Buenos Aires NWR was formed out of many ranches dating back to the mid 1800's. The most prominate was Buenos Aires or (Good Air) developed by Pedro Aquirre Jr. Due to various droughts and over grazing the once lush grass land suffered from erosion when the rains returned. The lack of natural grass prevented fires that provided vital nutrients to the soil and naturally pruned the woody vegetation that invaded the valley.
One of the missions of the refuge is to limit the spread of invasive Mesquite and restore the native grass lands. There's an estimated 200 miles of fences criss-crossing the valley hampering the movement of some wildlife. An ongoing program to remove these barriers is underway.
Another focus is the protection of the endangered Masked Bobwhite quail.
Our goal was to scout the 84 established campsites for a return visit. With the help of the ranger and a great reference book on all the campsites including pictures, we identified about 10 sites that had enough room for our rig. With all our scouting it appeared we were the only ones camping on the refuge at this time.
Our site, #41
Along with our research, we took time for a short hike on the Arivaca Creek Trail.
A short side trail takes you to an abandoned homestead that suffered a fire many years ago. The ruins provided a terrific subject for some interesting photography.
Which do you like, Color or Black & White?
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When is a Crack in the wall just a crack in the wall...
On our last evening at Buenos Aires we explored the Pronghorn Loop Drive looking for wildlife. All we saw was 1, maybe 2 Kestrels and a nice sunset.
Coming next, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (Empire Ranch).
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