4
Window into wilderness
Remote Cameras in
the Sonoran Desert
By Mike Quigley, Arizona
Representative
of The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society has several remote cameras in the field in Arizona. We
use these cameras to document the presence of wildlife in Arizona's wildlands.
The
cameras are motion and heat activated; when an animal moves in the camera's field-
What you see, is from right here in the Sonoran
Desert Heritage areas west of Phoenix and north of Gila Bend. That's what makes the
images connected to us, and connects us to these places. These are photos of wildlife
living in that mountain range you can see from the Interstate, up a canyon off that
dirt road you ride on the weekend, around the bend of that backcountry trail you
hike for quiet and reflection.
The photos are a reminder that other species share
this world: the mountain lion mom and her kitten frolicking in a sandy wash after
a rain, the group of bighorn sheep getting a drink of water from a high tinaja, the
rabbits and foxes and ground squirrels and the rest of God's creatures going about
their daily lives.
Our reactions to the photos are reminders of our interconnectedness, our capacity
for empathy and reverence, and our responsibilities. I've heard seasoned biologists
and wilderness advocates "ooh" and "ahh" over photos of ring-
The cameras offer us a window
into the wild world we might not have the time, opportunity, or good luck to experience
more often. The photos reassure us that the world is still working-