The borderlands of Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora contain a wealth of biodiversity.
White-nosed coati, Arizona gray squirrel, raven, and mule deer live and mate alongside black bear, mountain lion, North American porcupine, and rattlesnake to create one of the most alive and diverse regions globally. The birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects that live here take shelter under oak and juniper trees, drink nectar from agave and native flowers, and make their homes in cacti and bunchgrass—all flora species that thrive in our mountainous sky islands and rolling desert grasslands.
In fact, did you know that renowned biologist E.O. Wilson once polled experts in this field to see which areas of the world they thought were most biodiverse? According to his book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands of this region were part of the resulting list.
Screenshot taken at www.half-earthproject.org/maps/.
Anyone who has either visited the Sky Islands or lives here part-time knows the jewel we have here and, as such, how much we stand to lose amidst ongoing drought, urban development, construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and the installation of border lighting. That’s why this month is the 2021 Border BioBlitz, an annual event that people can join to help organizations like us collect wildlife data! We will then use the resulting findings to better protect this region for all.
From now until April 30, consider joining the call for data by submitting your border wildlife sightings and photographs to the Border BioBlitz iNaturalist project. The BioBlitz is open to those who live in Northern Sonora or any of the U.S. counties adjacent to the border, including those in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
So even if you don’t live in the Sky Island region, you can still join!
How to Join:
- Download the iNaturalist app on your iPhone or Android.
- Create an iNaturalist account.
- Join the Border BioBlitz project.
- Start taking photos with the iNaturalist app! If you’ve joined the project, any photos you take through the app will automatically be added to the Border BioBlitz project.
For more information, visit this page to get started. Thank you for your support, and have fun!
