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19 September 2022
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is protected land in Arizona in the southwestern United States, northeast of Yuma and southeast of Quartzsite. Over 665,400 acres (2,693 km2) of the Yuma Desert region of the Sonoran Desert make up the refuge.
Located in the rugged haven are broad, gently sloping foothills and sharp, needlepoint peaks of the Kofa Mountains. The small, widely scattered waterholes attract a surprising number of water birds for a desert area. The name “Kofa” comes from an Arizona mine that was active in this area from 1897 to 1910.
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In 1934, Founder of Scouting and noted frontiersman turned conservationist Major Frederick Russell Burnham became interested in the bighorn sheep that lived in the now protected lands. According to Burnham, fewer than 150 of these sheep lived in the Arizona mountains. So he called George F. Miller, then scout executive of the Boy Scout council headquartered in Phoenix, to save the sheep. According to Burnham:
“I want you to save this majestic animal, not only because it is in danger of extinction, but of more importance; someday, it might provide domestic sheep with a strain to save them from disaster at the hands of a yet unknown virus.”
And with that, the Boy Scouts of America started a statewide campaign to help save the desert bighorn sheep.
Other prominent Arizonans joined the movement, and a poster contest was started in schools across the state to save the bighorns. Burnham provided prizes and appeared in store windows from one end of Arizona to the other. The winning bighorn emblem was made into neckerchief slides for 10,000 Boy Scouts, and school assemblies and radio dramatizations were performed. This effort was supported by the National Wildlife Federation, the Izaak Walton League, and the Audubon Society.
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Combined, Kofa and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuges set aside over 1.5 million acres (6,100 km2), and a civilian conservation corps side camp was set up to build high mountain waterholes for sheep. The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge was officially opened on April 2, 1939, and Burnham gave the dedication speech. Arizona Boy Scouts now use the desert bighorn sheep as their official mascot, and thanks to them, the number of sheep in these parks is booming.
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Arizona is home to an incredibly diverse range of wildlife, and the rich ecosystem faces many challenges, with habitat loss being the most pressing issue, leading to the endangerment of species across the state. Arizona currently has 71 endangered and threatened species, and efforts to protect these species are more essential than ever.
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Mesa, Arizona, has become the latest city in the Phoenix metro area to implement a ban on feeding wild birds, joining the ranks of Phoenix and Tempe, which have already enacted similar measures. The new law, passed in 2019, aims to curb the growing problem of excessive bird droppings in public spaces and private properties, but it has stirred up mixed reactions from the public.
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Many may not be aware of this, but Arizona faces unique environmental challenges related to air quality. Despite its natural beauty, the state’s air quality frequently falls below ideal levels, raising concerns for residents and visitors alike. Several factors contribute to poor air quality in Arizona, from its geographical features to human activities. Let’s explore why the air quality tends to be bad in this desert state.
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