Upper Bear Valley, Tumacacori Highlands
The protection and designation of Wilderness and other special wildlands are fundamental to successful landscape-level conservation planning, and serve as a basic tenet of Sky Island Alliance. The Wilderness and Special Designations Program identifies and protects those special places across the region that require and deserve a level of protection not afforded to them through regular management.
Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading causes of ecological degradation worldwide, and these threats are magnified in the Sky Island region due to rapid population growth and our already naturally isolated mountain islands and intervening valleys. While off-road vehicles and illegal roads threaten our wild landscapes, there are strong tools to ensure that our remaining wildlands stay wild and whole.
For appropriate areas largely devoid of significant roads, congressionally designated Wilderness often offers the best long-term protection for public lands due its permanency, clarity, and strength. While politics and threats change over time, Wilderness Areas offer a time-tested reliable system of protected lands that serve multiple public benefits.
Other designations, such as National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and Research Natural Areas may also provide appropriate levels of protection for public lands. Depending on the level of flexibility needed, other compatible uses, and desired conservation goals, Sky Island Alliance is committed to finding practical solutions to the growing threats that face our bio-region.
Current priorities
For approximately 85,000 acres of wildlands in the Tumacacori Highlands of the Coronado National Forest, Sky Island Alliance is leading a coalition of organizations, businesses, and advocates to secure Wilderness designation for this magnificent place. As one of the most biologically diverse places in the United States, the Tumacacori Highlands host a rich assemblage of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
The Peloncillo Mountain Area of southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico is a remote, intact stretch of mountains and valleys stretching up from the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico. As a direct link between the Colorado Plateau and Sierra Madre, this area harbors an unusual mixture of temperate and tropical species. Sky Island Alliance is working with other stakeholders in the region in devising strategies for long-term protection of the rich biological and cultural attributes of this amazing landscape.
Staff
Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness - Mike Quigley, Sergio Avila, Matt Skroch
Peloncillo Mountains Protection Campaign - David Hodges, Trevor Hare, Janice Przybyl
For more information about the efforts to protect the Tumacacori Highlands as Wilderness:
> Friends of the Tumacacori Highlands