Arizona National Wildlife Refuges

Looking at the map below, you might notice that most of the National Wildlife Refuges in Arizona are in the lowlands, which is also where the driest desert is. Leslie Canyon and San Bernardino are in the region of the "sky islands:" mountains high enough that their slopes are forested and there's often water flowing in the streambeds, sometimes it's even snowmelt... Buenos Aires NWR is the area of a large, old cattle ranch, with catch ponds, small springs and streams and a lot of brushy thickets on the hills. Four of the refuges are along the Colorado River corridor. Then there's Kofa (named for the old King of Arizona Mine) and Cabeza Prieta: these two properties are serious desert. But there are living creatures out there and if they didn't have this kind of legal protection, they wouldn't survive much longer. As it is, Cabeza Prieta, Buenos Aires and San Bernardino are all dealing with a direct frontal assault from illegal Mexican activities...