"The Dragoon, Chiricahua, and Whetstone Mountains of southeast Arizona are known as mystical, wild
places where one can peak into a world gone by. Whether it’s the outstanding natural heritage or rich
Apache history one looks for, these mountains have it all except one thing; wilderness protection.
AWC and partners are moving forward with a proposal to designate almost 100,000 acres of the Coronado
National Forest forever protected from development – as wilderness.

The Sky Island region of southeastern Arizona is one of the most biologically diverse areas in North
America, where the temperate and tropical zones meet, and North America’s two major deserts convene.
Here, more species of mammals, birds, reptiles, bees and ants are found here than any other place in
the country! The ecological richness of these mountainous “island” habitats is equally matched by
the cultural splendor found throughout Cochise County. For instance, the Dragoon Mountains host the
site where, in 1872, General Otis Howard negotiated the first and last treaty with the Chiricahua
Apaches, granting them all of southeast Arizona as tribal lands, only to be retracted four years
later. Cochise County is a vibrant corner of Arizona, where dreams were made, many dashed, and all
of it reflected in the land and relics that lie upon it."