Location: Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, AZ
Strenuous. Up to 2-mile one-way hikes
Front country: tent camping near cars at the refuge outpost
Our service project will be to mitigate ephemeral streams by creating one-rock dams. The objective is to slow any precious water from rainfall down, giving the vegetation a chance to thrive, and enhance the habitat for the Masked Bobwhite Quail.
Service Project Details
We will work at two project sites on the Refuge, the first site being Arroyo Hondo, which is in the habitat of the Masked Bobwhite Quail (the species the BANWR was created to support). The main feature of this site is an ephemeral stream which, if left untreated, would carry water away from plants and into a deep channel. Fortunately, this stream has been treated with one-rock dams (which are in need of repair) and is currently contributing water to the surrounding environment. The area is heavily vegetated and supports diverse wildlife species.
The second site is the Puertocito Wash. In contrast to Arroyo Hondo, this is a very large ephemeral stream that carries a lot of water during a flood. Many dams and berms were built decades ago to control the water in this area, and now Puertocito Wash is channelized and not doing its job to spread water into the surrounding vegetation. We will work with the AVCA at the very upstream end of the wash to build rock structures that encourage water to spread into the uplands and travel slowly into the channel.
This project will be led by the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance (AVCA), but three stream restoration experts are also assisting with the design and implementation of the project. The restoration experts will provide explanations of the underlying principles of our work and describe why we are installing different types and sizes of structures. Although the reasons for building rock structures at the Arroyo Hondo and Puertocito Wash sites are similar, the types of structures, environments, and soils at the sites are different.
Check out the photo gallery from past projects at Buenos Aires NWR.
Project Leaders: Lee Cooper and Michele Burkett
Agency Website
Itinerary:
Sunday, March 19th. The Volunteer group meets in the afternoon at a time/place TBD. The group will go through check-in, introductions, orientation, and will help set up camp in preparation for the work week ahead.
Monday, March 20th. Workday.
Tuesday, March 21st. Workday.
Wednesday, March 22nd. Day off.
Thursday, March 23rd. Workday.
Friday, March 24th. Workday.
Saturday, March 25th. Break down camp, goodbyes, and depart.
Nearest Cities
Arivaca, AZ – ~19 miles
Tucson, AZ – ~67 miles
Nearest Airports
Tucson International Airport (TUS) – ~67 miles away
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – ~158 miles away
Free Time Details
Hike on the Refuge or the National Forest. View wildlife, view plants and flowers, photograph, visit/view the U.S. Mexico border wall, and visit the Tucson Desert Museum or downtown attractions.
Accommodations
Front country. tent camping near cars at the refuge outpost
Difficulty
Strenuous. Up to 2-mile one-way hikes
Task Details
Bending, digging, lifting, carrying, hauling, etc.
Equipment List
View Equipment List