| Kofa National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species
Management Area)
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| Location | Yuma County and La Paz County, Arizona, USA |
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| Nearest city | Yuma, AZ |
| Coordinates | 33°16′00″N 114°00′00″W / 33.2666667°N 114°WCoordinates: 33°16′00″N 114°00′00″W / 33.2666667°N 114°W |
| Area | 665,400 acres (2,693 km2) |
| Established | 1939 |
| Governing body | US Fish & Wildlife Service |
The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is located northeast of Yuma, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. The refuge, established in 1939 to protect Desert Bighorn Sheep, encompasses over 665,400 acres (2,693 km2) of Sonoran Desert. Broad, gently sloping foothills as well as sharp, needle point peaks are found within the rugged refuge. The small, widely scattered waterholes attract a surprising number of water birds for a desert area. A wide variety of plant life is also found throughout the refuge. The Kofa name comes from a former gold mine found in the area, the King of Arizona mine (active from 1897 to 1910), with Kofa being contracted from King of Arizona.
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In 1936, the Arizona boy scouts mounted a
state-wide campaign to save the Bighorn Sheep, leading to the
creation of Kofa. The Scouts first became interested in the sheep
through the efforts of Major Frederick Russell Burnham,
the noted conservationist who has been called the Father of Scouting. Burnham
observed that fewer than 150 of these sheep still lived in the
Arizona mountains. He called George F. Miller, then scout executive
of the boy scout council headquartered in Phoenix, with
a plan to save the sheep. Burnham put it this way:
I want you to save this majestic animal, not only because it is
in danger of extinction, but of more importance, some day it might
provide domestic sheep with a strain to save them from disaster at
the hands of a yet unknown virus.[1]
Several other prominent Arizonans joined the movement and a save the bighorns poster contest was started in schools throughout the state. Burnham provided prizes and appeared in store windows from one end of Arizona to the other. The contest-winning bighorn emblem was made up into neckerchief slides for the 10,000 boy scouts, and talks and dramatizations were given at school assemblies and on radio. The National Wildlife Federation, the Izaak Walton League, and the Audubon Society also joined the effort.[1]
On January 18, 1939, over 1.5 million acres (6,100 km2) were set aside at Kofa and at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge combined and a civilian conservation corp side camp was setup to develop high mountain waterholes for the sheep. On April 2, 1939, Kofa National Wildlife Refuge was officially opened and Major Burnham gave the dedication speech. The Desert Bighorn Sheep is now the official mascot for the Arizona Boy Scouts and the number of sheep in these parks have increased substantially. The refuge was originally administered jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, but on February 5, 1975, Kofa was transferred exclusively to the Bureau of Land Management.[1] However, following congressional action, this decision made by the Department of the Interior was reversed and complete authority was turned over to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Services.
About 1,000 Desert Bighorn sheep are found, chiefly in the two mountain ranges that dominate the refuge landscape - the Kofa Mountains and Castle Dome Mountains of northern Yuma County and southern La Paz County. Although these mountains are not especially high, they are extremely rugged and rise sharply from the surrounding desert plains, providing excellent bighorn sheep habitat. In recent years, this herd has provided animals for transplanting throughout Arizona and its neighboring states.
Other notable wildlife species found in the area include the Desert Tortoise and Kit Fox. Bird species that are likely to be seen at Kofa include: White-winged Dove, American Kestrel, Northern Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Cactus Wren, Phainopepla, and Orange-crowned Warbler. In recent years, the Mountain Lion has established a full-time presence in the park.
The Kofa Mountain barberry, Berberis harrisoniana, (a rare plant found only in southwest Arizona) occurs on the refuge. The refuge is also home to the California fan palm, the only native palm in Arizona.
 Berberis harrisoniana |
 Berberis harrisoniana |
 Berberis harrisoniana |
 prickly pear blossoms |
 The desert in bloom |
Palm Canyon is a unique natural feature predominantly known for native palm trees - rare in Arizona - that grow in the canyon. These trees are most likely evidence from a geological period when area was wetter and cooler than at present.
Off milepost 85 on US Highway 95 is a sign for the turnoff for Palm Canyon. Follow the gravel road (ok for low clearance vehicles) east about eight miles. There is a parking area at the trailhead. Hike about 1/2 mile to the wooden sign with arrow pointing to the California Fan Palms. The hike to the canyon is short but strenuous.
The refuge is an excellent place for viewing desert plants and wildlife, rock climbing, exploring old mines, or just camping in remote wilderness, but few travel to this region in summer, when temperatures of over 120 °F (49 °C) are not uncommon. Rain falls on only a few occasions each year.
Regulated hunting on the refuge is permitted for quail, bighorn sheep, deer, cottontail rabbit, coyote, and fox.
Kofa was also included in the desert military training exercises conducted by General George S. Patton during World War II. Unexploded ordnance may be encountered during cross-country hiking.
Note: as of May 2009, the address on the refuge's website is incorrect. That address brings you to lot in which the building used to be. The new building is at:
Southwest Arizona National Wildlife Refuge Complex Office 9300 East 28th Street Yuma, AZ 85365 Phone: 928/783-7861 32.6780804, -114.4733842
It is just down the street from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife building. It serves Kofa, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, and Imperial National Wildlife Refuge.
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   | Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and Palm Canyon, Arizona - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and Palm Canyon, Arizona |
| | Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish & Wildlife Service - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge |
| | Saving the Desert Bighorns - 197803 Desert Magazine 1978 March |
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