Less than a quarter-mile away, the semis and SUVs are barreling up and down I-17. But in the heart of the New River Nature Preserve, there’s an oasis, a green tunnel piercing a me squite bosque. The hum of the traffic is just that, and never intrusive. The hard-packed dirt road makes for easy walking, and in the spring, the ground on either side is carpeted with tufted grasses, mostly rip-gut and red brome. It’s the Sonoran Desert, but it’s alive with the sights and sounds of