By Perrin Milliken, of Bowdoin College
RRCS Spring 2021 Sky Island Borderlands program
Our semester so far has been characterized by many short trips away from Ruby. We’ve been to the east, towards the border city of Nogales where we car camped in the Patagonia mountains and San Rafael Valley to survey vegetation, and we’ve been backpacking in the Sonoita Creek State Natural Area to survey springs. All of these trips were only a few days long, so there was a twinge of sadness in my heart as we drove north on February 24th on our longest trip yet. We were going to spend one week in Aravaipa canyon, on The Nature Conservancy’s nature preserve, and then head to Tucson for a week in a rental house.
Photos by Perrin Milliken.
We were welcomed to Aravaipa by Aaron, the preserve’s land steward. He showed us around the guest house, and we gaped at the running water, warm showers, laundry machines, and cushy couches – what luxury! Aaron explained that this house was built by a real estate tycoon when the canyon was full of homesteads. A large piece of land on the east end of the canyon was bought by TNC and as the Steward, it is now it is Aaron’s job to monitor and restore the land. His goals are to eliminate invasive species that are taking over the riparian forests, reintroduce native species, and implement other restoration methods to allow the canyon’s native ecosystem to thrive. The canyon is unique due to the water that flows from ancient underground aquifers to the east, forced out of the ground because of particular geologic settings. Aravaipa canyon is incredibly special because it is a perennial water source in the middle of a desert, and therefore is an oasis for a variety of plants and animals. Of course, like many special places, the Aravaipa canyon ecosystem has been harmed by human impacts, particularly cattle grazing, and the introduction of invasive species. Although the canyon is now protected, the damage has been done and it will take decades of work to restore it to its native, balanced state.
This land was home to different groups of people before it was stolen by homesteaders during the colonization of the west. Anasazi, Mogollon, Sobaipuri, Hohokam, Tonto Apache, and Salado people all called this land their home at different periods of time. We were fortunate enough to see a cliff dwelling from 1300 A.D. that had been a hunting base camp for the Salado people.
Over the next several days we helped Aaron with his many restoration projects and spent a day with Samantha from Sky Island Alliance who showed us how to pull invasive vinca. With Aaron we planted native coyote willow, harvested the roots of native horsetail for revegetation, and spread native grass seed. I found this work gratifying, and the hours of manual labor impressed upon all of us how difficult it is to manage these landscapes once humans have already messed with them.
When we weren’t working with Aaron or Sami, we had class, did schoolwork, cooked up some delicious meals, and did a massive amount of laundry. Birding was also a favorite activity (especially for Ben and the budding birders of the group) because the canyon is inhabited by a huge diversity of bird species (my favorite was the Northern Pigmy Owl). It was incredible to be in such a contrasting environment to Ruby. There was green grass, looming sycamores and cottonwoods, and steep canyon walls. We saw javelinas, a bobcat, lots of deer and wild turkey, squirrels, and tons of birds including a Gila Woodpecker. By the end of the week we had fallen in love with this lush place and had become friends with Aaron and his new ridiculously adorable and enthusiastic puppy, Pepper.
We were sad to say goodbye to Aaron and Pepper and Aravaipa, but it was time to head to the big city – Tucson. On the way we stopped by Sami’s house to see her horses, as a treat! After some delicious tacos from Taqueria Pico de Gallo – YUM – we arrived at our suburban home on, wait for it… North Quiet Dream Avenue. We settled into a week of Wifi and civilization. Our days were full of Zoom lectures with various brilliant members of the Sky Island Alliance staff. We heard from Paulo about transboundary conservation, Louise shared her knowledge of non-profit conservation practices, Sami educated us on the springs of the region, Meagan explained how the camera trap photos are processed, and Bryon imparted his animal tracking wisdom to us. We even went on a walk in Saguaro National Park with Emily, the program director of Sky Island Alliance and saw an antelope jackrabbit!
Photos by Perrin Milliken.
Being back in “the real world” was nice for a bit, and we definitely took advantage of the stocked kitchen, the TV, and the comfy beds, but after a few days we all agreed that we were very ready to go back to Ruby (especially because we didn’t explore the city due to Covid). For me, our week in Tucson made me appreciate the uniqueness of life in Ruby even more that I had realized. The concrete streets of Tucson just don’t have the charm of Ruby’s mesquite-lined dirt roads. A white ceramic flush toilet doesn’t facilitate the same bathroom experience as the rickety wooden outhouse with a window and sunrise mountain view (#poopingwithaview).
With clean clothes, a last shower, and a truck full of groceries, we headed back to Ruby after two weeks of being away. Even only a month into this southwestern adventure, these borderlands, with all their cultural and biological complexity, have become our home to come back to. We smiled as we re-stocked the supposedly mouse-proof cupboards with stacks of food and tucked in for a dinner of breakfast burritos.
