TO FRIENDS OF CAVE CREEK CANYON
Our Mission is to inspire appreciation and understanding of the beauty, biodiversity and legacy of Cave Creek Canyon through volunteer work and outreach programs.
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Fall Starts on South Fork [by Steve Wolfe]
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The Visitor Center Reopens!
After being closed since March the VIC reopened a few days ago, albeit on an outdoor basis only. Two of our volunteer hosts Rick and Joan are pictured, with and without masks.
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Campgrounds Reopening!
Stewart and Sunny Flat Campgrounds will reopen beginning Monday, November 2. They have been closed since March because of covid 19 concerns and lack of funding and staff shortages.
Without funding and staff the Forest Service cannot reopen these very popular campgrounds.
FOCCC has decided to help with this situation. To enable their reopening we will hire local people to clean the bathrooms and remove trash from the campgrounds. To help preserve the forest and keep it clean, it is very important that these campgrounds be open, thereby providing toilet and recreation facilities.
There has been a great deal of dispersed camping in the Chiricahuas since the campgrounds closed in March, with new levels of trash, toilet paper, and human waste in the forest. This has occurred throughout the Coronado National Forest, and is a main driver for trying to reopen campgrounds and their bathrooms.
FOCCC firmly believes that the Canyon belongs to everyone and we are pleased to help when and where needed. This is another example of a forest project that FOCCC has assisted with. For some of the other projects FOCCC has been been involved in over recent years, go here.
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Willow Tank Refuge
A Great Time to Visit
Willow Tank is one of the very few sources of water for migratory and resident birds in addition to wildlife of all kinds. FOCCC has invested many hours and funds to develop this facility on Sulphur Canyon Rd.
Take a look through the window to see:
Photo by Peg Abbott
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Photos above and below by Rene Donaldson. |
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Butterflies with Lori Conrad |
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A fairly common butterfly that can be seen any time of year in warmer weather. Named for the "dog face" pattern in the forewing. Pretty cool, eh?
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This subtle beauty can be found in large numbers in the late summer months. Just look for any blooming thistle & you're bound to see several! Its look-a-like, the Deva Skipper flies only in the spring. It also loves thistle, so it depends on the time of year to decide which one you're seeing. |
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This little gem only appears in mid to late summer, & only at fairly high elevation. It has a limited range, only found in SE Arizona, north up into NW New Mexico, & into parts of Colorado.
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A beautifully patterned butterfly, only found in the US in SE Arizona, & south into Mexico. Named for the gold color along the "costa", which is the term for the front edge of the forewing.
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Sunset in the Canyon
[First clouds at sunset in weeks!]
by Alice Wakefield
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Hiking Club on
October 22
Four hikers in 4 vehicles attempted to get to the end of the South Fork Road but a fallen Arizona cypress across the road needed to be dragged aside first. Good deed for the month. The lower part of South Fork looked like summer but the cliffs above were aglow with the low angle morning sun; a magic time of the year.
There were a few scarlet sumac, Rhus, poison oak and ash trees changing color until we got to the junction with the Burro Saddle trail. Above there a few red maples but most were still green, some with patches of color - another week or three till the peak. Nice people had cut fallen trees off the trail below the Burro junction but above there is much work needed cutting brush and rebuilding creek crossings.
Some crossings will be big jobs. The Creek flows in short sections and the "bathtub" has water but much of the length is poor fish habitat. The group hiked about 2 miles up and returned early because of a very tough crossing.
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Female Western Tanager
Rufous-backed Robin
Both by Carol Comeau
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Northern Flicker
by Carol Comeau
Moon Over The Chiricahuas
by Sara Stumbo
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By Steve Wolfe through a screened window. |
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The Amazing Eared Quetzals
A least two individuals of this very rare species arrived in June and are still here......even through the snow in late October.
Photos by Bob Rodrigues
Female Male
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FRIENDS OF CAVE CREEK CANYON
Thanks to our "Sustainer's Circle" and Lifetime Members
for their generous support:
Kirby Alguire, Tom Arny, Bob and Bettina Arrigoni, Susan Dalby & Eskild Petersen, Stephen Durkovich, L. Syrene Forsman, Charles and Mary George, Bill and Sally Hague, Paul Hirt and Linda Jakse, Fritz and Gayle Jandry, Don Hollister, Claudia Kirscher, Mike Leuthold, Barbara Lounsbery, Patrick McNamara, John and Karin McQuillan, Barbara and Pete Miller, Patricia Parran, Cecilia Raak, Tom Roseman and Paula Baldwin, Delia Scholes and Ed Newbold, John and Linda Sumner, Jeff and Alice Wakefield, and Bob and Sherry Zoellick.
Please support our Business Members who have given generously to Friends Of Cave Creek Canyon. Without their assistance, we would be hard pressed to accomplish our goals. Click on their names to check out their websites.
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