San Pedro Riparian

San Pedro Riparian NCA https://www.blm.gov/visit/san-pedro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Riparian_National_Conservation_Area The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area contains nearly 57,000 acres of public land in Cochise County, Arizona, between the international border with Mexico and St. David, Arizona.

U. S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Arizona - Gila District Tucson Field Office The Friends of the San Pedro River (FSPR) is a volunteer, non-profit organization that is dedicated to the conservation, protection and enhancement of the natural and cultural resources of the San Pedro River. They work closely with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal land manager of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. They share their love for the river in a variety of activities. Volunteers assist visitors at the San Pedro House and Fairbank Schoolhouse. Docents lead nature and history walks, offer special events, give presentations, and provide educational programs for school children. Further information about FSPR is available at www.sanpedroriver.org. Content Contributors: Virginia Bealer, Jane Chambers, Gabrielle LaFargue, John Rose, Renell Stewart, Ron Stewart Illustrations: Rachel Ivanyi, Lori Kovash (page 6) 2 Species shown on front cover: yellow-billed cuckoo, gray hawk, yellow-breasted chat, black-chinned hummingbird, vermilion flycatcher, Mexican duck, great blue heron, green kingfisher, queen butterfly, southern dogface butterfly, gartersnake, American beaver, mule deer, yellow monkeyflower, rabbitbrush, bulrush, sacaton, Fremont cottonwood, Goodding’s willow. 4 Cottonwood Trees and Water Birds like yellow-billed cuckoos, tanagers, nuthatches and warblers find ________ to eat on the bark, branches and leaves of cottonwoods. Fill in the blanks with one of these words: Shelter Beavers Seeds Insects Wounds Shade Scientist Wind Root Many birds, including woodpeckers, goldfinches, Cooper’s hawks, western screech-owls, and great-horned owls, use cottonwoods for _________ and nest sites. The cottony parts of cottonwood trees are the fluff attached to the tiny seeds. It helps them float on air currents to new places to grow. ______also carries pollen from male to female trees. A skin cream made from cottonwood bark is said to help _______ heal. _______ eat the living part of cottonwood branches just under the bark, and use the branches to make dams, creating ponds that other animals use and slowing water for recharge. Trunks of cottonwoods often fork near the base, creating a broad area of ________ as they grow, cooling water and helping to prevent evaporation. With a shallow _____system reaching only about 10 feet deep, cottonwoods often signaled the presence of springs and rivers to people passing by. In order for cottonwood _____ to grow into trees, they must land on wet sand bars after a late spring or early summer flood, then quickly grow roots deep enough to survive floods that follow. Fremont cottonwoods are named for explorer and ________ John C. Fremont. 5 SPRNCA Bingo The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. You can observe many of them by walking through the mesquite grassland surrounding the river, and under the trees alongside the river channel. Below is a list of some of the common plants and animals that live near the San Pedro River. See if you can find four in any row, column or diagonal in the chart below. butterfly hawk harvester ant nest turtle spider snake fish lizard cottonwood leaf dragonfly bird mesquite gourd toad yucca 6 cactus Animal Adaptations Adaptations are structures or behaviors that help an organism (a single living thing) survive in its habitat (place where it lives). What are some adaptations of SPRNCA animals and plants that help them survive in the SPRNCA? Write the plant or animal after its adaptation. Gila longfin dace Gila woodpecker Javelina Horned lizard Desert tarantula Hog-nosed snake Four-winged saltbush Pinacate beetle Spadefoot toad ANSWERS: Gila long-finned dace; Pinacate beetle, javelina; four-winged saltbush; Gila woodpecker; horned lizard; spadefoot toad, hog-nosed snake; desert tarantula. Stays wet when water levels in the river drop during the day by hiding in mats of algae or under logs or stones in the river. ____________________________________ This creature cannot y, so it sprays an irritating chemical from its rear end at predators. ____________________________________ Has poor eyesight and can’t run fast, but it has long, sharp teeth like spears (“javelin” in Spanish) for defense, and scent glands to rub on rocks and trees to signal other members of its species. ____________________________________ Has light-colored hairs on its leaves to reeect sunlight and can grow in soil with high levels of salt. ____________________________________ Tongue is very long and has a sharp tip with hooks that can help it pull soft grubs out of wood. ____________________________________ Can bury itself underground and surround itself in a case that keeps it from drying up between summer rainy seasons. ____________________________________ Has an upturned snout that helps it dig for lizard eggs in sandy soil. liza ________________