Junior Ranger Oath —
< We
| promise to help protect the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area,
meublic lands, my community, and the earth by being an active and
responeibie steward of the environment. | <)>

rey

\ ! promise that | will not feed wild animals.
a

u ! promise to leave rocks, plants and historic objects as | find them
Sn o- _ for everyone to enjoy.
Wie ATA

~~ ~| promise to continue to explore, learn about, and respect the world
; ~~ wherever | go.
oor > ) ye

~__| promise | will share what | learn with others.



sxploring Aneisnh Ciyllizabions

A BC DCE

5

Archeologists often draw pictures to record what they

have discovered in the field. You can practice being an

archeologist. Try to draw the pot above in the smaller
grid below. Use the squares to help guide you.

A_ BEC lls

1

2

3

You can also help 4
archeologists by not

moving or disturbing 5
any sites or artifacts

you find. Leave them
as you found them so that
others can enjoy!


Help the Beaver Find His Home

= > -) The beaver (Castor canadensis) is North America's largest semi-aquatic rodent.
> aR Adults can be up to four feet long and weigh over GO pounds.
Beavers’ build. lodges and dams out of sticks, rocks, and mud alongside perennial streams that
RS = V/ support riparian vegetation. Their lodges are dome-shaped and built in water.
Now » ’ Bes Gut-down trees using their strong teeth, which continue to grow throughout their
et jiresife. Béavers are herbivores (plant-eaters). They eat tree bark, leaves, roots, twigs, and
‘water’ lants. Ponds and wetlands that are formed by beaver dams provide habitat for other
— ss “wildlife species and filter sediment from the stream. Beavers and their dams can be
found throughout Bonita Creek. Can you spot a dam or evidence of beaver activity at = ->O“ Am

SP SEE Om Bonita Creek? What did you see? Ps Poy

5 a
ay.

ye

Zz

3

Gila Box
iparian National
‘onservation Area


adhe Ars ths tohekam?

A Native American cultural group, the
Hohokam, migrated from Mexico to the
Gila River. They lived in the Gila Box area
from A.D. 1 - 1400 — that’s a long time!

The Hohokam made beautiful red
ceramics for cooking, storing food

and for other uses as well.
The pottery and jewelry they

created were plain or decorated
with geometric designs as well as

drawings of animals and birds.

The Hohokam lived ina
series of small villages along
the river. The river was a very
important resource for them.
Water was vital to grow their
crops, which included corn,

beans, squash, agave
and cotton.

Bg

WORD SCRAMBLER:
Use what you have learned to
unscramble these words!

AKHOOHM=

TRYETOP=

LGIA VERIR=

CTNOTO=



Explore the wildlife around you
while visiting the Gila Box.

You will need to be patient

and careful because most
animals will run, fly, swim away,
or hide from you. They may
also remain very still and
camouflaged against their
background to avoid being
spotted.

Wildlife detectives must hunt
for the clues that living things
leave behind.

How to detect wildlife:

* Use your ears.

Stand or sit very still.

Listen to the noises that are
around you. You may hear birds
singing, insects buzzing,
animals moving through the
undergrowth, or fish breaking
the surface of water.

Write down the sounds that
you hear and think about what
makes them.

© Use your nose.
All mammals have a smell
and many plants also give
off strong odors.

© Use your eyes.

You may not see an animal,

but look for signs it has left
behind such as tracks, feathers
or scat (poop).

And remember:
Always be safe.
Leave all living things
in their habitat.

Have fun!

How to bea

Wildlife Detective

A naturalist is someone who studies living
things in the outdoors. You can be a
naturalist by observing wildlife and plants
in the forest, desert, or even in your

BACKYARD!

WA


Gila Chub

Spikedace

Loach Minnow

Desert Pupfish

Native FisH



Native Fisl

Bonita Creek and the Gila River. Find their

ist. They can be forward, backward, or d

ive in

These native fish |

in the puzzle | iagonal.

names

Desert Sucker


Wore Plats» to Play and Lsarnll

on the
NATIONAL LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION SYSTEM

Vermilion Cliffs
National Monument

Grand Canyon-Parashant
National Monument

Agua Fria
National Monument

@ Gia Box

Riparian National

ConseRVation aRed

Sonoran Desert
National Monument

Ironwood Forest
National Monument

Las Cienegas

National Conservation Area

@@
San Pedro

Riparian National
Conservation Area

Illustrators:
Cover landscape and animals - Rachel Ivanyi
Coloring pages - Longfin dace, Rachel Ivanyi; Kingfisher, Diane Drobka
Color images of native fish - Randall D.Babb, Arizona Game and Fish Department
Junior Ranger images: Mark Swan



Gila Box Word Search

Finish the words in the sentences below and then find the words in the puzzle.
Words may go up, down, forward, or backward.

have built many dams along Bonita Creek.

Always carry plenty of when you are hiking.
If you're lucky you might see a sheep along the cliffs.

are often seen darting across roads in the Gila Box.

___ River flows for 23 miles through the Gila Box RNCA.
In the evening, small ____ _ can be seen swooping across the skies.
Be careful to watch for _, but do not harm them!
trees provide shade for picnics and shelter for birds.

Great horned _____ nest in large sycamore trees.
Ocotillo plants drop their to conserve water when the weather is dry.

are one of nine native fish species in Bonita Creek.
General Stephen Watts and his soldiers camped along the Gila River in 1846,
Peregrine nest on steep cliffs along the Gila River.
The Gila monster is a large .
Hummingbirds, bats, butterflies and pollinate wildflowers.
Vehicles should stay on to protect plants and wildlife.

A

D



Junior

rian
rs

books



—_ Home SWeep Cave

Bats spend daylight
hours sleeping in caves,
crevices or trees until \
night, when they emerge
to hunt insects. 7
i

;
, 4

A’

Bats a the onl

Once people thought bats
were birds without feathers.
Now we know bats are
mammals because:

1.Bats are warm blooded
2.Bats nurse their babies with milk
3.Bats have fur

ng fingers.
ur legs!

«4 Connect the numbered
° dots to draw a bat.

Now you can be “batty” for bats!



A journal is a report that includes drawings and
thoughts about what you see. Use this journal
to describe anything in nature you see around you!

My Nature Journal



The Belted Kingfisher is a medium-sized blue and
white bird that is seen along rivers and streams.
its habitat is tied to perennial water since its
diet consists of fish. It dives from a perch, such
as a low-hanging COttonWO00d tree branch, to
surprise its prey.

Gila River

¥Z ( (


A World of Adaptations

The Gila Box is home to many aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants. Some, like the
coyote, can live almost anywhere; but others, like the Sonora mud turtle, live in a specific
place or habitat. Adaptations are characteristics that give a plant or animal an increased
ability to survive in a habitat. Adaptations can be behaviors like a raccoon that nests in
trees and is mostly nocturnal (active at night) or physical like the Gila monster, a lizard
that is able to survive for months without food because it stores fat in its large tail.

Draw a line
igcuhadcmem “daptation This animal uses its
tongue to taste the air
and has a heat sensor
. between the eye and
to the. Animal mouth to detect

prey items.

This animal’s musky odor
allows it to be recognized

by herd members. This animal can rotate
each of its wings ina
figure eight to fly
forwards, backwards, up,
down, sideways or hover.

This animal can survive
in a dry stream by living
in moist mats of algae.

Concaved hooves
provide traction for
this animal allowing it
to climb rocky terrain.

Javelina

This animal Small tufts of hair on

uses its long
tail for balance.

the ears act as antennae,
Rufous allowing greater hearing.

Hummingbird



Albarian and Aqyabic Crovsanord

ACROSS

4,

3.
7.
&

10.
12.
14,
17.

The state in which the Gila Box is located.

The type of vegetation community that grows along the Gila River.
The number of native fish found in the Gila Box.

Adapted to a dry environment.

This tree forms woodlands along portions of the Gila River.

State where the Gila River gets its start.

Small minnow that constructs nests in sandy stream bottoms.
Stone cabin in the Gila Box.

DOWN

OPHALN

11.

13.
15.
16.

River where the Gila Box occurs.

Iwill pick up_ that | see.

The humming of insects.

An important tree that grows along the Gila River.

The Hohokam livedin__ =» = along the Gila River.
Plant-eating animals.

If you are lucky you may see a
Where the animals live.

An invasive tree on the river.

basking in the sun.

Bulag *L| UePs2 418g “9| “4EIIGeH “G| ‘2oNP ULZBUCT “p| ‘HoqeUOW BIID “GI ‘O9[KOW MON “Z| “940AIGI9} “LL
‘aqinbeow ‘o| ‘s9Be\IIA 6 ‘2149X “g “SUIN ‘2 ‘POOMU04409 “g ‘zzng “g ‘Yysea *y ‘UBNed!y “¢ Y9ALY BNI “Z ‘BUOZIAy *|

isuemsuy


Measure each

wall in your
bedroom. Count
how many ruler
lengths it takes to
get from one corner
of each wall to the
next.

Step 2:

On the grid draw all -"?
four walls of your

room. Each square

is one ruler length

long. If you counted

13 ruler lengths on ~
one wall then you

would count 13

squares.

Step A:
Now, map the
location of your
bed. Start at one
corner of your bed.
Count how many
ruler lengths it
takes to reach the
closest wall. Now,
turn toward the
next nearest wall
and count ruler
lengths. Do this for
each corner of your
bed and each piece
of furniture you
want to map. You
now have a scale
drawing of your
room (feature) and
your furniture
(artifacts).



Gila BOX

Riparian National Conservation Area

Congress designated this special place in 1990 to conserve and
protect its natural (plants, animals, and water) and cultural
(archeology and history) resources for future generations.

The Gila Box gets its name from the Gila River, which starts

in New Mexico and flows into Arizona where it enters the deep
canyon of the Gila Box.

Cottonwood trees grow along the perennial (flows year-round)

Gila River forming green riparian (habitats along streams)

areas. Cactus and ocotillo grow on xeric (drier) hillsides away

from the water, and mesquite woodlands are found between these two areas.

The presence of water is what attracted many people to the area.
One such group was the Hohokam. The Hohokam lived along the Gila River
in villages where they grew crops until around 1400 AD.

In 1846, General Stephen Watts Kearny and his soldiers camped here along the
Gila River. Kearny’s visit resulted in a map and a report that described the
Southwest to the rest of the world.

A stone cabin, now known as Serna Cabin, is located next to Bonita Creek
and tells the story of American and Mexican efforts to homestead the area.

Clinging to steep canyon walls, sure-footed bighorn
sheep can often be seen eating plants.

Raptors (birds of prey), such as zone-tailed hawks
and peregrine falcons, rule the skies.

Roadrunners can be seen darting across the road and
herds of javelina can be seen running along hillsides.

We invite you to get outdoors and explore the Gila Box. Have a
picnic or enjoy a hike. Look for interesting flowers and wildlife.
Certain insects like moths and butterflies are very beneficial and
pollinate wildflowers. If you are lucky you may see a colorful Gila
monster basking in the sun! Listen for birds and buzzing insects.
Learn about the history of this area. When you get to know the Gila
Box, you will want to conserve and protect this wonderful place too.



What is a Junior Ranger?

A Junior Ranger explores the environment around them.

A Junior Ranger cares for plants, animals, and the land.
A Junior Ranger encourages others to care for the land
and its inhabitants.

How to earn your badge

Complete six or more of the activities in this book in the

Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area,

at home, or at a local park. Then to receive your Junior Ranger
badge and signed certificate ...

... bring your booklet (or mail it) to:
Bureau of Land Management
Safford Field Office
7M" 14th Avenue
Safford, AZ 85546



There are nine native fish species that call the Gila Box home, including the
longfin dace. The longfin dace is a small (less than four inches long),
short-lived (around 3 years), and hardy fish that is Native (naturally occurring
in an area) to Arizona. The longfin dace is found throughout the Gila Box
where it occupies a wide variety of small-stream habitats. This species feeds
on algae and aquatic invertebrates and constructs saucer-shaped depressions
in sandy-bottomed, shallow pools where they lay their eggs. If you look
closely in the water you may see their nests. Loss of habitat and the
presence of nonnative (not naturally occurring in area) fish threaten the
survival of the longfin dace and other native fish species.

What did we learn about the dace?

1. Is this animal a bird, mammal, reptile or fish?
2. What is its common name?

3. What does native mean?

4. Is it a predator, prey, or both?