Location: Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, AZ
Strenuous. Up to 2-mile one-way hikes carrying/lifting fencing materials
Front country: tent camping near cars in a secured refuge compound
Join the 18+ year effort to remove old barbed-wire fences in cooperation with volunteers from Friends of Buenos Aires NWR.
Service Project Details
Our service project will be removing old barbed-wire fences leftover from ranching days in cooperation with volunteers from Friends of Buenos Aires NWR. The fence removal is part of an ongoing 18+ year project by the Refuge to remove interior fences; a small length of the fence remains down from over 150 miles of fence that originally existed.
We will machine or hand roll fence, pull fence posts, and carry them to an ATV to be transported out to trucks for later recycling. If the terrain is difficult, the ATV will not be used so materials will either be hand-carried out or left in the field depending on the distance. Our volunteer group will also modify some boundary fences into wildlife-friendly fences if bordering ranchers will agree. This involves removing the top and bottom bared wires and replacing them with smooth wire, making it easier for wildlife to get over, under, or through.
If the neighboring ranch will not accept wildlife-friendly fencing, we will replace the damaged barbed wire boundary fence to keep cattle off the Refuge. The group will be camping in Brown Canyon near public restrooms and amid mountains and stunning scenery. Refuge volunteers will transport everyone to/from the worksite each day.
Check out the photo gallery from past projects at Buenos Aires NWR.
Project Leaders: Bill Goolsby and Shila Simpson
Agency Website
Itinerary:
Sunday, November 16th. 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, November 17th. Workday.
Tuesday, November 18th. Workday.
Wednesday, November 19th. Day off.
Thursday, November 20th. Workday.
Friday, November 21st. Workday.
Saturday, November 22nd. 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, photography, visit the Tucson Desert Museum or downtown attractions.
Accommodations
Front country. tent camping near cars at the refuge outpost. Kitchen, bathroom, and shower facilities should be available.
Difficulty
Strenuous. Up to 2-mile one-way hikes carrying/lifting fencing materials
Task Details
Bending, cutting, hauling, swinging, digging, throwing, pushing, lifting, etc.
Equipment List
View Equipment List