Madrean Archipelago Wildlife Center

09/09/2025

The San Rafael Valley sings her song at sunset.

drone photo courtesy of Laiken Jordahl, Center for Biological Diversity

07/09/2025

Center for Biological Diversity and Conservation CATalyst sue the Trump administration today for unconstitutionally waiving environmental laws to build a border wall thru the San Rafael Valley.

Center for Biological Diversity: TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today for unconstitutionally waiving dozens of environmental laws to speed border wall construction through the San Rafael Valley in Arizona’s Sky Island region, a biodiversity hotspot that includes...

07/04/2025

Julie Swift and her sister Lea Ann are creating quilts with themes of social justice, environmental/climate change and human rights. Lea Ann is creating a quilt about wildlife endangerment blocking wildlife with the wall incorporating our endangered species prayer flags. If you are so moved we hope you contribute your artistry to this beautiful compassionate endeavor. Please submit by August 20th: )🙏🏽

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06/04/2025

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01/08/2025

Sharing this newly released book by the visionary artist, poet and master Santera, Virginia Maria Romero. Virginia is the artistic spirit behind Jaguar Rising, which premiered last May in Nogales, AZ. Virginia's paintings and poetry will move your heart and spirit. The link to order is within the cover illustration.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DsBnWWA8y/

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01/05/2025

On gray forgetful mornings like this
sea turtles would gather in the shallow waters
of the Gulf to discuss issues of self-presentation
and related concerns like, If there were a God
would he have a hard shell and a retractable head,
and whether speed on land
was of any importance to a good swimmer.
Shared by a friend today. May we be storytellers for all sentient beings...
The Revolt of the Turtles
They knew that tourists needed to placate their children with catchy stories, and amuse
themselves with various cruelties
such as turning turtles over on their backs
and watching their legs wriggle.
So the turtles formed a committee to address
How to Live Among People Who Among
Other Atrocities Want to Turn You into Soup.
The committee was also charged with wondering
if God would mind a retelling of their lives,
one in which sea turtles were responsible for all things
right-minded and progressive, and men
and women for poisoning the water.
The oldest sea turtle among them knew
that whoever was in control of the stories
controlled all the shoulds and should-nots.
But he wasn't interested in punishment,
only ways in which power could bring about
fairness and decency. And when he finished speaking
in the now-memorable and ever-deepening
waters of the Gulf, all the sea turtles began to chant, Only fairness, only decency.
—Stephen Dunn
photo of Sea Turtles by Gaby Gollub of World Wildlife Fund

10/19/2024

Hobbs, ADWR ask lawsuit to protect water in the San Pedro river be dismissed

By Shar Porier [email protected]
8 hrs ago [October 18, 2024]

SIERRA VISTA — Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) have asked the courts to dismiss a lawsuit brought by two nonprofits who sought an active management area (AMA) designation for the Upper San Pedro basin.

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the San Pedro Alliance (SPA) have growing concerns over possible over pumping within the aquifer which stretches from the border to the I–10 area.

Within the basin lies the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) and its 57,000 acres provides habitat for numerous protected and threatened species. It’s health depends on the San Pedro river, the subflow zone and the aquifer beneath it.

Now that the courts have provided a ruling on how much water should flow through several reaches, the CBD and the SPA want to ensure those levels are maintained. Under that ruling, minimum water levels must be maintained at nine monitoring wells for federal reserved water rights to be fulfilled.

However, some of the reaches have reduced flows as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

An AMA would stop any new well drilling or expansion of irrigation and water services and establish a process to regulate water use by those that draw from the aquifer.

The groups also wanted ADWR and Hobbs to review dozens of certificates of water adequacy granted since the 1990s. These cover subdivisions and water service companies who had to prove there was water available for 100 years.

In light of an Arizona law that stipulated these old certificates may be at risk due to the long, ongoing water rights adjudication, CBD and SPA asked Hobbs and ASDWR Director Tom Buschatzke to perform the review.

Their lawsuit contends Hobbs and ADWR continue to violate the Arizona law that “requires regular monitoring and creation of active management areas” if such a designation is "necessary to preserve the existing supply of groundwater for future needs."

But, Hobbs says in the dismissal filing these certificates are grandfathered in and do not need to be recertified.

The dismissal stated, Buschatzke “has exercised his discretion in refraining from declaring the basin an AMA given the unsettled nature of surface water rights in the basin and the fact that most of the groundwater use in the basin will be for federal users that are not necessarily subject to state regulation.”

Attorneys for Hobbs and Buschatzke argue the plaintiffs have no standing to sue her or him or that they’re “injured by the lack of active management practices in the basin. So, they “cannot fairly trace this purported injury to the governor.”

The basin extends down into Mexico where the San Pedro river originates and there are concerns there due to the groundwater pumping by the copper mine in Cananea. Currently, the U.S. and Mexico are working together to address the decline of the southern most portion of the basin.

Robin Silver, a cofounder of the CBD, stated in a response to the dismissal, "Gov. Hobbs' decision to fight our lawsuit while pretending to be a leader in solving water issues is completely hypocritical. The governor is carrying water for real estate developers when she should be acting on behalf of the plants, animals and people whose livelihoods and futures depend on a flowing river and healthy groundwater aquifer. Time to save the San Pedro River is running short.”

10/16/2024

Praise for Chairman Grijalva to call out the USAF with their flawed Draft Environmental Impact Statement(DEIS) "..The environmental impacts of the proposed action pose risks to millions of protected federal and tribal lands. As the DEIS states, each MOA contains wilderness areas managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Forest Service, National Park Service, or Bureau of Land Management, each home to a unique and diverse array of flora and fauna. DAF’s insistence that the proposed action is ‘compatible’
with land uses beneath the MOAs despite “reportable” noise increases, potential disturbance to wildlife and domestic animals anticipated, and nuisance flights reported under the status quo, is inconsistent with the views of local communities and some tribes..."

10/15/2024

Prayer of Gratitude for Indigenous Peoples Day 🙏🏼

“Great Spirit, Creator of all things,
We come before you today to honor the wisdom & teachings of Indigenous peoples.
May we walk with reverence upon this Earth,
Guided by their understanding of the sacred balance between all living things.

Help us to learn from the ways of the ancestors,
To live in harmony with the land, waters, & sky,
& to remember that we are all interconnected,
Children of the Earth, sharing this sacred journey together.

May we honor & uplift the voices of Indigenous peoples,
Respect their traditions, protect their lands,
& support their continued resilience & strength.

With deep gratitude,
We pray for healing,
For unity among all nations,
& for the wisdom to care for the Earth & all her gifts.

Blessed be.”

~ Prayer by Grandmother Flordemayo ❤️
~Earth Healers Artwork by Denise Kester, drawingonthedream.com
Grandmother Flordemayo

10/08/2024

Public Comment period closes October 9th. Please feel free to share our press release. For more information please go to PPeaceful Chiricahua Skiescoalition page. Links to the Air Force comment page and online petition are in our press release.

A peaceful biodiversity hotspot, The Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion, is being threatened by the Air Force's proposal to turn it into a training area.

10/04/2024

GOOD NEWS!!
"...Ocelots rely on the intact, interconnected wildlands of the Sky Islands. The fragmentation of their habitat due to roads, urban sprawl, mines and border barriers is a serious challenge to their survival..."

Endangered Ocelot Appears on Trail Camera in New Arizona Location

TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity released stunning new video footage today of a rare wild ocelot in a Sky Island mountain range in Arizona, within the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

The footage, captured on a trail camera on July 24, 2024, is from a location where ocelots have not recently been detected. For the safety of the cat the Center is not specifying the location.

“I shouted with joy when I realized what I was seeing on the trail cam. This incredible footage shows us that ocelots belong in our Sky Islands, despite all the threats they face,” said Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These elegant, elusive and fiercely resilient felines are an important part of what makes southern Arizona so special. Capturing footage of this cat in the wild gives me hope for their survival.”

Protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1982, ocelots are known for their striking, chain-like rosettes and spots, which allow researchers to identify individual animals, much like human fingerprints. These distinctive markings also provide excellent camouflage in the dense forests, rugged terrain and thornscrub that make up their habitat.

After analysis and consultation with several experts — including Carmina Gutiérrez González, Ph.D., research coordinator for the Northern Jaguar Project — the Center confirmed the latest detection was the same ocelot detected on June 12, 2024, in the Atascosa Highlands west of Nogales by researchers at the Phoenix Zoo. The ocelot traveled at least 30 miles between detections.

Sometime in June or July the ocelot crossed the Santa Cruz River, in a stretch proposed to become a national wildlife refuge, crossed I-19, and moved into an area with several Sky Island mountain ranges.

“The Sky Island Mountains are not just beautiful landscapes; they are living parts of our culture and identity. Seeing the return of an ocelot to these ancestral lands reaffirms our sacred connection to this place and reminds us of our duty to protect these lands and the creatures that depend on them,” said Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation. “The ocelot’s survival is intertwined with ours, and we must ensure that this species endures for future generations.”

Ocelots rely on the intact, interconnected wildlands of the Sky Islands. The fragmentation of their habitat due to roads, urban sprawl, mines and border barriers is a serious challenge to their survival. In Sonora, Mexico, ongoing construction of a freight railway between Imurís and Nogales is ripping through crucial ocelot breeding habitat, posing another threat to the imperiled species.

Fewer than 100 ocelots are thought to remain in the U.S., with the majority residing in southern Texas. Arizona is home to a small but crucial population, which exists at the northernmost part of the species' range.

The Sky Islands are a series of isolated mountain ranges that rise dramatically from the desert floor, stretching from northern Mexico to southern Arizona. These ranges are biologically rich, creating unique ecosystems that support an incredible diversity of plants and animals. The Sky Islands serve as vital habitat corridors for species like the ocelot, jaguar and black bear, enabling them to move between different mountain ranges in search of food, mates and safe shelter.

“Every ocelot and jaguar sighting is a chance to celebrate these incredible creatures and reflect on how we can help their safe return to the Southwestern U.S.,” said McSpadden. “I hope this beautiful ocelot reminds us all of the critical work ahead to make sure these cats’ habitat remains unfragmented and protected for future generations.”

The camera was checked by McSpadden and Clara Smith, a Center intern and student at Earlham University’s Border Studies program.

For Immediate Release, October 3, 2024
Contact:
Russ McSpadden, (928) 310-6713, [email protected]

Still photo of new ocelot detected in southern Arizona.
Photo detection of ocelot in southeast Arizona on July 24, 2024. Photo credit: Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity.