Rabbit in the thorns
KOFA National Wildlife Refuge
Part I – the fauna
One of occasional articles about habitats outside of San Diego County. First of two parts.
The KOFA-NWR (King of Arizona) is one of the largest and least visited of the many national wildlife refuges (NWR) of the federal government. The KOFA, named after the King of Arizona mine is located just over the California border, a little ways north of Yuma, Arizona. Like many wildlife refuges, this one was set aside back in the 1930’s by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to preserve unique habitats and wildlife in perpetuity. This place is huge. It is about ten thousand square miles, roughly 665,000 square acres. And even though it is right off heavily traveled Hwy 95, there are very, very few people that visit it. Perhaps it doesn’t look too exiting from the road. After all, this is just another desert. Or is it?
My wife and I have camped there a number of times when we finally got tired of the crowds in our National Parks and Monuments. National Wildlife Refuges are numerous, especially in the Western States, and they offer unique opportunities to travel, camp, and observe, without any fees and few rules.
The KOFA is a part of the Great Sonoran Desert, which is arguably one of the world’s “nicest” deserts. It stretches through parts of New Mexico, Old Mexico, much of Arizona, and into California, including parts of Baja, California. The Sonoran is considered to be a very “lush” desert with cooler temperatures, abundant flora, and the resulting fauna that makes their home there. In this first part, we will explore some of the unique and fascinating animals that live there. Part II will explore the flora.
The signature species in the KOFA is the Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis nelsoni). These are magnificent animals, but rarely seen. They live in the high rocky mountains and have been threatened with extinction. They do come down to various waterholes that the rangers have built and that is your best chance of seeing one. The Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis) is about the cutest little guy you will ever see. He’s about the size of a Chihuahua dog. One night when we were camping, the little fella came up to our camp and just hung out and squirreled around for most of the evening. There is everything from bats to rabbits to packrats. The Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a real treat, and then there is the dangerous, but exciting Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), however I have never seen one there.
The KOFA is maybe most famous for the birds. There is a plethora of bird species, everything from Allies to Waxwings. Some are year round and others migrate. My favorite is the Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californicus), but he runs a lot more than he flys. If you are a birder, you can get the bird list from the refuge and believe me, you would be kept busy the whole time you are there.
It is not too difficult to get there. It is a straight shot out I-8 to Yuma and then north about 40 miles to the first entrance. But don’t be casual. This place is rugged and dry and hot. You probably would be best in a four-wheel drive or at least a tough, high clearance vehicle. There is essentially no one there, and no services for about 50 miles. I’ve seen very few other travelers/campers and never a ranger. You are on your own!
Most of the terrain is at higher elevations so it is reasonably cool except in the heat of summer. There are numerous wildly beautiful and rugged mountains throughout. But again, beware. I took one road out that was as best I can describe “one of the worst journeys in the world”. You can camp only in certain areas, but there are many nice places. You cannot camp too close to the waterholes, or in special areas designated as “wilderness”. It would be best to obtain a good map from the headquarters (see link) before venturing too far out there.
Next time, we look at the unique and abundant flora of the KOFA.
www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/kofa
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