Please introduce yourself! Where are you from, and what do you do?
My name is William C. (Bill) Thornton. I’m a second-generation Arizona native, lifelong outdoor enthusiast, and conservationist. I’m a retired field safety consultant from the State Compensation Fund (worker’s comp insurance), now known as Copper Point Mutual. My father was an avid hiker, outdoor enthusiast, and wrestling coach at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. When I was about 10 years old, we started leading his boys on Saturday hikes in the hills and mountains near Tucson. Mt. Wrightston in the Santa Ritas, and Mt. Wasson in the Tucson Mountains were favorite destinations.
As the boys became more experienced hikers, the Grand Canyon became the ultimate goal. In 1956 we led what was believed to be the first rim-to-rim crossing of the Grand Canyon by blind and visually impaired hikers. My father received a letter of congratulations from Senator Barry Goldwater. The Grand Canyon hike was an annual event from 1956 to 1961.
How did you first get involved with volunteering at Sky Island Alliance?
I started volunteering at Sky Island Alliance two or three years ago when seeking a job less physically demanding than digging buffelgrass, or digging cacti and other desert plants for Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society’s cactus rescue program. To date, more than 120,000 plants have been saved from the bulldozers and made available for low-water-use landscape plants.
Any stories about your time volunteering with SIA?
When reviewing film from motion-activated wildlife cameras, we never know what we’re going to see. Lots of birds and rabbits along with coyotes, deer, bobcats, javelinas, and the occasional bear or mountain lion. One Border Wildlife Study camera recently photographed a young javelina squeezing between the slats of the border fence coming from Mexico to Arizona.
Why are the Sky Islands important to you?
The Sky Islands are an important part of our natural heritage and worthy of protection. At the peak of the building boom, it was said that an acre of Sonoran Desert was bulldozed every two hours to feed the seemingly insatiable demands of the growth machine. In my view, we must “go to the mat” to save every possible acre that remains.
What tips would you give to a future SIA volunteer?
As volunteers, we need to stay engaged and informed. Threats to our public lands (e.g. the attempt to build a freeway through Avra Valley) can come from many directions. To date, we have successfully countered them, but there will be more threats.
To the extent you are able, please participate in “hands on the land” workdays. Clearing a patch of buffelgrass, cleaning up trash, or removing barriers to wildlife movement (Desert Fence Busters) can be a rewarding experience, knowing we have made a difference.
Ready to get involved? Check out our events page and volunteer opportunities for ways to join our work.