For Immediate Release, November 24, 2025

Contact:

Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity,

(575) 313-7017, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org

Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project,

(520) 623-1878, greta@westernwatersheds.org

Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians,

(505) 395-6177, csmith@wildearthguardians.org

Mary Katherine Ray, Rio Grande Chapter Sierra Club,

(575) 537-1095, mkrscrim@gmail.com

Luke Koenig, New Mexico Wild,

(443) 676-3200, luke@nmwild.org

Claire Musser, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project,

(928) 202-1325, claire@gcwolfrecovery.org

Michelle Lute, Wildlife for All,

(505) 552-2501, michelle@wildlifeforall.us

Nico Lorenzen, Wild Arizona,

(520) 289-0147, nico@wildarizona.org

Mexican Wolf ‘Taylor’ Back Home Near New Mexico’s Mount Taylor

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— An endangered Mexican gray wolf named Taylor has once again returned to his namesake mountain west of Albuquerque after having been captured and relocated twice by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.

Taylor made his home on Mount Taylor before being trapped and translocated south of Interstate 40 to the Gila National Forest in May. In July he made his way back to Mount Taylor. Two weeks ago the department darted him from the air, removed him again and released him at the same spot in the Gila where they attempted his first relocation. Taylor immediately turned north and started running home. On Nov. 22 he arrived near Mount Taylor again.

“Wolves like Taylor can’t read maps, even those with lines drawn by politicians,” said Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Government officials disregarded science when they drew this arbitrary boundary. Wildlife agencies need to let Taylor roam free. I’ll be celebrating if he finds a female northern wolf to raise pups with who will boost the genetic diversity of Mexican wolves.”

Taylor is the fifth Mexican wolf known to have spent time recently in the Mount Taylor region. Other Mexican wolves have gravitated to the area south of the Grand Canyon, which is also officially off-limits according to wildlife agencies.

“It’s the very definition of insanity for the agencies to be taking the same actions but expecting different results,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. “Taylor knows where he wants to be, and humans need to stop trying to impose their will on wild animals.”

“Instead of spending the time and money to relocate this amazing lobo again, wildlife officials should take a step back and let him roam — maybe learn from where he wanders,” said Chris Smith, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians. “Mexican wolves belong in the northern part of our state. Biologists and the wolves themselves seem to agree on that.”

Because of longstanding mismanagement that now includes the enforced separation of Mexican gray wolves from northern gray wolves, the Mexican wolf population in the United States — which stems from just seven animals — has lost genetic diversity in each of the last four years.

“Unsurprisingly, Taylor is moving north again. And again, we’re going to have to ask ourselves, do we expend taxpayer dollars and limited recovery resources enforcing political boundaries on a wild animal, or do we let natural instincts and recovery goals work together in a rare win-win,” said Luke Koenig, Gila grassroots organizer for New Mexico Wild. “Unfortunately, our track record with this seemingly no-brainer of a situation has been pretty poor. But we have yet another opportunity to make things right.”

“How ironic that time after time, the Fish and Wildlife Service keeps transporting wolves south again after their northward journeys claiming there are no other lobos for them to find for mates north of I-40,” said Mary Katherine Ray, wildlife chair of the Rio Grande chapter of the Sierra Club. “With five wolves having made the trip in recent years, clearly there could be if they were all just allowed to roam.”

“Taylor is showing us, yet again, what wolves have been trying to tell us for years: recovery doesn’t follow a straight line drawn on a map. Dispersing wolves are the authors of their own futures, choosing the landscapes, corridors and potential mates that give their families the best chance to thrive,” said Claire Musser, executive director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project. “When we step back and let lobos lead, they reveal the very pathways scientists have long identified as essential for true recovery across the Southwest and the wider Western United States. Taylor’s journey isn’t a management problem, it’s a reminder of what’s possible when we trust wild animals to find their way home.”

Independent scientists have determined that recovering Mexican wolves will require the subspecies to inhabit broader areas than presently permitted. These include the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado and the Grand Canyon region of northern Arizona and southern Utah. Scientists also believe that connectivity with northern gray wolves in Colorado would bring much-needed genes to combat inbreeding in the Mexican wolf population.

“Taylor’s journey shows us what recovery looks like when wolves lead the way. They select the habitats, corridors and mates that give them the best chance to thrive,” said Michelle Lute, Ph.D. in wolf conservation and executive director of Wildlife for All. “With the border wall closing off natural dispersal toward the south, allowing wolves to move north is no longer optional for recovery, it’s necessary.”

“Robust conservation science stresses the need for high quality habitat with interconnected populations in order to ensure long term species persistence. Taylor and his lobo predecessors are repeatedly telling us where the best habitat is as they spread from an artificially bounded range” said Nico Lorenzen, wildlife associate for Wild Arizona. “As independent scientists have suggested, and further confirmed by the wolves themselves, the key to their recovery is allowing them to roam past I-40 and establish a healthy metapopulation.”

Background

When initially reintroduced in 1998, Mexican wolves were largely confined to the Gila National Forest in New Mexico and the Apache National Forest and Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona.

A 2004 Center for Biological Diversity petition showed that the region was insufficient to allow for true recovery and requested that the wolves be allowed to roam freely.

Two follow-up lawsuits led to a 2015 rule allowing wolf movements between the border with Mexico and I-40, even though by that time additional research had demonstrated that Mexican wolves need lands north of I-40 for their recovery.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.8 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Western Watersheds Project is a national, nonprofit conservation organization that works to influence and improve public lands management through the western United States in order to protect native species and conserve and restore the habitats they depend on.

WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

New Mexico Wild is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) grassroots organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and continued enjoyment of New Mexico’s wildlands and wilderness areas.

The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), dedicated to bringing back wolves to restore ecological health across the Grand Canyon region, while honoring them as sentient beings with intrinsic value and lives of their own.

Wildlife for All is a national organization dedicated to reforming wildlife management to be more democratic, just, compassionate and focused on protecting wild species and ecosystems. Through research, advocacy, and education, we aim to protect wildlife and ensure that policies reflect the values of all Americans.

Wild Arizona is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) whose mission is to protect, unite, and restore wild lands and waters across Arizona and beyond, for the enrichment and health of all generations, and to ensure Arizona’s native plants and animals a lasting home in wild nature.

The post PRESS RELEASE: Mexican Wolf ‘Taylor’ Back Home Near New Mexico’s Mount Taylor appeared first on Wild Arizona.

Featuring Haul no! and live music by Tha ‘Yoties. Doors open at 5 p. Show starts at 6 pm. Come visit our tables and the Shifting Topographies: Extracting the Landscape Exhibition.

Monumental Moment: For years, shy and soft-spoken teenager Maya Tilousi-Lyttle has been protesting uranium mining on the border of Grand Canyon National Park with her mother, Havasupai advocate Carletta Tilousi. On Aug. 8, 2023, she spoke powerfully from a podium moments before President Joe Biden signed the proclamation declaring Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The monument represented a form of long-sought permanent protection for a region that holds irreplaceable significance to the Indigenous peoples who have called it home for millennia. But in January 2025, the Arizona legislature and others filed lawsuits attempting to overturn the monument designation and attacking the Antiquities Act as unlawful. The fight continues, and it is up to Maya’s generation to make their voices heard. Directed by Pete McBride. 15 minutes.

Uli-Kin: A Cry for the Homelands: A film about the quest for social and environmental justice for tribes of the Grand Canyon region. With an emphasis on uranium contamination threats to Havasupai and Navajo Nations, and dangerously high levels of arsenic in Hopi, “A Cry for the Homelands” features the voices of Derrick Suwaima Davis, Ryon Polequaptewa, Carletta Tilousi, Dianna Sue Uqualla, Ernest Taho and Ed Kabotie. The short was filmed by David Wallace during @tha_yoties Grand Canyon to Washington DC campaign in the fall of 2023. 28 minutes.

Why Now?

The Trump Administration has clearly stated it will move to eliminate this National Monument and the Antiquities Act with it if it doesn’t hear significant public outcry. In addition, in September Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) introduced two separate Bills targeting Arizona national monuments. Together, both Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon and Ironwood Forest National Monuments would have their status removed should these heinous bills get passed. This is a broadly unpopular move with 80% of Arizonans in favor of these national monuments. But many don’t know what their local monuments are and what they protect.

The post In Defense of our National Monument | Film Night and Live Music with Tha ‘Yoties | Nov 5 at the Coconino Center for the Arts appeared first on Wild Arizona.

Written by Dexter Kopas.

“Just one person can make a big difference. They can start a movement. ” Dan White, president of the Friends of Madera Canyon, addressed a crowd below towering Mt. Wrightson. “55 years ago, a senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, had an idea that a day should be set aside to take action to preserve the environment. Today, we too will start something small, but that can grow into something big.”  

On Saturday, April 26th, some 20 excited Tucson-area environmental stewards had gathered to start their own small movement: a restoration of a highly impacted section of the Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area. Here, in beautifully oak-and-pine-covered Madera Canyon, in the Santa Rita Mountains, several organizations had come together to care for a natural area much beloved by the citizens of Tucson, Green Valley, Nogales, and beyond. Our group ranged from middle schoolers from local Scout Troop 247 to those well into retirement age. 

After being directed to parking by volunteers from the Knights of Columbus, eating burritos and muffins supplied by nearby cafe Posada Java and paid for by Tucson’s outdoor gear superstore Summit Hut, we grabbed gloves and safety glasses offered by the Green Valley True Value Hardware, and donned Wild Arizona hard hats. 

US Forest Service volunteer wilderness ranger and Santa Rita Mountain devotee Jim Beck explained for everyone why we were there: in this well-traveled and well-loved picnic area, several user-developed trails had sprung up as folks over the years had wandered into the enticing oak woodland. If this were an off-the-beaten-path locale, this wouldn’t be an issue, but here in an environment that gets impacted by so many people, this can be quite detrimental to the landscape and the critters that inhabit it. As suggested by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, when in an undisturbed area, disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails. In a popular area, concentrate use on existing trails and campsites. Much work has gone into making the many trails in Madera Canyon sustainable, whereas no such work is done with user developed trails, so we aimed to direct those wanderers onto the official trails. 

So, after a safety briefing, we split up into three groups and started turning the landscape back over to the trees, lizards, deer, and others. Largely, this involved placing pieces of dead wood and rocks on trodden pieces of ground, then covering it all up with leaves. It’s a super simple process that gets you using your creative side to figure out how to make something look “natural.” Now covered with debris, the ground will slow water down, allowing it to filter into the ground. If left undisturbed by foot traffic, seeds will germinate and grow into plants. Soon enough, you won’t know any work was done there at all. Sometimes, when you do something right, nobody will know you’ve done anything at all. 

By the time we broke for lunch, we had closed about a quarter mile of trail, several erosive chutes off of the Old Baldy Trail, and a large old campsite. All in a half day’s work, made possible by many caring folks.

The post Earth Day Restoration by Volunteers in Madera Canyon appeared first on Wild Arizona.

Written by Bradley Harmon, Wild Stew Field Crew Member.

What is the price of protecting these lands? These lands that captivate us, heal us, and support us? Us humans who, in spite of our singular abilities, are just as dependent on the land as the worms, spiders, and skunks that we feel higher than? What price do you and I have to pay to contribute to the preservation of these mountains and rivers we love so much? Maybe the answer to that is better left to someone with a higher education, but nevertheless, I will submit my two cents to those who will listen.

The price I paid last hitch was sore knees, a few chilly mornings, and some time away from home. But I found that price was more than offset by the peaceful and quiet air of the Chiricahua mountains, the calming lullaby sung by Cave Creek, and the gratification of knowing that I am playing my part in keeping these mountains as wild and as healthy as possible.

This hitch was all about Paspalum Dilatatum, otherwise known as Dallis Grass, a pesky invasive grass that had only just started to take hold on Cave Creek. On Wednesday Sam and I did some scouting to make sure we had an idea of the extent of the outbreak, and to make sure we had a grasp on how to I.D the grass. On Thursday we met up with some volunteers from Portal and Rodeo, along with Dirk Sigler, president of the Chiricahua Regional Council, at the Southwestern Research Center. Together we struck the first blow at cutting this invasive off at the knees. With pick-mattocks and rogue hoes we began to rid the research station of this grass and we made good progress. The rest of the hitch, Sam and I treated the remainder of our project area along the North Fork of Cave Creek with herbicide. We spent our days slowly walking along the banks, our eyes burning holes between the blades of native grasses, looking for this tricky invasive. Once we found one patch, we would squat down with our containers full of herbicide and our foam paint brushes and carefully paint each blade of grass in a patch. Once we finished a patch, we would quickly realize that there was much more than we had originally thought hiding between rocks and within other grasses. For me, spotting this grass was like a bell curve. At first, I missed a lot of what was in front of me. Later on, I felt like I had a sixth sense for this grass, having noted where the water is likely to carry the seeds to, but by the last day I felt like I was blind to dallis grass.

The hitch ended with some delicious homemade pizza from Dirk Sigler, one last scouting hike to understand the extent of the spread, and a final sweep of our project area. This was only the first blow against the invasive paspalum dilatatum, and although we will have to wait to see how effective it was, I am confident that we will make a significant impact on Cave Creek and stop the invasion. This hitch reaffirmed for me that, despite whatever “strife” comes in this line of work, protecting the lands that I love, it is repaid ten fold by the land.

Special thanks to the Chiricahua mountains for the peace and clarity.

And to Dirk Sigler for the pizza and the generous donation of film cameras to fuel my film photography addiction.

The post wild stew field crew: A Price That Pays Itself appeared first on Wild Arizona.

Written by Dexter Kopas, Wild Stew Field Crew Member.

On this edition of the Wild Stew Field Crew, we once again did something exciting that was not trail maintenance: trail assessment! It is important for the Forest Service to have an updated inventory of trail conditions, in order to determine where, when, and with what resources certain trails need to be worked on. So, to that end, Taylour Stephens, Jonathan Patt, Lauren Renteria, and Dexter Kopas took to the Coronado National Forest’s Galiuro Wilderness and walked on every trail (sometimes finding nothing more than overgrown, sloped-out dirt sliding down a mountain). Over an eight-day backpacking trip, the crew, split up in two teams of two, catalogued approximately 160 miles of trail, taking detailed notes on what they found.

While following GPS tracks showing where the Forest Service system trails are supposed to be, they at times found only thick masses of cat claw, manzanita, and oak. Sometimes the experience was simply scrambling over rocks in a canyon bottom, every few hundred feet working up the courage to take a gander into the brush up on the floodplain to see if any semblance of trail could be found. Other times it would be walking an open meadow trying to find evidence that boots had hit the ground sometime in the last decade. The plus side to all this was that in the moments when good trail was found, the crew could deeply appreciate the work put in by the Forest Service, contracted crews, volunteers, and just hikers with determination who collaborated to make the euphoric experience of walking a perfectly maintained trail through rugged and beautiful wilderness.

What the crew did find throughout the whole eight-day hitch was adventure. One of the major highlights was staying in four old abandoned cabins built by families who lived in the mountains over the last 200 years. Powers Cabin, Powers Garden Cabin, Jackson Cabin, and Hooker Cabin are all available shelters for anyone willing to march out to them. The structures are generally well maintained and cleaned, complete with cots, brooms, wood stoves, propane, water jugs, even a guitar in Powers Garden Cabin, though you may have to use hot sauce to fill in the guest book, as working pens can be hard to come by. Other evidence of past human life is found in two mineshafts up to 200 feet deep and the magical Holdout Spring. There, waters emerge from a habitable cave complete with spring box, fireplace, ladder, and pictographs. With three quarters of the crew wearing stylish leather sun hats, there were wonderful opportunities to take Trail Gothic photos in these places where history comes alive.

The natural setting in the Galiuro Wilderness was sublime. Not a drop of rain fell and the temperatures ranged from the cool, comfortable 40’s at night in the canyon bottoms to the not-too-toasty low 80’s in the midday sun. The fall colors on the trees were off the charts. A full rainbow was a frequent sight, from massive green Arizona Cypress to yellow aspens to orange Gambel Oaks to red Canyon Maples. The landscape throughout the range changes considerably, from dry rocky canyons to thickly forested streams to grassy ridge tops showing views from San Jose peak in Mexico to the Four Peaks in the Mazatzals. When used as campsites the peaks played host to beautiful sunsets and sunrises to give a sigh of relief after long days of bushwhacking. As for wildlife, the crew got to experience black bears, bats hanging in caves, frogs, way too many flies, Western Screech Owls, dead moths in the watering holes, and the unquestionable highlight, two Elegant Trogons. The birds are a rare sight at this time of year this far north, usually staying for just the spring-summer breeding season in the southeasternmost ranges of Arizona.

While exploring the 76,317-acre wilderness, the crew saw only four other groups of hikers in an area just 35 miles from Tucson as the crow flies. With hardly anyone else to interact with, the crew found fun ways to avoid getting sick of each other. Whether it was by dressing up in a Swedish Fish costume to surprise passing hikers, waking up on halloween to dramatically reveal a mask hidden at the bottom of a pack for four days, or collaborating to make interesting new backcountry meals, such as a breakfast of nutella and banana nut oatmeal, a “lunch delight” of cheese, peanut butter, sausage, and cracker, or a dinner of rice, beans, risotto, tuna, and chili cheese fritos. The whole crew of four was lucky enough to meet up for one night at the historic Powers Cabin halfway through the trip to exchange halloween costumes, candy, and stories.

It was an eventful and enriching work week, the longest backpacking trip without a resupply for any of us. After some rest time, the crew is excited to return to put tool to trail in the next hitch when they head back to the South Fork Trail in the Chiricahua Wilderness to work on a major post-storm reroute. Tune in in two weeks to hear of all their exploits. If you can’t wait that long, head to our volunteer page to find out how you can get involved with us. Our next event is on the Chiricahuas’ Burro Trail from Nov. 6 to Nov. 7, 2021. You can also learn the history of the Deer Creek Trail on location in the Mazatzals Nov. 12 to Nov. 14, 2021.

The post wild stew field crew update: Galiuro Wilderness Trail Assessment appeared first on Wild Arizona.

TUCSON, ARIZONA. Conservationists are applauding President-elect Joe Biden’s announcement today that U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) will be his choice to fill the influential role of Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI). Haaland, a strong supporter of conservation measures in Congress, would also be the first Native American woman to be nominated for the position.

“We’ve watched as the need for true conservation leadership has grown exponentially during the Trump years,” said Kelly Burke, Executive Director of Wild Arizona. “We look forward to Rep. Haaland bringing her conservation dynamism and deep love of Southwest wild lands and waters to the DOI.” Burke, whose non-profit group Wild Arizona focuses on inclusive conservation of Arizona’s unique natural heritage, is currently leading their work to advance permanent protection for the vast rimlands surrounding Grand Canyon, an effort which Rep. Haaland supports.

Since being elected to Congress, Haaland has been a public lands champion, sponsoring, cosponsoring, and supporting the conservation of public lands, wildlife, and natural resources, including protecting Chaco Canyon and introducing the Thirty by Thirty Resolution, setting a goal to conserve 30% of U.S. ocean and land by 2030. More importantly for Arizonans, Haaland has been a steadfast supporter of permanently protecting the Grand Canyon region from the toxic impacts of uranium mining.

“Rep. Haaland has been a tremendous champion of public lands, conservation, and the environment,” said Burke. “We look forward to working with her to move forward on key projects, including sustaining and implementing the recommendations and values of Indigenous Tribes and Nations, which we have long worked to support.”

As DOI Secretary, Rep. Haaland’s appointment would be historic—as the first Indigenous person to serve in that position. “Rep. Haaland’s role in implementing recommendations of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) for the Colorado River Ecosystem below the dam, would be vital to the program’s Native American members,” Burke added. “Wild Arizona works with the Bureau of Reclamation in the GCDAMP and we would hope to enhance collaborative progress on Colorado River work under her leadership,”
The Department of the Interior is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and oversees the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and other critical agencies.

Given Interior’s role in conducting affairs with Tribal Nations across the United States, and the overlap of public lands and Native lands, Haaland has the opportunity to chart a new path forward between the United States’ government and its Indigenous communities.

###

Wild Arizona’s mission is to protect, unite, and restore wild lands and waters across Arizona and beyond, for the enrichment and health of all generations, and to ensure Arizona’s native plants and animals a lasting home in wild nature. Since its origins in 1979, Wild Arizona has worked to defend and protect Arizona’s outstanding landscapes through citizen outreach and advocacy, wilderness stewardship volunteerism, and field-based science, inventory, and riparian restoration, engaging nearly 3,000 members and supporters.

The post Wild Arizona welcomes nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland for Secretary of Interior. appeared first on Wild Arizona.

Notice of Employment Opportunities: Seasonal/Temporary Conservation Crew Member

Wild Arizona, under contract with AZ Department of Forestry and Fire Management and in partnership with the Tonto National Forest is working to control invasive Tamarisk and Oleander in Arnett Creek and Telegraph Canyon and is seeking two saw qualified crew members to work alongside Wild Arizona staff and volunteers.

This temporary-full time position is not expected to extend beyond January 15, 2021. Selected crew members will work 8-10-hour days (Wednesday to Wednesday), followed by 6 days off beginning November 11, 2020 for a total of 24 work-days/240 hours.

The selected individuals will be hired by Wild Arizona as Temporary-full time employees, and must supply their own work clothes, backpacks, hiking boots and camping gear. All specialty equipment such as chainsaws/PPE, hand tools, herbicide application equipment, group camping gear, etc. will be provided by Wild Arizona through the length of the project. Crew Members will be responsible for the care and return of any equipment provided by Wild Arizona.

Individuals with past or current experience working for Wildland Fire crews and/or Conservation Corp Crews (Tamarisk eradication crews) are highly encouraged to apply.

At a minimum you MUST possess a current USFS Class A Chainsaw card to be considered for this position.

Project Locations

Arnett Creek – Tonto National Forest

Project Start Date

November 10, 2020

Project End Date

December 16, 2020 – May be extended based on weather conditions and funding

Compensation

This position will be paid $16 per hour and food reimbursements not exceeding $28/day.

Program Overview

Wild Arizona’s mission is to protect, link, and restore wild lands and waters across Arizona and beyond, for the enrichment and health of all citizens, and to ensure Arizona’s native plants and animals a lasting home in wild nature. We organize and amplify multi-community voices of support for legislation and special designations; advocate for conservation science-based environmental policy and planning; and cultivate stewardship, social/environmental awareness, and well-being through outdoor volunteerism, science, and education.

We seek employees who demonstrate high standards in work quality, diligence, reliability, compassion, excellent judgement, and a desire to care for the environment.

Project Description

This project is part of an ongoing riparian restoration project that begin in 2016 and will consist of the cutting of both fully grown and re-sprouted tamarisk and oleander plants with chainsaws/hand tools and applying herbicide to cut-stumps along a 2 mile section of Arnett Creek, a desert riparian canyon, and half a mile of Telegraph Canyon, a tributary of Arnett Creek.

Essential Accountabilities and Functions

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Required to walk on uneven, slippery terrain, kneel for extended periods of time
• Required to use hands to operate tools such as chainsaws, hand saws, pruners, picks and shovels
• Lift and carry 50 plus pounds of gear and equipment over rugged terrain up to 3-6 miles daily.
• At a minimum you must possess a valid and current USFS Class A Sawyer Card – Class B preferred.
• Must be able to speak, read, and write English
• Physically fit and able to work long days in adverse weather conditions
• High school diploma or GED certificate
• Must have a valid driver’s license
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member
• Sense of humor and desire to make a positive impact for the environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Conservation Corps, Youth Corps, Student Conservation Corps, Wildland Firefighting, or similar work experience
• Familiar with basic conservation skills, including tool/chainsaw maintenance.
• Federal driver’s license and current defensive driving certification

Employment at Wild Arizona is exclusively based upon qualifications and competency. We are seeking candidates who have a commitment to engage with us to create a just and inclusive work environment and world.

Wild Arizona provides all people with equal employment and volunteer opportunities and does not discriminate against anyone in treatment, hiring, training, assignment, compensation, promotional opportunities, employee benefits, recall from layoff, discharge and discipline, or any other term and condition of employment on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, parental status, veteran status, union activity, political affiliation, physical or mental disability unrelated to an individual’s ability to perform the job with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other basis prohibited by law. We encourage all people with the essential skills/qualifications and commitment, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, to apply.

Please submit your cover letter, resume and two references to brian@wildarizona.org or by mail to:

Wild Arizona
PO Box 40340
Tucson, AZ 85717

Applications must be submitted or postmarked by October 9, 2020.

Click to download application as PDF.

The post hiring conservation crew members for Arnett Creek. appeared first on Wild Arizona.

My dear dear friend Michael Soulé left this beloved life and our one planet Earth on June 17th, a week ago Wednesday. His impact on my life was like a planetary body that swung close and shifted my orbit around the Sun. Along the way, he taught me the conservation ecology of love and the power of joy to save wild nature—even the silly, mischievous, yes-you-are-alive kind of joy that arrives each evening after a good day of whitewater, and springs up each morning with the cascading tremolo of a canyon wren at first light.

“I have always loved, and will always love, wild nature: Plants and animals. Places that are still intact. Though others might avoid the word, I insist that we talk about “love” in conservation, because we only protect what we love. The reason we act when something threatens our family or our neighborhood is because we love these people and places. Maybe it takes a tangible threat to our home environment to make us realize that we really do love the earth.”

Michael Soulé in a 2018 interview in The Sun magazine.

Wild Arizona is rooted in the rich and sometimes irksome soil of Michael’s ecological studies, the science of Conservation Biology he fathered, his passion for new ideas, and the organizations he co-founded with other leading scientists and wilderness advocates. Our colleague John Davis, wildways explorer and Executive Director of The Rewilding Institute knows this story well and has written a fine tribute to Michael Soulé titled Immortalizing Michael Soulé.

“The first time I met Michael Soule, he was the dean of conservation biology. The second time, he was a frog…

“That first meeting was the founding of North American Wilderness Recovery, from which Wildlands Network and The Rewilding Institute evolved. Michael was a giant among giants at that inaugural meeting; and I (as the junior founding member, both intellectually and chronologically) listened in awe as he and Dave Foreman, Reed Noss, and other wilderness leaders explained to our host and sponsor, Doug Tompkins, how North American wildlife could be saved and restored…
 
“In any case, my clearest memory from that distant campfire is everyone rolling in laughter as Michael, with his Elven features, hopped around, imitating and telling us of some rare frog he’d found on a research trip years prior. I’ll never forget the twinkle in his eyes and the mischievously warm smile as he hopped past…
 
“Immortality is best achieved, I trust Michael would agree, through permanent protection of wildlands and their wild denizens. I propose we honor and immortalize Michael Soule by finishing the Spine of the Continent Wildway – which he proposed as the flagship for a National Conservation Corridors campaign …along the Rocky Mountains and restore the top predators, including Gray Wolf, Grizzly Bear, and Puma, throughout. This we should be able to accomplish by 2030, in keeping with the popular Half Earth goal of protecting at least 30% of Earth’s lands and waters by 2030 and at least 50% by 2050.

John Davis, The Rewilding Institute

Three of our Wild Arizona board members, Kim Crumbo, Kim Vacariu, and GIS mapping specialist Kurt Menke also spent many years working alongside, influenced, and inspired by Michael Soulé and his vision. We miss him so very much.

With love for life on Earth,
Kelly, Kim C., Kim V., Kurt, and the Wild Arizona crew

Sign up to receive Wild on Wednesday, updates and news about preserving wild lands, wild waters, wildlife, & wild connections across Arizona & beyond  – not every Wednesday, not always Wednesday.

The post farewell Michael Soulé. appeared first on Wild Arizona.

“I don’t think we can wait on those who are invested in the idea of whiteness to change. If we do that, we’re going to lose another generation, those who are invested in the idea of America as a white nation in the vein of old Europe clinging to those commitments. And in — and in the interim, we keep losing people. Those of us who are — who have learned the lessons of our history, those of us who want to imagine America differently, we have to start building a world where those kinds of beliefs have no corner to breathe…“

“COVID has changed everything, has changed everything. We can’t go back to what was. We can’t allow people to double down on their ugly commitments. We have to finally muster the courage to build a new America, or this thing will go to hell.“

—Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton University professor and author on PBS Newshour Friday, May 28 , 2020

Dear Friend of WildAZ,

Over the past nine days I’ve tried to process and more deeply understand the trauma and shame of the brutal and horrifying police killing of George Floyd and all it represents in the context of systemic racism, the pandemic and the work that we do as Wild Arizona. While this is crucial learning, I’ve come to a place where it is simply time to get on with this transformation, eradicate every trace of racism from our systems, our organizations and our work.

As the newly merged Wild Arizona, we explicitly set out last year to, throughout our work, ‘unite people across culture circles with the common goal of protecting and restoring wild places, for the enrichment and health of all generations’. We may have a ways to go but we’re a passionate bunch of persistent advocates, and we are committed to work for real environmental and social justice.

We believe the future of conservation is intrinsically tied to the building of a new America, because our deeper cultural history is inescapable. Who do we want to be, what is our identity as Americans? We cannot protect our amazingly diverse landscapes and their diverse wild inhabitants until we are a compassionate, inclusive, equitable, and tolerant nation, embracing our cultural diversity. What wild nature offers now, as it has during the pandemic, is healing, and the inspiration and motivation to fight for an America free of oppression, exploitation, and systemic racism.

With love for life on Earth,
Kelly, Kim C., Kim V., Kurt, and the Wild Arizona crew

Sign up to receive Wild on Wednesday, updates and news about preserving wild lands, wild waters, wildlife, & wild connections across Arizona & beyond  – not every Wednesday, not always Wednesday.

The post because black lives matter. appeared first on Wild Arizona.

Quarantine got you down? Missing the camaraderie of like minds who love wilderness and all things wild? Well, we have the cure for those pandemic blues!

Come gather with the wilderness and rewilding community for the opening of the Rewilding Café, a refreshing draught for our friends and supporters searching out the pathways to a wilder, healthier future for the human and nonhuman worlds… on our one Earth together.

Wild Arizona is teaming up with Rewilding Earth to bring this virtual hour of hope in action and good spirits, to our supporters and friends.

The post refresh your wild side at the Rewilding Café. appeared first on Wild Arizona.