Can anyone offer any suggestions for wheelchair accessible birding
sites in Arizona or New Mexico? We're planning our first birding trip
the area for this spring. My brother is to join us, and he uses a
wheelchair.

We plan to spend time at Madera Canyon, Patagonia and the Chiricahuas,
then cross into NM to see the Gila River, and maybe Bosque del Apache,
plus other sites undetermined yet.

I've been studying "A birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona" by
Harold Holt and "New Mexico Bird Finding Guide" by Dale Zimmerman.
These are very good, but don't address accessibility.

Are the gates into the Sonoita Creek Sanctuary wide enough for a
wheelchair?

Are there ANY trails in these areas we could use, or should we plan to
bird from the road?

We'll have a lift equipped all-wheel drive van, and a sturdy power
chair. The chair can negotiate somewhat uneven terrain, as long as
the way is wide enough, say about 24 inches. Hills are ok, as long as
the path is not too far off level from side to side. For WA examples,
he can cover Montlake Fill or most the larger trails at Nisqually NWR
without much trouble.

Thanks.

Randy Deardorff / Barb Smith
Seattle, USA
curlew at eskimo.com