Editor's note: This article originally appeared in Sun Life Magazine, an Independent Newsmedia publication.
On any given morning, walkers, runners and cyclists stream along the New River Trail while hikers set out from the nearby Agua Fria Trailhead. Most are focused on fresh air, exercise, or the view. Few realize they’re passing one of Arizona’s busiest wildlife neighborhoods.
Hidden among the cottonwoods, mesquite and desert vegetation is a thriving riparian corridor supporting more than 178 documented bird species, along with mammals, reptiles and other wildlife that have quietly made the area home for generations.
