Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (CPNWR) is located in southwestern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the United States, along of the

Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border trave ...

. It is bordered to the north and to the west by the

Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range The Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range or Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR), formerly known as Luke Air Force Range, is a bombing range in the U.S. state of Arizona, between the Mexico–United States border and Interstate 8 straddling the Cabeza P ...

, to the south by Mexico's

El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve ( es, Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar) is a biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the federal government of Mexico, specifically by Sec ...

, to the northeast by the town of Ajo, and to the southeast by

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. national monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona that shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. The park is the only place in the United States where the ...

. Located within the

Yuma Desert The Yuma Desert is a lower-elevation section of the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and the northwest of Mexico. It lies in the Salton basin. The desert contains areas of sparse vegetation and has notable areas of sand dunes. With ...

, a lower-elevation section of the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

, the refuge was originally established in 1939 to protect

desert bighorn sheep The desert bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The ...

. It is home to more than 275 different species of animals and nearly 400 species of plants. CPNWR is the third largest

national wildlife refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to ...

in the lower 48 states. Its total area is , which is greater than that of the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. The refuge is administered from a small headquarters building, located in Ajo. The area is an active corridor for illegal entry and smuggling into the U.S. Since 2017 the skeletal remains of at least forty people have been found here, migrants crossing who died due to lack of water and/or from extreme temperatures. The Trump administration tightened rules against leaving food, water and clothing in such areas even if meant to save lives. Humanitarian aid volunteers were convicted of a misdemeanor in 2019 for doing so, and the incident touched off a debate about moral authority.

Etymology

Spanish for "dark head," the refuge's name comes from the Cabeza Prieta Mountains in the refuge's northwest part.

Wilderness designation

— amounting to 93% of the total area of CPNWR — was preserved in 1990 as the Cabeza Prieta Wilderness. Author

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include '' Desert S ...

, a frequent visitor, described the refuge as "the best desert wilderness left in the United States" and is reputedly buried there.

Access

There are only three public-use roads in the refuge:

El Camino Del Diablo El Camino del Diablo ( Spanish, meaning "The Devil's Highway"), also known as El Camino del Muerto, Sonora Trail, Sonoyta-Yuma Trail, Yuma-Caborca Trail, and Old Yuma Trail, is a historic road that passes through some of the most remote and inho ...

, Christmas Pass Road and Charlie Bell Road. All of these are unpaved, and they are frequently very difficult to travel because of deep mud and sand, sharp rocks, vegetation, and other obstacles.

Four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...

vehicles are required on El Camino Del Diablo and Christmas Pass Road. Charlie Bell Road can be traversed in a 2-wheel drive vehicle, provided the vehicle has a high clearance. There are no facilities on the refuge, including gasoline, sanitation or potable water. Visitors are advised to carry two spare tires and other spare mechanical parts in case of a breakdown. Parts of the refuge are sometimes temporarily off-limits to visitors during training exercises on the adjacent

, or because of law enforcement concerns with respect to illegal trafficking of people and drugs from Mexico. Additionally, parts of the refuge are temporarily off-limits to visitors between mid-March and mid-July, during the fawning season for the

Sonoran pronghorn The Sonoran pronghorn (''Antilocapra americana sonoriensis'') is an endangered subspecies of pronghorn that is endemic to the Sonoran Desert. Conservation Around 200 animals currently are believed to exist in Arizona in the United States, ...

(''Antilocapra americana sonoriensis''), an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

endemic to the Sonoran Desert. The purpose of this closure is to minimize disturbance to herds containing fawns, which can result in the loss of fawns.

Fauna

CPNWR is located within the

, a lower-elevation section of the Sonoran Desert. Despite the harshness of the desert environment, the refuge is home to more than 275 different species of animals and nearly 400 species of plants. Many species of birds are permanent residents of CPNWR, while many others migrate through during the spring and fall. Most of the fauna are

xerocole A xerocole (), is a general term referring to any animal that is adapted to live in a desert. The main challenges xerocoles must overcome are lack of water and excessive heat. To conserve water they avoid evaporation and concentrate excretions (i. ...

s, and they tend to be either

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of dayli ...

, most active at dawn and dusk so as to escape the heat. These fauna include: *

American badger The American badger (''Taxidea taxus'') is a North American badger similar in appearance to the European badger, although not closely related. It is found in the western, central, and northeastern United States, northern Mexico, and south-ce ...

(''Taxidea taxus berlandieri'') * Arizona pocket mouse (''Perognathus amplus'') * Big brown bat (''Eptesicus fuscus pallidus'') *

Big free-tailed bat The big free-tailed bat (''Nyctinomops macrotis'') is a bat species found in the Americas. Taxonomy It was described as a new species in 1839 by British zoologist John Edward Gray. Gray placed it in the now-defunct genus ''Nyctinomus'', with a ...

(''Nyctinomops macrotis'') * Black-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus californicus'') *

Bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the ...

(''Lynx rufus baileyi'') *

Broad-billed hummingbird The broad-billed hummingbird (''Cynanthus latirostris'') is a small-sized hummingbird that resides in Mexico and the southwestern United States. The bird displays sexual dimorphism, and the juveniles resemble the female adult more than the male a ...

(''Cynanthus latirostris'') * Collared peccary (''Pecari tajacu'') * Common collared lizard (''Crotaphytus collaris'') *

Cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...

(''Puma concolor'') *

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

(''Canis latrans'') *

Curve-billed thrasher The curve-billed thrasher (''Toxostoma curvirostre'') is a medium-sized mimid native to most of Mexico and to the deserts of southwestern United States. It is a non-migratory species, and throughout most of its range it is the most common desert ...

(''Toxostoma curvirostre'') *

Desert bighorn sheep The desert bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The ...

(''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') * Desert kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys deserti'') * Desert pocket mouse (''Chaetodipus penicillatus'') * Elf owl (''Micrathene whitneyi'') * Gambel's quail (''Callipepla gambelii'') * Giant desert hairy scorpion (''Hadrurus arizonensis'') * Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum''), a

near-threatened species A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

* Gila woodpecker (''Melanerpes uropygialis'') *

Golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird ...

(''Aquila chrysaetos'') *

Gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon littor ...

(''Urocyon cinereoargenteus'') * Greater roadrunner (''Geococcyx californianus'') * Harris's antelope squirrel (''Ammospermophilus harrisii'') * Kit fox (''Vulpes macrotis'') * Lesser long-nosed bat (''Leptonycteris yerbabuenae'') * Morafka's desert tortoise (''Gopherus morafkai''), a

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnera ...

* Desert mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus eremicus'') *

Phainopepla The phainopepla or northern phainopepla (''Phainopepla nitens'') is the most northerly representative of the mainly tropical Central American family Ptiliogonatidae, the silky flycatchers. Its name is from the Greek meaning "shining robe" in ref ...

(''Phainopepla nitens'') *

Red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members wit ...

(''Buteo jamaicensis'') *

Ringtail The ringtail (''Bassariscus astutus'') is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America. It is widely distributed and well adapted to disturbed areas. It has been legally trapped for its fur. It is listed as Least Co ...

(''Bassariscus astutus yumanensis'') * Round-tailed ground squirrel (''Xerospermophilus tereticaudus'') * Sonoran Desert centipede (''Scolopendra polymorpha'') * Sonoran Desert sidewinder (''Crotalus cerastes cercobombus'') *

(''Antilocapra americana sonoriensis''), an

* Vermilion flycatcher (''Pyrocephalus rubinus'') *

Western pipistrelle The canyon bat (''Parastrellus hesperus''), also known as the western pipistrelle, is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Mexico and in the western United States. The species has historically been placed in the genus ''Pipistrellus ''Pip ...

(''Pipistrellus hesperus'') * Western spotted skunk (''Spilogale gracilis leucoparia'')

History

In 1936, the Arizona boy scouts mounted a statewide campaign to save the desert bighorn sheep, leading to the creation of CPNWR. The Scouts first became interested in the sheep through the efforts of Major

Frederick Russell Burnham Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...

, the noted conservationist who has been called the "Father of

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth Social movement, movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hik ...

". Burnham observed that fewer than 150 of these sheep still lived in the Arizona mountains. He called George F. Miller, then scout executive of the boy scout council headquartered in Phoenix, with a plan to conserve them. Several other prominent Arizonans joined the movement and a ''Save the Bighorns''

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text ...

contest was started in schools throughout the state. The contest-winning bighorn emblem was made up into neckerchief slides for the 10,000 Boy Scouts, and talks and dramatizations were given at school assemblies and on radio. The

National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...

, the Izaak Walton League, and the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

also joined the effort. Cabeza_Prieta_Dedication

On January 18, 1939, over of Arizona were set aside at CPNWR and at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and a

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a ...

camp was set up to develop high mountain waterholes for the sheep. A brick and stone monument was erected on a hill near Tule Well, and Major Burnham delivered the dedication speech opening CPNWR in 1941. The desert bighorn sheep is now the official mascot for the Arizona Boy Scouts and the number of sheep in these parks have increased substantially. In 1989, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of this refuge, the stone monument on the site was re-dedicated to the Arizona Boy Scouts and Major Burnham.

Gallery

File:CPNWR-Tule Well.JPG, Tule Well, located on El Camino Del Diablo in CPNWR (2014) File:CPNWR-west.JPG, El Camino Del Diablo at the eastern entrance to CPNWR, 2014 File:Wildflowers at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.jpg, Wildflowers at CPNWR File:View in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona.jpg, Sunset at CPNWR File:CPNWR-Tule Well (2).JPG, Brick and stone monument at Tule Well commemorating the dedication of CPNWR, 2014

Notes

External links

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, official United States Fish and Wildlife Service website

Cabeza Prieta Natural History Association
* (produced by the National Conservation Training Center of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service) {{Authority control National Wildlife Refuges in Arizona Sonoran Desert Yuma Desert Gran Desierto de Altar Protected areas of the Sonoran Desert Protected areas of Pima County, Arizona Protected areas of Yuma County, Arizona Civilian Conservation Corps in Arizona Protected areas established in 1939 1939 establishments in Arizona