Last week, our Executive Director, Louise, immersed us in an enchanting virtual tour of the San Pedro River during our first Coffee Break with Sky Island Alliance. During the webinar, we walked alongside Louise listening to soothing running water, birds singing in the riparian canopy overhead, saw a lively troop of coati, a swimming Sonoran mud turtle, and a host of other amazing creatures inhabiting this important river habitat at the U.S.-Mexico border. Border wall construction is planned to cross the San Pedro River and cut off wildlife migration between the U.S. and Mexico, however Louise lifts our spirits by showing that construction has yet to begin and that the river and wildlife is freely flowing over the border today. Watch the recording of See the San Pedro below.
Fun Facts About the San Pedro River:
- The river stretches 140 miles from its headwaters in Mexico to its end in Winkelman, AZ where it joins the Gila River.
- It is one of four major north-south migratory bird corridors of the southwestern United States, along with the Rio Grande, Santa Cruz, and the Colorado Rivers.
- It is estimated that 45% of the 900 species of birds in North America use the San Pedro at some point in their lives.
- There are 41 species of reptiles and amphibians, 80 species of mammals, and more than 600 species of plants that live along the San Pedro River.
- In 1988, 40 miles and 57,000 acres of the San Pedro River in the U.S. were designated a National Conservation Area (NCA) to protect the riparian area and aquatic, wildlife, archeological, paleontological, scientific, cultural education and recreational resources.
Get directions on how to visit and see the San Pedro River NCA here and be sure to join us for the next Virtual Coffee Break on June 11, 2020 to celebrate World Jaguar Day. Register to watch live here.
