Ari­zona

 

With about 1.2 mil­lion acres of road­less areas in Ari­zona, the state stands to lose some of the best habi­tat it has for sports­men, and sen­si­tive species which con­sider these untram­meled lands home.

• About 11.3 of Arizona’s almost 73 mil­lion acres (about 15 per­cent) are pub­lic U.S. For­est Ser­vice Lands

• Of those 11.3 U.S. For­est Ser­vice Lands, about 1.2 mil­lion acres, about 10 per­cent, are inven­to­ried road­less areas.

• Cur­rently, 61,000 or 0.5 per­cent of total U.S. For­est Ser­vice Lands are rec­om­mended for wilder­ness designation.

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Spot­light on the Black River Canyon

The Black River Canyon is a key fea­ture of the Apache Sit­g­reaves National For­est and is eli­gi­ble for Wild and Scenic sta­tus. As home to strong pop­u­la­tions of rain­bow trout and the threat­ened Apache trout, the area offers some of the best fly fish­ing in the state.

Up Close

With 11,802 acres, the Black River Canyon is located about 20 miles south­west of Alpine Ari­zona in the Apache Sit­g­reaves National For­est. It is char­ac­ter­ized by a deep basalt river canyon with many side drainages. Ele­va­tions range from about 6,800 feet at Wild­cat Cross­ing to more then 7,600 feet at the canyon rims. Impor­tant species include Rain­bow trout, Apache trout, elk, white­tail deer, mule deer, bear, wolves.

Recre­ation

It’s not just hunters and anglers who enjoy this place. Back­pack­ers, horse­back rid­ers, bird­ers and wildlife enthu­si­asts are draw by the abun­dant wildlife. In addi­tion to the tra­di­tional game species, there is a very strong pop­u­la­tion of Osprey, with numer­ous nest­ing pairs. The area is also home to a num­ber of threat­ened and sen­si­tive species such as the Mex­i­can spot­ted owl, the New Mex­ico meadow jump­ing mouse, round­tail chubs, Ari­zona Bell’s vireo, water shrew, narrow-headed garter­snake, north­ern leop­ard frog, White Moun­tains water penny bee­tle, Sonora sucker and desert sucker.

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