Fort Bowie and Wet/Dry Mapping

27 Jun Fort Bowie and Wet/Dry Mapping

This week has been full of adventure from climbing down mountains to throwing plaster on adobe walls. The week started with a very fun trip to Chiracahua National Monument were camped out and went over to Fort Bowie National Historic Site where we were taught on how to preserve walls made of adobe that are more 100 years old. This was a great experience since we were taught how apply plaster and very specific techniques on how to preserve this great part of history.  Fort Bowie has an incredible history that ties in the history of the US Army and the Chiracuahan Apaches  that fought bravely on each side for Apache spring a source of water that never stops flowing. The site was considered national historic landmark for its outstanding historic significance.

After coming back home, later in the week we spend Saturday doing Wet/Dry mapping along the Montezuma mountain gully that feeds the San Pedro River this is a necessary mapping technique since it allows to see where water is and where it ends up in the San Pedro River for environmental and ecological purposes. The day started at 6AM hiking up the crest trail on Montezuma Pass to the top of the trail and then off-trailing into the gully and walking down all the way to the border to map if any water would be found. Due to the limited amount of water in this region that there has been over the last few months we could only find two spots of water that were more than 30 feet in length and found a wild turkey with its babies roaming around it. This was a incredible experience and training which live in me forever. Even though the hike was a tough one, thanks to my supervisor Jessica Garcia, we made back on time with no injuries and ready to go to Parker Lake Canyon for a refreshing swim with the Coronado National Memorial team!