Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. (Mostly flat, even terrain with occasionally uneven sections, covering 2–3 miles total)
On this outing, we’ll combine the joy of birding with the meaningfulness of learning about the ecological and human impacts of U.S. border policy and the border wall in our region. We’ll meet at the Arivaca Cienega trailhead and spend several hours birding this area before we take a short drive to the BANWR Visitor Center. There we’ll have lunch (please bring your own!) and hear how birds, other animals, habitats, ecosystems, and human beings have been impacted by the border wall, and how local organizations are working to protect life along the border. Then we’ll visit the wall itself, near the town of Sasabe (just a 10-minute drive from the BANWR Visitor Center), after which we’ll depart for Tucson with an optional stop along the way for some additional birding to end the field trip on a joyful note. This outing pairs with a panel discussion on Thursday of the festival. Limited to 15 participants. Drive time to beginning location approximately 75 minutes.
Summer Tanager by Hemant Kishan