Interested Volunteers should attend the In-Person or Virtual Training and Info Session:

Thursday March 6, 2025 at 9am
Historic Y Conference Room
300 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ
(Zoom link provided at sign up)

RSVP Here.
No commitment is required to attend.

Great horned owl road mortality (c) AZGFD

Desert Roadies go road cruising after sunset to look for animals, alive or dead*, on their assigned route. Each team collects data twice a month, mid April through mid November, for a total of 14 surveys. Survey dates are flexible, but must occur at least 7 days apart, and begin at least 30 minutes after sunset. A Team consists of a driver (Lead Observer) and a front passenger (Data Recorder). Lead Observers must be able to drive their own vehicle and be comfortable driving at night on roads at speeds of no more than 30 mph.

We are looking for volunteers who can commit to completing all 14 surveys for their assigned route. Volunteers with prior experience conducting scientific surveys using a GPS unit or smartphone app, and skill in identifying Sonoran Desert wildlife species, are strongly preferred.

Survey routes for this season occur near Ironwood National Monument, Saguaro National Park West/Picture Rocks, Picacho Peak/Oro Valley, and Saguaro National Park East/ Colossal Cave.

While we are seeking out grant funding to help cover mileage reimbursements in the future, currently we are relying on volunteers who can donate both their time and miles (unless someone wants to sponsor this year’s survey season… let us know!)

*Although collecting information on roadkill is not for the faint of heart, the data it provides is extremely valuable. We want to know where and when wildlife cross the road so that we can reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and protect healthy wildlife populations. And you will see plenty of live animals too! This study is a continuation of a long-term monitoring project lead by Dr. Brian Blais (read the published paper here).