A group dedicated to ripping out old livestock fences to clear the way for wildlife is now taking aim at abandoned barbed wire in Oro Valley.
After years of work mostly in Avra Valley, the self-described Desert Fence Busters will hold their first — and possibly last — removal project along Big Wash in Oro Valley on Saturday.
Carolyn Campbell from the nonprofit Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection said the half-day event will target the only known patches of old fencing in the area — about 3 miles worth that represents a barrier and possible hazard to animals using the wildlife bridge and underpass on north Oracle Road.
“Some of these fences have been around for a hundred years and have no current purpose,” Campbell said. “But what they do is block the movement of wildlife between the Catalina and Tortolita mountain ranges.”
Livestock fences can divert or even snare deer, bighorn sheep, javelina and other large animals, further fragmenting desert landscapes already broken up by roads, utility corridors and residential developments.
Volunteer Caleb Deupree cuts down an abandoned barbed wire fence in Avra Valley on Dec. 11, 2021. A group calling itself the Desert Fence Busters is now taking aim at old fencing along Big Wash in Oro Valley.
A team of government agencies and conservation groups has been hard at work on the problem in Avra Valley for the past several years, inspired in part by a pair of bighorns that crossed the Central Arizona Project canal and made their way into the west side of Saguaro National Park in 2016.
In addition to removing fences that are no longer in use, participating agencies are modifying their own still-functioning barriers wherever possible to make them more wildlife friendly.
Partners in the effort include the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Friends of Ironwood Forest, Friends of Saguaro National Park, Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Tucson Audubon Society, Arizona Wildlife Federation and others.
The group now dubbed the Desert Fence Busters has already taken down and hauled away literal tons of wire and posts, opening up miles of new travel corridors for animals. No one knows just how much more fencing remains, but the problem is believed to be widespread.
Volunteers take down old fencing near Three Points in February. The effort to remove unused fences to benefit wildlife is expanding to Oro Valley.
“These old fences, everybody’s got them,” Campbell said. “It’s a really big problem for wildlife movement out there.”
During the group’s most recent event on Oct. 15, a crew of 21 people tore down two miles of old fencing and hauled away roughly 4,000 pounds of material from Avra Valley.
Saturday’s volunteer event is focused on land in and around Big Wash managed by the Pima County Regional Flood Control District.
“Barbed wire fences can stop large animals, change their movement patterns, and keep them away from water and food sources they need to survive,” said Marisa Rice, the flood district’s open space lands manager. “We are pleased to work with a diverse mixture of local public and private groups and volunteers to join together on a common ground issue.”
Campbell said they already have all the volunteers they need for Saturday, but the Desert Fence Busters would welcome some help with future projects, including the next one slated for Dec. 9-11 in Avra Valley.
More information and an online sign-up form are available on the coalition’s website at: www.sonorandesert.org/learning-more/wildlife-linkages-2/desertfencebusters/.
Campbell has been pleasantly surprised so far by the number of volunteers willing to join the cause. “It’s hard work, but people seem to love it,” she said.
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The National Park Service alerted hikers the following day to avoid Grass Shack Campground, located in the Rincon Mountains along the Arizona National Scenic Trail, and closed the area from Dec. 3 and Dec. 12 due to mountain lion activity.
The full uncensored video can be found here. Video courtesy of Tiffany Foster.
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