Arizona Highways. February, 1972

              FEBRUARY 1972
IND. 33940
SIXTY CENTS
ARIZONa HIGH'U.JAVS
VOL. XLVIII No.2 FEBRUARY 1972
RAYMOND CARLSON, Editor Emeritus
JAMES E. STEVENS, Director of Publications
JOSEPH STACEY, Editor
GEORGE M. A VEY, Senior Associate Editor
WESLEY HOLDEN, Associate Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
COLOR CLASSICS
SOUTHWESTERN ACADEMY
BIRDS OF THE MEXICAN BOUNDARY,
Page 3
Page 4
AND THE LOWER SOUTHWEST. Page 10
N.A.U. SCHOOL OF FORESTRY
OL'SHOOG
Yours Sincerely.
Page
Page
Page
JACK WILLIAMS, Governor of Arizona
ARIZONA HIGHWAY COMMISSION
42
44
48
Lew Davis, Chairman . Tucson
Rudy Campbell, Vice Chairman . Tempe
Ben F. Williams, Member. Douglas
Walter W. Surrett, Member . Payson
Walter A. Nelson, Member . Sedona
Justin Herman, State Highway Director Phoenix
William N. Price, State Highway Engineer Phoenix
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is published monthly by the Arizona
Highway Department. Address: ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, 2039
W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85009. $5.00 per year in
U.S. and possessions; $6.00 elsewhere; 60 cents each. Second
Class Postage paid at Phoenix, Arizona, under Act of March
3,1879. Copyrighted© 1972, by the Arizona Highway Dept.
ALLOW FIVE WEEKS FOR A CHANGE OF ADDRESS. SEND IN
THE OLD AS WELL AS THE NEW ADDRESS INCLUDING ZIP CODE.
PRINTED IN ARIZONA, U. S. A.
FRONT COVER - Black-chinned Hummingbird, enlarged
to double 'the size of the actual bird which usually measures
no more than three inches long, and weighs no more than
a well circulated silver quarter. The female, after pairing,
goes off alone to build a tiny nest of lichens and spiderwebs
in a tree or a shrub along a desert stream to raise her young.
This species is a common visitor to hummingbird feeders and
will frequently hover near a person to examine a brightly
colored object which might be a food source.
INSIDE FRONT COVER - The Snowy Egret was once
slaughtered by the thousands for its lovely white plumes
which were used to adorn women's wearing apparel. These
long plumes develop during the breeding season and the
birds are extremely vulnerable during this period when their
activities are confined to the nest area. This decimation has
been stopped, and the necessity of maintaining adequate
marsh situation is urgent for the continuation of this truly
beautiful creature.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BILL RATCLIFFE
ARIZONA IS FOR THE BI RDS
AND BEES. . AND PEOPLE
If we've heard it once, we've heard it at least one hundred times -
Arizona is for the birds.
What a glorious and beautiful compliment, because it takes a
special kind of blessing to be worthy of our beautiful birds. There are
many reasons why our sunny state is so alluring to birds, enchanting to
nature lovers, and especially to people who are for the birds.
Although the entire state abounds with birds, there is no place in
our United States which equals the. avian paradise found in southeastern
Arizona. Here at all temperature and elevation levels the display of
birds and their affinity for the environs have an intriguing charm
unmatched anywhere.
During the year past there were more birds sighted in Arizona
than ever before. Evidently they don't react the same as humans to
things like air pollution, water contamination, and everything else that
is driving men to the psychiatric clinics.
Our friend and frequent contributor from Tucson, Pete Cowgill
reported on a place called Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains,
recognized as the Hummingbird capital of the United States. There,
at their Mile-Hi Lodge, London born Joan Peabody and her husband
Carroll feel that people have brought more birds into the state because
they supplement the natural feeding areas and supply regardless of
seasons. Five years ago no more than six hummingbird species were
reported. There are 14 species listed in Peterson's Field Guide to Western
Birds. Last year at Mile-Hi 13 of those 14 species were sighted. One
species, the Berylline, is not even in the book, but has been photographed
at the Peabody feeders where at times as many as 500 hummingbirds
of various species are feeding at one time.
Joan can identify at least 10 of the 15 known United States species
by the sound of their wing beats and their song. Even professional
ornithologists, with binoculars and Peterson's latest edition in hand
can't do it. It's no wonder she is known as the Hummingbird Lady.
There are 319 species of Hummingbirds recorded in the world.
Sixty of these are found in Mexico, but only 15 are known (to date)
to summer or breed in the United States - and 14 of them love Ramsey
Canyon.
We were very fortunate to have Daniel Fischer's photographs as
the main photographic source for this special edition. All of Dan's
photographs were taken in the birds' natural "wilderness" habitat, using
no flash bulbs or stroboscopic illumination. During more than 20 years
of studying the birds and their ways, Dan also recorded on tape, mating
calls, mother birds talking to their young, and bird songs, which he
used from time to time when necessary. His collection of slides num­bers
into the hundreds and Dan enjoys his avocation of illustrated lec­tures
to educational groups. Willis Peterson and Bill Ratcliffe are well
known to ARIZONA HIGHWAYS readers, and their work appears often in
Audubon Magazine, National Wildlife and other fine publications
After reading Winifred Kennedy's manuscript about Southwestern
Academy I wished I were a young man again so I might spend several
of the beautiful years of my life at such a ' school. I never had the build
nor the courage to be a lumberjack, especially the log-rollin' kind, but
I'm sure that the creatures of the forest and meadow thank God for the
boys and girls who major in Forestry at Northern Arizona University.
Don Dedera will be happy and surprised to see his "01' Shoog" in
print. And I'm sure no one will be happier than Bob Capps, formerly
of Shakelford County, Texas, and now of Phoenix; and the thous,ands
of Arizonans who knew and loved Don when he was one of us. He is
a free-lance writer working from San Diego, California.
Don't be alarmed at the format and layout of this magazine. We'll
have many issues with the traditional full page, half page and double
page photographs of our scenic beauties. Every issue is a brand new
challenge, and we try to "tailor-make" every "suit to fit the body" ...
all brand new each time . .. no second time hand ·me-downs. You
deserve nothing less, and we enjoy nothing more than the pleasure of
trying to do our best for you .. . . JOSEPH STACEY
NEXT MONTH .. . DOUBLE ACES ... JAMES SERVEN'S WESTERN HORSES plus BLACK POWER IN WINNING OF THE OLD WEST
2 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 1972. "Bright Spring Day in Saguaro land" JOSEF MUENCH
$1500
ON 55 BIRD SLIDES THIS
ISSUE
Many of these birds are reproduced in this magazine for the first time.
The slides of the Bird Prints are of the uncut original plate reproduction,
and very rare indeed. Due to the special detailing of this print portion,
these alone . are worth the price of the collection. (illustrated above).
You may still order one slide or as many as you like on the price list
base shown below. Or - you may order the pre·packaged set of Color
Classic Bird Slides for $15.00 (Fifteen dollars), postpaid.
COLOR CLASSICS 35mm COLOR SLIDES
35mm. slides in 2" mounts, 1 to 15 slides, 40¢ each, 16 to
49 slides, 35¢ each; 50 or more, 3 for $1 .00. Catalog of
previous slides issued available on request. Address: ARIZONA
HIGHWAYS, 2039 West Lewis A venue, Phoenix, Arizona
85009.
B-IZ Black-chinned, cov. 1; B-2Z Snow Egret, cov. 2; B-3Z
Gambel's Quail, cov. 3; B-4Z Golden Eagle, cov. 4; DS-IZ
Sonoran Desert, p. 2-3; B-5Z Cooper's Hawk, p. 4; ED-20-
21 ·-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29 Southwestern Academy, p.
5-6-7; AR-3Z Cardinal, p. 8; AR-4Z Blue Jay, p. 9; B-6Z
Harris Hawk, p. 10; B-7Z Black Crowned, p. 10; B-8Z
Western Bluebird, p. 10; B-50Z Mockingbird, p. 11; B-9Z
Goshawk, p. 11; B-1OZ Black-throated, p. 11 ; B-IIZ Lesser
Scaup, p. 11 ; B-12Z Le Conte's, p. 12; BH-l Riparian
Habitat, p. 12-13; BH-2 Desert Habitat, p. 12-13; BH-3
Cultivated, p. 12-13; B-13Z Hummingbirds, p. 14; B-14Z
Broad-tailed, p. 14; BH-4 Upper Highland, p. 14-15; B-15Z
Mountain Chickadee, p. 15; B-16Z Bridled Titmouse, p. 15;
B-17Z Lawrence Goldfinch, p. 16; B-18Z Finches, p. 16;
B-19Z American, p. 16; B-20Z Great Horned Owl, p. 17;
B-21Z Screech Owl, p. 17; B-22Z Burrowing Owls, p. 17;
BH-5 Santa Catalina, p. 18; B-23Z Golden-fronted, p. 18;
B-24Z Ladder-backed, p. 19; B-25Z Gila Woodpecker, p.
19; B-26Z Sparrows, p. 20; BH-6 High Sonoran, p. 20-21;
B-27Z Lazuli Bunting, p. 20; B-28Z Coppery-tailed, p. 21;
B-29Z Red-billed, p. 21; B-30Z Green Kingfisher, p. 22;
BH-7 Kingfisher, p. 22-23 ; B-31Z Cassin's Kingbird, p. 23 ;
BH-8 Santa Catalina, p. 24-25; B-32Z Kingbirds, p. 26;
B-33Z Scrub Jay, p. 27 ; BH-9 Kingbird, p. 27; B-34Z Phain­opepla,
p. 27; B-35/38Z Orioles, p. 28-29; BH-1O Irrigated
Habitat, p. 28 ; B-36Z Blue Grosbeak, p. 28; BH-ll Ft.
Huachuca, p. 28-29; B-37Z Arizona Jay, p. 29; BH-12 Ajo
Mountain, p. 30; B-39Z Curve-billed, p. 30; B-40Z Long­billed,
p. 31; BH-13 Organ Pipe Cactus, p. 31 ; B-4IZ
Becards, p .. 32; B-42Z Blue Crowned, p. 33 ; B-43Z Bald
Eagle, p. 34; B-44Z Red-faced, p. 35; B-45Z Wied's Crested,
p. 35; B-46Z Coppery-tailed, p. 36; B-47Z Vermilion, p.
36; BH-14 Highland Avian, p. 37; BH-15 Cactus Wren,
p. 40; AR-5Z Cactus Wren, p. 41; B-48ZA-48ZB-48ZC-
48ZD Roadrunner, p. 41 ; BH-16 Pacheta Falls, p. 43 ;
B-49Z Merriam Wild Turkey, p. 43; WD-IZ Wild Poppies.
p.47.
3
SOUTHWESTERN ACADEMY
Where Education /s More Than Absorbing Facts and Acquiring Know/edge
"Find me the best spot in the United States for hunting,
and I'll buy it for a hunting lodge," the head of the Mellon
clan is reported to have said to his real estate scouts during
that glamorous and buoyant period of American history wnich
preceded October 29, 1929.
His scouts followed his instructions thoroughly, and after
an intensive search throughout the Western United States,
they reported that there was no setting which could excel the
combination of scenic beauty, balmy climate and splendid
hunting opportunities afforded by Beaver Creek Canyon, 15
miles south of Sedona in the heart of the Arizona redrock
country.
Of Arizona's 10 big-game trophies - bear, puma, javelina,
wild turkey, antelope, long horn sheep, mule deer, white tail
deer, elk and Coconino deer - all but long horn sheep were
easily accessible to hunters from the site the scouts selected.
High, steeply-sloping chaparral-covered walls with outcrop­pings
of coconino and supai red wall sandstone towered above
Beaver Creek-Canyon. Along the banks of Beaver Creek, cot­tonwoods,
sycamore, Arizona cypress and juniper grew in
profusion. Adding richness - and a touch of civilization -
to the wilderness setting were 20 varieties of fruit trees, planted
by homesteaders in the 1880's.
Mellon purchased the 180-acre site they recommended,
and it was named "The Valley of the Sun." He developed a
hunting lodge on Beaver Creek's tree-lined banks.
To add to the lush native vegetation, the Mellon family
planted catalpa, oak, elm, willow, toyon and tamarisk trees,
and 100 varieties of oses. They also planted five cypress trees,
one for each member of the lodge-founding segment of the
"One Day I Was Hiking,
and I Saw a Hawk,
And It Was So Beautiful
I Couldn't Imagine If'
Cooper's Hawk
WILLIS PETERSON
family. Today, these cypress trees stretch, like slender, power­ful
sentinels, 80 feet into the Arizona sky, omnipotent in their
impact on the canyon skyline.
But the crash of 1929 curtailed the use of the property
by the Mellon family, and usage fluctuated during the follow­ing
decades, induding cycles as an educational institute and a
dude ranch, and a period when it was totally closed.
Mellon almost certainly would be amazed if he could see
what is happening today on the site his scouts selected. The
cottages where visiting business tycoons once lodged before
venturing out to hunt puma, bear and antelope now house
teenage boys from crowded cities throughout the world; the
main lodge buildings contain science laboratories, auditoriums,
classrooms and libraries; modern rock music bursts from a
juke box in the recreation hall, youthful afternoon hikers dot
the sloping canyon walls, and along the cottonwood lined banks
of Beaver Creek, secluded on an outcropping of red wall sand­stone,
you may find a teen-age boy engaged in a uniquely
rare modern-day experience - reading a book beside a stream.
The transformation in the use of Mellon's former hunting
lodge began in 1962, when its owner was planning to sell it to
a subdivider for development as a retirement community. The
bulldozers were almost ready to roll down Interstate Route 17
to begin their work of leveling and clearing, taming and civiliz­ing,
when the director of Southwestern Academy in San
Marino, California, Dr. Kenneth Veronda, learned of its avail­ability.
The ecology boom had not yet begun to reverberate across
the nation (college students were still emerging from the
"silent" era mid had scarcely begun to demonstrate about any
4 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 1972.
rt
issue whatsoever) and only a few hardheads were seriously
concerned about such unpopular subjects as smog or water
pollution.
But Dr. Veronda believed that education is more. than
absorbing facts and acquiring knowledge. He believed that
young men have lessons to learn from nature, lessons far too
few of them have the opportunity to learn, in today's noisy,
trash-littered world.
He believed that an important part of education is coming
to understand yourself in relation to nature, feeling yourself
a part of it, valuing its beauty and uniqueness, learning how
to test yourself in relation to it, and having time to think,
undisturbed.
Dr. Veronda had heard about the property in a conversa­tion
with a friend at a football game, and soon thereafter he
flew to Arizona to inspect it. The weather in Arizona set
records for frigidity that day, dropping to 17 below zero by
the time he reached the ranch. The caretaker took him for a
jeep ride through the property, over frozen terrain covered
with ice and snow.
From a superficial perspective, the ranch didn't look too
impressive. Years of disuse had created a facade of neglect.
But beyond the frigid, 17-below weather, beyond the weedy,
unkept grounds and the musty, covered furniture, he saw
unique unparalleled possibilities for giving young men from
today's cities a chance to grow and learn in a setting few of
them ever have the opportunity to experience.
"I decided on the way back to California that I wanted
Southwestern to have the property," he said. "The facilities
themselves were ideal for a boarding school, and the setting
was spectacular."
Southwestern Academy's San Marino campus was founded
in 1924 by Dr. Veronda's father as a family school for 100
resident boys, stressing a rigorous college preparatory program.
It is located in a beautiful suburban area, 10 miles northeast
of Los Angeles and just south of Pasadena.
The academy draws as students active, energetic young
men with good academic potential and average to above aver­age
levels of achievement. Although it does not accept disci­pline
problems, it has had outstanding success in helping
underachieving boys fulfill their true potential.
During 1969-70, students were enrolled from 14 states,
as weH as from Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan,
Peru, the Philippines, Switzerland, Thailand and Trinidad.
"The boys immediately saw the possibilities and were
tremendously excited about the ranch," said Dr. Veronda.
"Many adults didn't understand what I had in mind. They
couldn't understand why I wanted to open a campus in Arizona
when we already had one in California."
The old MeHon hunting lodge buildings on Beaver Creek
Ranch were quickly transformed into dormitories, classrooms,
science laboratories, a library, auditorium, offices, recreation
building, and homes for resident teachers, as the facility was
prepared for its new role. Several barns and shop buildings
continued their usual function .
The new campus was opened in 1963. Juniors and seniors
are in residence at the ranch for the entire year, while boys
in ether grade levels, one through 10, spend a month out of
each year in Arizona and the remainder of the year at the
campus in San Marino.
The Arizona campus faculty live in homes on the school
grounds and provide an intensive program of instruction in
English, life science, histories, foreign language and mathe­matics.
Small classes allow teachers to devote personal atten­tion
to students' learning needs, and tutoring or after-class
discussions frequently continue in living rooms of faculty
homes after dinner.
FEBRUARY 1972. ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
High, steeply-sloping chaparral-covered walls
with outcroppings of Coconino and Supai redwall
sandstone tower above Beaver Creek Canyon.
CAMPUS PHOTOGRAPHS BY
FREDERICK A. ROBERTS
The Mellon family planted catalpa, oak, elm,
willow, yoyon and tamarisk trees and cypress trees
that today stretch 80 feet into the Arizona sky.
5
Thanksgiving is an especially big day at the Arizona cam­pus
as parents from throughout the United States and other
parts of the world converge for an old-fashioned ranch Thanks­giving.
Eighty persons representing 16 nationalities came
together for Thanksgiving last year, with an American, French­man
and New Zealander carving the turkeys.
Students commute between the California and Arizona
campuses in a large van. "The van is equipped with a very
loud four channel stereo with six speakers," Dr. Veronda
explained, "the greatest pacifier ever invented - for everyone
except the driver."
The youngest students who relate their experiences at the
ranch characteristically report encounters with rattlesnakes
(garter snakes, on closer analysis) , catching, by hand, "fat
little fish with long black tails" (identified as pollywogs by
those more expert), "creek walking" - i.e., walking down the
shallow course of Beaver Creek (more satisfying if one is fully
clothed, and especially satisfying if one takes a plunge and
becomes completely soaked) .
Fifth graders and older recount such Tom Sawyeresque
experiences as damming up a portion of Beaver Creek to
form a swimming hole dubbed the bathtub, building a raft
to navigate the creek, hiking and horseback riding, chasing
bats out of nearby caves filled with bits of Indian relics, watch­ing
a campus weimaraner give birth to puppies on a student's
bed, or attempting to chase a straying bull from a neighboring
farm onto the campus "to see what would happen."
But it is among the juniors and seniors at Southwestern
Academy, those who have lived, worked and studied at the
Beaver Creek campus during the entire year, that the wisdom
of Dr. Veronda's beliefs about the values of education as a
teacher and its transforming effects on the spirit of a growing
young man, can best be measured.
Their answers to questions about life at the ranch campus,
and its meaning for them, reveal some surprising conclusions
- whoever would have thought that teenage boy after teen­age
boy, questioned individually, would extoll the joys of
reading a book, in private, by a stream, as one of the most
meaning-filled experiences of his year?
Interestingly enough, the same boys who spoke of the
satisfactions and the self-knowledge they had gained through
solitude, also spoke of the awareness they had gained, and the
growth they had achieved, through deep relationships and close
interaction with other people - the realization that true relat­edness
comes through knowing oneself well in relation to other
people - never by simply being part of a crowd.
~l1!!!"", · ,li~ J
~-~ .. ~~~.
'. ~~
.... " L ~\ ~
~
But the words of the boys themselves speak most effectively
about the effect of nature, and life lived in relation to it, to
the spirit of a growing young man. These responses were
given by 10 students interviewed individually.
"It's so calm, so serene. The atmosphere is so different
there. If you get bored, you can go down by the creek and
read a book. You'd never think how much it means to you
to read a book when you can read it by a stream."
"The atmosphere helps you to learn. You're more moti­vated.
You have more time to think, to really understand,
instead of just memorizing facts."
"With the small classes we have, you can do anything you
want. You can have classes on Saturdays to save up days for
a camping trip. You can have classes in the late afternoon
and after dinner, so you can go on a field trip in the morning.
You can turn a course into a seminar."
6 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY I97Z
"It was a good year, the best year of my life. It was stiff as
far as the studying goes. But now I can look back on it, and
feel good. I'm so glad my parents sent me, or I never, ever
would have had this experience."
"The teachers, the administration ... you work for them,
and they work for you. There's not anything in the world they
wouldn't do for any of us. They're just fantastic ."
"Everybody works together as a unit. It's just fantastic.
You know the teachers on a personal basis. You respect their
knowledge and their age, and that they're teachers, but still,
they're more than teachers. They're people you know and work
with. They teach you more than lessons. They teach you life."
"At first you consider the isolation at the ranch a detriment
- you think you're going to be lonely. But then you learn that
solitude is an entirely different thing from loneliness.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FREDERICK A ROBERTS
"Being in the city, you do the same thing over and over
each day. There's nothing to do and nothing to think about.
Up there, you start spending some time alone. You learn about
yourself. Yourself was hidden in the city."
"When I first got there, I plunged in and tried to do every­thing
there was to do. Then after awhile, I learned I didn't
have to rush around all the time, and I'd get a book and go
down by the creek and read. I didn't appreciate reading until
I went there."
"I used to feel like I was just an average person. I don't
feel like just an average person any more. I'm somebody
unique so I'm going to be myself. Life is beautiful and I love it.
You've got to love life to live it. You have to be able to love
yourself to give love. Being alone, you look into yourself,
and you learn that."
"You learn what to do in case you get a snake or scorpion
bite. You learn what's safe and what isn't. You learn how to
get along with nature."
"Birds - there are so many beautiful birds. You wouldn't
believe the birds!"
"One day I was hiking and I saw a hawk, and it was so
beautiful I couldn't imagine it."
"You drive for miles and you don't see any cars. Instead,
you see a robin."
"You get so angry at the campers and what they do to the
area. They come up for a weekend, with their children, to
take in nature's splendor, with their tents and their cars, and
they throw garbage all over. It's a rotten shame."
"I could see the smog when we got back to the city, and
I could hardly stand it. I didn't realize it was there before I
went away and left it."
"What's so great is the total closeness, being a person with
other people. In a lot of big schools today, you become a
number, not a person. That's awful!"
And so it was that a dream became a reality and is mani­festing
its wisdom through the growing spirits of evolving
young men, young men who are leaving the Arizona ranch
campus and entering the adult world with some very special
insights to give back to others. 0 0 0
FEBRUARY I97Z AR·IZONA HIGHWAYS 7
Look quickly at cardinals for
they do not tarry long in one
spot. For a moment the male
matches his feathered flame to
the glistening red pyracantha
berries.
ARTIST - LARRY TOSCHIK
- '. " .. '*"~ .- ~ C'., • ~ , • , ~ ~" ,',. • !:<
, " ~ - ~ ~ f;-", i "'- ~~ ; ...\ \..l •• ";.:;f- ~
, ~~:' ".;; "". ~d •• , h@/;;~ii!iJ!r:$i,""''J..~),~J~'1i':iit~'
• ~ >« / \,,"' ., , ~~ " .:ij: "~"~~il~:&~«>:~}~',
"This property is my
land!" The chattering
chipmunk confronts his
busy visitor who strayed
on his sunny front porch
in the aspen pole home­stead
in Arizona's high
country.
FEBRUARY 1972
ARTIST - LARRY TOSCHIK
TAKE TIME TO SEE
It seems so hard to understand
As I look out across the land
That all I view belongs to me.
I ought to take more time to see!
The distant hills and mountains high,
The rolling clouds and bright blue sky,
No one can take these views from me
As long as I have eyes to see.
A timid deer with haunting look
Who stands refreshed by yonder brook
Knows not that he belongs to me.
Oh, what a thrilling sight to see!
The song of birds so gay and clear
That fill the morning air with cheer,
And fragrant flowers of every hue,
That stand erect bedecked with dew.
All these and more belong to me,
If I but use my eyes to see.
When evening shadows gather nigh
And twinkling stars light up the sky
I hear My Master say to me
"I made it all for you to see:'
My heart grows warm with faith and pride
To know that He is by my side.
RAY F. ZANER
JOE AND SHARON BEELER SENT US THIS BEAUTIFUL CARD FOR CHRISTMAS 1971
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 9
10
Early natural historians were as intrigued with Ari­zona's
rich and varied bird life as people are today. The
beauty and rarity of many of the avian species found in
Arizona attracted early artists, nature lovers, and
scientists to the state. Artists captured the beauty of
many of our birds on canvas, nature lovers were inspired
to write about them, and scientists began gathering infor­mation
on the natural history of individual species.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
DANIEL L. FISCHER
(unless otherwise credited.)
Mexican Boundary lower Southwest
The prints reproduced in the accompanying article
were created for a faunal survey of the United States­Mexican
boundary conducted in 1855-56. The survey
was under the supervision of Spencer F. Baird, who was
director of the Smithsonian Institution (or U. S. National
Museum), and much of our early Arizona bird knowledge
must be accredited to his efforts. He commissioned mili­tary
surgeons at various outpost forts to collect and pre­serve
natural history material for deposition in the
National Museum.
Fort Lowell, near Tucson, proved to be an ornitholog­ical
mecca. Nine bird forms new to science were col­lected
near that locality and sent back to Washington.
One new species, the Rufous-winged Sparrow, was
discovered near the fort along Rillito Creek in 1886 by
Major Charles Bendire. Shortly after that, the species
disappeared from Arizona and was not rediscovered
until 50 years later just east of Tucson. The authors of
Birds of Arizona feel that heavy grazing was the primary
factor responsible for the disappearance of this species,
but it was probably a combination of overgrazing and
intermittent drought. Lack of or sca.nty amounts of
summer r.ain drastically reduces nesting success of the
Rufous-winged Sparrow.
Early naturalists exposed themselves to the hazards
of the nomadic Apaches who were the predators among
the dove-like sedentary tribes. The following is from
Major Bendire's writings and serves to illustrate the perils
of early scientific exploration in Arizona:
"On April 22, 1872, while riding along the banks
of Rillito Creek, which even at that early date had
dried up, leaving only a stagnant water hole here
and there, I noticed one of these Black Hawks flying
up the creek bed, and being at leisure, I followed it.
Some five miles above my camp, near the entrance to
Sahuaritto Pass, it perched on a dead limb of a large
cottonwood tree on the west side of the creek On
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
By Dr. Robert D. Ohmart
nearing this, I saw an old and bulky nest placed in a
fork close to the main trunk of the tree, about 40
feet up, and the mate of the bird I had been following
sitting on the nest. As my principal object was to
study the nesting habits of our birds, as well as to
collect their eggs, I refrained from shooting either of
them, which I might easily have done at the time.
On climbing to the nest I found it contained but a
single, pale, blue white, unspotted egg. The old birds
during this time were circling around above the tree
giving vent to shrill screams. Being some distance
from camp I took this egg, and had not moved
more than a hundred yards away from the tree before
one of the birds, presumably the female, settled on
the nest again as if nothing had happened. As the set
was certainly not complete, I concluded to pay them
a second visit and secure the other eggs and one of
the parent birds also. On reaching camp and blowing
the egg, I found it quite fresh.
"On May 3, I paid a second visit to this locality
and found one of the birds on the nest, where it
remained until I rode up to the tree and rapped on
it with the butt of my shotgun. This caused it to fly
off about 50 yards farther up on the opposite side
of the dry creek bed, where it alighted in a smaller
tree. As the bird appeared so very tame I concluded
to examine the nest before attempting to secure the
parent, and it was well I did so. Climbing to the nest
I found another egg, and at the same instant saw from
my elevated position something else which could
not have been observed from the ground, namely,
several Apache Indians crouched down on the side
of a little canyon which opened into the creek bed
about 80 yards farther up. They were evidently
watching me, their heads being raised just to a level
with the top of the canyon.
Text continued on page 34
FEBRUARY 197Z 11
12
The palest of the thrashers
is usually found in the
driest desert regions. This
species runs more and flies
less than the other thrashers
as it moves from one
small bush to another.
Southern Arizona's natural and
cultivated lands nurture the plant life
for a balanced ecosystem.
WARREN CARTIER
Typical riparian habitat with essential watercourse
assures favorable water bird environment.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
ESTHER HENDERSON
about more birds • ..
Page 10 - The Harris Hawk frequently builds its nest in saguaros and
is often seen perched atop a saguaro or tree. The chestnut feathers and
the legs and bend of the wings distinguish this dark hawk from others.
The Black-crowned Night Heron nests in colonies along rivers and lakes
in the Southwest, but the destruction of nesting habitat has changed
many of their breeding colonies. Their habit of loud calling in the late
evening has given them the generic name of Nycticorax, meaning "raven
of the night."
Western Bluebirds are quite variable in coloration. Both sexes show red
below while the male additionally shows red on the back. The blue is
always deeper in color than that of the Mountain Bluebird.
Page 11 - The Western Mockingbird is a vivacious, rollicking creature,
especially during his carefree courting season. His power of mimicry is
amazing, and even without it his own songs are enchanting, even during
humans' normal sleeping hours. Arizona suburban residents witness the
amusing dive-bombing routine involving cats and mockingbirds. The feline
hunter crawls away from the relays of sharp-beaked birds zooming at his
kitty's hind quarters.
The Goshawk (gos-hawk) is a large mountain-dwelling accipter. Its nest
of sticks is built high in a conifer where the female incubates and cares
for the young while the smaller male hunts and brings home the "bacon."
A smaller relative; the glamorously feathered Cooper's Hawk (page 4), is
the notorious chicken-hawk of the Southwest.
The Black-throated Sparrow is a well adapted desert species whose diet
consists primarily of seeds, and insects when available. It has a very
efficient kidney for eliminating salts and conserving water. This bird has
a bunch of insect groceries for its growing nestlings.
Photographer Dan Fischer has been "shooting" birds with his camera for
more than two decades and considers this one of the most unusual sights
he's encountered in birdland. The Lesser Scaup duckling is enjoying his
"piggy-back" ferry. This species is a common winter resident in open
water in the Southwest.
Page 34 - Contrary to the belief of many, the Bald Eagle is primarily a
carrion eater like the vultures. Nevertheless, it is still shot on sight in
many ranching communities. Immature birds of this species are fre­quently
mistaken for Golden Eagles and shot.
Page 35 - The Red-faced Warbler is a localized and beautiful species
found in some mountain ranges of the Southwest. Although it spends
much of its time gleaning insects from the foliage high in the trees, its
nest is placed on the ground at the base of a grass clump.
The Wied's Crested Flycatcher is the largest of the three crested fly­catchers
found in Arizona. All the species in this genus (Myiarchus) are
cavity nesters, and frequently an individual will adorn the inside of its
cavity with the shed skin of a snake.
Page 36 - The Coppery-tailed Trogon. Although this bird is shown in
the print portfolio of this edition, we take special pride in reproducing
this photograph because it shows there really is such a rare bird, and it
took a patient and expert photographer to document it. This one was
taken in the Chiricahua Mountains mixed forests of beautiful pine-oak
woodland in the deep canyons at the same elevation with broadleaved
deciduous riparian trees.
The Vermilion Flycatcher is a handsome and common species around
ponds or streams in the lowlands of the Southwest. Its generic name is
Pyrocephalus, meaning "fire head."
13
The Broad-tailed
Hummingbird is a
common Western
resident along moist
canyons at higher
elevations. A whistling
sound is made by the
wings of this species in
flight. The males will
defend and display in
an area along a stream
by making dive bombs of
50 feet or more straight
down and back up.
Below - A female
Broad-tailed
Hummingbird feeds her
two young. The eggs of
this species are about the
size of a brown bean
and the newly hatched
young are smaller than a
honey bee.
The Black-chinned Hummingbird is a
desert species confined to moist situations.
The iridescent gorget or throat patch appears
black until the sun strikes it and then it
shows as a deep purple.
The birds on this page are all representatives of the
Chickadee (Paridae) family.
The Mountain Chickadee lives in the coniferous
forests of the West and builds its nest in
abandoned holes of woodpeckers and
nuthatches. It is the only chickadee with a
white line above the eye.
The Verdin is a common desert
species that constructs a grapefruit­sized
nest of spinescent branches. The
entrance is at the bottom of the sphere.
The structure also serves as a roost
nest to escape heat loss during the
cold winter nights.
The Bridled Titmouse is a hole
nesting species that is common in the
upper Sonoran woodlands of
southern Arizona.
The Black-eared Bushtit is a morph
or variation of the Common
Bushtit. They were once thought
separate species, but interbreed
freely. These tiny birds build a
pendulous nest of lichens and
spiderwebs which is about 8 inches
deep.
[J6/ad=t3eMld
[J6uJ~/e:t
15
16
A resident of the Southwest and Mexico. It is a
close relative of the American Goldfinch, but has
less contrastinR colors.
~:U=C(J//a1(f3C1
~edeak1t, »lad
The White-collared Seedeaters are tiny finches found
along. the border in south Texas. They are frequently
seen picking seeds while clinging to grass heads; the
grass stem sometimes being so bowed that the bird
is almost lying on the ground.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
~~:c(J,(fJ~(ed
~edeakil~ /entad
The Lesser Goldfinch is found
primarily near desert streams
throughout Arizona. Goldfinches
are frequently called wild
canaries by people unfamiliar
with them.
The American Goldfinch is one of the most attractive
of the North American finches. After the breeding
season, the male molts out of the plumage shown here
and wears a duller dress.
FEBRUARY I97~ FEBRUARY I97Z
The Great Horned Owl reigns terror on rodent populations.
A t night these birds, with their keen eyesight and super sensitive
hearing, locate the pitter patter of little feet and silently swoop
with talons extended to quickly dispatch the prey.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
The Burrowing Owl is a western species whose population
numbers were greatly reduced when government trappers and
ranchers virtually eliminated the prairie dog, whose holes the owl
used as nesting sites. These owls, on long legs, bob up and
down as' if keeping time to their own music. The female stands
oblique - the male stands more upright.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
CiBad/eil#
r7C1leecA' @wl'
The Eastern
Screech Owl
displays a red phase
while the same
species in the West
is grey. The two
forms interbreed
in the Big Bend
area of West Texas.
Crickets and
beetles form the
main diet of this
miniature owl.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
17
18
Santa Catalina Mountain foothills
- lower Sonoran habitat.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is a common
Mexican species which has flourished at the
expense of other avian species in the sparce
second-growth timber which has developed since
chopping and burning of the mature forests.
1
The Nuttall's Woodpecker is primarily found in
California and Northern Baja California. Its face
is blacker than the Ladder-backed Woodpecker.
The females of both species lack the red crown.
The Ladder-back is common in the deserts of
Arizona. This small woodpecker frequently
excavates its nest cavity in yucca stalks.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
The Gila Woodpecker is primarily
a species found in Saguaro cactus
stands. This woodpecker and
the Gilded Flicker are the two
species which excavate most of the
nest holes in saguaros. After they
abandon them the holes are used by
owls, flycatchers, and other hole
nesting birds.
19
A common bird in the Upper Sonoran chaparral. Pink
bill and streaked back distinguish it from a junco. The
blackening is much reduced in the female.
A common species in Southern Texas
and virtually country wide in Mexico. It
is a very secretive, shy bird of dense
shrubbery. Frequently confused with
Green-tailed Towhee.
Upper Sonoran Birdland.
HELGA TEIWES
The Lazuli Bunting was once geographically
isolated by the tall grass plains from the much
different Indigo Bunting. Man's tree and shrub
planting influence has permitted broad overlap range
in these two forms and they are now hybridizing
with one another.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
FEBRUARY 1972,
The Coppery-tailed Trogon is the only
trogon to get into the United States. The
species lays two white eggs in a tree cavity.
Fruits and insects compose the diet. Despite
its bright coloration birdwatchers are lucky
to catch a mere glance.
A lowland species found in the arid parts
of Mexico, exclusive of Baja California
and Northern Sonora.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 21
22
The Green Kingfisher is sparrow-sized and
feeds on minnows and insects along small
running brooks. It is a rare species in Arizona
and Texas.
Cassin's Kingbird showing its white throat and
orange-yellow crown which is normally con­cealed
by the lateral greenish-grey plumage.
Sexes are alike. The black tail is square or
truncate with white lateral margins.
Overleaf - Pages 24-25: The great Sonoran Desert of the southwestern
United States comes to a majestic climax at the rugged mile-high Santa r\
Catalina Mountains. The Arizona state tree, the Palo Verde, is outlined l{
by the pattern of a fresh spring snowfall.
PHOTOGRAPHER - PAUL ESCEN
Reeds and running water attract kingfishers.
23
26
The Tropical and the Cassin's Kingbirds are two of the five kingbirds found in
Arizona. The former is found in very low numbers around standing waters in
the southern part of the state. The deeply notched brown tail and lack of white
on the outer detail distinguishes the male from other kingbirds.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 1972.
The Scrub Jay has an interesting distribution in that
it ranges over the West and Southwest, and a small
isolated population is found in Florida. In the Florida
birds, some siblings of past years remain with their
parents and attempt to help raise their nestling brothers.
Little is known about the Southwestern birds.
Kingbird country at sunset
The Phainopep/a (fain-a-pep/a) is a member of the silky flycatcher
family (Ptilogonatidae). Its diet consists of flying insects and
berries. The brown female with the crest erected is shown. The male
is glossy black with orange-red eyes and white windows in the wings.
The Scott's Oriole shows the black on both ends
and lemon yellow mid-section. This oriole, as most,
weaves a pendulous nest with an entrance placed
near the top.
The Blue Grosbeak is a common summer resident in
Arizona. Favors moist situations along streams and in
mesquite-farmland situations.
Irrigated maize field bordered by Pecan trees
for avian gourmets.
DON DE MUTH
28 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
The Varied Bunting has recently
begun to appear and breed locally
along dry ocotillo-covered slopes
in southern Arizona.
FEBRUARY 197:1.
DANIEL L. FISCHER
Coronado National Forest
- Ft. Huachuca Mts.
Upper Sonoran Life Zone habitat.
The Arizona Jay, sometimes called Mexican
Jay, is a common resident of the live oaks
and is seldom found outside the Upper
Sonoran Zone in Arizona. It is a flocking
species and during the nesting season mem­bers
of the flock commonly help feed the
young of other flock members.
FEBRUARY 197:1. ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
The Black-vented Oriole is a
species found in the mountains
and plateau country of Mexico.
29
30
Desert and mountains
set the theme
for birdland beauty
ESTHER HENDERSON
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
The Curve-billed Thrasher is a common desert bird
that can frequently be heard emitting the "wolf
whistle." The nests are placed in cholla cactus
where a peek may leave one with a face or handful
of spines.
FEBRUARY 1972 FEBRUARY 1972
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Lower Sonoran habitat
DANIEL L. FISCHER
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
A common south Texas-Mexican resident,
whose range overlaps with the similar
brown thrasher. Song and behavior are
different enough to prevent massive
hybridization between the two species.
31
The Rose-throated Becard (rhymes with checkered;
center, male) is a relative of the tyrant fiycatchers. A few
individuals of this species construct their two foot long
pendulous nests of tree bark from the periphery of tall
cottonwoods near streams in southern Arizona.
32
The gray-collared Becard (top, female) a close
relative of the Rose-throated, is a Mexican
species which has not yet been reported in the
United States.
The Pale-throated Flycatcher (lower) has been reported
in Arizona officially but once. The species may be more
common than indicated by that one specimen. It differs
from the more common Ash-throated Flycatcher only
in having a bright orange mouth lining and a unique call.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 1972 FEBRUARY 1972
. . . about the special bird prints
Rare indeed are prints of such fidelity to form and color.
The reproductions were made from colored plates from a
volume of The United States-Mexican Boundary Survey done
in the mid-l BOOs. The edition was very limited and the
plates were printed by original stone-surface litho process
and then hand colored by artists whose names were never
recorded in the volumes. In my opinion these bird portraits
have a quality not found even in works of the universally
known lohn lames Audubon . .. JOSEPH STACEY
The Blue-crowned Motmot is a lowland bird of the deep, heavy
shadowed forests of Eastern Mexico. The tail feathers grow in nor­mally
and the vanes are then plucked from the shaft by the bird to
give them a racket-like appearance.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS S3
BIRDLAND from page 11
"In those days Apache Indians were not the most
desirable neighbors, especially when one was up a
tree and unarmed; I therefore descended as leisurely
as possible, knowing that if I showed any especial
haste in getting down they would suspect me of
having seen them; the egg I had placed in my mouth
as the quickest and safest way that I could think
of to dispose of it - and rather an uncomfortable
large mouthful, it was, too - nevertheless I reached
the ground safely, and, with my horse and shotgun,
lost no time in getting to high and open ground. I
returned to the place within an hour and a half look­ing
for the Indians, but what followed has no bearing
upon my subject. I only mention the episode to
account for not having secured one of the parents
of these eggs. I found it no easy matter to remove
the egg from my mouth without injury, but I finally
succeeded, though my jaws ached for sometime
afterward. On blowing it the next day I found it
slightly incubated."
Apache supremacy prevailed for several years after
this incident, and it was not until 1886 that their cunning
and fearless leader, Geronimo, and his warriors were
forced to surrender. Shortly thereafter, Fort Lowell was
abandoned and turned back to the command of the scor­pions
and lizards.
At the beginning of this century, man's influence
was already beginning to have deleterious effects on the
wildlife of the state. Removal of grass cover by domestic
livestock led to a dramatic decline of the Masked Bob­white,
and eventually caused the extirpation of this
species in Arizona. The nomadic wanderings of the Thick­billed
Parrot used to bring this species into Arizona as
it searched for new pine-cone crops. But the disappear­ance
of the Imperial Ivory-billed Woodpecker, whose
abandoned holes were used for nest sites by the parrot,
has now prevented the parrots from wandering 'as far
north as they previously did. Extensive habitat modifica­tion
of mature timber stands through logging, burning
and homesteading was probably the primary factor in the
disappearance of the woodpecker. Little did man realize,
and in general did he care, that many of these avian
species were precariously balanced between survival
and extinction and that only a small amount of habitat
change could result in a species' annihilation.
These problems, resulting from man's lack of eco­logical
understanding, are everywhere today and pose
even greater threats now that we have developed more
rapid and efficient methods for altering the landscape.
A case in point is a desert stream, which often sustains
a number of rare animal forms. The survival or death of
the stream may depend upon a small area of grass which
34 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 1972. FEBRUARY 1972.
1970 Index to Arizona Highways .. . ... . . ... .... . . $1.50
Please make check payable to the Arizona State Library
Association and mail the order to Department of Library and
Archives, 3rd Floor State Capitol, Phoenix, Arizona 85007.
is the watershed feeding the stream. Removal of the
watershed results in large scale erosion and the complete
destruction of the water source and plant life supporting
various animals. Restoration and healing of the desert
habitat is very slow. It has been estimated that in the
absence of man's influence, it takes a thousand years for
an inch of topsoil to form in the desert. Both plants and
animals are absolutely dependent on adequate soil; thus
the presence or absence of living things reflects our
management of their habitat. Most of our desert streams
and rivers are now intermittent, dry, or doomed because
we were unaware that large scale grass removal results
in both soil destruction through massive erosion and loss
of a continuous water supply.
There is a tremendous diversity of habitats in Ari­zona.
In the short distance of a hundred miles it is
possible to progress from the desert floor, with its Cactus
Wrens and Rufous-winged Sparrows, to dense stands of
blue spruce harboring Blue Grouse and Red Cross bills. C.
Hart Merriam in 1889 devised a classic approach to
describing the various habitats in Arizona. He conceived
his classification while working in the San Francisco
Mountains near Flagstaff. His concept, now known as
Merriam's Life Zones, is still useful when referring to the
plant associations in the Southwest. The chart accom­panying
this article illustrates how these Zones are
"stacked" one on another. For example, a drive from the
desert floor near Tucson to the top of the Santa Catalina
Mountains is similar to a journey from Arizona to north­ern
Canada. The same habitat types are passed through
regardless of which trip one takes. The primary factor
responsible for keeping the desert vegetation from mov­ing
to higher elevations is temperature, whereas vegeta­tion
at higher elevations is prevented from descending
to lower slopes by available soil moisture.
The plant communities or associations in each zone
contain a characteristic group of animals whose exis­tence
depends upon particular plants. Thus, the diverse
habitats found in Arizona produce in turn a great variety
of animal life.
A number of geographical and topographical features
are partially responsible for producing our tremendous
avian diversity. The Rocky Mountain chain terminates
near the northern part of the state, thus extending the
southern limits of "snow birds" such as the Northern
Three-toed Woodpecker, Grey Jay, Clark's Nutcracker,
Rosy Finch and Blue Grouse into Arizona. On the other
hand, the mountain-dwelling Olive and Red-faced War­blers
of Mexico find their way into the southern moun­tains
of the state from the Sierra Madre de Occidental
mountain range whkh terminates just south of Arizona's
state line. The Mexican influence is also seen in the
extension of the Sonoran Desert into southern Arizona
which brings us such exotic species as the Five-striped
Sparrow, Varied Bunting, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Ash­throated
Flycatcher and Elf Owl. It is a delight to see
the large eyes of a tiny Elf Owl peering from a cavity
in a giant saguaro.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 35
36
Isolated riparian situations occur throughout the
Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, providing living
conditions for such species as the Zone-tailed Hawk,
Black Hawk, Gray Hawk, Rose-throated Becard, Thick­billed
Kingbird, Coppery-tailed Trogon, Sulfur-bellied
Flycatcher and Wied's Crested Flycatcher. Some birds
which require standing water such as the Black-bellied
Tree Duck and Tropical Kingbird are found in low num­bers
around isolated ponds in the southern part of the
state. These two species, along with the Thick-billed
Kingbird, have been increasing in nUPlbers in Arizona;
this may be explained by man's expanding agricultural
activities in the Sonoran Desert. Probably the desert
was once a fairly effective geographical barrier to these
species, which cannot tolerate strictly arid conditions.
However, the once prohibitive desert is now broken
by farmland, and more individuals of these tropical
species are moving north into Arizona. Another geograph­ical
factor causing the appearance of unusual avian
forms in the state is the Baja peninsula which acts as a
trap, funneling some shore and sea birds north where
they eventually find themselves along the Colorado
River. Many marine forms such as cormorants, gulls,
terns and pelicans find temporary refuge from arid desert
conditions around water impoundments.
The extensive grasslands in the northeast and south­east
corners of the state attract such species as the Scaled
Quail, Chestnut-colored Longspurs, Baird's Sparrow, and .
Botteri's Sparrow. At slightly higher elevations where
the oaks mingle with the grasses the scratch signs of the
illusive Mearns' Quail can be found in the dry soil where
the birds have sought the succulent bulbs of nutgrasses.
With a little luck the quail may be seen near a clearing
as they search for food, but usually a lot of walking
results in nothing or the roar of wings as the birds
explode from under the feet of the startled observer.
Man is the only animal that conforms to political
boundaries, and those people who are motivated to keep ·
a U. S. bird list must visit this state of diverse habitats
where they find a rich avifauna. Differently motivated
bird fanciers also eventually find themselves visiting
Arizona to behold the wondrous bird life and magnificent
scenery.
Because of the paucity of desert streams and the
fragility of desert grasslands, many of these avian spe­cies,
especially those which have strict habitat require­ments,
are in a precarious position. Arizonans are charged
with the tremendous responsibility of guarding and pre­serving
this wonderland of wildlife for generations to
come. State and Federal agencies, along with private
groups, have made great strides in the direction of habitat
preservation and management, but the ever-increasing
demands of a growing human population engulf thou­sands
of acres of Arizona habitat annually.
Many people today think the term ecology simply
means the removal and recycling of glass and cans from
the environment. But if the zoning laws are not changed
there will be no habitat left for these animals to live and
reproduce in, and the policing efforts of these concerned
citizens will be for naught. Ecology is the study of an
organism in relation to its environment. If the environ­ment
is houses and pavement the animals will be absent
- there are no Rufous-winged Sparrows in downtown
Tucson. Man frequently wants his house where other
animals have theirs and seldom do the little animals win.
DOD
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 197" FEBRUARY 197"
All the elements tor the ideal ecosystem - WILLIS PETERSON
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 37
Dr. Robert D. Ohmart was
born in the shortgrass plains of
eastern New Mexico, where he
grew up among Scaled Quail,
Horned Larks, prairie dogs
and pronghorn antelope. He
atte nded public schools at
Carlsbad, and college at New
Mexico State University at
Las Cruces. He obtained his
B.S. (Wildlife Management)
in 1961 , and his M.S. (Biology)
in 1963. He then entered the
University of Arizona at Tuc­son
where he obtained his Ph.D.
(Vertebrate Zoology) in 1969.
From there, Dr. Ohmart ac­cepted
a United States Public
Health Service Fellowship for
two years of postdoctoral train­ing
at the University of Cali­fornia
at Davis working with a
noted behaviorist, Dr. William
J. Hamilton III. Dr. Ohmart
then joined the faculty at Ari­zona
State University in Sep­tember
of 1970 to assume the
responsibilities of directing the
newly developed wildlife biol­ogy
program.
The Zoology Department at
Arizona State University con­sists
of 23 faculty members, all
of whom hold doctoral degrees.
Dr. Shelby D. Gerking is the
Chairman. The department is
extremely strong in such areas
as genetics, aquatic and terres­trial
entomology, fisheries biol­ogy,
developmental biology,
and environmental biology.
Active programs of teaching
and research are manifested
throughout the department.
38
A PYRAMID
OF LIFE
There is an idealized profile of
a high mountain range and its out­wash
plain, all typical of south­eastern
Arizona. It aims to show
to the exploring field naturalist the
orderly manner in which the vari­ous
physical divisions tend to pre­sent
themselves. This diagram
might well be regarded the pyra­mid
of life of that desert country.
The biotic foundation could
readily be considered the under­ground
water table. Above this
base occur layers of raw soil
material, over which is spread a
thin film of topsoil containing its
PRIMARY
PHYSICAL
DIVISIONS
DOMINANT
PLANTS
NESTING
ASSOCIATION
PROMINENT
BREEDING
BIRDS
SOIL
MOISTURE
CONDITIONS
7200 FEET
ALTITUDE
6400 FEET
RAINFALL
22 INCHES
RAINFAll 22 INCHES
RAINFALL 20 INCHES
MOUNTAINS
5600 FEET
4800 FEET
4000 FEET
3200 FEET
2400 FEET
SHALLOW ROCKY SOIL
RAINFALL 18 INCHES
CLIFF ASSOCIATION
MEXICAN TURKEY VULTURE
WHITE-THROATED SWIFT
GOLDEN EAGLE
AMERICAN RAVEN
PRAIRIE FALCON
DOTTED CANYON WREN
RAINFALL 16 INCHES
FOOTHILLS
ALTITUDE 2400 FEET
SY_E IlANWlITA EIIIIY DIll
IIIIZlNA WALNUT WIIlTDI SClUi DIll
IIII_CYPlUS IUN.,EI
1111 __
UlIE LIVE IIGUNTlIN OTHEI UVI
-- OUS IIAN_ - CAIIYOII NDTCANYDI
'_lilT lUlU mEAMSIDE ILOPE LlYE DIll lilT
fIIaT
WIItI T.., .... .,..- Cooptr H •• Woodhou .. J., Arl_
_·TllIldPl_ - Zone·T.Ued H •• Bu ... ·nt Woodpecker
-..atod ....-0wI MellUln Screech Rock Wren OIlVKIOUI
_Owl IIocIIJ_IIln Owl stephens Vireo fl,cllehor
Rod_lied F11ckor N_ Spotted Screech Vlr,lnl. W.rbler Arl ..... II,
_-Tlliid AlllehoW"" Owl BI,ck-Thro.ted Brldlod ntmou ..
HummIft..,lrd I'Ilnlld RodaIIrt Blue Throlted G,., W.rbler IIlrd Wren
eouuFl,mchor HepotIcT ...... r Hummlnlblrd Rock, Mounliin Azure BI ..... lrd
-ElItIn-I IllrUn Brood-Billed Grosbuk -- Hummln..,lrd BIICk-Chlnned Coppery-TIUed Sp.rrow
",-- TrolOn
-~ -- Melms - Woodpecker Sulphur-IIllled
CIItIIMI_ flJUtchor 81_
01 ... _ BuH-Brusled
flJUtchor
Alllullon W_ Western
._.W., ,lll-lle_r GnltCitchor .... Plumbeous Vlero
~JIIICO
GOOO ORAINAGE ROCKY CANYON FLOOR COARSE TEXTURE SOIL
SCHEMATIC CROSS SECTION OF A HIGH DESERT MOUNTAIN
PROFILE, AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL, LIFE ZONES, DOMINANT
FORMS, SOIL, MOISTURE, AND SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS, ALL
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY .I972
vital, plant-soluble biochemicals.
On this grows the skin of vegeta­tion,
which in turn supports the
endless array of living things,
including insects and all the larger
animals. Individually these orga­nisms
are primarily obligates of
food and the arrangement of the
supply of this is a most influential
element in their survival, and
therefore evolution; this causes
many organisms, especially the
larger, higher forms, as it were, to
stratify themselves on our pyra­mid
of life according to food
requirements. This is especially
The information and concept for this chart is reprodllced through the courtesy of
the copyright owners of the book ARIZONA AND ITS BIRD LIFE. Originally compiled
and authored by Herbert Brandt this volume is still regarded as one of the most
alllhoritative and most significant books abOIl1 SOll1hwestern birds. It was pllblished
in 1951 by THE BIRD RESEARCH FOUNDATION, CLEVELAND, OHIO. 1t is now out of print
and considered a choice col/ector's item. A report on the book and the original format
of the chart was IIsed in ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, May. 1952.
noteworthy in regards to the food
needs for the offspring of birds
which causes each species to nest
only in areas producing the prop­erly
balanced nutrition.
On the landscape of this pyra­mid
an almost universal element
is grass of various kinds.
RANGE OF THE CREOSOTEBUSH ASSOCIATION
IN PURE STANDS ND DOMINANT BIRD
RAINFALL 14 INCHES
RAINFALL 11.50 INCHES
UPPER SONORAN DIYISION
IIIIZlNA
S~I
S~I
S_
Red-T.UId Hlwk
Lonl-Elrod Owl
Costa
Hummln..,lrd
Cassin Kln..,lrd
Western
Wood PewN
Hooded Oriole
Bronzed Cowbird
AlAVE
IDT8I.
OCDTIUO
AlAVE
Scllod QUiU
Poorwlll
Coctu. Woodpecker
A"'-Thro.lld
fl,..tchor
Scott Sptrrow
EROOING fOOTHILL SLOPES
SHALLOW ROCKY SOIL
RAPIO RUNOFF
GRASSLAND
YUCCA
IDDT
lIAIIIa
YUCCA
UIIEN
Sono,. Shrike
Scott Oriole
uri! Sptrrow
"uri Sptrrow
DaaT
RIll DTNEI
lIAIIIa --- lIt.m. CIuIU
Burrowln, Owl
HI""",.
ChlhUlhUl
Homod urk
Scorched Homed
uri!
Arl .....
1It_llrk
G,. ..... pper
Sptrrow
Bolllri Sptrrow
ALLUVIAL PLAINS
FINE OEEP SOIL
RETARDEO RUNOff
CULTIVATED TOWN AND GARDEN ASSOCIATION
INCA DDVE
ENGLISH SPARROW
SAY PHOEBE
SONORA GRACKLE
IRRIGATED FIELD AND POND ASSOCIATION
BARN SWALLOW
ARIZONA CARDINAL
BLACK-BELLIED TREE DUCK NEW MEXICAN DUCK RUDDY DUCK FLORIDA GALLINULE
AMERICAN CDOT SONORA YELLOW-THROAT UTAH RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
WESTERN MEADOWLARK TUCSON SONG SPARROW
IIANT CACTUS
OCOTIUO
IIANT CACTUS
'1111
Sparrow Hawk
SlhUlro Scr.,ch
Owl
CICtU' Pnmy Owl
Elf Owl
GUded flicker
GU. Woodpecker
Crested Flycatcher
S1huaro Martin
CHOW
.. ICIU.T PUll
CHOW
IlEADOW
Mouml"e Dove
Roadrunner
Palmer Thrll",r
Clctus Wren
Plumbeous
Gnlteltcher
House Finch
UPPER OUTWASH APRON
ROCKY SOIL
RAP IO RUNOFF
LOWER AUSTRAL, LOWER SONORAN DIVISION
PALOVEROE
CHOLLA
.. ICIU.T 'l1li
IIlNT CACTUS
CACTUS
PALOVERDE
G.mbel QUiU
Mockln,blrd
Bendtr, Thrasher
Cinyon Towhe.
Rufoul-Wlnled
Sparrow
IIIIIUITE
CATCUW
OIiERT
WIUOW
IIIIIUITE
CATCUW
CHAI'IliRAL
SWIJnso" Hawk
Ground Dov.
Whlte-Hecked
RIVen
Verdin
Platllu Thrasher
Bullock Oriole
Pyrrhulolla
LOWER OUTWASH APRON
fiNE TEXTURE SOIL
GOOD DRAINAGE
DESERT
PIIEIIONT
conONWOOO
HACUEIRT
conollWooo
10nOil
Blu. Hlron
Green H,ron
Horned Owl
C.Uloml. Cuckoo
Bleck-Chlnned
Hummlnlblrd
Richmond Beclrd
Arkansas Klnlblrd
West MlllCIn
Kln..,lrd
Vermilion
Flyc. tcher
Beardless
Flyc.tcher
Phllnopepl.
Green-BlCked
Goldfinch
IACCHIIIII
oaERT
ELDERIEUT
lLACI WIUOW
STREAMSIDE
THICK"
Little fl,Cltcher
CrlS1l1 TlIrllher
Arlzon. Vireo
Ch.t
Dw.rf Cowbird
Abert Towhee
Blue Grosbllk
BOTTOMLANO
FINE OEEP SOIL
POOR ORAINAGE
WATEICOURIE
WIUOWI
RIVER
CHANNEL
KlUdeer
TeXi. HI,hth.wk
BlICk Phoebe
Rou,h·Wln,ed
SWIliow
CUH Swallow
DRAINAGE
CHANNEL
CUT BANKS
SUBSURFACE PEBBLEO PAVE
WATER NO SUBSURFACE WATER AVAILABLE SUBSURFACE WATER AVAILABLE
RANGE AND OUTWASH BASIN, SHOWING PRIMARY PHYSICAL DIVISIONS, ALTITUDINAL
PLANTS, 24 BIRD-NESTING ASSOCIATIONS, PROMINENT BIRDS PECULIAR TO EACH, LAND
TYPICAL OF SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA
FEBRUARY 1972 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
UlIE
IInaUITU
WElTERN
HACIiElRY
UAND
IIEnUITE
flllIT
BlICk Vultu,.
MIllc.n Goshawk
BI.ck H ••
Whlte-Wln,ed Dove
11m Owl
Luc, W.rbler
Yellow Warbler
Cooper Tanll.r
BonOMLAND
FINE DEEP SOIL
GOOO ORAINAGE
39
40 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY 1972.
Young wrens are usually fed deep
inside the nest which normally ofJers
high walled protection from ele­ments
and predators, but to give the
viewer a "peep show," artist Larry
Toschik portrays a delightful
moment as the young press mama
for a decision as to who gets the
grub.
¢ Cactus Wren Country WILLIS PETERSON
ARTIST - LARRY TOSCHU
FEBRUARY 1972.
Few people have observed a meeting between a rattlesnake and a Roadrunner, but Willis Peter­son
did and photographed the following encounter. The Roadrunner initiates the attack by circling
the snake at a safe enough distance to insure not being bitten. This circling behavior, along with an
occasional feint by the Roadrunner, may last 15 to 20 minutes or until between conditioning and
tiring, the snake begins to pay the bird no heed. On seeing this, the Roadrunner dashes to the snake
and slashes the victim's head with its powerful mandibles. It then quickly grasps the stunned snake
by or behind the head and slams the head area to the ground numerous times to finish the chore. The
Roadrunner does not kill for pleasure, but for survival, and this small rattler will be consumed head
first - should the meal be too long, the bird will take refuge under a bush to digest the head end as
the tail slowly disappears toward the mouth.
The fable about the Roadrunner building a cactus corral around a sleeping rattlesnake continues
to appear in books. The Roadrunner may consume a small rattler, but it has no way of consuming a
large snake once it is dead. The bird's feet are too weak for powerful grasping and its bill is not
capable of shearing. Agility, speed, and balance give this bird the necessary "racer's edge" to make
it a successful desert carnivore.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 41
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FORESTRY
.. . an environment-oriented curriculum
Their classroom spans several thou­sand
acres of green timberland across
Arizona's northern mountains.
And after four years of intensive
study they'll be responsible for manag­ing
and putting to good use a consider­able
share of the valuable forest treasury
in this country.
These future land managers are the
students at Northern Arizona Univer­sity's
School of Forestry - the only
school in the Southwest offering a four­year
degree program in forestry and the
only one in the region accredited by
the Society of American Foresters.
Since its birth more than a decade
ago, the school has moved forward at
a dramatic pace and has become a fore­runner
in advancing vital, effective ideas
in forestry education. The total enroll­ment
of young men and women in its
professional academic program has
soared from 44 in the fall of 1958 to
more than 250 for the current academic
year.
The faculty has grown too, in expe­rience
as well as number. All 11 instruc­tors
hold advanced degrees and seven
(six more than the entire original
faculty) have either a Ph.D. or Doctor
of Forestry degree. Their practical
experience is the sum of many years
work in the specialized areas of forestry.
But where the school has been ever­changing
through the past years, one
thing has remained the same: Frier Hall,
home of the forestry school. This rustic
sand-colored university landmark con-
MANUEL ROMERO
42
By Manuel Romero
tains nearly 22,000 square feet of class­room,
laboratory and office space. The
building houses special labs for studying
forest soils, mapping, photo interpreta­tion,
wood technology and a host of
other forest sciences. Also available is
a range herbarium collection, wood
working and testing equipment, and
materials for microtechnique and micro­graphy.
The real classroom-laboratories,
however, are the 4 ,000 acre School
Forest five miles from campus, and a
specially-selected 55,000 acre tract on
the Coconino National Forest that
extends southward from Lake Mary to
Mormon Lake. These outdoor study
areas are ideal for research work and
field training. It is here that textbook
theory is put into practice and here that
the student can apply his knowledge.
The 80 sections of land on the Coco­nino
Forest are being utilized under a
remarkable new method of resource
instruction initiated by the school and
launched this fall. In this program, for­estry
seniors have the opportunity to
develop an actual management plan for
the 86 square mile area. The whole idea
is based on systems analysis, allowing
the student to study ecosystems in a real
situation rather than in the classroom.
Another dynamic concept introduced
by this innovative new curriculum is the
deletion of regular courses for the entire
junior year and half of the senior year.
Replacing the standard offering of
classes during these three semesters is
an integrated (course-free) system of
instruction employing team teaching
techniques.
Top Photo - Nancy Soehner,
one of three women forestry
majors at NA U, uses a scaling
stick to measure the diameter
of a Ponderosa pine log.
Left-Dr. Donald Wommack,
right, explains taxonomy -
scientific classification -
to forestry junior, Frank
Dennis. The specimens are
of Sugar Pine - the largest
0/ American pines.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
MANUEL ROMERO
The pilot forestry program was im­plemented
after two years of explora­tion
and groundwork by a committee of
five faculty members and two forestry
majors. This use of an integrated cur­riculum,
plus the assigning of a complete
forest management plan for the student
to compile on his own, marks a first for
any forestry school in the nation.
The faculty of NAU's School of
Forestry feel their newly-adopted
method is superior to the traditional
formula of presenting forestry courses
" cafeteria style," with the hope that the
student can apply all the facts he learned
to the problems of systems he will
manage after gr aduation.
"What we've done is to create a more
environment-oriented curriculum"
pointed out Dr. Charles O. Minor, dean
of the school. "We must develop a for­ester
with an awareness of people's
needs in the setting of our society so he
utilizes his best talents. In the past, every
forester was a carbon copy of every
other forester - they were taught the
same things in the same way. Now we
have more flexibility."
The student of forestry enters the
novel scope of study after completing a
broad, general background during his
first two years at NAU. In the fall of his
junior year, the student will learn
important technical aspects of forestry
through detailed field examination of
forest and range ecosystems. This
includes plant identification, wood char­acteristics,
use of forestry tools, ecolog­ical
principles, and inventory methods.
During the second semester of inte­grated
instruction, the student learns
more advanced forestry concepts
through various case studies of resource
management situation. He will explore
FEBRUARY 1972 FEBRUARY 1972
Pacheta Falls / White Mountains DICK DIETRICH
the administration and operation of a
national forest, state park, a ranch and
an industrial forest.
It's during the first 10 weeks in the
fall of the senior year that the student
writes the multiple use management
plan. The selected Coconino National
Forest acreage includes examples of all
major types of wildland use, so the first
task is to conduct a comprehensive
inventory of the area. From this data,
the student draws up a detailed pro­gram
of how he would best manage the
area to obtain maximum benefits from
all the resources at hand.
After the complex project is com­pleted,
the student spends the last eight
weeks of the semester conducting
directed studies in specialized fields of
interest to him. All work in the inte­grated
curriculum is concluded, so the
student now has a free choice of elective
courses from which to pattern the sub­ject
matter for his final semester before
graduation.
The positive results and rapid prog­ress
achieved through the program thus
far has pleased the enthusiastic forestry
faculty. Dr. Minor emphasized this by
saying, "Forestry concepts can now be
presented in a more meaningful and
realistic manner by way of our new
curriculum.
"For the forestry graduate, this means
he'll be better prepared to unravel man­agement
problems, because he will have
learned more than just facts but will
have actually encountered an envirbn-
. mental situation and acted on it. We
feel the students will reach the greatest
overall understanding of the whole
natural resource picture." 0 0 0
. . . where learning is more than reading and thinking. Here -living with, and living into the
ecological problems and analyses - the scholar is confronted with the emerging and significant
"whats, whys . . . and hows" of what in Thoreau's time were thought of as mysteries of nature.
Merriam Wild Turkey WILLIS PETERSON
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 43
COYOTE
01' Shoog jerked his nose off a rabbit
track and bristled. He retreated stiff­legged,
growling primitively.
Maybe he got a whiff of coyote. Or
cougar.
I cranked the lever of the Winchester,
though the Lord knows why. I don't shoot
coyotes, and if it were a lion, it would be
skedaddling.
The scent blew off, and Shoog went back
to trailing his does, cottontails and terra­pins.
He is a marvel. In the city he sleeps
with his head thrown back on a pink
pleated pillow, with all four feet up, with
a breeze of the refrigeration wafting the
fur on his well-filled belly. Yet he can
immediately adapt to a rough piece of
Arizona outdoors.
He furiously excavates badger holes. He
endures the insults of crows and squirrels.
He braves flooded creeks and bounds
through snow and laps at gushing springs.
He busts salt cedar thickets and wait-a­minute
patches. He waters the turkey
roosts. He barks at baldface cows. He is
reborn.
Much has been said about the joys of
being a human in Arizona. But I think,
after observing 01' Shoog for so many
years that it must be better to be a dog,
anywhere. And to be a dog in Arizona
must be canine heaven.
He is 11, which by one formula, would
make him equivalent to a 77-year-old man.
True enough, his white mask is spreading
from chin to muzzle, and now and then he
walks, clunk, into a chair. He can't hear
thunder, he leaves a wake of dandruff,
his eyes weep, and pesky warts prosper
on his back.
BIGHORN SHEEP
44
It takes a good man
to write a human story
about a wonderful dog.
O~SHOOG
By Don Dedera
ANIMAL SCULPTURES BY FRED W. KAYE
He was born in Bagdad, a bigsize black
hunting cocker of good breeding.
It never occurred to me to write for the
papers, and, well, Shoog never mentioned
it. We seem to share a vast disinterest in
bloodlines. People ask me what he is, and
I say he is an intestine that haired over.
Occasionally we engage in conversations,
somewhat one-sided, but revealing of our
opinion of dog show folderal.
"You ever hear of Lhasa Apso?" once
I asked 01' Shoog. He was lightly dozing
on his pink pillow.
"You should be impressed," I chided
him. "A story in today's paper says the
Sahuaro State Kennel Club will have a
Lhaso Apso at its show this weekend.
The Lhaso Apso was bred to guard temples
in Tibet."
DESERT FOX
The snores from the pillow increased.
"It says that dogs of 300 different breeds
will be shown. The Lhaso Apso, by the
way, is a non-sporting dog."
As a spaniel my dog is classified a sport­ing
dog. 01' Shoog is sporting, all right,
all right. He came within a swat of a
neighbor lady's broom of deflowering a
prize $300 silky toy terrier, and once he
asked for, and very nearly received, a
date with a great dane. Litters of black,
warty pups populate his range. Seventy­seven
years old indeed!
"There are other rare breeds," I con­tinued.
"A Pap ilion. A Basenji. A Dandie
Dinmot.
"The latter is a terrier, unequaled at
hunting otter. You may recall Sir Walter
Scott's description in 'Guy Mannering':
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
COUGAR
"'I have them a' regularly entered,
first wi' rottens, then w' stots or weasels,
and then w' the tods and brocks, and now
they fear naething that ever cam' wi' a
hairy skin on' t.' "
From the pillow - rattles and wheezes.
"Chow time!" I yelled.
01' Shoog leaped off the couch into a
perfect show stance: the chest deep. The
face alert. The neck arched. Forelegs
straight. Coat shiny. Tail carried in a
line with the spine. The bright eyes
fastened on his dish ...
But I libel the dog. Shoog from the
first exhibited instincts to find and retrieve
birds. Some young dogs, like boys, out­grow
their bumptuous impulses and by
maturity they are disillusioned and unen­thusiastic.
Canine cynicism is no more
attractive than the human variety.
01' Shoog? He still covers three miles
while crossing a mile-long meadow under
the Tonto Rim. He will without hesitation
leap off a 15-foot cliff onto rock, after a
lizard. His eagerness at times is embar­rassing.
Out Buckeye way one day the white­wing
dove were so thick you could get
your limit with a long-handled dip net.
But I had only a shotgun - for me a
handicap. My Aunt Bess says I'm the kind
of wings hot that scores one-for-one. One
bird for one box of shells.
Anyway, I had fired only a few times
when I looked at the ground and I was
over-limit by ten birds! 01' Shoog had been
pilfering the bag of several nearby hunt­ers.
I threw some mud on my license plate
and fled to Phoenix.
PORCUPINE
FEBRUARY I97Z
PACK RAT
What that dog hasn't done! He earned
a tomato juice bath by tangling with a
skunk. His raids on the bait boxes of trout
fishermen who resort to cheese, marsh­mallows
and doughballs are legendary.
(If you do that kind of fishing, you've
got to look out for that kind of dog.)
Once, convinced his master was threat­ened,
he flung himself at a coyote, and the
little wild wolf gave ground. Camping in
Bear Canyon on the Mexican border, he
growled all night at the dogs baying in
Spanish, and at the other end of the state,
he shared his water can with a thirsting
Hopi pup. 01' Shoog has hunted the Pima
Reservation when the silt of the Gila bot­tom
was so gluey it gathered on his pads
like a prisoner's shackle. He tangled -
just one time - with cholla cactus, and
he got kicked backside over vaccination
by a mare he mistook for a canine Ama­zon.
Something of a history buff, Shoog
has signed the register of dogdom at the
O.K. Corral, at the Tewksbury Ranch in
Pleasant Valley, beside the First Water
Trail in the Superstitions, on the melting
adobe of Old Fort Bowie, by the front
gate of Zane Grey Cabin, at Cochise
Stronghold, at the ghost town of Oatman,
and at every campground of the Conquis­tadores
along the Coronado Trail.
In a state as varied as Arizona in alti­tude
and climate, there is a place and
season for all men and all dogs. Our pref­erence
has been autumn, about a mile
high. There are those who prize the gaudy
promise of spring or the golden plentitude
of summer. Others may revel in the alpine
winters of the mountains, or more likely,
relish the gentle, citrus-scented winters
of the desert.
WILD BURRO
FEBRUARY I97Z
For us, fall has the most. And fall is
best at the edges of the forests. The tourists
are thinned out; nature retrieves its
domain ; a zestful, preparatory mood
spices life above 5,000 feet.
With mornings already aromatic of
cedar, the cords of firewood grow by every
home. Roundups gather cattle for market
or drives to warmer ranges. District for­esters,
relieved of rescue missions and fire­fighting,
return their crews to routine
chores.
One morning all is green, from the
aquamarine of willow to the emerald of
oak; then, next morning, the sumac has
turned cardinal red and the walnut, flaxen
yellow. Maple, sycamore, alder join with
browns and oranges, until no one type of
color film can bracket the spectrum.
Nature adj.usts. Baby squirrels frolic like
kittens across the ponderosa crowns.
Hatches of poults fatten on the seed heads
along the draws. But the adult squirrels,
the red ants, the birds intensify their har­vests.
Never busier are the nuthatches, the
woodpeckers, the jays, the ravens, the car­dinals,
the bluebirds, the flycatchers, the
swallows, the thrashers. Arizona's hard­wood
canyons teem with autumn birdlife.
Arizona's fall is rarely unpleasant, a
mild Indian summer between the Mexican
monsoons and the Pacific storms. Crisp
mornings. Warm afternoons. Shirtsleeve
evenings. It is sit-outside, weekend-picnic,
look-at-the-stars, sleep-on-the-ground
weather. The planet itself seems to turn
more deliberately. Easy times are past. A
JACK RABBIT
rough passage lies ahead. There is more
vital work to be accomplished in fewer
minutes every day, as long shadows frown
across the brow of the Tonto Rim.
That a man or dog should forsake a
city house and steady meals to go hiking
in 10 square miles of unpeopled,
un dogged rimrock wilderness does imply
irrationalities. A dog could be struck by
a timber rattler. A man ascending hard­scrabble
could slip and perish. And what
good is that?
But 01' Shoog and I responded to the
dash of danger. On a treacherous slope a
man has no need of pride or ambition or
greed or revenge.- For a little while, all
he needs is an adoring dog, glancing back­ward
as if to say, "C'mon, pal. I made it.
So can you."
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
BOBCAT
It probably was 01' Shoog's last good
hunt. He slept through the alarm clock,
but the rattle of the shotgun action
snapped his head off his pillow, and
launched him into a point off the cabin
porch.
The black stump of tail ticked like a
metronome as I slipped into the bird vest.
He watched each shell go into the pockets.
He snapped at the feathers shook from
our decrepit World War II musette.
We set out into the gloom through the
dark pine boles, crunching the granite of
the road and savoring the first shock of
frost. High, high were buttermilk clouds,
but tattered shreds of last night's thunder­storm
rode a brisk breeze through the
jagged spikes of an old burn.
. As the sky began to lighten, we passed
into the meadow. The musical twang pf
fur and khaki snagging on barbed wire
echoed down the fence line, startling two
whitetail does feasting on the hard green
apples of a vanishing pioneer. The deer
bounded through the abandoned home­stead,
flags flying, through the litter of
gray roof shakes and bean cans.
Shoog had to be whistled off the deer.
He has been bad about trailing them, ever
since that time we were after whitewing
near Gila Bend, when a six-point muley
buck burst out of a mesquite grove and
dived into our cotton field, and Shoog
looked to me for advice, and I could not
resist the idiocy, "Fetch!"
This day, our meadow was a crazyquilt
of blue and yellow, stained by poisoned
cedars. A rancher had sown weeping love­grass,
which didn't much catch, but the
PRONGHORN ANTELOPE
45
HORNED LIZARD
wild clover and alfalfa were lush, forcing
Shoog to bound like a springer.
He was back and forth, ears flopping,
his nose a vacuum cleaner. Maybe he
remembered that once in this very meadow
a covey of two dozen scaled quail exploded
around him, and he vowed never to be
surprised again.
COTTON TAIL RABBIT
God! It was good to be alive on such
a morning. The pure joy of being stropped
the senses. There! A feather from a banded
pigeon. There! On owl pellet. There! A
bobcat track. .
The scent otT the cattle tank suggested
pollywogs. One realized, as if for the
first time, that there is a rising back­ground
hum to a forest's awakening. The
air teemed - hatches of insects under the
walnut bowers - a bat reeling homeward
after an all-night binge - the monarch
hawk enthroned on a lightning-struck
snag.
BADGER
46
But there were no doves, none at all,
not even the kind that peep nervously
until you are within 50 yards, then break
by twos and tens to another corner of
the meadow. The storm had sent them
south. Not once did I shoot.
"If hunting were a simple act of
butchery," Conservationist John Madson
has written, "there would be few sport­hunters
today. It is the host of attendant
BARN OWL
. . . about the sculptures
A man I had never seen or known of before
December 24, 1971, came into my office, hold­ing
a carton under one arm and a portfolio
under the other. Before he told me his name,
he had taken a dozen plaques from the carton,
and some one hundred photographs from his
portfolio and covered my desk top with a mess
of animal shapes and faces. Then with a heart·
warming smile and a straightforward honest
look from his eyes his soft voice told me how
he produced the deep relief, marble-like resin
base plaques .. . for educational purposes ...
especially for the blind ... so they could feel
the form and texture of the animal. His original
moulds number more than 100. He sells them
only by mail order. At ten dollars each, I won­dered
how he can possibly break even ... The
material used was the best, and the evidence
of artistic talent undisputable. But- this strange,
wonderfully gifted man shrugged his big shoul­ders
and wept as he said . .. "I don't need the
money - I'd just like for people to buy them
to give to some blind person." JOSEPH STACEY
His name is Fred W. Kaye. His address: 3954
Agate 'Street - Glen Avon, Riverside, California
92509.
Each plaque measures seven by seven inches
square and approximately 1 V2 to 2 inches deep.
DESERT TORTOISE
RING-TAIL CAT
factors that lift sporthunting beyond mere
killing and invest it with an elemental
dignity that is unique ... . "
As we trudged, dog and man, back up
the road in the hot sun, I tried to recall
more of Madson's words:
"For all his alleged irreverence for life,
the hunter has done the most to restore
GRAY SQUIRREL
and sustain today's wildlife populations.
Without him, it is unlikely that any effec­tive
wildlife conservation programs would
exist today. The hunter himself is respon­sible
for the great modern populations of
deer, antelope, turkey, pheasant, geese,
elk and a host of nongame creatures asso­ciated
with the wildlife habitat that the
hunter bas caused."
They were welcome truths. Our branch
of the fraternity requires no kill, and if
that was 01' Shoog's last hunt, let the
record show it was a beauty; a challenging
escape from the pink pillow. 0 0 0
BEAVER
Nature is the living, visible garment of God - Goethe ~
PHOTOC,RAPH llV WIT T TS Pl'TRRsnN LI
GOODBYE BLUE JAY
I used to be a bird watcher,
Reluctantly I admit.
I'd choose a silvan nook
And sit and watch and sit.
With a spyglass and a note book
And a snooper's probing eye,
I'd just keep on sitting there
And watch the birds go by.
And I found it quite amusing,
How silly birds can be,
Until I spied a Blue Jay
Hilariously watching me.
- Harry Golden
TRAVELER
He, who had loved green valleys,
only meant
To travel through this desert on
his way
To greener fields. There had been
no intent
Except to cross the wasteland in
a day,
But here were godly towers and
sunset sand
And skies so riotous, his world
stood still,
And now he keeps returning to
this land
Because the heart returns, and
always will.
- Pegasus Buchanan
COUNTRY ROAD
The road meanders
through the woods,
along a tiny stream
we thought we'd follow
it, perhaps
we'd find that long-lost dream .
The road led over
rocky points
and out on shaky bridges;
it left the stream and
lured us up
all breathless, to hill ridges .
And then beneath a
pasture gate,
it gently disappears,
no fond farewell, no
grief, no pain . . .
no parting, sogged with tears . .
Perhaps that is the
way a dream
should chart its course, too,
along all kinds of
ways and days,
then vanish, sans adieu!
- Lorraine Babbiu-
THE THINKER
I want a man who likes to tend
a garden -
To mow a lawn and trim a hedge
and such -
I have a man whq)ikes to sit and plan
about the jobs,
But he never gets around to doing much.
-Ina Ladd Brown
48
yours Sincerely
HANIEL LONG'S BOOK -
THE POWER WITHIN US
· .. In reply to the many requests for
information about the availability of the
book we are pleased to release the infor­mation
that the book is published under
the author's original title: INTERLINEAR
TO CABEZA DE VACA, by Frontier Press,
P.O. Box 448, Stewart Street, West New­bury,
Mass. 01985. Soft bound $3.00;
Hard cover $6.00. This is a special edi­tion
designed by Ron Caplan. In other
editions in English it has been entitled
THE POWER WITHIN US as it continues
to be in print in the Encyclopedia Bri­tannica's
series. GATEWAY TO GREAT
BOOKS, Volume 6.
CORRECTION. _ CORRECTION __ CORRECTION
· .. On page 27 of our January issue we
captioned Tower of the Ancients, Cliff
Palace, Mesa Verde National Park, South­eastern
Colorado ... MESA VERDE
NATIONAL PARK IS IN SOUTHWESTERN
COLORADO. The complete directions
about how to get there contained in the
four paragraphs above the caption should
leave no doubt about its location.
IAIA POEMS FROM OUR
JANUARY 1972 MAGAZINE
· .. In the January issue of ARIZONA
HIGHWAYS, a number of poems written
by students at the Institute of American
Indian Arts were published, including the
stunning "Battle Won Is Lost," by Phil
George, worthy of Siegfried Sassoon. All
of these poems are so impressive that I
would like to know if they have, or ever
will be published, and obtained. Does the
Institute publish ~ome kind of poetry or
creative writing review? If so can copies
be obtained?
George B. Crisp Jr., M.D.
Atlanta, Georgia
• The above letter reproduced in part,
is typical of the many similar requests
we have received about the Indian Arts
Institute students' poems. All Anthol­ogy
publications are presently out of
print. Director New is working on a
program of possible re-issue in the
future, and as soon as we know some­thing
more definite we will pass the
word along through this page.
ROSS SANTEE'S BAR X GOLF COURSE
· .. The Northland Press Printing of
the most hilarious story ever written about
golf (cowboy style) is off the press and
the first printing will probably be over­sold
before you read this. We told you
we'd let you know when it was available.
If you can't get it from your book seller,
write Northland Press, P. O. Box N, Flag­staff,
Arizona 86001 and just raise hell
with Paul Weaver until he promises to
send you the gold-embossed covered
classic - for $9.50 postpaid. He won't
be happy about paying the postage, but
I "gaw-rawn-tee" you'll be happier for
having read Ross Santee's book - with
illustrations by the author - of course.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
HOW TO SUBMIT PHOTOGRAPHS
TO ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
... Could you please send me informa­tion
on how to submit pictures, what is
required and other pertinent data. Thank
you. Richard Aldis
Prescott, Arizona
• Although we are generally programmed
through January 1973, we still wel­come
submissions. DO NOT - Please
- DO NOT send material which will not
stand comparison with the standards
as exemplified in our December 1971
or January 1972 magazine. Remem­ber
that your work will be judged
against the world's best photogra­phers
of the American Southwest ...
Experience has built the foundation for
our policy of selecting our full page,
half-page and double subjects from
4x5 or 5x7 transparencies. For the
smaller size reproductions the conven­tional
roll-film formats will be used.
We are looking for ideas rather than
single-shot once-in-a-lifetime master­pieces.
Each transparency MUST .. .
MUST ... MUST . .. be accompanied
by information, attached to each photo­graph.
DO NOT number each picture
and send one data sheet with numbers
and information ... The information
we must have is WHERE ... WHEN
... WHAT IS IT. For example: Mesa
Verde National Park, Southwestern
Colorado - Summer 1971 - Detail
showing inside wall paintings.
Our editorial policy limits the sub­ject
material to scenic attractions of
the Southwest only ... Other photo­graphs
related to people, and events
associated with the cultural, historical
or economic development are usually
furnished by authors, or by specially
commissioned photographers for the
particular specialty involved.
We do not operate on a fixed fee
basis. Our rates are considered low by
conventional commercial standards.
Payments are made after publication.
MAIL TO PICTURE EDITOR .. .
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS MAGAZINE . . .
2039 WEST LEWIS, PHOENIX, ARI­ZONA
85009.
INSIDE BACK COVER - The Gambel's
Quail is a common bird in the Southwest.
During the breeding season the unmated
male perches atop a post or shrub and
with a mournful call announces to the
quail world that he is in search of a mate.
BACK COVER - The Golden Eagle may
eventually become extinct unless more
rigid laws are developed and enforced to
prevent its wholesale slaughter. Far more
sheep losses should be attributed to poor
range management practices than to eagle
kills. The Golden Eagle's survival does not
depend upon laws and their enforcement,
but upon mankind's attitude and under­standing
the place and need for every liv·
ing thing in the Great Design of Life.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY WILLIS PETERSON
FEBRUARY I97Z