Four Wheel Campers Returns to The Sonoran Desert for Fourth Annual Volunteer Event

Four Wheel Campers volunteers returned to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in March 2025 and cleaned up 53 campsites, removing ash from fire pits and litter at camp. Volunteers also worked with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to identify and remove several species of invasive grasses in the Southern Arizona refuge.

When I pitched Four Wheel Campers (FWC) a volunteer events program in September 2021, I included the photo above of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in my proposal. This was snapped on my first trip to the refuge, and it was the exact moment I fell head over heels for this landscape. With breathtaking scenery and ample opportunities for stewardship, this little slice of the Sonoran Desert felt like the perfect setting for our inaugural volunteer event, and I was thrilled when FWC agreed.

Just six months later, we held our first event in the refuge. Though 25 people signed up, only a dozen people showed up, and I was initially disappointed. However, our crew was amazing, and their enthusiasm and hard work made me realize that the event was still a success. We installed two dozen metal fire pits in the refuge’s most popular campsites, picked up trash on four miles of roadway and even removed two miles of barbed wire fence. When the workday wrapped, we cracked open cold beers at camp, warmed up by the fire and swapped ideas on how to take this program to the next level. Everyone loved the sprawling group campsite, but several folks wished we had more time to explore the 120,000-acre refuge. One volunteer suggested adding an educational element, as they were eager to learn more about the region’s history and ecology. And while our night one potluck was a hit, we all agreed that having food delivered to camp on our final night would be the perfect sendoff.

Flash forward to 2025, and our fourth annual event sold out in a few hours, and we had 40 people on the waitlist. It felt like we hadn’t just reached our goal — we had built a community of conservation-minded adventurers. First-timers marveled at the views of the Baboquivari mountains, and when an exceptionally rare snowstorm swept through on our first morning, we ran around like giddy kids, laughing, snapping photos and letting the giant flakes melt on our faces. Here are some of my favorite memories from this year's event:

During the event, our group cleaned up 53 of the refuge’s 83 campsites, which are spread out across the refuge. We traveled in small groups, and much of the chatter on the radio was volunteers raving about the views and wildlife sightings. Here, one of our volunteers hits the brakes while admiring the Cerro Colorado Mountains.

Typical scenery in the refuge: an abundance of desert flora and fauna, plus a seemingly endless network of dirt roads to explore. When I first visited the refuge and wrote about it for Arizona Highways, I noted that it felt like I had traveled back in time 100 years to the old Wild West. 

After a fabulous presentation about invasive plants across the southwest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife biologist Bethany DeRango helped volunteers identify and remove invasive grasses in the refuge interior.

FWC volunteer Tim cleans ash out of a fire pit near High Gates Road, which is one of the most-visited camping areas in the refuge. Another volunteer wanders along the edge of the campsite looking for toilet paper and other litter left behind by campers. We filled up approximately 100 contractor bags with ash and trash in just two days.

The Refuge’s massive group campsite is structured more like a campground, with individual sites for over thirty campers, plus a shade ramada and fire pit. This is our hub for dinner and morning meetings, and of course, lounging around in the afternoons.

Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s Arizona event. Your support, dedication, creativity and humor are what make these events a success, and it’s a pleasure to work alongside you. We’d also like to thank Rancho de la Osa and BK’s Outlaw BBQ for once again providing our volunteers with delicious meals, and Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for assisting with logistics.

Photos and words by FWC ambassador and volunteer events manager Elisabeth Brentano