Endangered Arizona fish finds safe haven inside Biosphere 2

ORACLE, Ariz. — A rare and resilient desert fish is about to get a new home inside one of Arizona’s most unique research facilities.

A group of endangered Sonoyta pupfish will be released Friday into a newly built stream environment inside the Desert Biome habitat at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 . The small, silvery fish, which once swam freely across desert springs and streams, now survives in just one natural population — Quitobaquito Springs in the southwestern portion of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The release is part of a Safe Harbor agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and Biosphere 2, creating a protected refuge for the critically endangered species.

The Arizona Game and F