BORDERLANDS WILDLIFE PRESERVE
Ecological Restoration for Wildlife
A primary focus of Borderlands Restoration Network is to rebuild healthy ecosystems and restore habitats for plants and wildlife. Permanently conserving the land that makes up the Borderlands Wildlife Preserve is one step, but supporting healthy ecosystems at the preserve is another important effort to help provide healthy habitats, stop destructive erosion and improve the climate resiliency of the preserve long into the future.
BRN along with many partners make important ecological restoration projects possible. Check out some of them below. Have questions about this work? Reach out to wildlife@borderlandsrestoration.org.
Pond Restoration, Bat Conservation International
Under the guidance of our friends at Bat Conservation International, clay from the bottom of an existing stock tank pond at the BWP was removed and then put back in place in layers, with each layer being compacted to create an impermeable, watertight seal not unlike a water-tight clay pot. >>>Pond Restoration Details
Path of the Jaguar, Wildlife Conservation Society
Borderlands Restoration Network was honored to receive a $245,000 grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society Climate Adaptation Fund with the support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to fund critical ecological restoration work along the path of the jaguar in Southeastern Arizona.
Quail Habitat Restoration, Sonoran Joint Venture
Unfortunately, Montezuma Quail habitat is in decline as accelerated erosion caused by land-use change such as development, mining, ranching, and agriculture strips away vegetation that the quail require for cover and food. >>>Quail Project Details
Wildlife Drinkers
As drought continues to make life harder for our local wildlife. Borderlands Restoration Network and many other organizations concerned with wildlife conservation act by providing water for wildlife. Thanks to a generous donation from one of our supporters, we have purchased four new wildlife drinkers to install in the preserve to complement our existing drinkers to provide year-round water for wildlife of all species and sizes.
Agaves for Bats
The Sky Islands is considered an important area in need of conservation to protect pollinators including the Lesser long-nosed bat that was taken off the Endangered Species list, despite its nectar source continuing to be threatened.
Agave is an important bat food source in this grassland region that faces threats such as climate change, land development, and wild harvest of agaves for Bacanora production.
Invasive Plant Removal & Revegetation
Invasive species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats. To curb these effects at the BWP, we work to control patches of the invasive species Johnson Grass (Sorghum halepense) and establish a variety of native species across an area of 400 acres. The patches on the preserve were mostly along roadsides, most likely accidentally introduced during construction activity before the property was acquired. Luckily, these patches were small enough that we could use hand pulling, mowing, and careful repeat monitoring to stop the spread and impact of this invasive species.