubletree Hotel Boojum- flora. Plant walks in the scenic Arizona four days so we can bring you as many for complete schedule. Bonsai rooms, 5-8pm Upland Sonoran Desert will note ef- excelent talks as possible. fects of substrate changes on Registration: All presenters and at- Registration: paloverde-saguaro-ironwood Clip and send - or register on line at www.madreanconference.com tendees are expected to register. Registration desertscrub, regional biogeography, fee covers session attendance, lunch every ice age environments, and take a look Pre-registration (February 11 through April 10) day, abstract volume, evening entertainment, at encroaching buffelgrass. $245 Regular $195 Student* break refreshments, and a copy of the pro- Santa Catalina Mountains Aspen/ Late Registration (after April 10 and at the door) ceedings. Bullock Fire Survey. The Catalina $295 Regular $245 Student* Conference Venue: DoubleTree Ranger District of the Coronado Na- Hotel Tucson at Reid Park, 445 S. tional Forest will guide a trip to look Alvernon Way, Tucson AZ 85711. Phone: at aftermath of the Catalina fires of *Advisor’s name______Phone______520-881-4200. The hotel is offering a spe- 2002 and 2003. Fire Management Of- Single-day Registration (same price early and late) cial conference rate of $58/night plus tax. ficer Rocky Tow will take the group $100 Tuesday May 11 $100 Wednesday May 12 Make your reservations before April 10, to the Bullock and Aspen fire sites, $100 Thursday May 13 $100 Friday May 14 2004 to receive this rate. Check the con- stopping to survey a variety of habi- ference website for a direct link to the tats. See fire effects from widely vary- DoubleTree. ing fire intensities and how the land- Field Trip Saturday May 15 (lunch included) scape, and sites treated before the $25 Saguaro/Buffel grass $25 Catalinas/Fire fires, fared. Emphasis will be on veg- $25 Ironwood Forest $25 Dragoons etation and watershed effects. Make my meals vegetarian! Sustaining Corridors between the Dragoon Mountains and San Pedro River. Join David Hodges and Sky Please Print Island Alliance (SIA) for a day in the Name Dragoons, home to tall granite spires, Affiliation hoodoos, boulder-filled canyons, and the stronghold fortress of great Apache Email Address chief Cochise. SIA is working with a Mailing Address subdivision on the west side of the City, State, Zip + 4 mountain to maintain wildlife corri- dors as the area is developed under a Phone/Fax low-density, “sustainable” scenario. Make checks payable to Sky Island Alliance. Mail form and check to: Visit SIA monitoring sites, assist with Sky Island Alliance, P.O. Box 41165, Tucson AZ 85717 restoration work, and learn about ef- Or register on-line by credit card at www.madreanconference.com forts to protect this golden Sky Island. 14 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004 Field Schedule for Spring/Summer 2004 Thanks Y’all! Please contact the Sky Island Alliance office at (520) 624- Sky Island Alliance would like to thank the following businesses for 7080 or [email protected] if you are interested in making our November and December fundraising events a success: attending any of the following events. Barb’s Frame of Mind, Centric Photo Processing, Colibri Vineyard and February 13-15. BLM Inventory in the Mule Mountains. Winery, Nimbus Brewing Company, Gentle Ben’s Brewing Company, We’re moving into the BLM lands! Help us kick off our Food Conspiracy Coop, Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, and Trader BLM inventory here just outside of Bisbee in these little-trav- Joe’s. Please patronize these businesses and let them know that you eled mountains (except for critters!). Two and a half hours appreciate their support of Sky Island Alliance and our various projects. from Tucson. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bob VanDeven for donating March 5-7. Road Closure and Restoration Project on Las his breathtaking photographs for our art auction. Thanks Bob! The Cienegas National Conservation Area. Get your hands dirty following bands and musicians played at our events despite the cold and play a direct role in improving the ecological health of temperatures and frozen fingers: Libre de Grasa, Matt Cordes, Cali- your public lands! One hour from Tucson. che con Carne, and Rich Hopkins and Luminarios. We highly recom- March 13-14. Tumacacori Highlands Proposed Wilder- mend that you buy their music and see their performances when they ness Trip (Note: We will meet on Saturday). Arizona’s Next play around town. Support your local musicians! We also wish to thank Wilderness! Join us as we explore the Tumacacori Moun- Zuzi! Dance Company for co-sponsoring our December event. Please tains. We will have a presentation on the area and natural support them by attending their performances and classes. Support history hikes. The Tumacacori Mountains are one of the most local arts! And finally, a deep heartfelt thanks to Frog, event organizer sub-tropical and species-diverse mountain ranges in the US. extraordinaire, and our numerous volunteers without whom these Two hours from Tucson. events would be impossible! March 19-21. Road Closure and Restoration Project on Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. Get your hands dirty and play a direct role in improving the ecological health of your public lands! One hour from Tucson. April 2-4. Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Weekend. San Rafael Valley. Join the Sky Island Alliance’s Riparian Inventory/Monitoring Program in a project to assess the San Rafael Valley as a site for the conservation and management of our sensitive riparian fauna. Two hours from Tucson. April 23-25. Return to Las Cienegas National Conserva- tion Area. Same as March 19-21. May 21-23. Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Inventory Back- pack. Join the Sky Island Alliance in one of the most gor- geous areas of central Arizona. Birds galore! Flowing Water! Two and a half hours from Tucson. June 11-13. Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Week- end, San Rafael Valley. Join the Sky Island Alliance’s Ri- parian Inventory/Monitoring Program in a project to as- sess the San Rafael Valley as a site for the conservation and management of our sensitive riparian fauna. Two hours from Tucson. We will also host a Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Training Program in May. If you are interested in volunteer- ing to assess riparian areas and look for riparian animals please contact Trevor Hare.

Farming with The Wild: Join Us Join us! Sky Island Alliance Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches free public lecture and discussion with f you received this newsletter and it’s time to renew your member- ship, please send in your check! If you are reading a friend’s news- Gary Nabhan, Dan Imhoff, and Valer Austin Iletter, consider joining us! We rely on members for our basic opera- Feb. 25, UA campus, Harvill Auditorium 7:30pm tions. Contributions are tax-deductible; we are a 501(c)3 organization. Basic membership is only $25, 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. Become an SIA Program Fund Donor •$75 will sponsor volunteer training workshops. •$100 will close one mile of road. tories in recent newsletter issues have featuredprojects in our Rewilding Program: road inventory and restoration, wilderness Your Name ______S work, wildlife monitoring, and ecosystem defense. Address______All the necessary road closures, track- • Mexico—the Chihuahua Research City ______State _____ Zip ______ing workshops, and wilderness advocacy Station in Janos, and the Jaguar gets done only with extra funding, so Program in Sonora. Phone ______E-Mail ______please consider a special donation to one Please make your check out to Sky of the following funds: Island Alliance, with a note in the Memo Sky Island Alliance • Roads & Restoration, line about which fund you’d like to Thank you! • Wildlife Monitoring (Tracking), support. We’ll make sure your money P.O. 41165 • Missing Link, goes to the programs that mean the most Tucson, AZ 85717 • Wilderness, and to you, and we’ll send you reports! Winter 2004 15 Sky Island Alliance Non-Profit Org. Sky Island Alliance U.S. Postage P.O. Box 41165 PAID Tucson, AZ 85717 Permit # 1156

Tim Van Devender Van Tim Sky Island Wolves “The Santa Rita, Tumacacori, Atascosa-Pajarito, and Patagonia mountains were well known as wolf county, as were the Canelo Hills. At least equal numbers inhabited the steeper and rougher, but larger Chiricahua, Huachuca, and Pinaleño Mountains. A number of wolves were also recorded from the Catalina Mountains—some of them as recently as the 1950s (Lange 1960). All these mountain ranges were, and are, good Coues white-tailed deer country.” —David E. Brown, The Wolf in the Southwest “… the catching of a wolf is not so much a difficult matter as the locating of his range. We have found during the past two years since wolves have gotten down to a very few individuals, that they travel long distances… possibly hunting for other wolves, possibly fearing the conse- quences of what happened to the remainder of their kind.” —M.E. Musgrave, trapper, 1925 It is an unfortunate truth that some crea- captivity, scrutinized by tures have become more conspicuous in biologists, x-rayed, au- their absence than they were in life. The topsied, and tracked, but Mexican gray wolf, once an elusive and little is really known skillful predator in the Sky Islands, was about these wolves in the trapped, shot, and poisoned until it became wild. Accounts from the Adapted from maps and verbal descriptions in David Brown’s The Wolf in the Southwest (1983), and in Stanley P. Young little more than a ghost. Though approxi- time the wolf was extant and Edward A. Goldman’s The Wolves of North America (1944). SIA takes responsibility for any errors in this adaptation. mately three dozen now roam the high in the Southwest were country above the Mogollon Rim, the truth mostly the creation of trappers and ranch- your back yard probably exist in the lit- before their habits were ever understood is that Canis lupus baileyi has been func- ers, those who had a stake in the extermi- erature. Routes that certain wolf packs (represented here by the smattering of dots tionally missing from the Sky Islands for nation of the animal. Stories of bloodthirsty used to cruise the Sky Islands were thor- across the map, each of which denotes one nearly three decades. Its absence has been wolves killing 60 sheep in one night sound oughly documented as individual wolves or more wolves killed and carcasses kept in noticed, not so much by the residents of more like tall tales than hard data. were tracked through the seasons (e.g. the collections. What we suspect is that wolves this region, few of whom can remember What we do know is that Canis lupus Peloncillo/Animas run and the Canelo released above the Mogollon Rim will seek the howl of the wolf or its sandy coat melt- baileyi, the species that now stalks the Hills run on this map). Other runs are out their ancestral routes and the island ing into the sacaton grass, but by the deer, Apache and Gila National Forests, never more anecdotal (e.g. the Mule Mountain / mountain ranges they once inhabited. With javelina, coyotes, and numerous other crea- strayed much further north than the Gila Dragoon/Galiuro run and Pajarito/ help they may one day return home, and this tures that evolved in its shadow. River. No matter where you live in the Sky Tumacacori/Arivaca runs mapped here). In is a good thing. They’ve been absent too long. Mexican gray wolves have been bred in Islands, stories of wolves passing through most areas, however, wolves were killed ~Bob Van Deven 16 Sky Island Alliance Winter 2004