Not a Typical City Park
If, for the first time, you drive or walk into Rio Vista Natural Resource Park at the main entrance, where Tucson Boulevard meets the Rillito, you might think that it’s a low-key but typical park in the City of Tucson system. A grass area surrounded by a small playground, a paved walkway, ramadas, and restrooms catches your eye from the modest parking lot. But the true beauty and value of Rio Vista lie to the east — in the nine-tenths of the park’s approximately 40 acres that are undeveloped and a natural haven for wildlife and native plants.
Looking north in the grassy area. Photo credit: Nancy Riccio.
The Wild Ones
More than 100 species of plants (most of them native) and nearly 140 species of birds have been recorded at Rio Vista. The park also is home to mammals like coyotes, bobcats, javelinas, and ground squirrels; reptiles and amphibians, including snakes, lizards, and toads; and a host of insects and other invertebrates. Some of these animals, like migrant birds, are passing through on their way to wintering or breeding grounds or on their local rounds. But many depend on Rio Vista for most or all of the year.
Broad-billed hummingbird. Photo Credit: Scott Olmstead.
Horses on the Landscape
During the historical period, some of the land that is now Rio Vista was under cultivation and use for raising cattle and horses. In fact, a significant portion of the park’s area once was part of Gentleman’s Acres (now Hitching Post Stables at Gentleman’s Acres), a ranch that still adjoins the park. Equestrian use of Rio Vista is a long tradition, and horses and their riders are still part of the Rio Vista ecosystem.
Equestrians: part of the Rio Vista culture and tradition. Photo credit: Carianne Funicelli.
Human Visitors
Today, Rio Vista’s informal trails wind through mostly native vegetation, dominated by mesquite, palo verde, and creosotebush. Besides equestrians, human visitors to the park’s natural area include birders, botanists, dog walkers, cyclists, families with small children, and individuals who come to find peace and balance through connection to a wild place.
Visitors preparing for a Friends of Rio Vista night walk led by naturalist Pinau Merlin (standing, in gray hoodie). Photo credit: Jennifer Shopland.
