The Work
Sky Island Alliance is teaming up with Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers and numerous other nonprofits for the 2025 Border BioBlitz.
We invite all to join us for a day of biodiversity surveying in the San Rafael Valley along the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River.
The work will be as hard as you want to make it and could include anything from birding by car to bushwacking through cottonwoods and willows in search of rare plants. If you enjoy searching out plants and wildlife for a good cause, please join us!
If you can’t join us on May 3, the Border BioBlitz project is taking place throughout April and May with the aim of observing as many species as possible within 15 kilometers of the U.S.-Mexico border. So, you are welcome to collect observations on your own if you happen to be hiking or exploring near the border during those months.
What to Expect/Bring
We will be spending most of the day outside.
- Bring your food and snacks for the day.
- SIA will provide potable water, and folks are welcome to bring their own as well.
- Be prepared to unplug — there is limited or no cellphone or internet service where we'll be working.
- Bring work clothes and appropriate close-toed shoes that you don't mind getting dirty and potentially torn.
- Bring sun protection: sunscreen, long sleeves, hat, etc.
- Bring a refillable water bottle and a daypack for snacks and gear.
- Bring whatever gear or tools you need for your survey work: Binoculars, butterfly nets, snake hooks, field guides, etc.
- Bring your smartphone or tablet with the iNaturalist app downloaded and make sure to join the Border BioBlitz 2025 project before you leave home.
- We’ll send out more instructions to registrants the week before our event!
Location
We will be working in the San Rafael Valley near Lochiel, Arizona. Specifically, we will focus our efforts along the Santa Cruz River heading north from where the river crosses the U.S.-Mexico border. The area has perennial water and a resident porcupine population, so it should be a biodiverse day!
Registration Options
Option 1
Meet at the SIA office at 3127 N. Cherry Ave. at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, to carpool with us (space is limited to 10 people). We’ll depart at 7 a.m.
Option 2
Meet at the SIA office at 3127 N. Cherry Ave. at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, to caravan. We’ll depart at 7 a.m.
Option 3
Meet us in Patagonia at 8 a.m. on Saturday to caravan from the parking lot of the Patagonia Public Bathrooms, 399 McKeown Ave, Patagonia, AZ 85624. (These will be the last indoor restrooms of the day).
Option 4
Meet us at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday morning in the San Rafael Valley at the intersection of Forest Road 813 and Duquesne Road (31.354782, -110.57929). From this meetup point, we will caravan the final two miles to our starting point on the Santa Cruz River.
Note: Getting to the San Rafael Valley from Patagonia is ~22 miles or 50 minutes.
Trip Logistics
- Saturday, 6:45 a.m. — Meet with SIA staff at our office to carpool/caravan to the San Rafael Valley.
- Saturday, 9 a.m. — Be prepared to start bioblitzing. We will work throughout the day with breaks for meals.
- Saturday, 2 p.m. (or earlier) — we will finish up in the afternoon and then head back to Tucson.
- Saturday, 4:30 p.m. — we will be back to our Tucson office by this time.
Unfortunately, pets are not allowed on this trip.
If you have further questions, please email Eamon Harrity at eamon@skyislandalliance.org.
