A Diverse desert RefuGe

Ruby has worked with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to better understand and protect the area’s wildlife. A big-game fence was constructed around the perimeter to allow access for wildlife and help protect the property’s ecosystem.  This fence allowed ash and many other trees to mature in an area impacted by livestock overgrazing. It is now a forest with a drainage system continuing down the valley. From riparian areas to rocky hillsides, caverns to crests, Ruby provides critical habitat for migrating birds, and year-round protection for all manner of desert creatures. Read about how Ruby is currently being used as a basecamp for Round River Conservation Studies here.

Get involved 

You can help contribute to Ruby's growing collection of creature sitings on our iNaturalist page.
(We're 877 species and counting!)  Get an official checklist for birds of Ruby here, where 193 specific species have been observed. Enjoy Ruby naturalist David Bygott's extensive photo collection on Flickr, here. Read about the incredibly diverse area that comprises the Sky Islands, and how Ruby fits into that area here.
The Atascosa Highlands are an area of incredible biological diversity located within one of the most ecologically rich regions on the planet. Taking up less than 1% of Arizona's overall landmass, the Atascosas host at least half of the state’s total bird species and approximately one-quarter of its flora, including several species which are found nowhere else in the United States. -from the Atascosa Borderlands Project opening statement, Dash & Swenson
In the winter of 2020,  Jack Dash, ecologist, and Luke Swenson, photographer came through Ruby to complete their final visit for their Atascosa Borderlands project. Chapter IV is all about Ruby, (the former Montana Mining Camp).
Header photo by Rob Vaughn  / ​Instagram: @robvaughn_
Flora & Fauna photos by David Bygott