This past Saturday we celebrated the borderland region by attending the Borderlands Festival hosted by Coronado National Memorial. There was great dancing, food, and fun for all. Sky Island Alliance had an interactive table that taught how to identify common wildlife tracks. We also showcased our wildlife monitoring work in the region. Special shout out to our partner Naturalia for their awesome jaguar costume.
In addition to the table, Sky Island Alliance ran a Tracking Blitz that morning with our wildlife trackers. We tracked in two locations along Montezuma wash. The first near the Memorial picnic area and the second right along the Border. We were recorded 17 observations in the wash and found black bear, bobcat, coyote, desert cottontail, gray fox, javelina, white-nosed coati, white-tailed deer tracks and scat. In contrast, along the border we only found coyote, javelina, and deer tracks. A big thank you goes out to our trackers, Patty Stern, Stuart Brody, and Christopher James for taking time out of their day on Saturday to help us learn about the animals of the borderlands region.
Above is a map we had at the festival showing recent species observations from our tracking and camera data as well as some visual observations.
We were happy to be apart of this festival that celebrates the culture and natural wonders of the region. We look forward to the next one.