Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy

Atascosa Highlands COA

The Atascosa Highlands are three small mountain ranges on the international border just west of Nogales — the Tumacacori, Atascosa, and Pajarito mountains. These ranges are continuous with similar highlands that stretch southward into Mexico. The vegetation is scattered evergreen oak woodlands on north facing slopes with scrub-grasslands on south facing slopes. This COA is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Within this COA are Sycamore Canyon and California Gulch, both managed by the USFS Coronado National Forest.

Sycamore Canyon contains a mix of Madrean woodland and upland Sonoran desertscrub habitat as well as significant reaches of high-elevation riparian forest. The canyon boasts up to 95 breeding bird species, one of the highest breeding bird diversity concentrations in Arizona. California Gulch is unique with quality thornscrub habitat, a dense shrub layer on its steep sides, and a perennial spring-fed stream. Both canyons support several Mexican species that are rare in the United States, such as elegant trogon and Rivoli’s hummingbird. This area is also an important dispersal area for Mexican breeding populations of jaguar.

Conservation Goals

  • Support and protect the unique riparian and thornscrub habitats and the SGCN that depend on them.
  • Identify and conserve areas known as stopover and breeding habitats for migratory birds and support their full life-cycle conservation through international collaborations that address threats to their migration and wintering habitats in Mexico, Central America, and beyond.
  • Improve habitat connectivity to facilitate wildlife movements in corridors between mountain ranges and across the international border.

Map

Primary Threats

3. Climate Change and Severe Weather

3.2: Droughts

6. Energy Production and Mining

6.2: Mining and quarrying

9. Natural System Modifications

9.1: Fire and fire suppression

Potential Conservation Actions

1. Land and Water Protection

1.2: Resource and habitat protection
  • Acquire land and water rights and pursue conservation agreements to mitigate adverse effects of some agricultural practices.

5. Law and Policy

5.4: Compliance and enforcement
  • Manage recreational activities and OHV use to minimize negative impacts to habitat and associated species.

2. Land and Water Management

2.3: Habitat and natural process restoration
  • Identify wildlife corridors essential to the movement of species between high-quality habitat blocks.
  • Increase connectivity by removing barriers and impediments to species movement.
  • Modify pasture and boundary fences to meet wildlife-friendly criteria to allow safe wildlife movement or provide wildlife crossing structures to minimize wildlife/vehicle collisions.
  • Implement projects focused on improving the quality of altered systems creating suitable habitat and/or habitat features for wildlife.
  • Manage for thinning and prescribed burns to create healthy habitats that are less prone to catastrophic wildfires and resilient to drought and insect infestations.

3. Species Management

3.1: Management of specific species of concern
  • Improve management and restoration of agave species to provide resources and migration corridors for lesser long-nosed bat and other pollinator species.

Habitats Present

Strategy Species

Amphibians

Chiricahua Leopard Frog, Sinaloan Narrow-mouthed Toad, Lowland Leopard Frog, Sonoran Desert Toad

Birds

American Peregrine Falcon, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Buff-collared Nightjar, Azure Bluebird, Elegant Trogon, Five-striped Sparrow, Gila Woodpecker, Golden Eagle, Gray Hawk, Mexican Spotted Owl, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Montezuma Quail, Northern Masked Bobwhite, Rose-throated Becard, Thick-billed Kingbird, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Invertebrates

Baboquivari Talussnail, Santa Rita Talussnail

Mammals

California Leaf-nosed Bat, Cave Myotis, Jaguar, Lesser Long-nosed Bat, Ocelot, Mexican Long-tongued Bat, Mexican Opossum, Hog-nosed Skunk, Arizona Gray Squirrel, Southern Pocket Gopher

Reptiles

Sonoran Coralsnake, Sonora Mud Turtle, Thornscrub Hook-nosed Snake, Tiger Rattlesnake, Yaqui Black-headed Snake, Madrean Alligator Lizard, Mountain Skink, Brown Vinesnake, Green Ratsnake, Sonoran Desert Tortoise

Fish

See Associated Aquatic COAs for fish species.

Protected Areas and Other Areas of Conservation Value

  • Parajita Wilderness
  • Sycamore Canyon IBA
  • California Gulch IBA

Potential Partners

  • Sky Island Alliance
  • Bat Conservation International
  • Tucson Audubon Society
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • US Forest Service - Coronado Ranger District

Relevant Conservation Plans

Associated Aquatic COAs