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Please help! Ash Canyon B&B threatened with closure (1 Viewer)

Richard Fray

Registered Member
Many birders will know Mary Jo Ballator and Ash Canyon B&B. Mary Jo is responsible for one of the best known and best loved birding sites in SE Arizona. It's particularly famed for being probably the best place in the USA to see Lucifer Hummingbird. The range of species that can be watched at close quarters coming to Mary Jo's feeders is quite astonishing - many species of hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, jays, finches, woodpeckers and more.

Public birding at Mary Jo’s is at risk of being closed down because of a local access dispute. We need your help to prevent this from happening.

Please read Mary Jo's message here: http://www.funbirdingtours.com/2011/03/28/please-help-ash-canyon-bb-under-threat/

By all means post here with your comments about Ash Canyon, but much more importantly, I’m asking everyone who has been to Ash Canyon B&B from around the world to write something brief about how great a place it is for people to visit, how great it is for the birds, and that you spent money in the local area.

Please send it to [email protected] making reference to Ash Canyon B&B and parcel number 104-21-022. Point out where you’re from and that you would visit the area again to go birding at Ash Canyon B&B. It needs to be sent by April 1st. Please also send a copy to Mary Jo at [email protected].

There will be a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on April 12th where the matter will be put before the Cochise County Board of Supervisors in Bisbee, Arizona. Birders in SE Arizona are asked to show their support by attending the meeting if at all possible.

It's at times like this that the birding community needs to stick together. A big show of public support will make all the difference.

Thank you! :t:
 
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Richard - I've tried to send an email a couple of times but keep getting a Mail Delivery Failed message for the kdennis address. Can you confirm that this is the correct one?
 
Mine has been sent. I can't believe this might be happening, MaryJo's is my favorite "sit-down" birding spot in this area. I've taken many foreign visitors there and all have had a great time. Plus, it is the only place in the states where the Lucifer Hummingbird is basically a given during season.
 
Thanks Richard for bringing this to our attention, I posted about the dispute on my blog as well as sending Mary Jo a note of support. This is indeed a sad state of affairs. Lucifer Hummingbird was one of the species we really wanted to see on our trip to Arizona in 2006 and thanks to Mary Jo's hospitality we saw a gorgeous male. I hope this dispute is resolved and many more birders can visit Ash Canyon to enjoy its wonderful species.
 
Thanks Richard for bringing this to our attention, I posted about the dispute on my blog as well as sending Mary Jo a note of support. This is indeed a sad state of affairs. Lucifer Hummingbird was one of the species we really wanted to see on our trip to Arizona in 2006 and thanks to Mary Jo's hospitality we saw a gorgeous male. I hope this dispute is resolved and many more birders can visit Ash Canyon to enjoy its wonderful species.

Thanks Andy.

I just enjoyed reading your blog. Some happy ex-pat memories of my own flooding back from Scilly and Spurn...
 
Thanks Andy.

I just enjoyed reading your blog. Some happy ex-pat memories of my own flooding back from Scilly and Spurn...

Didn't know you were a Brit, Richard. Nice one mate! I'll be posting more old memories including the best day of birding in Britain ever which was on the Scillies in 99. Hope this dispute is settled, poor Mary Jo must be stressing out big time. Can't wait to return to Arizona sometime. I added your website to the links on my blog.
 
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Likewise, link added. I reckon my first few days on Scilly in 1987 might run the 99 day close but we'll see...

Back to the subject, I understand that hundreds of letters have been sent in support of Mary Jo. These include official responses from the American Birding Association and Tucson Audubon Society.

Please keep it up! Letters need to be sent today or tomorrow.
 
Decision made, did not go well for us birders. However, all is not a total loss. You can still bird at Mary Jo's, just restricted somewhat. This is what she posted on the Arizona/New Mexico Bird list:

Subject: Off Topic: Ash Canyon B&B
From: Mary Jo Ballator <2mjb AT MINDSPRING.COM>
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:25:22 -0700
In spite of the most wonderful support from many, many people, the Cochise
County Board of Supervisors voted today 2 to 1 to uphold the appeal against
keeping Ash Canyon B&B open to birders. This means I can no longer advertise
myself as a public birding spot.


I haven't given up hope, however. All my birding friends (of whom there are
thousands, from all over the world!) are very welcome to visit me here and
continue to see the birds. I will have a sugar fund jar out for your donations,
so that I can keep the birdseed and nectar flowing.


Please continue your most caring consideration of my neighbors and this
neighborhood. Travel the road slowly, and make sure you know where you are
going in advance-- my neighbor has taken the way-finding signs down, which is
probably more unfortunate for him than for me, since without the signs, there
will probably be people going in to his yard to ask directions. There is a map
on my web site, along with GPS coordinates. Be prepared before coming! Please
let other birders know how to find me -- I'm in Ash Canyon but I'm *not* on Ash
Canyon Road. Please remember that parking is strictly limited to the six spaces
on my property. These will soon be marked. Carpool whenever possible! There is
no parking on the road, and the easement for access for any emergency vehicles
must *never* be blocked. If there is no parking space available, you will have
to go away and try again later. It will help me a great deal if you do not
bring any vehicle bigger than what will fit into a standard 9' x 18' parking
space. There just is not room for anything larger. I very much regret any
problems that this causes.


You will hear more about this later on BIRDCHAT as we figure out the way to
accommodate the groups already scheduled to come here. It is strongly advised
if you are a tour-group leader to call me to schedule your visit.


Please limit discussion of this topic to me off list or to BIRDCHAT:
http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
and not on this list. I am swamped with e-mails today and it will take me a
while to catch up, so thanks for your patience.


Thanks, all, for your good wishes and support.

Mary Jo
 
Tremendously disappointing. The turn out from the birding community was excellent, around 50 people attending the hearing and more than 350 letters of support from around the world. Thanks to all those who made the effort.

Here's the official response from Tucson Audubon Society: http://www.funbirdingtours.com/2011/04/13/ash-canyon-appeal-official-tucson-audubon-response/

And I've had a rant too: http://www.funbirdingtours.com/2011/04/13/ash-canyon-appeal-viewpoint/

This is set to run and run...
 
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