Are you surviving the Arizona summer heat? Our new issue is full of stories to cool you down, including the latest news from Washington affecting wilderness, the importance of wilderness in protecting the smallest elements of biodiversity, and a tribute to one of our strongest allies in Washington--Congressman Raul M. Grijalva. We hope this issue finds you well. We'll be back in the fall with more exciting wilderness news.

Would you like to support the Arizona Wilderness Coalition? We sincerely appreciate the generous gifts from our supporters in Arizona and around the nation, but unfortunately there is always more work to be done. We need your help to provide lasting protection for Arizona's existing and vulnerable wilderness areas. Thank you.

Click here to find out how to donate to the Coalition. 

Issue 3, Summer 2003

OUT OF THE BLUE…

What is the value of wilderness? Photo by Jason Williams.
Behind Closed Doors: How the Bush Administration Deals with Wilderness

Coalition Executive Director Don Hoffman explains how the Bush Administration's Department of the Interior has rewritten the rules governing wilderness protection, without consulting the American public. Read more…


IN DEPTH

Raul M. Grijalva.An Overdue Friend by Matt Skroch


The tide may be changing. It's been a long time since the state of Arizona had a strong ally in Washington to support wilderness protection for our disappearing natural wonders. A freshman Congressman from Tucson, Raúl M. Grijalva, is a sight for our sore eyes. Read more…


 

Without Old Growth, What of the Old West? by Roxanne George

Old growth ponderosa pine trees may be a hallmark icon of the Old Southwest, but we are losing the ecosystem that supports these noble giants at an unprecedented rate. What threats are facing our forests and what strategies are in place to ensure their survival? Read more…

Read a special update on the imperiled Northern goshawk.

 

The Little Things Count by Dr. Tyler Kokjohn
Mammoth Hot Spring at Yellowstone teems with microscopic life.

 

We often forget: within forest canopies, desert sand, and trickling creeks that define our favorite wilderness areas, galaxies of microscopic life teem and support the larger, more visible elements of wilderness ecosystems. But if we fail to protect what we can see, what are we losing that we can't? Read more…

WILDERNESS TO WATCH

 

Farewell to Desert Solitude: The desert tranquility that symbolizes Mt. Tipton Wilderness in northwestern Arizona has been shattered by the sounds of development within the wilderness boundaries. A new horse ranch may replace the stillness and solitude traditionally found there. Read more…

 

SPECIAL FEATURE: AWC Retreats into the Woods

Julie Spear and Kate Mackay. Photo by Jason Williams.

In June, Coalition staff gathered in the cool depths of the Blue Range Primitive Area to hammer out a strategy for wilderness defense in the coming year. We also celebrated our organizational growth and successes thus far. Read more…


BOOK OF THE SEASON

Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places

Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places combines nearly 300 breathtaking images of untamed lands and rare glimpses of the people who inhabit them with the most current scientific analyses of their endangered ecosystems.

The book identifies 37 wilderness areas around the globe—including tropical rain forests, wetlands, deserts, and arctic tundra, from Amazonia to the Congo Forests of Central Africa to the complex of North American deserts—and presents the research of nearly 200 specialists carried out over two years by Conservation International's Center for Applied Biodiversity Science with support from it's Global Conservation Fund.

Wilderness: Earth's Last Wild Places can be purchased directly from Conservation International. Simply print and fill out the order form, and follow the instructions to mail it or fax it to CI. Download the order form in PDF format (79 k).

SUPPORT THE ARIZONA WILDERNESS COALITION

 

With Your Help, We CAN Protect Our Wildlands for the Future. Fossil Creek Springs. Photo by Jason Williams.

The Arizona Wilderness Coalition appreciates the generous financial support that we receive from private foundations and individuals. With your kind support, we are poised to do some significant and exciting work on behalf of wilderness protection. However, fundraising remains an immediate priority.

Private foundations, large donors, and individuals may make tax-deductible donations through our fiscal sponsor, The Wilderness Society. Please make your checks payable to "The Wilderness Society" and send them to:

Don Hoffman, Executive Director, AWC
P.O. Box 529
Alpine, AZ 85920

**Please make note on the memo line of your check "For Arizona Wilderness Coalition."

If you have any questions, you can also contact our Executive Director, Don Hoffman, at: dhoffman@azwild.org. Or telephone: (928) 339-4426.

THANK YOU.

 

 

 

 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Current Issue Index

AZ Wild Web Site

SHORT TAKES


Drone of motors or a peaceful drift?

SLOW DOWN IN THE HEAT.
binoculars graphicOur list of outdoor events has diminshed somewhat due to the Arizona summer heat, but take a look anyway! We are offering several exciting wilderness excursions around the state. Read more…

DID YOU KNOW…?
A jaguar is the 3rd largest cat in the world.
The Sky Islands region in southeastern Arizona boasts the highest concentration of jaguar sightings in the nation. Arizona is believed to be at the northern end of the jaguar's historic range, which once covered nearly all of Latin America. The Tumacacori mountain range, southwest of Tucson, is a particularly wildlife-rich region, due in large part to its geographical connection to more sub-tropic Sky Islands to the south.

Roads, and their associated effects on habitat fragmentation, degrade jaguar habitat and wilderness areas upon which these magnificent animals rely. Without wilderness and roadless areas, including unobstructed wildlife corridors to and from Mexico, we'll lose our chance of sharing our public lands with the awe-inspiring jaguar.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE…

Broad-billed male hummingbird. Photo: Sherri Williamson, SABO
Birders rejoice! In southeastern Arizona, the Chiracahua Mountains alone host more than half of the recorded bird species in the United States. Wilderness areas help protect the fragile web of life for birds and other wildlife that thrive in the verdant hills and lush valleys of the Sky Islands. The Arizona Wilderness Coalition is launching a major campaign to raise awareness and garner support for new wilderness in this region.