SAVE THE DATE! Sky Island Alliance is celebrating its Second Annual People and Places Awards Banquet and Auction at the Stilwell Twiggs House on the evening of Friday May 16, 2008.

Festivities include a tequila tasting, live and silent auctions, awards and more! You won't want to miss it.
Watch your inboxes for more info.

Great Groups!

IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group

Wildlands CPR

Southern and Central Arizona Buffelgrass Response Center

Click here to read the
Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection's newsletter.

Northern Mexico Conservation Program: Quiet on the set!

It's literally "Lights! Camera! Action!" for the wildlife of Rancho El Aribabi, the current center of activity for Sky Island Alliance's Cuatro Gatos Project. Thanks to the use of remote digital cameras, Sky Island Alliance is now able to film short wildlife videos in selected locations. The digital cameras, which are motion activated, take short video clips of passing wildlife during the day and still photos at night. So far we've caught video images of herds of javelina, troops of coati, deer, mountain lions,  ringtails, grey foxes, opossums carrying leaves, and a stray bull. We haven't seen any video of ocelots yet, but Sergio Avila, Sky Island Alliance Wildlife Biologist and head of the Cuatro Gatos Project, confirms that one of the two inhabiting ocelots we've been tracking has shown up in the digital still images taken at night. With the improved image quality, it is much easier to identify recurring animals. These camera traps bring the total number of cameras in the region to 20, not only enhancing, but also expanding Sky Island Alliance's monitoring abilities.

The Cuatro Gatos Project is aimed to study wildlife in northern Sonora, Mexico, identifying wildlife habitat and corridors across the region. In one year, the project has achieved great results for wildlife conservation in northern Mexico, such as the identification of a core area in the Sierra Azul where wild felids such as ocelots, bobcats and mountain lions roam; the establishment of working relationships with several private landowners and the signature of a conservation agreement for the protection of 10,000 acres of pristine wildlife habitat.

If you'd like to help Sky Island Alliance add to its growing trove of data on ocelots, mountain lions, coati, opossums, and all the other amazing wildlife we're watching in Sonora, check out our Adopt-A-Camera program. Just $150 allows us to purchase a film camera, set it up and check it, and you get a copy of the first set of photos taken with that camera. With $500, Sky Island Alliance can purchase and set up a digital camera, and you get four sets of photos taken with that camera!

Of course, any size donation helps keep Sky Island Alliance's programs going and is greatly appreciated. Click here to make your donation today.

Click here to see video images captured with Sky Island Alliance's new digital cameras. Click here to see still images of more critters.

Naturalia and the Northern Jaguar Project officially establish Northern Jaguar Preserve. The rarest of the big Sky Island cats, the jaguar, finally has a sanctuary in the 45,000 acre Northern Jaguar Preserve. The Preserve is located just south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

For more information about this particular purchase and the jaguar preserve generally, visit the websites of Naturalia, the Northern Jaguar Project or Defenders of Wildlife.

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Comment on the management of the A-7 Ranch. In 2004 Pima County purchased the A-7 Ranch on the east side of the Redington Pass area and are now putting together a management plan and are soliciting public comments, please go here to take the survey and give input to the process. SIA in conjunction with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert protection produced a recommendations report that calls for conservation management that can be downloaded here.

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Banff Mountain Film Festival Last fall, Tucson area Summit Hut stores sold the Mountain Hardwear fleece pullover at a discounted price in order to raise awareness of and funds for Sky Island Alliance. The promotion promised Sky Island Alliance a portion of the proceeds of each fleece sold, and this winter, with the last fleece sold, Sky Island Alliance was happy to learn that its portion of the proceeds was over $1,600!

What's more exciting is that Summit Hut will be presenting the donation check to SIA before a crowd of hundreds at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is a long-running program of the Banff Centre, which is a world-renowned arts, cultural and educational institution that promotes the development of creative work in the arts, science, business and environmental arenas. The film festival, which is focused on the promotion and understanding of mountain cultures, annually screens the top 50 festival entries. This year, the Festival will be held at the Fox Theatre at 7:30PM on March 28, tickets are $15-$40. For more information, check the coming editions of Sky Island Rhythms or call Summit Hut at (520) 325-1554 or 1-888-1000. Better yet, visit one of Summit Hut's two Tucson locations and let them know, in person, just how much we all appreciate their support of Sky Island Alliance.

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Not a member? Know someone who isn't a member, but should be? You may have guessed from our explosion of new projects, programs and hires that Sky Island Alliance has big conservation plans. In order to achieve those plans, we need big membership growth. This year, SIA is aiming to grow by 500 new members because big membership numbers translates into big conservation results. Whether we need to influence key congresspeople on Wilderness designation or particular agency staff on transportation or newspaper editorial boards weighing in on a public debate, the more members we have, the more influence we have and the more we can get done. If you're not already supporting us with your membership, please think about doing so now. Joining only takes a moment and your dues go to support programs like Wilderness and Special Designations, Wildlife Linkages, Landscape Restoration and Northern Mexico Conservation Program. Your membership also includes a subscription to Restoring Connections, Sky Island's critically-acclaimed journal. If you're not sure whether you're a current member or would like to provide a gift membership for someone who isn't a member, contact development associate Moniqua Lane, and she'll be glad to assist you. Moniqua can be reached at moniqua@skyislandalliance.org or (520) 624-7080x17.

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UPDATED Landscape Restoration Program Field Schedule for 2008

Check it out! skyislandalliance.org/calendar.htm

For more information, contact Trevor at (520) 624-7080x14 or at trevor@skyislanalliance.org.

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We want to continue to reach out to those who share an interest in protecting our beautiful landscapes. Please tell friends and co-workers they can receive our monthly eNewsletter by signing up for it here.