TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

taking the off-ramp Drought Makes City Slickers of Wildlife

ON THEIR WAY to get the mail or pick up the paper, urban Arizonans stroll past sagebrush and saguaro, greet neighborsand run into mule deer. It might become more common as the weather heats up and animals cope with this year's dry winter.

"They typically occupy desert ranges at densities of about three to four per square mile, but around housing areas with food and water, that density may be 10 times greater during drought periods," said Brian Wakeling, big game supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Deer aren't the only ones taking advantage of the spoils of human development. "In outlying areas, animals are attracted by artificial water within areas like swimming pools, water for dogs, watered lawns," Wakeling said. "Javelina get into flower gardens, cactus gardens and lawns and wreak havoc." Suburbs see rabbits, elk, coyotes, bobcats and even mountain lions.

As summer approaches, animals venture into populated areas, he said. "It's not as pronounced during the cooler months, but it's certainly something we expect to see as springwarms up and especially as we get into summer, if the drought continues." The expectation applies to "pretty much all animals, to varying extents," he said.

The animals are just looking for a place to make a living, and when you have higher densities of animals, conflict issues arise," Wakeling said. He advises people not to feed wildlife, which can make many species less wary of humans, putting them into situations they might deem threatening. "They're not seeking to inflict bodily damage, but if they feel cornered, they'll try to escape; they may knock someone down, bite someone."

The Exclusively Royal Pistachio

WHAT DO ARIZONA, the Queen of Sheba and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon have in common? The answer: pistachios. Legend has it that the ancient king of Babylon grew pistachios in his famous hanging gardens, and the Queen of Sheba declared that the nuts were an exclusively royal food, forbidding commoners to grow them. Although Arizona isn't located anywhere near Babylon or Sheba, it does share a

Phoenix's Not-So-Secret Blooming Garden

NAMED ONE OF the Herb Society of America's 10 not-to-miss herb gardens, the Desert Botanical Garden proves that Arizona's landscape is full of life and mystery.

The garden, located in the red buttes of Phoenix's Papago Park, was created in 1939 by a group of Valley residents interested in creating a place that would promote an understanding and appreciation of the Sonoran Desert. This goal became especially important as Phoenix began to grow and the landscape was radically altered. Spread out over 50 acres of beautiful

terrain, the Desert Botanical Garden ranks as one of only 44 botanical gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums. With such a distinguished reputation, it is no surprise that the garden houses 139 threatened, endangered and rare species of plants from Arizona and distant and exotic locales. The garden maintains many scenic trails that guide visitors past blooming wildflowers, distinctive saguaros and informative exhibits. Information: (480) 941-1225, www. dbg.org. Josh Ivanov

similarly perfect climate for growing the popular snack.

In the high desert of Cochise County, 70 miles east of Tucson, Fistiki Farms has grown and sold organic pistachios since 1978. Fistiki is the Greek word meaning pistachio. Flavors like Cajun citrus, lemon-lime, jalapeño and garlic are available, as well as roasted and salted. Fistiki Farms sells its pistachio products online. Information: www.pistachios. com. Sally Benford

Need Brain Surgery? Call a Cowboy

IN HIS BOOK Around Western Campfires, Joseph “Mack” Axford tells of arriving in Bisbee in 1894, as a 14-year-old boy, homeless and looking for work. He found it-irrigating an alfalfa field. Later he was a miner, jail warden and cowboyworking at the same ranch as Butch Cassidy (who was using another name at the time).

By 1900, the 20-year-old had a job as a hospital steward at the Cochise County Hospital and Poor Farm in Tombstone.

During that time Dr. Bacon, who was in charge, showed Mack how to remove bone fragments from a patient's brain using a trepan saw. Later, when Dr. Bacon was away in New York for a postgrad course, a miner with a bad head injury was brought in. However, the surgeons on call were not available and Dr. Kelly, who was a pharmacist and licensed physician, was the only one available to take charge. Because he wasn't a surgeon, he wasn't much help. While Mack was giving the man chloroform, he saw that the doctor didn't know what he was doing with the saw and was about to kill the patient. He pushed the doctor away, and they traded places. The doctor gave the anesthesia and Mack placed the saw properly, removed the bone fragments from the brain; the patient lived.

When Dr. Bacon returned and heard the story, he urged Mack to go to medical school and become a surgeon, but he said he didn't have the money. So he worked as a hospital steward a little longer, until an increasing number of tuberculosis patients gave him the idea that some of the germs might come his way. Then he quit the hospital and became a blacksmith at a mine. Ruth Burke

off-ramp Museum Takes a (Moon)shine to Arizona

THE SCENIC SANTA Rita Mountains south of Tucson are well known for their breathless beauty and native wildlife. Less well known are the secret rendezvous spots hidden in their rugged canyons that were popular with moonshiners during Prohibition.

The locations of the stills and the pickup spots are just a faded memory today, but you can view one of the original stills used there, along with other interesting artifacts, at George Proctor's Frontier Museum in Patagonia. The still was handmade by Proctor's father, who pressed his then-6-year-old son into service delivering mescal to his customers via horseback.

The museum's collection runs from Western tack to pioneer household items, and includes an engraved silver bit used by Theodore Roosevelt when he hunted bear in the Kaibab National Forest. The family operated frontier museum is just a few blocks west of State Route 82 in Patagonia, between Nogales and Tombstone. Proctor's Frontier Museum is open by appointment, and there is no admission charge.

Information: (520) 394-2063. Call for directions.

Odd Sheep Has Woolly History

WHEN THE SPANISH conquistadores came to Arizona in the 16th century, they brought with them an ancient Iberian sheep breed prized for its hardiness, adaptability and lustrous fleece. Navajo raiders acquired the breed known as churra or churro and switched from cotton to wool for weaving textiles.

In the 1860s, the U.S. Army decimated the Navajos' sheep flocks during Kit Carson's Navajo Campaign. And when the Navajos returned to their homelands, the prized breeding stock had all but disappeared.

It wasn't until the 1970s that a few select ranchers staged a united attempt to revitalize the rare breed. Even so, fewer than 3,000 of these odd-looking, four-horned sheep are registered with the Navajo-Churro Sheep Association. In an attempt to curry favor with traditional Navajo weavers, the Navajo Sheep Project monitors churro flocks, hoping to keep the silky, unique wool from disappearing forever.