Mexico – BorderlandsWanderlust

I have been fortunate enough to visit El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve on several occasions; all of them in the summertime when the intense heat might be a deterrent for some visitors, yet despite the high temperatures the opportunity to explore new corners of the biosphere reserve enraptures me every single time. La Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar (El Pinacate hereinafter) is located in Northwestern Sonora, Mexico. Mexican Federal Highway 2, only a few meters from the U.S.-Mexico border, defines the northern boundary of the 714,566 hectare natural protected area. El Pinacate in Mexico along with Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Southwestern Arizona protect a huge area of the Sonoran Desert at a binational scale.

El Pinacate was established in 1993 by the Mexican federal government; although, the land is privately owned by several ejidatarios. Since its establishment it has acquired international recognition by being included in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, part of the Man and Biosphere Program, and in 2013 it was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites. Additionally, 39 hectares of the Rio Sonoyta, the Agua Dulce reach, are included on the Ramsar Convention’s (The Convention on Wetlands) List of Wetlands of International Importance.

Agua Dulce Reach – Rio Sonoyta – mostly dry due to prolonged drought and excessive human consumption.

Sonoyta pupfish (native) and mosquito fish (invasive). Longfin dace haven’t been captured/observed in recent years.

Remaining puddles along the Sonoyta River where fish and Sonoyta mud turtles cling to survival.

The beautifully built Schuk Toak visitor’s center is a good place to start your visit at El Pinacate. The visitor center offers interactive displays were you can learn about the geology of the area, its biodiversity, as well as learn about the ancient inhabitants and their cosmology. Personally, it was very interesting to learn about Juan Carvajales, the last ‘pinacateño’ who lived on the land in the early 20^th century. You can also learn about the ancient salt trails. The salt trails are ancient trading routes from tinaja to tinaja (natural water catchments) created thousands of years ago by the native inhabitants to collect salt near the ocean. Certain areas at El Pinacate are considered sacred to the descendants of those ancient people, the Hia Ced O’odham and Tohono O’odham, who now reside outside the Reserve in Sonora and in Arizona.

La Burbuja – you can explore a replica at the visitor’s center.

The otherworldly landscape at El Pinacate composed of a volcanic shield with its black and red lava flows, giant craters, cinder cones, and an extensive sea of sand dunes is beautiful and even magical. The difficult terrain means that exploring the area takes time, a high clearance vehicle, and proper equipment are necessary; although, passenger vehicles can travel on the well maintained 72 kilometer (approximately 45 miles) visitor’s route. The visitor’s route is a loop where one can stop at several interpretive stations along the way to learn about different aspects of the Reserve and enjoy the extraordinary views from the edge of El Elegante and Cerro Colorado craters.

2016 Pinacate 097 — El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve

2016 Pinacate 096 — El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve

El Pinacate’s location is within the boundaries of the Lower Colorado Subdivision of the Sonoran Desert, which is the hottest and driest subdivision, yet despite the harsh conditions El Pinacate’s biodiversity is impressive. The recorded number of species includes more than 540 vascular plants, 44 mammals, 40 reptiles, 5 amphibians, more than 200 birds, and 2 native fish species.

Sonoyta pupfish (adult males) picture taken at refuge pond.

El Pinacate is home to endangered species such as the Sonoran pronghorn, Sonoyta pupfish, longfin dace, and the largest maternity colony of lesser long-nosed bats which were classified as endangered in Mexico until recently and whose current endangered status in the United States is being reviewed. A lava tube in the volcanic shield houses the maternity colony. The place is not open to the public, but I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to accompany American and Mexican biologists on nights set aside for bat exit counts. Witnessing thousands and thousands of bats exiting the cave on their way to foraging grounds is an amazing experience that alerts all the senses.

2016 Pinacate 125 — Lesser long-nosed bat maternity colony entrance at El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve.

Other species of common concern between the U.S. and Mexico but with differing threatened or endangered status include the flat-tailed horned lizard and the Sonoran desert tortoise. During my most recent trip to El Pinacate, my companions and I came across a pair of desert bighorn sheep as we were hiking in the evening towards a tinaja to conduct a bat monitoring survey. Lesser long-nosed bats aren’t the only bat species present at El Pinacate and we were fortunate enough to see some of the other species.

Flat-tailed horned lizard

Sidewinder

California leaf-nosed bat

Townsend’s big-eared bat

Pallid bat

El Pinacate is named after the common stink beetle or pinacate found throughout the region; I can only imagine the diversity of insects that call El Pinacate home. El Pinacate is a fascinating place that beckons further exploration. I hope to go back in the winter so that I can hike to the top of the highest mountain to get a bird’s eye view of the majestic landscape.

Sources where you can obtain more detailed information:

Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar

http://www.elpinacate.conanp.gob.mx

UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/man-and-biosphere-programme/

UNESCO’s World Heritage Center

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

Ramsar Convention

http://www.ramsar.org/

The Reserva de la Biósfera Alto Golfo de California y Delta del Río Colorado (Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve) is located in the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California about 60 kilometers from the U.S.- Mexico border. The approximate 9,400 km² protected by the reserve include amazing marine and desert ecosystems.

Reserva de la Biosfera Alto Golfo de California y Delta de Rio Colorado — Reserva de la Biosfera Alto Golfo de California y Delta del Rio Colorado

The Alto Golfo Biosphere Reserve has received international recognition and numerous accolades since its inception in 1993. The Reserve is part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program. Its wetlands have been recognized by the Ramsar Convention as internationally important; hence, it counts with three Ramsar sites. Additionally, the Alto Golfo Biosphere Reserve is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Network; a voluntary network that seeks to conserve shorebirds and their key habitats throughout the hemisphere.

I had the opportunity of visiting part of the Alto Golfo and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve – on the Sonora side – a few weeks ago and was amazed by the biodiversity, the striking landscapes as well as enlightened about the complexity of the issues faced by communities and reserve managers on a daily basis. I was also saddened by the prospects of some species such as the critically endangered Vaquita or harbor porpoise, yet encouraged to see actions being taken and implemented to help conserve endangered species while also taking into consideration people’s livelihoods.

My first stop included a visit to La Ciénega de Santa Clara. The Ciénega de Santa Clara is a remnant of the vast network of wetlands that once existed in the Colorado River Delta; a network that almost ceased to exist as waters from the Colorado River were claimed by different sectors and an ever expanding population. The Ciénega de Santa Clara was created by accident in 1976 by the Army Corps of Engineers in Arizona, and it is still maintained by drainage from agricultural districts in southwestern Arizona. The Ciénega is now considered an extremely important site for birds traveling on the Pacific Flyway. It is also home to the endangered Yuma clapper rail, the Desert pupfish, as well as numerous non-native fish species. The Ciénega de Santa Clara consists of approximately 40,000 acres of marshlands, cattail stands, a maze of lagoons, and extensive mudflats.

While visiting the Ciénega I learned about some of the income diversification projects undertaken by the communities living in lands adjacent to the Ciénega, and I was pleasantly surprised to see ecotourism ventures providing alternatives to the people of the Ciénega. I took a boat ride into the lagoons from a dock operated by community members. I also saw a row of cabins that are rented out by the local community where people can stay and explore the Ciénega at a more leisurely pace. I have to say that it was truly amazing to suddenly see an extensive body of water after driving on a road that bisects mudflats that extend as far as the eye can see.

One of the many bird species that visit the Cienega de Santa Clara

After observing, hearing, and learning about the many species of birds that can be found at the Ciénega, the visit proceeded with stops at other spring fed wetlands and/or smaller ponds where one can find the endangered Desert pupfish – a small resilient freshwater fish species only found in the driest part of the Sonoran desert in California, Arizona, Baja California, and Sonora. It was encouraging to see other small communities have undertaken various ecotourism projects that are at different stages of development and/or completion but that highlight the many opportunities available for visitors and locals alike.

The visit then continued on to a short visit to the fishing town of El Golfo de Santa Clara – home to about 4,000 people – according to the 2010 population census. I recently learned that the town of El Golfo de Santa Clara was established in the early part of the 20^th century to take advantage of the once plentiful totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) fishery, as was the case for the town of San Felipe in Baja California. Totoaba annual captures were once measured in thousands of tons, but since 1975 the Mexican government declared a total ban.

The causes of the decline in the Totoaba population are many and quite complex and are still present to this day. Totoabas spawn in the Colorado River Delta and since the construction of dams in the U.S. i.e. Hoover dam, the Colorado River ceased to reach the delta. The decrease in freshwater led to an increase in salinity which changed the ecosystem and led to loss of spawning habitat. Additionally, totoabas were overfished due to a high demand for their swim bladder in Asia. Apparently, it is regarded as a delicacy in China and it’s also used in traditional Chinese medicine among other things to increase fertility i.e. as an aphrodisiac which by the way seems to be attributable to all sorts of animal parts which just boggles my mind….to which I say just buy some Viagra if you so desperately need a lift in that department…anyway I digress. Totoaba fish bladders are still highly sought after and apparently they can be sold for up to $5,000 per bladder in the black market.

Totoabas were easy to capture on their way to and/or from their spawning grounds and the use of gillnets greatly affected another species that is also critically endangered, the Vaquita (Phocoena sinus). Vaquitas or harbor porpoises were by-catch in the totoaba fishery. Vaquitas were caught in gillnets and drowned. Vaquitas are also endemic to the Upper Gulf of California meaning that they are only found in that region. They have the most limited range of any marine mammal. The prospects for the Vaquita are dire; their total population is estimated to be less than 100 and some report only 57 individuals are left.

In the spring of 2015, drastic measures were put in motion when the Mexican federal government put in place a two-year total ban of gill net use in the Vaquita’s territory and expanded the overall protection zone. The federal government also put in place a two-year compensation program for fishing communities where all those involved in fishing activities are being compensated for not fishing. The results of the two-year experiment remain to be seen; hopefully, the results will be positive for the vaquita, the totoaba, and the overall health of the ecosystem. Yet, there remains to be seen what will happen once the two-year compensation program ends…will residents of the Upper Gulf of California transition into other income generating activities? Or will they go back to fishing using gill nets?

The issues are extremely complex and there are no easy solutions; yet, I am hopeful different sectors of the population will find ways of working together to find common ground that will lead to a better quality of life for fishing communities and a healthy populations of vaquitas, totoabas, and all marine life…that – or maybe the Chinese economy will crash and people will no longer be able to afford exotic ingredients for their soups and/or medicine i.e. totoaba swim bladders, shark fins, bear gallbladders, etc. I know that’s not likely to occur in the near future and a crash of the Chinese economy would negatively affect the rest of the world, so what is needed is more education targeted to consumers in Asia that may not be aware of the far-reaching consequences of their actions when they order a bowl of totoaba fish bladder soup.

Anyway, I haven’t written any blog posts in a year…and I told myself I would aim to make future blog entries shorter…I failed, so if you’ve read up to this point – a big thank you. I mainly focused on the coastal and marine aspects of the Biosphere Reserve, but there is so much more to see and explore. I didn’t even expand on the wonders of the desert areas such as the massive sand dunes and the wildlife that inhabits it such as flat-tailed horned lizards or the fact that the Colorado River reached the delta in 2014 for the first time in decades thanks to the work being done by a committed group of organizations that were able to purchase water rights. For eight weeks in the spring of 2014 water from a dam was released and allowed to follow its natural course…there’s just so much to see and learn and write about that I will probably revisit the Alto Golfo de California y Delta de Rio Colorado Biosphere Reserve in the future, and I highly encourage you to do the same if you are in the region.

To learn more about El Alto Golfo de California y Delta de Rio Colorado Biosphere Reserve and its wildlife check out the following websites:

Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas

www.conanp.gob.mx

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – National Marine Fisheries Service

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/vaquita.htm

Sonoran Institute

www.sonoraninstitute.org

Pronatura Noroeste A.C.

http://www.pronatura-noroeste.org

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

BorderlandsWanderlust

Category: Mexico

Exploring El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve

Where Desert and Ocean Coalesce…

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