Wednesday August 24, 2022
AZ Central —
A thick ribbon of dark green runs through the forest 25 miles south of Tucson. Under the greener, fuller canopy of cottonwood and willow trees runs Cienega Creek, stretching 23 miles through La Cienegas National Conservation Area, adjacent to the Coronado National Forest.
Chiricahua leopard frogs, yellow-billed cuckoos and other endangered species make their homes along the creek, taking advantage of the perennial water in the riparian system. The creek brings life to all things in La Cienegas.
But a walk through La Cienegas doesn’t just smell of nature and new life.
In some areas, it smells of cow manure.
Piles of it accumulate in and along the creek, in designated leopard frog ponds and in the designated prairie dog reserve.