The Sonoran Desert- Politically sanctioned eco-disaster

The Sonoran Desert in the U.S. southwest is one of the most beautiful and iconic regions of the country. The Saguaro Cactus, the majestic cactus that grows upwards of 70' tall and may live for more than 150 years grows nowhere else in the world.
The Sonoran Desert includes 60 mammal species, 350 bird species, 20 amphibian species, over 100 reptile species, 30 native fish species, over 1000 native bee species, and more than 2000 native plant species. One area SW of Tucson is the only viable habitat for jaguars living in the U.S.

I lived in Arizona for more than 10 years. As an avid hiker I have been all over the state, from Oak Creek Canyon and Havasu in the north to Bisbee and Organpipe in the south. The Sonoran Desert is an immensely beautiful place. Sadly, it is under attack from an environmental disaster that gets absolutely zero coverage in the MSM outside of the state. Why?

Illegal immigration.

It is estimated that there are upwards of 30 million pounds of trash discarded throughout this pristine area that is left behind by the flood of illegals coming through this sensitive habitat. Sights, such as these, dot the desert landscape along the illegal immigrant paths all over the Sonoran Desert.



Mr. Obama likes to play the environmentalist, targeting the energy industries and using the EPA to "crack down" on polluters. So where is the governmental outcry in regards to the current Sonoran Desert eco-disaster? Why isn't the EPA involved in correcting the issue? When is the EPA going to fine the Mexican government for encouraging this mass eco-disaster? Finally, where is Greenpeace? Is the desert ecology not as important to these agencies or organizations? Aren't threatened and endangered species in the desert deserving of the same protection as non-desert dwellers?

OR, is it because it is yet another ugly side to the illegal immigration issue that our government keeps telling us is not a problem? Yes, Mr. Obama, illegal immigration is an environmental issue as well.

The feds need to fix this.

Arizona has tried to take steps to protect the state... and Obama has filed lawsuits to ensure that they don't.

The progressives will claim that this is a issue of human rights.

How many humans have had their rights denied by the EPA and progressives because of sensitive environmental issues?

Local news story highlighting the issue:

Illegal immigrants passing through the desert leave hundreds of tons of trash behind every year. This weekend, near Amado, crews are picking up some of that mess. In just one day, volunteers filled a huge trash bin with 15,000 pounds of garbage collected from the desert. Gabriel Paz, with Arizona Game and Fish, says lay up spots aren't rare. "What ever they haven't dumped on the way, they'll usually dump right here because they know their ride is going to be here soon." Volunteers find everything from abandoned clothing to empty water bottles and personal hygiene products. Steve Hopkins, with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, estimates there is up to 30 million pounds of trash throughout the Sonoran Desert. "I love the desert. I think it's a beautiful place to be and when you come out here and come across a big area with nothing but trash, it just destroys one of the reasons you came out here to be a part of it," says Steve. It's not just garbage volunteers are coming across. Saturday, a group found the body of an illegal immigrant though to have been in a remote desert area for at least a year. Since 2002, volunteers have organized large clean ups at least twice a year to battle what they call an ongoing statewide issue. "This effort started on the Internet with a group of hunters who were talking on a chat line. And they were all talking about how they didn't like the trash out here and didn't like to see it so they called us, we organized a clean up and we've been doing them ever since, " adds Paz. By the time this clean up effort is over, volunteers expect to have collected ten tons of trash over this weekend alone.

Picking up what illegal immigrants left behind

Well, can't we employ those immigrants in custodial positions- cleaning up the mess they make?

Wait; that'd be logical. No logic allowed in the US government!

It really is a shame. I lived there for almost ten years myself. So beautiful.

wow, that's something we don't hear about, and it is definitely a problem , at least someone is trying to do something about it.

Originally posted by Hushabye
Well, can't we employ those immigrants in custodial positions- cleaning up the mess they make?

Wait; that'd be logical. No logic allowed in the US government!

It really is a shame. I lived there for almost ten years myself. So beautiful.

edit on 27-6-2013 by Hushabye because: (no reason given)

Logic and government are mutually exclusive.

I do wonder what would happen if AZ decided to hire a fleet dump trucks, fill them with as much of this trash as they can find (sadly, this is the easy part), then roll all of them right down Pennsylvania Ave...

I imagine the EPA would blow all of their collective gaskets...

Just an idea...

This is just such a sad sight to see. Although I can say that most of these sites appear to be washes..perhaps some could have been washed into the area by previous storms? No excuse at that. I'm just trying to understand it, is all. I'm absolutely livid that they can continue to act this way, trashing the country they claim to want to live in permanently, as a citizen. I think too that perhaps a stint of public service for each and every one that comes through, would instill some respect for the land around them. Cleaning up the trash left behind by them and many others, word would eventually get back that trashing the place isn't the right thing to do.

As an avid backpacker and hiker, we are always admonished to "Leave No Trace". Many of us voluntarily clean up trails all over, and from those I've spoken with, the illegal immigrant trash left behind is always the one spoken of as one of the "worst".

reply to post by SweetKarma


The illegals use the washes to "lay low". Palo Verdes and mesquites generally line the sides of the washes (more abundant water supply) in what are termed as "riparian" areas. Generally, anything deposited downstream after a decent rain is a mess of mud and trash. The items in the photos are "too clean" to be flood deposits.

I have a good friend that owns property in Cochise County... he has had fines levied against him for illegal dumping on his property... fined for "letting" the illegals dump there. It is asinine...

A friend owns a mine along the border and has not been allow by the government to go to it in over 6 years because of the drug smugglers armed with automatic weapon that use the area.

He can get the firepower to enter the area safely he has friends with enough ARs and other black guns and one friend with class 3 weapons.
But the government does not want firefights between the drug cartels and the public.

reply to post by ANNED


I never hiked those areas without carrying my .45 on my pack. I had a Pima County Sheriffs Deputy approach me on a trail head and ask why I had it. I told him it was for protection from bears and mountain lions... he sort of rolled his eyes, but just advised me to be cautious. They know the score there...

The signs were placed by the feds to keep people out of these areas, most of which lie on Federally protected lands designated as National parks, National forests or National monuments. If this stuff started turning up in, say, the Redwood National forest, the environmentalists would be up in arms with protests and media campaigns.

This is Arizona, however.

Arizona is being punished by the administration at the moment for trying to take care of their own business.

The feds refuse to fix the problem, and handcuff the state for being too proactive.

And the new promise of "amnesty" is making matters even worse...

As the immigration reform Gang of Eight inside the Beltway prepares to announce a deal later this week, claiming border security will come before a path to citizenship for millions of illegals, Border Patrol agents have seen illegal border crossings double and warn the cutting of agent work hours will only result in less border security, not more. "We've seen the number of illegal aliens double, maybe even triple since amnesty talk started happening," an agent told Townhall, who asked to remain unnamed due to fears of retaliation within Customs and Border Protection [CBP], something he said is common. "A lot of these people, although not the majority, are criminals or aggravated felons. This is a direct danger to our communities."

Human smuggling on the upswing

More photos...

That's actually really creepy. Imagine finding that in the middle of the desert

reply to post by madmac5150


In other news, radioactive plumes of ground water are making their way from the Nevada Nuclear Testing Site to Death Valley National Park/Monument. No illegal aliens involved, just the US military. The garbage left by the illegal immigrants is fairly biodegradable and will be gone in 50 or 100 years. The radioactive isotopes will be around for millions of years.

Holy cow that's a lot of clothes! Is it easier for them to blend in naked? Lol

For anyone interested, this links to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum web site... great info on the desert ecology that is being threatened...

Sonoran Desert Museum

Originally posted by kazootica
Holy cow that's a lot of clothes! Is it easier for them to blend in naked? Lol

I'd imagine they have been traveling for several days without washing. Clothes would feel greasy, itchy, grimy. They couldn't wait to get out of them.

I can confirm the primary contention of this story. I'm a 17-year resident of Arizona and I frequently hike these areas hunting quail or javelina, or just with my camera. There are areas that are being well trashed. Not everywhere, not by a long shot. Most open areas remain fairly pristine. It's the most beautiful areas that have any sort of trees, tall brush, or shade that take the hit.

And yes, federal policy absolutely sucks. The feds prohibit property owners from keeping illegals off their land and then fine those owners for not cleaning up after the illegals they are prohibited from excluding from it.

reply to post by Detergent

The frustrating part is that the state has been telling the feds about this for years, and nothing at all is being done. Again, maybe Greenpeace can start protesting the border fences...

Because the Sonoran Desert is very dear to my heart (I have my reasons ) I have decided to play "60s hippie posting signs for the cause" in an electronic format. I just don't need the mind altering chemicals and fear of hygiene products

I will start with unique local wildlife...



This is Heloderma suspectum... AKA the Gila Monster.

He is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. A heavy, slow-moving lizard, up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) long, the Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the United States and one of only two known species of venomous lizards in North America, the other being its close relative, the Mexican beaded lizard (H. horridum).

Status: Near threatened.

Gila Monster

Why Nancy Pelosi doesn't like me: I bite! Yes, the Gila Monster is a venemous little bastage... like the truth, when it bites the government in the chollas! Now, in all of my years in the beautiful Grand Canyon state I have known only one person to actually get bitten by one of these chubby little dudes. Here's how this works...

ME- someone with some life experience

BAIT- my 26 year old yuppy lawyer neighbor when I lived in Tucson, AZ...

THE SETUP: It's 0-dark-stupid Saturday morning. My neighbor, seeing the military stickers on my windshield assumes that 5 hours past midnight is when my brain awakens for the day... not Army, sir... I'm Air Force.

Morning is for wanna-be grunts, jarheads and squids that pretend that daytime starts at 0500...

...that is what time I usually got home after going into work at 1300 the previous day... my late afternoon launches getting pushed up to the very beginning of my shift because of monsoon storms rolling in hard off the Catalina Mountains, followed by an IFE into Gila Bend (you see the connection...) because of a hung gun system, ...so now I have to find 3 qualified morons to send on a road trip to Gila Bend (there's that connection again)... all the while I still have 12 more front lines to recover and turn for the evening's flying schedule. Once that is done, I have 17 minutes to jump in my car, haul proverbial @$$ to the Taco Bell on 22nd, haul @$$ back to work with dinner to THEN find out that our primary range is CLOSED due to a NOTAM issued just 3 minutes prior to the Taco Bell trip because of monsoon weather over range...

SO... by the time I work out tomorrow's flying schedule AND get all of my flyers configured AND run my last minute "Tail-swap" schedule changes and eat my hours old Taco Bell, I get to drive approximately 23.5 miles home, have a beer, then get some sleep... I digress. You get the idea.

BAIT: "Hey neighbor"! Whassup!!
ME: "Ummmmm... not me?"
BAIT: "You captains are always SOOO funny"
ME: "Captain?"
BAIT: "You are a pilot, right?"
ME "No, sir, I am a Master Sergeant, that's why I smell funny"...
BAIT: "Hey you're pretty funny, you new here?"
ME: "No, I have been here a long time... why?"
BAIT:" You ever seen one of those short, fat black and yellow lizards?"
ME: "Ummmmm, as in Gila Monster?"
BAIT: "Yeah, are they worth anything?"
ME: "A trip to the hospital..."
BAIT: "I think I can grab him..."

ME: (The rest of this I am just inferring...)

BAIT: (Attempts to grab Mr Gila Monster by the tail...)
GILA MONSTER: Whips body 180 degrees bassackwards towards target then just bites down HARD....
BAIT: SQUEALS like Ned Beatty canoeing in Georgia...

ME: Acute tachycardia

(After release from cardiac wing)

The aftermath:

ME: I don't mess with Gila Monsters
BAIT: A series of powerful antibiotics and blood co-agulents. Repeated infections.

Don't mess with them, and they won't mess with you ...

The truth:
This is a beautiful animal Peace

I Have an issue anytime men want to tell us you can be arrested because of where you were born. So what if Pedro fell out of his mother in TIJUANA? He's a human, we should act like it. He made it out of the Gulag, or REPUBLIC, YES, REPUBLICANS, the REPUBLIC of Mexico..... Republicans should be forced to live there. It's nice.