If You Build It......

"Tear down this wall Mr. Gorbachev!" exclaimed former and now deceased President Ronald Reagan to the Soviet leader in the 80's.  A line has been drawn here in the desert southwest between the environment and people wanting to keep the illegals out of the United States.  A border fence or wall would make "the wall" in George RR Martins books pale in comparison. I am a Sonoran aficionado for life. If you aren't aware of what is going on, I'll fill you in.  The US government is toying with the idea of putting up a border fence that would cut off Mexico from the US and thus "prevent" people from crossing our dangerous desert. Certain areas along the border already have a fence but not the entire perimeter. Illegal immigration is an issue and cannot be ignored, but there are other factors at play here.

Recently we have seen the return of the jaguars and ocelots population to Southern Arizona.  It wasn't a secret that for many years they were shot for their fur.  Some people have a jaguar or ocelot stuffed as proof that they once lived here.  Poachers abuse(d) the laws and illegally hunted these animals thus ridding ranchers of the problem. Older generations on both sides of the border decimated the populations and the animals disappeared. People would tell stories about these amazing creatures and it was hard to believe that they once roamed our desert land. To some people, jaguars are like unicorns:) Luckily for these cats, they are extremely elusive and difficult to spot.  Today, while ranchers and poachers still exist, they are fewer in numbers allowing these animals to make a comeback.  Protected lands both on the Mexican and American lands have helped as have laws concerning these animals.  And today, these laws just may save these critically endangered cats from a border fence that is proposed to cut off their routes into the US.  Studies are now being conducted by University of Arizona researchers on how this fence may affect these protected animals.  Cameras have gone up along the border to monitor wildlife crossing.  This issue has been a hot debate here in Arizona.  Once faction states that the fence will keep out illegal immigrants while the opposing faction states it will be a waste of money affecting the terroritories of animals that habitate those areas(which include these endangered cats).  This side also states illegal people crossing the border will find away around the fence through such things like tunnels or coyotes(people who smuggle illegals into the country).  So what's your opinion?  Mine is below.

Here it is.  I took these pics of the mighty ocelot at the Desert Museum.  I had a talk with several of the people around "Cat Canyon" about the recent sighting of the jaguar and ocelot in Southern Arizona.  And people here are excited to see this comeback and addition to our mountain lion and bobcat population. A biodiverse community is a healthy community.  A wall that will cost millions of taxpayer dollars will NOT keep out illegal immigrants.  They will find ways into the US whether we like it or not. They're doing it now!  The wall won't make one bit of difference. I do not support illegals at all.  They cost us a lot more money than they should, but a wall won't keep them out.  It WILL affect our wildlife with a very negative consequence.  You see, many years ago, ranchers put up hundreds of miles of barbed wire fence killing a lot of animals by "roping" them into an area.  Some would get caught up in the fencing and strangle themselves to death.  Today volunteers from all over the world come to take down this ancient fencing which is allowing the wildlife populations back into areas that were previously off limits.  Nowhere is this more evident than at the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge.  I'll be taking you there this spring.  It's an incredible place to visit and another little gem most people don't know about:) Doesn't history teach us lessons? As the government and people have faced restriction on monetary expenditures, we as a human race have to learn that there are limits on things.  Not so long ago, people just took took took....cutting down trees, hunting animals to their extinction, and causing massive damage to our environment. And it continues today. But now our attitude is, let's exploit natural resources in other countries. While in Peru, I discovered the US was contribuiting to a wood factory producing fine mahogony products...and thus aiding in the destruction of the Amazon. A fence is not the answer to this issue.  If you do not follow the issue, illegal immigration, at least for this year, is way down in Arizona and hit an all time low for the first time in 30 years.  Part of it has to do with the lack of jobs and the other part has to do with an increase in border security.  So what's your opinion? What's your take on feline vs. the wall?  How would you handle it? More tomorrow....

The Jaguars Return To Southern Arizona

For many years, it was thought that the Jaguar no longer roamed the southern Arizona regions.  But today's story is a hopeful one.  There have been several Jaguars spotted this year and it's a good sign that Jaguars are making their way back to the most northern regions of their territory once again.  Arizona, of course, is home to Bobcats and Mountains Lions.  Ocelots and Jaguars have all been thought to be gone from our lands here, but it seems that things are changing. I've written an article this past year on the elusive jaguar titled The Mystery of the Jaguar in Southern Arizona.  Here is a follow up on this magnificent creature.

I took this shot in Peru several years ago from a canoe.

"PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) - An Arizona hunter has made a rare confirmed sighting of a wild jaguar close to the Mexico border in southeastern Arizona, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said on Monday.

Jaguars' habitat ranges from Argentina to the rugged borderlands of Arizona and New Mexico. There have only been a handful of sightings by hunters in Arizona, and no jaguars are believed to breed in the United States.

The report was received on Saturday morning from an experienced hunter using dogs to track mountain lions in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, the department said.

The large cat was driven up a mesquite tree, where the hunter was able to take photographs and video. The footage was subsequently viewed by the department, which classified the sighting as "verifiable or highly probable."

"It's very exciting ... we know that jaguars use southern Arizona as part of their northern habitat ... Although confirmed sightings are fairly rare," Lynda Lambert, a spokeswoman with the department, told Reuters.

Lambert said the hunter declined to be named, and did not release the photographs or video footage for publication.

After photographing the cat, the hunter left the area with his dogs and watched from a distance. The jaguar remained treed for approximately 15 minutes and then headed south.

Jaguars are the only cats in North America that roar. They prey on a variety of mammals, fish, birds and reptiles.

There were thought to have vanished from United States until two confirmed sightings in 1996. Only a handful have been spotted since then, and very little is known about their habits.

Based on the images, biologists believe the jaguar is an adult male that appeared in good health and weighed approximately 200 pounds.

The department said it hoped to compare the photographs and video shot by the hunter to images of other jaguars taken in Arizona in the past.

They will try to use comparisons between a jaguar's unique spots, known as rosettes, to determine if the animal has been previously identified.

In recent years, concern over the well-being of the U.S. jaguar population has intensified as a program to build some 700 miles of security fence along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico has gathered pace.

Some conservationists feared that the fencing would prevent the powerful, solitary hunters from roaming up from Mexico.

In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would designate critical habitat for endangered jaguars in the United States and develop a jaguar recovery plan." End of article. Northern Public Radio