SAN PEDRO RIVER — On a cloudy December Saturday, a group of wildlife enthusiasts met on a dirt pull-off in southern Arizona to embark on a mission. Wide-eyed and unified, the cadre of researchers, advocates, professors and students had volunteered to spend the day collecting data for conservation.

At the helm was Lisa Shipek, the executive director and founder of Watershed Management Group, a Tucson-based non-profit that organizes ecology-based community events. She had convened the group near the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area with a single goal: finding Castor canadensis, the North American beaver, or at the very least spotting signs they're in the area.

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