Newsletter of the Sky Island Alliance Vol. 6 Issue 2 ...€¦ · Jennifer Wolfsong Board of...

Summer 2003 Sky Island Alliance 1

Quarterly Newsletter of the Sky Island Alliance Vol. 6 Issue 2 Summer 2003

Restor ing grass lands wi th f ire , southern Ar izona

Newsletter of the Sky Island Alliance Vol. 6 Issue 2 Summer 2003

2 Sky Island Alliance Summer 2003

Sky Island

AllianceProtecting

Our Mountain Islands

& Desert Seas

520/624-7080 • fax 520/791-7709

[email protected]

P.O. Box 41165Tucson, AZ 85717

Office:Historic YWCA

738 N. 5th Avenue, Suite 201

SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE is a non-profitmembership organization dedicated

to restoring and protecting the uniquediversity of the Sky Islands of South-eastern Arizona, Southwestern NewMexico, and Northern Mexico.

SSSSS TTTTT A F FA F FA F FA F FA F F

David HodgesDavid HodgesDavid HodgesDavid HodgesDavid HodgesExecutive [email protected]

Acasia BerryAcasia BerryAcasia BerryAcasia BerryAcasia BerryAdministrative [email protected]

TTTTTrrrrrevor Harevor Harevor Harevor Harevor HareeeeeConservation [email protected]

Cory JonesCory JonesCory JonesCory JonesCory JonesGIS [email protected]

Jennifer KatcherJennifer KatcherJennifer KatcherJennifer KatcherJennifer [email protected]

Rachel KondorRachel KondorRachel KondorRachel KondorRachel KondorEcosystem Defense and Policy [email protected]

Lisa LabitaLisa LabitaLisa LabitaLisa LabitaLisa LabitaConservation Biology [email protected]

Janice PrzybylJanice PrzybylJanice PrzybylJanice PrzybylJanice PrzybylWildlife Monitoring [email protected]

Matt SkrochMatt SkrochMatt SkrochMatt SkrochMatt SkrochField Program [email protected]

Legal InternsLegal InternsLegal InternsLegal InternsLegal Interns Lenny Alvarado

Aaron Hall

Vanessa Gross

Jennifer Wolfsong

Board of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsRod Mondt, PresidentRandall Gray, Vice PresidentNancy Zierenberg, SecretaryDale Turner, TreasurerGita BodnerCurtis BradleyRoseann HansonLainie LevickRurik ListCarlos Lopez GonzalezSteve MarlattTodd Schulke

Gita Bodner, Dug Schoellkopf

Seeking SIA newsletter submissions:Seeking SIA newsletter submissions:Seeking SIA newsletter submissions:Seeking SIA newsletter submissions:Seeking SIA newsletter submissions:Send us your poetry, your words of wisdom, your art!As you’ve likely noticed, the quarterly Sky Island Alliance newsletter has expanded into a larger newspaper format. We

want to keep it filled with inspirational, informative material, and we’d like your help! Do you write poetry? Draw, sketch,paint, or photograph? Like to address regional conservation issues? Review books or websites? Anything that relates to theSky Islands region is fair game! We’d also like to start a Letters to the Editor section. Send us a note! You can respond toitems in our recent newsletter, comment on your experiences as a volunteer or conference-goer, etc. Also, let us know if you’dlike to be a regular contributor, e.g. with a column each issue. The deadline for our next newsletter is August 9, 2003. Materialsubmitted after that date may be saved for subsequent issues. Please email submissions to [email protected],or mail them to Sky Island Alliance attn: Newsletter, P.O. Box 41165, Tucson, AZ 85717. Resolution of digital images shouldbe at least 300 dpi if possible, but we can work with some lower resolution images.

Newsletter EditorsNewsletter EditorsNewsletter EditorsNewsletter EditorsNewsletter Editors

Rambling Rants frRambling Rants frRambling Rants frRambling Rants frRambling Rants from the Dirom the Dirom the Dirom the Dirom the Director’ector’ector’ector’ector’s Desk......3s Desk......3s Desk......3s Desk......3s Desk......3

SIA Praises Clifton District............................3SIA Praises Clifton District............................3SIA Praises Clifton District............................3SIA Praises Clifton District............................3SIA Praises Clifton District............................3

Policy and Law: Healthy Forests Initiative....4Policy and Law: Healthy Forests Initiative....4Policy and Law: Healthy Forests Initiative....4Policy and Law: Healthy Forests Initiative....4Policy and Law: Healthy Forests Initiative....4

Border Patrol Puts Stranglehold on Desert....4Border Patrol Puts Stranglehold on Desert....4Border Patrol Puts Stranglehold on Desert....4Border Patrol Puts Stranglehold on Desert....4Border Patrol Puts Stranglehold on Desert....4

Notes frNotes frNotes frNotes frNotes from the Field: Roads and Wom the Field: Roads and Wom the Field: Roads and Wom the Field: Roads and Wom the Field: Roads and Wildfirildfirildfirildfirildfires.....5es.....5es.....5es.....5es.....5

Sky Island Science: Alien Grasses LimitSky Island Science: Alien Grasses LimitSky Island Science: Alien Grasses LimitSky Island Science: Alien Grasses LimitSky Island Science: Alien Grasses Limit

Restoration Options........................................6Restoration Options........................................6Restoration Options........................................6Restoration Options........................................6Restoration Options........................................6

Effects of Fire on Mexican Spotted Owls.......6Effects of Fire on Mexican Spotted Owls.......6Effects of Fire on Mexican Spotted Owls.......6Effects of Fire on Mexican Spotted Owls.......6Effects of Fire on Mexican Spotted Owls.......6

PrPrPrPrProtected Arotected Arotected Arotected Arotected Area Prea Prea Prea Prea Profile: Saguarofile: Saguarofile: Saguarofile: Saguarofile: Saguaro N.Po N.Po N.Po N.Po N.P...............7...............7...............7...............7...............7

Fire in the Sky Island Lifezones......................8Fire in the Sky Island Lifezones......................8Fire in the Sky Island Lifezones......................8Fire in the Sky Island Lifezones......................8Fire in the Sky Island Lifezones......................8

WWWWWild News.....................................................10ild News.....................................................10ild News.....................................................10ild News.....................................................10ild News.....................................................10

Flora and Fauna: NM Ridge-nosed RattlersFlora and Fauna: NM Ridge-nosed RattlersFlora and Fauna: NM Ridge-nosed RattlersFlora and Fauna: NM Ridge-nosed RattlersFlora and Fauna: NM Ridge-nosed Rattlers...10...10...10...10...10

Road Rattlings...............................................11Road Rattlings...............................................11Road Rattlings...............................................11Road Rattlings...............................................11Road Rattlings...............................................11

SIA WSIA WSIA WSIA WSIA Welcomes Summer Legal Interelcomes Summer Legal Interelcomes Summer Legal Interelcomes Summer Legal Interelcomes Summer Legal Interns...........12ns...........12ns...........12ns...........12ns...........12

Recipes: Food from the Field.........................Recipes: Food from the Field.........................Recipes: Food from the Field.........................Recipes: Food from the Field.........................Recipes: Food from the Field..............................1212121212

PoetrPoetrPoetrPoetrPoetryyyyy.............................................................13.............................................................13.............................................................13.............................................................13.............................................................13

Book Notes: Stephen Pyne’Book Notes: Stephen Pyne’Book Notes: Stephen Pyne’Book Notes: Stephen Pyne’Book Notes: Stephen Pyne’s s s s s SmokechasingSmokechasingSmokechasingSmokechasingSmokechasing....14....14....14....14....14

Little Rincon Mountains..................back coverLittle Rincon Mountains..................back coverLittle Rincon Mountains..................back coverLittle Rincon Mountains..................back coverLittle Rincon Mountains..................back cover

Table of Contents

“Fir“Fir“Fir“Fir“Fires have been raging south and southeast of heres have been raging south and southeast of heres have been raging south and southeast of heres have been raging south and southeast of heres have been raging south and southeast of here [Te [Te [Te [Te [Tucson] during the past week.ucson] during the past week.ucson] during the past week.ucson] during the past week.ucson] during the past week.Millions of acres of excellent grass land have been burned over but thanks to theMillions of acres of excellent grass land have been burned over but thanks to theMillions of acres of excellent grass land have been burned over but thanks to theMillions of acres of excellent grass land have been burned over but thanks to theMillions of acres of excellent grass land have been burned over but thanks to theabundance of our grazing lands we have plenty left. As soon as the rainy season setsabundance of our grazing lands we have plenty left. As soon as the rainy season setsabundance of our grazing lands we have plenty left. As soon as the rainy season setsabundance of our grazing lands we have plenty left. As soon as the rainy season setsabundance of our grazing lands we have plenty left. As soon as the rainy season setsin, which will be about the first of next month, the whole country will again bein, which will be about the first of next month, the whole country will again bein, which will be about the first of next month, the whole country will again bein, which will be about the first of next month, the whole country will again bein, which will be about the first of next month, the whole country will again becovercovercovercovercovered with gred with gred with gred with gred with green grass.”een grass.”een grass.”een grass.”een grass.”–––––WWWWWeekly Citizen eekly Citizen eekly Citizen eekly Citizen eekly Citizen (T(T(T(T(Tucson), June 13, 1874.ucson), June 13, 1874.ucson), June 13, 1874.ucson), June 13, 1874.ucson), June 13, 1874.

“A large fire is raging in the Santa Catalina Mountains. A party who has been at the“A large fire is raging in the Santa Catalina Mountains. A party who has been at the“A large fire is raging in the Santa Catalina Mountains. A party who has been at the“A large fire is raging in the Santa Catalina Mountains. A party who has been at the“A large fire is raging in the Santa Catalina Mountains. A party who has been at thescene states that it has gone over an area of about ten miles square and that it is makingscene states that it has gone over an area of about ten miles square and that it is makingscene states that it has gone over an area of about ten miles square and that it is makingscene states that it has gone over an area of about ten miles square and that it is makingscene states that it has gone over an area of about ten miles square and that it is makingits way towarits way towarits way towarits way towarits way toward the valley on this side [Td the valley on this side [Td the valley on this side [Td the valley on this side [Td the valley on this side [Tucsonucsonucsonucsonucson]]]]].”.”.”.”.”–––––Arizona Daily StarArizona Daily StarArizona Daily StarArizona Daily StarArizona Daily Star, June 22, 1889., June 22, 1889., June 22, 1889., June 22, 1889., June 22, 1889.

“... the grass over areas that were burned over this season is now knee high and“... the grass over areas that were burned over this season is now knee high and“... the grass over areas that were burned over this season is now knee high and“... the grass over areas that were burned over this season is now knee high and“... the grass over areas that were burned over this season is now knee high andeverything looks as fresh as spring time in this locality [Patagonia]...”everything looks as fresh as spring time in this locality [Patagonia]...”everything looks as fresh as spring time in this locality [Patagonia]...”everything looks as fresh as spring time in this locality [Patagonia]...”everything looks as fresh as spring time in this locality [Patagonia]...”–––––Arizona DailyArizona DailyArizona DailyArizona DailyArizona DailyStarStarStarStarStar, September 2, 1880., September 2, 1880., September 2, 1880., September 2, 1880., September 2, 1880.

Fire!

Many Thanks toMany Thanks toMany Thanks toMany Thanks toMany Thanks to

Our Contributors!Our Contributors!Our Contributors!Our Contributors!Our Contributors!Walt Anderson, ecologist at Prescot

College; Virginia and Gus Bodner; ToddEsque of USGS; Erica Geiger, UA gradstudent; Andy Holycross, researcher atASU; Sky Jacobs, Kathy Pitts, floraand fauna columnist; Kathy Schon andDon Swann of Saguaro National Park;Brian Segee of the Center for BiologicalDiversity; Sam Smith of the AnimasFoundation, Tom and Tomas Taylor, na-tive fish enthusiasts with the Middle GilaConservation Partnership; and, ofcourse, the SIA staff. Extra-specialthanks to artist extraordinaire PennyPederson!

Photo by Walt Anderson

FrFrFrFrFront cover photoont cover photoont cover photoont cover photoont cover photo by Dr. Guy McPherson of the UA School ofRenewable Natural Resources. Firefighters set a prescribed burn atthe Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch (ARR) near Elgin, AZ. ARRis a cooperative partnership among the National Audubon Society,US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Appleton family,and the Research Ranch Foundation. For more information, visitwww.audubonresearchranch.org.Back cover photo Back cover photo Back cover photo Back cover photo Back cover photo by Bob VanDeven


Fire Safety Program Well Done; SIA Applauds Clifton District

Environmental groups and citizens alikehave long supported efforts to thin forests,especially near communities, and reintro-duce natural processes such as low-inten-sity burning of undergrowth to reduce therisks of catastrophic fire. We strongly sup-port projects that use thinning and pre-scribed fire to make forests safer and restorehabitat for wildlife.

We do not support the BushAdministration’s Healthy Forests Initiative,or Congress’ recently introduced HealthyForest Restoration Act because they areso clearly designed to facilitate the whole-sale cutting of our remaining old-growthforests, and have nothing to do withhealthy forests or protecting communities.

We can make forests safer and simulta-neously restore the natural balance to eco-systems, but logging of large, old trees isnot the way to do it. Instead, small treesand other undergrowth should be the tar-

Recently, much ado has been made about environmentalists stop-ping thinning projects meant to reduce fire danger in NationalForests. This contention, touted by the Bush administration and

its industry cronies, is designed to obfuscate the real issue: that Bushsees our National Forests as nothing but a giant tree farm waiting to beliquidated, and deeply disdains any citizen input or opposition.

gets for removal.Prior to fire suppression, forests burned

at regular intervals. This cleared the forestof dense undergrowth, leaving the largertrees intact. With fire suppression and log-ging over the last 100 years, small trees andbrush have built up in many areas. Thishas created a very unhealthy forest, and atinderbox for fire. The smaller trees anddense undergrowth carry fire into thecrowns of larger trees, which may resultin stand-replacing fires.

Prescribed low-intensity burning byqualified technicians is one method for get-ting rid of the most flammable materials inthe forest. Recently, we received notice fromthe Clifton District of the Apache-SitgreavesNF of a proposal to burn 2,300 acres adja-cent to a Mexican spotted owl ProtectedActivity Center in order to restore habitatand reduce the danger of catastrophic fire.

The Clifton rangers will burn shrubs,

undergrowth, and downed woody debrisin oak and ponderosa pine forest. Theyhave been burning in and around this areafor several years, in order to try to estab-lish a normal burn cycle for the ponderosapine forest, a forest type which should nor-mally burn at three to 10-year intervals inthe Southwest.

The Clifton District is proactively attempt-ing to reduce the likelihood of a major fireburning through the area and taking all thevegetation and trees with it. This project ismeant to reintroduce the natural process oflow-intensity fire into an ecosystem. An im-portant benefit of a natural fire regime is theimprovement of wildlife.

It also makes fiscal sense to clear by hand,or burn flammable materials before a wild-fire goes through an area. The Clifton Dis-trict estimated that on average, it costs$250,000 to $500,000 a day to suppress awildfire, while a managed fire that is eitherallowed to burn freely, or is prescribed costs$10 to $500 an acre, respectively.

The Clifton District also proposedprojects to protect communities from adevastating fire. Several months ago, theDistrict proposed the Blackjack Hazard-ous Fuels Reduction project, which used a

three-tiered approach to reducing fire dan-ger around private homes and a camp-ground: (1) thinning and removal of brush,small trees, and other flammable materialson 125 acres in the immediate vicinity ofhomes and a campground; (2) thinning andsome prescribed burning in another 290acres outside the initial work zone; and (3)prescribed burning on 1,770 acres in alarger upland grassy habitat.

This is a sensible approach to addressingfire danger in the vicinity of homes and rec-reation sites. By creating defensible spacearound the areas where people work andplay, the project was clearly intended toaddress public safety. By preserving largetrees, clearing out underbrush, and burn-ing in appropriate areas, the project alsoserves to restore habitat for wildlife.

We commend the Clifton District for itsefforts to design projects that promote hu-man safety, while attempting at the sametime to restore habitat for wildlife.

Comment letters or questions regardingthe development of fire safety projects on theClifton District can be directed to: Mr. FrankHayes, Clifton District Ranger, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, HC1 Box 733Duncan, AZ 85534; (928) 687-1614.

M a c h • i • a • v e l • l i • a nM a c h • i • a • v e l • l i • a nM a c h • i • a • v e l • l i • a nM a c h • i • a • v e l • l i • a nM a c h • i • a • v e l • l i • a nPronunciation: (mak”E-u-vel’E-un), adj.1. being or acting in accordance with theprinciples of government analyzed inMachiavelli’s The Prince, in which politi-cal expediency is placed above moralityand the use of craft and deceit to maintainthe authority and carry out the policies ofa ruler is described. 2. characterized bysubtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception,expediency, or dishonesty.

Over a period of several years in the mid-1990s, I had the opportunity (or misfortune)of inspecting every proposed timber sale inthe state of Arizona, south of the Grand Can-yon. This was a period in which these saleswere first beginning to be challenged in theSouthwest. Due to poor planning, over-cut-ting, and the attendant cumulative effects onimperiled species, many of these ill-conceivedprojects were stopped. Shockingly, mostwere resurrected within months and re-re-leased with little or no change as “ForestHealth Projects!”

This same Machiavellian approach to for-est policy is reflected in both the Bushadministration’s “Healthy Forest Initiative”(HFI) and the “Healthy Forests Restora-tion Act of 2003,” (HFRA) recently passedby the House of Representatives. Thesepolicies are nothing more than a handout tothe timber industry disguised by user-friendly names. These policies take advan-tage of legitimate public concerns aboutsafety in the Wildlands-Urban Interface(WUI) and use these concerns as an ex-cuse for suspending environmental laws,

going into roadless areas with no publicoversight, and allowing the timber industryto harvest the few remaining big fire-resis-tant trees that they’d been denied in the past.Callously calculating, the Bush administra-tion and their cohorts in Congress haveshown a cynical disregard for public safetyto satiate the greedy desires of campaigncontributors.

Unfortunately, no proposal put forth bythe Bush administration will do anything toalleviate the problems in our forest in thelong-term–just a mishmash of contradictoryand prohibitively expensive policies. A primeexample of this is fire suppression. Every-one involved in this debate agrees that theprimary reason for the unhealthy conditionof our forests is a result of more than 100years of fire suppression (and exclusion).Currently the policy of the Forest Servicethroughout the West is to suppress all fires.We cannot begin devising solutions withoutadmitting to several undeniable facts:

1. Forests burn! Always have, always will.There is no management strategy that willprevent this eventuality. Every acre will burnat some point. How they burn is the chal-lenge we face.

2. We will never cut ourselves out of thismess. The idea that we can correct past mis-takes through large scale mechanical thin-ning is foolish.

3. The resources do not exist to cover evena fraction of the cost of a project of this mag-nitude. Even if large-scale thinning workedwe would have to go back in 10 to 15 yearsand do it all again!

4. The WUI should be the focus of thelimited resources available for mechanicalthinning.

5. People living in the WUI must take ac-tion to fireproof their private property. Com-pensation programs like the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency should not beavailable to those who fail to do so.

6. HFI would log the large fire-resistanttrees to pay for thinning. This perverts thestated intention of having “healthy forests.”The idea of cutting down big trees to raisemoney to cut down small trees is the dumb-est idea I have heard in a long time–and therewould be no trees left. Congress must actresponsibly and appropriate enough moneyto treat the WUI.

7. Additionally, logging on public lands isa money loser. It has only turned a profit inthe past due to heavy taxpayer subsidies–another perversion of intention.

8. The public appeals process is vital forthe proper management of our public lands.This provides leverage to compel the agen-cies to collaborate with the public rather thanshutting them out of the process.

Thinning should be a tool that allows theeventual return of fire to the landscape. Fire,and lots of it, will be essential to restoringour forests. I’m not talking about the punycontrolled burns that we mostly see but bigfires that burn tens of thousands of acres.We need more prescribed fire like theCoronado NF’s 48,000-acre Baker Fire,burning in the Peloncillos right now. Weneed more prescribed fire “programs” likethose of the National Park Service in the

Rincon and Chiricahua Mountains. On pri-vate lands, the Gray Ranch is setting a com-pelling example of what is possible with vi-sion and initiative.

The biggest downside of HFI is the re-moval of the public from the process. Healthyforests will not exist until everyone–scientists,conservationists, private landowners, stateand federal agency personal–on all sides, areworking together to create successful science-based strategies for restoration and protec-tion. By implementing a process of exclusion,HFI intentionally creates conflict betweengroups who should be working together. Ifnot stopped, unhealthy forests and burnedcommunities will be the legacy of Bush’sreckless and dangerouspolicies.

To learn moreabout HFI and whatyou can do to help,read “Seeing Throughthe Smokescreen” onpage 4.–David Hodges

by Rachel Kondor, Ecosystem Defense and Policy Director


Seeing Through the Smokescreen of the “Healthy Forests Initiative”

Federal environmental law requires theBorder Patrol to research the impact thattheir proposed sites would have on the

the affected species will adjust. Scientificsupport for these outlandish declarationsis all but nonexistent.

Species known to occur near the pro-posed camp details of the expansion ofOperation Desert Grip are the Sonoranpronghorn, cactus ferruginous pygmyowl, desert pupfish, Chiricahua leopardfrog, and lesser long-nosed bat. All areendangered except for the Chiricahualeopard frog, which is classified as athreatened species. The Border Patrolacknowledges that its actions, combinedwith other human impacts on the region,would continue to have long-term cumu-lative impacts on wildlife populations.

Border Patrol’s Operation Desert Grip Puts Stranglehold on Wildlife

environment and report their findings inenvironmental impact statements (EIS)and environmental assessments (EA).

These reports are released for public re-view and comment. The one EIS and mul-tiple EAs covering escalation of the Bor-der Patrol’s presence share a common anddisquieting trait–a bold assertion that therewill be no significant environmental impactsupported by a complete lack of environ-mental analysis.

The Sky Island Alliance submitted itscomments on the environmental assess-ment for the expansion of OperationDesert Grip this month. This EA consistsof no more than unsubstantiated assertionsthat the Border Patrol’s expanded presencewill be temporary, will have no lasting en-vironmental impact, and that, in caseswhere there is an environmental impact, continued on next page

Remarkably, the lawsuit was successful, aclear wake-up call to the FS that the Ameri-can public cherished their forests for morethan production of lumber. Increasingly,Americans appreciated the forests for othervalues: clean water and air, abundant wild-life, old-growth trees, quiet places.

During this time, President Nixon signedseveral laws providing for environmentalprotection and public involvement in FS de-cisions. Through these laws, citizens havebeen able to slow destructive clearcutting,preserve wildlife and endangered species,protect the quality of municipal water sup-plies, and force the agency to serve interestsbesides industry.

Unfortunately, today’s Republican partyhas made it a top priority to dismantle theselaws. The Orwellian “Healthy Forests Res-toration Act of 2003,” (HFRA) passed bythe House of Representatives in May,would: abolish citizens’rights to appeal FSprojects, allow the FS to conduct large-scale timber sales without considering en-vironmental impacts, and open the door toold-growth logging and road constructionwithin roadless areas.

Similarly, under the banner of “HealthyForests Initiative,” (HFI) the Bush adminis-tration is quietly working to finalize newagency rules gutting environmental require-ments while limiting the rights of citizens toparticipate in and object to FS decisions.

The rhetoric accompanying this effortclosely resembles the FS’s disregard of pub-lic outrage over its timber program 30 yearsago. Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, a leading cheer-leader for environmental rollbacks, repeat-edly ridicules conservationists opposing de-structive timber sales as “radicals” and “ex-tremists,” who are outside the “mainstream.”

Kyl is wrong. Like the litigation of the1970s, today’s opposition against logging of

HFRA Moves toHFRA Moves toHFRA Moves toHFRA Moves toHFRA Moves to the Senate the Senate the Senate the Senate the Senate

Passed by the House of Representativesin mid-May, the Healthy Forests Restora-tion Act of 2003 will now be considered bythe Senate. As of press time, it is expectedthat the Act will move through committeein June and come before the full Senate af-ter the July 4 recess. It is imperative thateveryone who cares about public forestscontact their Senators now and urge themto vote “No!” on this legislation. As ArizonaSenator Jon Kyl and New Mexico SenatorPete Dominici have already strongly sup-ported this legislation, it is important for Ari-zona and New Mexico residents to insteadcontact Senator John McCain and Sena-tor Jeff Bingaman, respectively, who havenot yet taken a stand. As it is still difficult tosend postal mail to DC and email is gener-ally disregarded, it is most effective for youto call your Senator.

Arizona Senator John McCain, 241Russell Senate Office Bldg, US Senate,Washington, DC 20510; (202) 224-2235.

New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman,703 Hart Senate Office Bldg, US Senate,Washington, DC 20510; (800) 443-8658.

I n the early 1970s, a group of disillusioned turkey hunterssued the US Forest Service (FS) to halt clearcut logging inprime hunting areas within the National Forest. Earlier, when the hunters

expressed their objections to the FS chief, he dismissed the visit as a “veryself-centered protest from a very small segment of the population who wantedthe national forest to be managed for their own personal pleasure.”

old-growth represents the tip of the icebergof public opposition to the FS’s timber pro-gram. Polls consistently show that three outof four Americans oppose logging on publiclands. Many of the nation’s leading forest re-searchers and fire ecologists have expressedstrong opposition to HFI.A Legacy of MismanagementA Legacy of MismanagementA Legacy of MismanagementA Legacy of MismanagementA Legacy of Mismanagement

In the midst of intense drought condi-tions throughout the West, record-settingfires burned in the states of Arizona, Or-egon and Colorado in the summer of 2002.Seizing upon the public’s fear and misun-derstanding of wildfires, the Bush admin-istration quickly built support for HFI byclaiming fires such as Rodeo-Chediski hadresulted from lack of management broughtabout by environmental opposition to theFS’s timber program.

In fact, on the Sitgreaves National For-est—where the Rodeo-Chediski wildfiresunleashed their fury after scorching 275,000acres of Apache land—logging was so ram-pant that in 1988 the Arizona Game and FishDepartment appealed the forest’s manage-ment plan. Noting that the Sitgreaves had“little remaining or existing old growth,” theDepartment opposed the planned “liquida-tion” of remnant vestiges of the once-mag-nificent ponderosa pine forest.

The Sitgreaves is the most intensivelylogged and roaded landscape in the South-west. It is the sole National Forest among12 in Arizona and New Mexico with no des-ignated Wilderness. Of its 818,000 acres,little more than one percent is “roadless.”As one hiking guide states, “You can’t hikemore than a quarter mile on the Sitgreaveswithout hitting a road.”

While logging has abated, it has notstopped. Since 1990, 10 timber sales target-ing large trees were logged on the Sitgreaves

within the boundaries of Rodeo-Chediski. Iflogging prevented fires, the Sitgreaves Na-tional Forest should have been the safestplace in Arizona.WWWWWesteresteresteresterestern Forn Forn Forn Forn Forests Need Firests Need Firests Need Firests Need Firests Need Fireeeee

Forest fires are a vital natural process, asare fires in grasslands, chaparral and otherecosystems. Many forested ecosystems,such as lodgepole pine and spruce-fir, natu-rally experience and even thrive upon “cata-strophic” crown fire events.

Nonetheless, some forests appear to be ex-periencing unnaturally large and severe fires.While most fire ecologists believe that crownfire was historically a rare occurrence inArizona’s ponderosa pine forests, approxi-mately one quarter of the National Forestacreage within Rodeo-Chediski burned athigh severity.

However, recent crown fire events withinSouthwestern ponderosa pine forests—caused by nearly a century of widespread firesuppression, preferential logging of large,fire-resistant trees and ubiquitous domesticlivestock grazing combined with severedrought—are not the monolithic disastersthey are often reported to be.

In the Rodeo-Chediski fire, approximately135,000 acres of National Forest land burnedin a mosaic pattern of fire severity, with largeareas experiencing light or moderate burnswhich killed the understory while leaving

large fire-resistant trees intact.Community ProtectionCommunity ProtectionCommunity ProtectionCommunity ProtectionCommunity Protection

Instead of eliminating environmental lawsand citizen oversight of FS decisions, theconservation community believes that pro-tecting homes and keeping people safe mustbe a top priority of wildfire policy. FS re-searchers have concluded that making homes“firewise” and creating defensible space nearcommunities is the best way to achieve thisgoal—one that can be realized within a rea-sonable time frame.

Advocating for fuel reduction treatmentsto be focused in the “community protectionzone” does not mean the rest of the forest isleft to burn. Restoration treatments focusedon prescribed burning and small-diameterthinning must proceed in forests dependenton frequent fires, such as ponderosa pine.However, with continuing drought and tightbudgets, focusing on communities is a com-mon-sense approach.

by Brian Segee, Southwest Public Lands Director, Center for Biological Diversity

by Vanessa Gross,SIA Legal Intern

In its continued efforts to secure the US Mexico border, the BorderPatrol has proposed a massive escalation of their presence in theSouthern Arizona deserts. One piece of this plan is the expansion of

Operation Desert Grip. If passed, this proposal will enable the BorderPatrol to establish three new bases of operation (two in the CoronadoNational Forest and one in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Area(CPNWA)); and expand two existing camps (one in CPNWA and theother in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (OPCNM)). Combinedwith the seven camp details on the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation, theexpansion of Operation Desert Grip will carve up the habitats of endan-gered and threatened species leaving our desert reeling from the BorderPatrol’s impact.

photo by Sky J

acobs

Large trees that survived Rodeo-Chediski fire


tific evidence to support this assertion.The Border Patrol has produced a woe-

fully inadequate assessment of the envi-ronmental consequences of the expansionof Operation Desert Grip. This campaignhas potentially catastrophic ramificationsfor the Southern Arizona desert, and thewildlife that inhabits it, as do other Bor-der Patrol projects.

Operation Desert Grip is just one pieceof a larger plan to greatly expand BorderPatrol activities along the Arizona-Mexicoborder. While the deadline for commentson Operation Desert Grip ended on June11, the Border Patrol needs to hear fromcitizens on upcoming proposals. ContactCharles Parsons at the Border Patrol torequest to be placed on their mailing listfor future environmental impact studiesand assessments.

Charles Parsons, US Department of Home-land Security, Western Region EnvironmentalOfficer, P.O. Box 30080, Laguna Niguel, CA92607-0080; (949) 425-7081.

Roads and Wildfires: Complex Interactions

The Border Patrol claims that they donot expect that these impacts will resultin “significant reductions” to the popu-lations. They do not acknowledge that pres-ervation of the habitats of these speciesis absolutely critical, nor do they admitthat any reduction in their populationsis extremely significant.Sonoran PronghornSonoran PronghornSonoran PronghornSonoran PronghornSonoran Pronghorn

There are 22 remaining Sonoranpronghorn. The Border Patrol admitsthat the Sonoran pronghorn will be ad-versely affected by their proposed actions.Such actions may lead to the extinctionof this species, despite efforts of a cap-tive-breeding program. How does theBorder Patrol propose to mitigate theinevitable damage (immediate and cumu-lative) to this species’ habitat?Desert PupfishDesert PupfishDesert PupfishDesert PupfishDesert Pupfish

The Border Patrol states that (at least

one) proposed camp detail is within or nearthe critical habitat designated for the desertpupfish. Yet, the Border Patrol never stateswhat effect (immediate and/or cumulative)that its proposed camps will have on thisspecies and/or its habitat.Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy OwlCactus Ferruginous Pygmy OwlCactus Ferruginous Pygmy OwlCactus Ferruginous Pygmy OwlCactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Last November, the US Fish and WildlifeService proposed designating critical habi-tat for the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl inPima and Pinal counties that would includeportions of the Organ Pipe Cactus NationalMonument and Cabeza Prieta NWR.Though the EA mentions the establishmentof a camp detail in Organ Pipe, it does notdiscuss the effect this camp may have on thespecies, nor does it present any plans to miti-gate the effects on this species’ habitat.Chiricahua Leopard FrogChiricahua Leopard FrogChiricahua Leopard FrogChiricahua Leopard FrogChiricahua Leopard Frog

The Border Patrol admits that theChiricahua leopard frog is known to oc-cur near the two proposed camp details in

the Coronado National Forest. All that theborder Patrol mentions is that theChiricahua leopard frog’s habitat includesa variety of water sources. There is no dis-cussion of habitat impact, nor any mentionof how the Border Patrol plans to mini-mize its impact on this species.Lesser Long-Nosed BatLesser Long-Nosed BatLesser Long-Nosed BatLesser Long-Nosed BatLesser Long-Nosed Bat

The Border Patrol claims that the campswill not affect the lesser long-nosed bat, asthere are no saguaro cacti (a food source)near the proposed sites. Some of the sitesare near organ pipe cacti, which provideanother food source for the lesser long-nosed bat. The EA fails to address this gapin its analysis. Additionally, these proposedcamps will generate light for 10-12 hoursper night. The Border Patrol claims thatthe additional light may disrupt the circa-dian rhythms of some animals, but thatthese creatures will adjust in time or relo-cate rendering the impact of the lightingas insignificant. Again, there is no scien-

Operation Desert Grip continuedcontinued from previous page

In the frenzy to contain and extinguishthese infernos, thousands of miles of fire-breaks and access roads have been bull-dozed into wildlands. Little talked aboutin the press, roads have large effects onhow fires are ignited, spread, and extin-guished. Fire-fighting authorities often ar-gue they need more road access to effec-tively fight fires. When Sky Island Allianceclosed illegal non-system roads in theChiricahua Mountains, for instance,Coronado National Forest fire crews raisedconcerns over their ability to suppress firesnear the Wilderness Area with reducedroad access. While this logic seems straight-forward at first, we must take a broaderlook at the relationships between roads andwildfire. To do a cost-benefit analysis ofroad densities and their relation to fire ig-nition and suppression, we need to askwhether roads bring about more fire prob-lems to begin with.

Historically, fire was a relatively commonelement in many ecosystems across theWest. During spring and summer thunder-storms, lightning would randomly provideignition, and if conditions were conducive,fires in varying degrees of intensity wouldbegin. Lightning-caused fires have occurredon the Western landscape for as long as thisland has existed. They are a natural com-ponent of the landscape’s ecology and will

Small trees were scorched by the Rodeo-Chediski Fire.

photo by Sky J

acobs

by Matt Skroch, SIA Field Program Director

Last year, more than 88,000 separate wildfires burned some sevenmillion acres across the US. In 2000, almost eight-and-a-half mil-lion acres burned-the largest wildfire season in recent history.

Today, the Western US nervously awaits the next big fire. Shocking foot-age from Los Alamos, Hayman, Rodeo-Chedeski, and other famous wild-fires have struck fear into those who live at the forest edge. While veryfew understand the complexities of the factors that have caused thesewildfires, many are quick to lay blame. Finger pointing and fault findinghave replaced rational thought in this fiery debate.

forever influence plant and animal commu-nities, and wildlife behavior.

Last year, the majority of wildfires insouthern Arizona were caused not by light-ning, but byhumans. Per-haps the mostfamous was thelost driver,Valinda JoElliot, who be-gan theChediski Firethat, combinedwith the RodeoFire, burned467,000 acresin east-centralArizona. According to the National Inter-agency Fire Center based out of Boise,Idaho, the 10-year average shows thatabout 14 percent of wildfires today arecaused by lightning (slightly higher inWestern states). While ignitions from someNative American peoples contributed tofires in historical times, today the sheervolume of forest visitors plays a significantrole in when and how a fire burns. Thesehuman-caused fires are often ignited in thespring season when fires rarely occurredhistorically due to absence of lightning.

Roads contribute significantly to where

and how fires burn. Numerous studiesshow that the majority of human-causedfires are ignited in close proximity to a road.During the 1950s, for example, 74 percentof all fires on national forests in Californiaoccurred within 10 feet of a road, accord-ing to a 1968 report from the CaliforniaDivision of Forestry. Nationally, between1965 and 1975, 75 percent of fires weretraced to roadsides.1 Humans not only ig-nite fires through carelessness (abandonedcampfires, cigarette butts, matches, etc),but vehicles also cause a significant per-centage of fires via engine manifolds, ex-

haust pipes, andsparks. The ar-gument thatroad access isnecessary to ef-fectively fightfires is shaky. Infact, evidenceshows that firesin those areaswithout roads areless threatening,less frequent, andeffectively sup-pressed when

needed. The Forest Service reports that“The current fire suppression organization[the Forest Service] has been effective insuppressing at a small size approximately98 percent of wildland fire starts in inven-toried roadless areas. The agency also typi-cally prioritizes fighting roadless and wil-derness fires lower than fighting fires inmore accessible and populated areas.”2 Aswe move away from the full fire suppres-sion mentality, we soon recognize that fireswithin roadless areas tend to be less severeand less threatening than those fires withinroaded or developed areas. Current re-

search shows that roads can increase firefrequency and contribute to a variety offactors that may elevate a fire’s intensity.

Roadless Areas can provide numerousbenefits to the ecology, economics, andsafety of fire. In 2001, the Forest Serviceissued a national policy that would pro-tect remaining roadless areas across 58million acres of public land. Regardingfire, the agency reports in its September2000 A Report to the President In Re-sponse to the Wildfires of 2000 (seewww.fireplan.gov/president.cfm) that“Some critics have expressed concern thatthe Administration’s proposed roadlessarea policy could increase wildfire risks.The facts do not support this conclusion.To the contrary, all available evidencesuggests that fire starts may be fewer inunroaded than in previously roaded for-ests. Fires are almost twice as likely tooccur in roaded areas as they are inroadless areas.” Those fires that do occurin Roadless or Wilderness Areas oftenshow lower burn intensities and othermore natural characteristics. The BoilerFire in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness (GilaNational Forest) is a perfect example. Aswe go to press, this fire is burning at alow intensity and is not being actively sup-pressed. This 50,000-acre, naturally ig-nited fire has smoldered for more than twomonths. Because of the absence of roads,logging, and development within the area,the fire is doing what fires should do inthis habitat-burning at a low intensity andthinning out the understory.

(1) Wilson, Carl C. Roadsides-Corridors withhigh Fire Hazard and Risk. Journal of Forestry/September 1979 pp. 576-577.

(2) Federal Register, Friday, January 12,2001, Part VI, USDA Forest Service, 36 CFRPart 294, Special Areas; RoadlessAreaConservation; Final Rule


Alien Grasses May Constrain Restoration Options

To evaluate the effects of our fire treat-ments, we installed 50x20 meter vegetationand fuel monitoring plots in four prescribedfire units. These plots include several moni-toring variables included within the recov-ery plan for Mexican spotted owl criticalhabitat components (forest conditions thatare considered critical the species’ survival).Plots were located within Mexican spottedowl foraging areas, protected activity centers,and core nesting areas. Except for two plotsin the core area, all plots were burned in ei-

Monitoring Fire Effects on Mexican Spotted Owls

Managers are often faced with conflicting issues concerning fire.One such dilemma involves Mexican Spotted Owl (MSO)habitat. On one hand, managers need to apply fire to reduce

the risk of lethal wildfire to the entire ecosystem. On the other the Mexi-can spotted owl recovery plan poses numerous restrictions on treatments.These restrictions are designed to protect aspects of forest structure thatare important to the owls, e.g. allowing fuels to be reduced overall whileleaving larger-diameter downed wood that provides habitat for the owls’mammal prey. To evaluate how well particular treatment prescriptionswork, and to ensure compliance with the Endangered Species Act, manag-ers need to monitor the effects of fire in these habitats.

The Sky Island region hosts some of the world’s mostactive fire research programs. The Laboratory for TreeRing Research at the University of Arizona is one ofthe global centers of research on all aspects of fire his-tory. By studying patterns of burns and regrowth intree sections, these researchers have compiled fire his-tories dating back several hundred years, for theHuachuca, Rincon, Santa Catalina, Santa Rita, Animas,

Research on Fire

ther June or October over a six-year period.The plots represent two vegetation types as-sociated with Mexican spotted owls, pine-oak and ponderosa pine forests.

Presented here are data from the post burnanalysis for two of the critical habitat com-ponents recommended in the Mexican spot-ted owl recovery plan. Changes are shownfrom pre-burn through five years post-burn.The top graph shows changes in the amountof downed-wood more than three inches indiameter, a size considered especially valu-

Chiricahua, Pinaleno, Peloncillo, Sierra San Luis, Si-erra de los Ajos, and Mogollon mountains, plus manyareas outside the Sky Island region.

Several other groups are investigating ecological ef-fects of fires, with an eye toward both understandinghow different types of fire effect the landscape and toimproving use of fire for management. These groupsinclude the Animas Foundation, Audubon Appleton-

Whitell Research Ranch, Buenos Aires NationalWildlife Refuge, Fort Huachuca, National Park Ser-vice, US Forest Service, and research groups withinthe University of Arizona’s Renewable Natural Re-sources, Wildlife and Fisheries, and Geography andRegional Development departments. Here are acouple of examples of up-to-the-moment insight intofire in our region.

able for small mammals but less flammablethan smaller fuels. The second graph showsa measure of the number and size of deadstanding trees, or snags. Snags are valuableroost and foraging trees as well as being cor-related with other important aspects of standstructure.

These preliminary results indicate thatthere are fire prescriptions that, in the long-term, improve or maintain key habitat com-ponents for the Mexican spotted owl. Addi-tionally, the two plots placed in the untreatedcore area point toward higher risk and vul-nerability from wildfire in some of the mostimportant habitat essential for the survivalof the Mexican spotted owl. This data hasbeen fundamental in the Park’s ability to burnin Mexican spotted owl habitat. The abilityto display scientifically valid data from ourprescribed burn program to the UnitedStates Fish and Wildlife Service on the owl’scritical habitat parameters has helped buildtrust and understanding for both parties. ThePark will continue to monitor these plotsthrough the next set of prescribed burns andbeyond. This will allow managers to follow

trends through multiple burn cycles, increas-ing understanding of these systems and fireseffect on sensitive species. Results of moni-toring can allow managers to implement pre-scribed fire programs and refine prescriptionswhile adhering to the recommendations ofthe US Fish and Wildlife Service’s MexicanSpotted Owl recovery plan.

by Kathy Schon, fire ecologist at Saguaro National Park

Prior to Anglo settlement, a rich assem-blage of native grasses formed a soft mosaicof color and texture skirting the sky islandsof Arizona, between the drier scrublands ofthe lower deserts and the cooler forest crown-ing the mountains. Today many of thesegrassland communities are dominated bywoody species and/or nonnative grasses.Since the late 1800’s, overgrazing by livestockhas altered plant communities tremendously.Reduction of fine fuels limited the frequencyand size of lightning-caused fires. Loweredfire frequency, compounded by reducedcompetition with palatable grasses, hasenabled woody vegetation to dominate grass-lands. Starting in the 1920’s, nonnativegrasses were introduced to colonize soilsdenuded by livestock.

In an effort to restore native semi-desertgrasslands in Arizona, land managers havereintroduced fire in hopes of reducing abun-dance of shrubs and nonnatives. However,fires often are implemented into vastly alteredsystems, at times and scales contrary to his-toric fire regimes. Even when successful atreducing shrub encroachment, disturbancessuch as fire can serve as segues for invasionby nonnative species. Indeed, several scien-tific studies have shown increased abundance

of nonnative grasses following fire. Studiesare now underway in the Sky Island regionto determine the most effective methods forusing fire to reduce woody vegetation andencourage growth of native grasses withoutspreading non-native plants in the process.

Our research group at the University ofArizona is using a large-scale experiment inthe semi-desert grasslands of southeasternArizona to quantify changes in plant com-munity structure following fire treatments(spring, summer, no fire) across a gradientof dominance by this nonnative grass. Wecollected data in the fall and spring of each

year starting in fall of 1999 andset prescribed fires in 2001 and2002. Results from our study willhelp land managers determinewhich fire treatment is most ap-propriate to restore the rich di-versity of native species.

Eragrostis lehmanniana(Lehmann’s Lovegrass), a peren-nial grass from southern Africa,now occurs in many southwest-ern grasslands, where it is themain invasive grass implicated inthe decline of native organisms.In our studies on the FortHuachuca Military Reservation,

plant species richness in these grasslands wasconsistently lower in areas dominated by E.lehmanniana (i.e., there was a negative cor-relation between plant diversity and percentof total biomass composed of E.lehmanniana). This relationship held true re-gardless of year, season, community type, orfire treatment. However, plant species rich-ness appeared to be influenced more by year-to-year variability than by fire treatment,which makes treatment effects more difficultto generalize. There was a slight change inthe proportion of E. lehmanniana following

fires (increase following spring fire, decreasefollowing summer fire), but these differencesfaded within one year. A decrease in totalplant biomass was maintained for two fall sea-sons following fire, but this response variedby treatment and year.

Our study provides one more piece in theemerging grasslands restoration puzzle. Theinteraction between fire, nonnative grasses,native plants, and climate is complicated andmonitoring is required for several years todetect long-term effects on plant communi-ties. Because of variability of responses acrossyears, continued experimental research isneeded before we understand how to bestavoid proliferating non-native grasses as aside effect of grassland fire restoration. Weurge caution in applying grassland fires on alarge scale until these interactions are betterunderstood. In the meanwhile, when man-agers want to apply prescribed fires, we rec-ommend using a fire regime that is consis-tent with the pre-settlement regime. Thus,we suggest applying fires every 5 to 15 yearsduring early summer, coincident with thearrival of the Arizona monsoon. This appearsto closely match the disturbance regime withwhich native species evolved.

by Erica Geiger, University of Arizona Dept. of Renewable Natural Resources

Blackened grasses of a prescribed burn, Animas Mountains

photo by Sam

Sm

ith

Change in 1000hr (>3in diameter) fuel load(top), and snag basal area (bottom) followingprescribed burns in ponderosa pine forests inthe Rincon Mountains of Saguaro NationalPark. Data from 1993-2001.


Saguaro National Park: Crown Jewelby Don Swann, Biologist at Saguaro National Park

If you hike up to one of the Rincon Moun-tains’ high-elevation campsites, more likelythan not you’ll have the breezy pines, stars,and calling owls all to yourself. The park’swilderness is roadless. Off-road vehicles,grazing, and wood-cutting are not allowed,and the result is a lot of room for hiking andtruly quiet solitude. Sitting up on Helen’sDome or Rincon Peak at the end of a hardday’s hike it’s hard to believe you are onlyabout 25 miles from downtown Tucson.

In all, Saguaro contains more than91,300 acres (more than 140 square miles)in two districts on either side of Tucson.The Tucson Mountain District, west ofTucson, is largely rugged desert punctu-ated by red rocks, cacti, and ironwoods.In contrast, the Rincon Mountain District,east of town, blends cactus forest with pineforest–the Visitor Center sits at about 3,000feet, but Mica Mountain peaks out at morethan 8,600 feet.

The result is a rich diversity of life–morethan 1,000 native plants, and abundant wild-life that reflect the richness of the Sonoran

Saguaro National Park contains some of the most alluring and bestpreserved natural lands in the Sky Island region. Although a fewof the park’s front country trails are well-travelled by Tucson resi-

dents and visitors from all over the world, the park’s wilderness areas areincredibly quiet and undisturbed.

Desert and Sky Island region.The mission of Saguaro National Park

is to preserve, protect, and interpret the

Sonoran Desert’s biotic communities, cul-tural features, and scientific and wilder-ness values. The park offers trails, inter-pretive programs, two visitor centers, and

backcountry camping in the RinconMountain District.

A major part of the overall Park Servicemission is to preserve resources so they willbe left unimpaired for the enjoyment of fu-ture generations. To learn how best to do this,the park works closely with researchers froma number of universities, other agencies, andnon-profits–the Sky Island Alliance among

them–to survey saguaros,monitor and research fire ef-fects, exotic plants, wildlife, cul-tural sites, surface water, airquality, and a number of otherresources.

The research and monitor-ing has paid off in many ways.For example, years of saguaromonitoring has led to a com-prehensive understanding ofthis long-lived species anddocumented the rebound ofthe Rincon population aftermany decades of poor recruit-ment, probably due to wood-cutting and over-grazing. Sur-veys using infrared-triggered

cameras are mapping the presence of sel-dom-seen wildlife, including mountain lions,coati, and kit fox. And an ambitious pro-gram of monitoring and eradication of non-

native plants, especially bufflegrass andfountain grass, has allowed the park to rideherd on these troublesome invaders of theSonoran Desert. One of the most extensiveand comprehensive monitoring programsincludes monitoring the effects of fire onvegetation and fuels. This program providesbetter understanding of the role of fire inthe Rincon Mountains and allows manag-ers to evaluate their prescriptions to be sureecological objectives are met.

The Rincon Mountain District contains agreat diversity of mammals due to extensivewilderness area, large elevational range (ap-proximately 2,700 to 8,600 feet), and loca-tion within or near the boundary of severalimportant biogeographic provinces, includ-ing the Sonoran Desert, the ChihuahuanDesert, the Sierra Madre Occidental inMexico, and the Rocky Mountains. The dis-trict is home not only to desert species suchas coyotes and antelope jackrabbits, but alsohigh-elevation species such as black bear andwhite-tailed deer. In addition, the Rinconscontain species considered more tropical inorigin, including the white-nosed coati andcollared peccary.

With a good hat and plenty of water,Saguaro is a great place to visit–southernArizona’s surprising treasure. The Park’swebsite is www.nps.gov/sagu/.

The past 150 years have seen radical shifts in behaviors of fire,including fire frequency and intensity, fuel buildups, and spreading rates. Attitudes toward fire have changed just as much, from

early settlers’ debates about the relative harm vs. benefit of fires over whichthey had no control, through the Smokey Bear era of total fire suppression,to the more recent recognition of fire as a natural and inevitable part ofwestern ecosystems. Managers of public lands continue to navigate the shift-ing tides of management philosophies, public opinion, and agency funding.

In recent decades, Saguaro NationalPark (SNP) has become a national leaderin proactively managing fire on publiclands. While the park’s lowest elevationSonoran Desert areas are not naturallyprone to fires (see pages 9 and 13), mostof the park’s acreage is in habitats that de-pend on fires to maintain their naturalbiodiversity and forest structure. In theseupper elevations, SNP has worked tire-lessly to restore natural fire regimes.

SNP’s shift away from total fire suppres-sion began in the early 1970s, well ahead ofmost land management agencies. In this day,suppression decisions were simple–when thegauge at Manning Camp had registered atleast two inches of rain, a lightning-causedbackcountry fire could be allowed to burn.But this alone was not enough to correct al-most a century of fire suppression. In 1991,SNP finished a joint fire plan with theCoronado National Forest (which surroundsthe park on three sides). This plan added acomponent of intentionally set prescribedburns, addressed in more detail the needs ofparticular parts of the park, and allowed man-

agers to coordinate fires on both sides of ju-risdictional lines that are invisible to the area’sflora and fauna.

1993 brought the establishment of a com-prehensive, science-based Fire Effects Moni-toring Program, to study the effects of fireand enable managers to adapt the fire planbased on its successes and failures. The moni-toring program at SNP is now one of themost valuable parts of the fire program, pro-viding critical information to SNP and toother fire managers (see Mexican spotted owlarticle, page 6).

One of the main dilemmas faced in plan-ning prescribed fires at SNP and elsewhereis when to burn. Burning “in season” (latesummer, when most lightning-strike firesbegin) is generally preferred, because floraand fauna are thought to be adapted to thisnatural burn season. But emergency suppres-sion of unplanned wildfires often siphons offpersonnel and other resources at this criticaltime. “Out of season” burns face less compe-tition for resources, and fall burns may beless prone to escalating beyond their intendedscope, but may be less effective at meeting

objectives, e.g. killing shrubby vegetation ingrassland restoration burns. Furthermore,until we know more about how plants andanimals deal with fires outside their naturalseason, the safest route is to mimic naturaldisturbance regimes as much as possible. Bycomparing effects of burns in different sea-sons, SNP’s monitoring program helps firemanagers everywhere make informed deci-sions based on these burn-season tradeoffs.

SNP’s large roadless acreage profoundlyaffects the nature of fires and fire manage-ment in the park. SNP has some 71,000 acres

of federally designated wilderness. Over thelast 50 years, lightning has ignited an aver-age of nine fires each year. Less than 5 per-cent of fires in the Park were human-causedand, of this 5 percent, most were outside thedesignated wilderness. Managing fire inSaguaro’s roadless wilderness areas comeswith its own set of challenges, most notablyfinancial limitations. Logistics of getting per-sonnel and equipment into roadless areasraise the price tag of running prescribedburns. However, due to this scarcity of hu-man-caused fires, managers can focus theirefforts on prescribed fire and managing natu-

ral ignitions as opposed to suppression ofunnatural, human-caused, fire events. Andbecause most of the park is without devel-oped structures, more of the naturally occur-ring fires can be left to burn because they donot threaten human habitations.

Since 1970, fires have blazed through some13,000 acres of the park, with most of theseacres burning within what is considered tobe natural bounds of intensity for the habi-tats in which they occurred. In 1994, thelightning-struck Rincon Fire grew increas-ingly powerful, blazing up into the forestcanopy with lethal intensity. But when thisfire hit stands that had been intentionallyburned in previous years, the fire droppedback down to the understory, behaving ex-actly like a healthy pine fire should. Manag-ers hope that as burns are brought back intoall needy parts of the park, natural stand dy-namics will re-establish themselves through-out the mountain range, and fire can onceagain be left to the Forces of Nature.

Hiking in the high country of the Rinconsis a profound experience. No amount of men-tal knowledge that ponderosa forests needfire will prepare you for how it feels to wan-der through towering old trees with newburn scars, watching broad-winged gos-hawks lead their fledgling young through thehigh branches. Chuck Scott, fire manage-ment officer at SNP, is rightly proud of theprogram he shepherds. “When I retire,” saysScott, “I’m going to feel really good aboutour successes, about being able to do some-thing good for the resource.”

“When I retire, I’m going

to feel really good about

our successes...”

–Chuck Scott, SNP

Saguaro N.P. a National Leader in Proactive Fire Management

photo courtesy Saguaro N

P

SprSprSprSprSpruce-fir foruce-fir foruce-fir foruce-fir foruce-fir forest: est: est: est: est: Typical of the Canadian North, this habitat type occurs Fires come to spruce-fir forests rarely, just once every 200-500 years, but wh

burn to the ground. New seedlings then rise from the ashes to replace theirsurface fires, the type of prescribed burning designed to protect other foresthis habitat type.Though stand-replacement fires are natural for this forest type, other factopressions of the natural dynamic. The Mt. Graham red squirrel, for examption. But introduced competitors and habitat destruction have brought thworry that a major fire in their prime habitat might finish them off. Telesthe fire-prone nature of their surroundings, and managers fear that these

Mixed-conifer forMixed-conifer forMixed-conifer forMixed-conifer forMixed-conifer forest: est: est: est: est: True to its name, mixed-conifer forest is amarea’s particular mix of Douglas-fir, white pine, white fir, quaking aspen,burns every nine to 15 years, with mostly low intensity ground fires like tforests are prone to flaring up in some areas, creating stand-replacing crothese stand-replacement patches were in the past, all agree that they are a

without these charred openings in the conifer forests, we would have to colors on our high slopes. Mixed conifer forests occur on several of ou

are similar to those listed below for pine forests, though because theyable to large-scale disturbance than their contiguous counterparts o

Ponderosa pine forest: Ponderosa pine forest: Ponderosa pine forest: Ponderosa pine forest: Ponderosa pine forest: Ponderosa pine forests are the classievery two to ten years. These fires were carried by the abundant un

changed fire patterns in these forests even before the era of active filike the Sierra de los Ajos, which have never been heavily grazed in t

component of the fire regime of ponderosa pine forests, though less oftives of the ponderosa, the Chihuahua pine and Apache pine, that are s

the Southwest, the forests made famous by the giant fires of the last decadso pleasant to live in, and so extremely fire dependent.

Madrean evergreen woodlandMadrean evergreen woodlandMadrean evergreen woodlandMadrean evergreen woodlandMadrean evergreen woodland::::: This zone includes an unrivaled diveMadrean woodlands have a mix of pines and several species of evergreen oak

treat into canyons as you go down in elevation. Junipers and other chapopen grassland, and the zone is often referred to as oak savanna. In

Sky Islands, though it continues in some form throughout the Sithose of grasslands and pine forests, but are still poorly under

the diversity of stand structures that characterize these foreevidence from the Huachuca and Animas mountains suggprone to stand- replacement burns. The observatiot o this hypothesis. Man-

r o u n d i n gstand-

Fire on the mountain

Eat -

ing

Lands of the Sky Island region rise from some 2,000 feet to almost 11,000 feet elevation (700 to 3700meters), from saguaro-clad Sonoran desert to cool spruce-fir forests Each of the habitat types hasits own natural fire dynamics, and its own contemporary challenges. Fre dynamics in all these zonesare, of course, more complex that can be presented here. Each zone, for example, is affected by firebehavior in nearby zones. Habitat types blend into one another where they meet. North-facingslopes experience different conditions from south-facing slopes. Each mountain range has its ownhistory, and its own geography. Species composition varies among ranges, especially as you headnorth or south. Riparian corridors run from the tops of the mountains through the bottoms of thevalleys, influenced by each zone but carrying their own wetter dynamics along with them.Our Madrean Sky Islands are unique in how tightly packed these layers of habitats are, how in aday’s walk, one can experience all of these distinct zones and the gradations between them. Recog-nizing the unique fire dynamics of each, and the problems related to them, helps us both appreciateand manage these rising mountains, from flank to peak.

Low Sonoran desert:Low Sonoran desert:Low Sonoran desert:Low Sonoran desert:Low Sonoran desert: Undernatural conditions, cactus-dominatedlow desert has been called an “asbes-tos community.” It simply does notburn. Competition for water leavesplants spaced far enough apart thatfire cannot easily spread betweenflammable patches. As a result oftheir long history without fire, manySonoran Desert plants are notadapted to burns. Saguaro cacti,desert tortoises, and other speciesare liable to be boiled alive by evenlow ground fires.The spread of invasive, drought-tol-erant alien grasses like red bromeand buffelgrass is a serious threat tothis habitat type. These highly flam-mable grasses create an incendiarycarpet that allows flames to ripacross the desert. The best cure here

is preventing thesealien invaders

from estab-lishing, and

rootingthem

outwhentheydo.

Semidesert grassland: Semidesert grassland: Semidesert grassland: Semidesert grassland: Semidesert grassland: Open grasslands once ex-tended across the flanks of most Sky Island ranges, andfilled the valleys too high or too lush to carry low deserthabitats. Fires historically blazed through these grass-lands every five to ten years, maintaining their openstructure. Intensive grazing, fire suppression, and soilerosion have eliminated or degraded most of our re-maining grasslands. Two major degradations are inva-sion by alien grasses, and encroachment of shrubbyplants like mesquites, junipers, and creosote bush. As aresult, grassland-dependent species like Aplomado fal-cons, masked bobwhite quail, and pronghorn antelopeare in decline.In areas that still have topsoil, prescribed fire can bevery effective at reducing shrub encroachment and reju-v e n a t i n g grasses. Ongoing research in the Sky Is-

l a n d s is beginning to teach us howto burn without giving

alien grass speciesnew opportunities

to invade na-tive grass

stands.

in the Sky Islands only on the summit of Mount Graham.hen they do they come as conflagrations, and forest standsr ancestors. Because these forests do not typically carrysts from conflagrations have no ecological justification in

ors have made some dependent animals vulnerable to ex-ple, has survived many rounds of fiery forest regenera-

hese animals to the brink of extinction, and managers nowcopes atop Mt. Graham were planned without regard to buildings are also vulnerable to natural conflagrations.

ong our most variable habitat types depending on an, and other high-elevation trees. Mixed conifer normallythose typical of the pine forests below. Fires in thesewn fires. While there is much debate over how largea natural component of this zone’s fire regime. In fact,do without the quaking aspen stands that splash fall

ur taller mountain ranges. Management concerns herey are restricted to mountain tops, these are more vulner-outside the sky islands.

c example of communities dependent on low-intensity ground fires, which traditionally came through each forestnderstory grasses, killing many small trees but leaving large ones unharmed. Tree ring data shows that grazingire suppression—around 1880 in the U.S. Sky Islands, later in some of the more remote Mexican ranges. Rangesthe upper elevations, still show fairly natural fire regimes. Occasional stand-replacement burns are also a naturalften and probably in smaller patches than in mixed conifer stands. The Madrean Sky Islands also harbor two rela-imilar in appearance to their widespread cousins. These are the forests involved in most of the debates about fire inde. Most wildland-urban interface fire problems are in Ponderosa forests, because these forests are so widespread,

ersity of plant assemblages and forest structures. The upper reaches ofks, and are often called Mexican pine-oak woodland. Pines drop out or re-parral plants enter the mix. By the lower reaches, trees are separated bythe United States, this rich eclectic mix is found only in the borderland

ierra Madre. Natural fire dynamics are thought to be generally similar torstood compared with other zones discussed here. Ecologists believe thatests result, in part, from high variability in fire patterns. Recent tree-ring

gest that stands dominated by Chihuahua pines may naturally be moreon that these trees can sprout back from charred stumps adds support

agement concerns are similar to those of the sur-zones, but are complicated by poorer under-

ing of natural fire dynamics.


by Janice Pryzbyl, SIA Wildlife Monitoring Program Coordinator

Fourteen new volunteers successfully completed their training andwill soon be out in the field monitoring their adopted transects.Congratulations and welcome to: Laurel Clarke, Lisa Collis, Dana

Hook, Keith Hughes, Albert Lannon, Beth Long, Kaitlin Meadows, SerenaPickens, John Rawlins, Iris Rodden, Leslie Sellgren, Michael Terrio, SaraVenturini, and Jennifer Wolfsong. Once again it was a pleasure being in theclassroom and in the field with adults so eager to learn and so enthusiasticabout contributing their talents and sweat to a conservation project. One ofthe things they did learn is that tracking is not as easy as they first thought!After one day in the classroom and two days in the field, I asked workshopparticipants to jot down their thoughts. Here are some of their quotes:

source intern, worked diligently since lastfall to design and construct a formidable(and indestructible, we hope) steel andPlexiglas housing to protect the cameras.The units were mounted to culvert andbridge walls.

Thanks go not only to Siobhan, but alsoto Chuck Barclay, Paul Langdale, EricHardt, and Ray Garcia, for lugging thegenerator and manning the drills.

Crew Workingby Janice Przybyl

Our remote camera project highwayproject is off and running. Sky IslandAlliance’ Wildlife Monitoring Programis partnering with Tucson’s NaturalResource Section of Arizona Departmentof Transportation to investigate wildlifepassage under two major highways insoutheast Arizona. We earmarked 12culverts and bridges for camera installa-tion and for two days in April, I hung outwith the Tucson crew under SR 90 settingup and field-testing the first four cameras.

The information gathered from thesecameras will supplement two of our Wild-life Monitoring Projects: the Santa CruzRiver Valley project and the DragoonWhetstone project.

Siobhan Nordhaugen, Natural Re-

“The actual view-ing of real tracksbrought the classwork alive andhelped me see how todo this–the more yousee, the more yousee–so my identifica-tion skills, while stillyoung, improvedfrom one field day tothe next.”

“I can now recog-nize some of the tracks seen. Also and mostimportantly, I now pay attention to what Icould see.”

“The most significant thing I learned is howimportant our participation as individualscontributes to the health of our ecology. It isup to us to educate others on how everythingfits together to form one healthy ecosystem.Our efforts to study, document and vie forprotection of a single species or group makea difference for us all.”

“To be a good tracker requires a sort of“zen head” where observation, practice, andawareness combine with knowledge of ani-mal behavior.”

“I learned that if one makes the effort togain some knowledge about tracking, andis patient and open-minded in applying that

knowledge, thatthey can learn alot about theanimals thatlurk about.”

“I learnedthat normallywhen I walkthrough a natu-ral area I amc o m p l e t e l yoblivious to allthe amazing

things that are going on or have gone onin the recent past. I also learned that I needto slow down and take life minute byminute and footstep by footstep.”

With the completion of their training,volunteers formed teams and adoptedtransects in two of our three project areas.We expanded and strengthened theCienega Corridor project with the additionof three transects. The Cienega Corridorlinks the Rincon Mountains to the SantaRita, Empire, and Whetstone Mountainsto the south We now have two years worthof data from four transects just north of I-10 in washes that drain into Cienega Creek.Starting in June, teams will be looking forthe tracks of our focal species along thenewly established transects in the National

Conservation Area south of I-10. Threeother volunteers will be taking over MikeIorio and Alyssa Sheil’s transect in the Dra-goon project where we are investigating themovement of wildlife between the DragoonMountains and the San Pedro River. Mikeand Alyssa recently graduated from theUofA and headed to the west coast forgraduate school. Both Mike and Alyssatrained with the first group of volunteersway back in the spring of 2001 and volun-teered on transects since then. ThanksMike and Alyssa for all your efforts andwe wish you well in your new adventures.

Besides engaging adults, one day last AprilI had a blast introducing a group of young-sters to tracking during an after school pro-gram at the Bisbee Boys and Girls Club. Thetwo-hours event was part of Bisbee’s

weeklong annual “Procession of the Species.”The young audience of boys and girls agessix through 12 viewed slides of the differenttypes of wildlife sign: tracks, scrapes, andscat–the last eliciting a loud round of “ew-yuks.” We then played an animal-trackmatching game. The real fun began when Iused rubber paw molds to create tracks inpans of soil and demonstrated how to maketrack tracings using Plexiglas and markers.Each child–and there were 30 boys and girls–had the chance to do his or her own tracingof a bobcat, mountain lion, black bear or wolftrack. The kids had fun and produced someremarkable “documentation” which they gotto take home. Thanks to Lauren Roberts inBisbee for organizing all the “Procession”events and for inviting Sky Island Allianceto participate.

The gray to grayish-brown coloring ofCrotalus willardi obscurus is well suitedto the decaying leaf litter of its pine-oakcanyon home. In fact, concealment is thesnake’s chief strategy in both hunting andescaping predation. But camouflage was notenough to protect it from enthusiasticcollectors who flocked to the Sky Islands

after its “discovery” in the 1960s.Only 18 to 24 inches long when fully

grown, this obscure object of desireoccupies an equally modest territory—disconnected islands of habitat in theAnimas and Peloncillo Mountains of south-ern Arizona and New Mexico and theSierra San Luis in northern Mexico.

C. w. obscurus is related to the Arizonaridge-nosed rattlesnake, C .w .willardi. Likethe Arizona, the New Mexican ridge-nosedhas a distinctive ridge edging its uppersnout, somewhat in the manner of a rimmedsaucer. The Arizona, however, is morereddish-brown and has well-defined whitefacial stripes.

In the wild, the New Mexico ridge-nosedgives birth to two to nine young about everyother year. This is a small brood comparedto larger rattlesnakes, and magnifies theimpact of collection on their vulnerability.

Mating takes place midsummer to fall,and females store male sperm until earlyspring when they ovulate. Baby rattlers areborn live during the monsoon rains and

disperse quickly from their natal home.Newborns may use their yellow-tipped tailto lure prey, which includes centipedes andsmall lizards. As they grow older they willadd a rattle each time they shed, and theirdiet will shift to larger lizards, small rodentsand the occasional bird, which they ambushby hiding among rocks, in forest litter,along mouse runways, or up in trees.

Like all pit vipers, the New Mexico ridge-nosed uses a heat-sensing organ in its snoutto locate prey and detects fine chemicalodors with its flicked tongue. Venom im-mobilizes the catch and begins to predigestits tissue.

Collection of the New Mexico ridge-

New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake Faces Tenuous Future

continued on next page

Eric and Siobhan examine camera housing.

photo by Janice P

ryzbyl

photo by Matt S

kroch

Kaitlin Meadows, Albert Lannon, and MichaelTerrio identify tracks in the Empire-Cienega NCA.

New Field Volunteers Complete Wildlife Monitoring Training

by Kathy Pitts, Special to Restoring Connections

Most of us would rather not run into a rattlesnake on the trail.Still, what terrifies some of us fascinates others, and thereare people whose lives re-volve around collecting or owning

snakes. For them, the rarer the specimen, the better. But, as you mightimagine, collecting rare snakes makes them scarcer, creating a down-ward spiral toward extinction. Such may have been the case with theNew Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake.


Fire, fire, fire! To me fire meanswarmth during those wild winters, anddeath and destruction for saguaros anddesert tortoises during the summer. Forthose who work or play in montane orgrassland settings, fire structures eco-systems; for us desert-rats, fire destroysecosystems. Whilemontane andgrassland ecosys-tems evolved withfrequent low-in-tensity fire, desertecosystems haveevolved largely inthe absence of fire.It is only recentlythat fire has be-come an issue of concern for desertecologists. The main culprit is non-na-tive plant species that change the struc-ture of the vegetation communities indesert ecosystems.

Red brome (Bromus madritensis),buffel grass (Pennisetum ciliare), andMediterranean grass (Schismus spp.)provide the fine fuels needed for desertwildfires to spread. Historically, fire wasvery infrequent because there was nevera continuous carpet of fine fuels. Nativegrasses grew in patches distributedbroadly across an area. The invasion ofthe non-natives has changed it all, withBuffel grass covering hundreds of thou-sands of acres in Sonora (and spread-ing into Arizona at an alarming rate) and

Road Rattlingsby Trevor Hare, SIA Conservation Biologist

Again? I ask incredulously! It’s time for another RoadRattlings? Man, I ain’t done nuttin’ lately! At least not that hasanything to do with walking roads. Seems I’ve been a nothing but a

desk jockey since the last newsletter. I’ve only been out a couple of times tolook for frogs and fish! But since part of the title includes “Rattlings,” I amglad to tell you that I have seen at least 10 rattlesnakes in the very few daysI have been out. Now don’t start worrying, I had to actively search thesesnakes out, not one rattled at me, nor did any act aggressive toward me. Justgood clean fun!

Back to roads. As I mentioned in the lastnewsletter we are getting toward the end ofour BLM road surveys, and we will havesome new and exciting opportunities in thefuture. But I want to tell all my road war-riors we will continue to walk roads! Re-in-ventories will be necessary in many parts ofthe Coronado, Apache-Sitgreaves, and GilaNational Forests. As you all are aware, it onlytakes one yahoo to re-open a closed road orto blaze a new one. We have seen it all toooften, the blood boils and fists are clenchedwishing that you had been there to stop it!While being in the right place at the righttime to stop it doesn’t happen often, in thelong run we can and we must stop it. Wemust document, advocate, and restore!

So, back to roads. By the time you readthis we will have finished the easy part ofAravaipa Canyon Wilderness (16-18 May).We will have camped next to the creek at thewilderness boundary, we will have hiked upthe wilderness boundary both north andsouth of the canyon, we will have quicklylost the cooling shade of cottonwoods andwillows, we will have hiked our butts off inthe heat, stumbled back to camp, and we willhave enjoyed the zone-tailed and blackhawks with our feet in the creek and coldones in our gullets! There are some harder

Fire and Exotic Grassesby Trevor Hare

pieces of Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness leftto survey that I will have to backpack into,poor me!

We will also have visited the Burro Moun-tains near Silver City, New Mexico, on Me-morial Day weekend for a roads survey inconjunction with the New Mexico Wilder-ness Alliance and the Upper Gila WatershedAlliance. The Burros are a small, forested SkyIsland sitting between Silver City andLordsburg. The Mangas Valley separates theBurros from the Gila Wilderness on thenorth, and the Lordsburg Playa separates theBurros from the Peloncillos to the west andthe Animas Valley on the South.

In June we will visit the Campbell Blue/Black River area to resurvey some of the firstroads we ever walked. The area is absolutelygorgeous with ancient ponderosa forests,goshawks, aspen groves and free-flowingstreams. We will camp at 9,200 feet and willstay five days, so plan on attending for at leasta couple of days if not the whole time. Wealso hope to add another high-elevation fieldweekend in late July or early August to helpyou all alleviate those down and dirty sum-mertime-in-the-desert blues!

Then in the fall we will have two BLMroads survey weekends: one in the PeloncilloMountain Wilderness area and one on Turtle

red brome forming continuous carpetsof fuel in areas such as Saguaro NationalPark and many areas surrounding Phoe-nix. Red brome grows in response towinter rains, and by the time the sum-mer monsoons roll in it is dry as a boneand ready to ignite.

Because mostdesert ecosys-tems evolved inthe absence offire, the commonplants, such aspalo verde(Cercidium spp.),cholla andprickly pear cacti(Opuntia spp.),

and saguaros (Carnegia gigantea), areeasily killed causing lasting changes todesert communities. Small terrestrialanimals are also killed in extraordinarynumbers during fires. In the 1994Mothers Day fire in Saguaro NationalPark, 11 percent of the tortoisessampled were killed and 20 percent ofthe saguaro cacti sampled died withinfive years. For such long-lived species,the loss of 11 or 20 percent of a popu-lation can have long-lasting detrimen-tal effects.

We need fire in our forests and grass-lands. We do not need fire in the desert-itshot enough! Be careful when you campout there. Don’t plant fountain grass inyour yards. Tell people to get involved.

Mountain. We had some amazing trips toboth areas in the past, and these trips willfinish the surveys for the areas. We will also

nosed has been illegal since the snake wasadded to the Endangered Species list in1978. But the isolation and small size of thepopulations still put them at risk ofextinction through illegal collection and lossof habitat. At one locale, less than 30 snakeshave been documented.

Cattle grazing, logging and miningcan damage the snake’s woodlandhome, but the gravest threat is cata-strophic fire. After a century of firesuppression, forest fires can burn sohot they convert a pine-oak woodlandto open grassland, a change thatwould forever expel this snake fromits garden.

And, according to preeminentridgenose researcher Dr. AndrewHolycross at Arizona State University,all three sky island habitats are now atrisk for catastrophic fire. Prescribedfires are key to reducing fuel loads andpreparing the landscape for a more

Rare Rattlers Future UncertainRattlesnakes, native throughout the

Americas, are responsible for about fivedeaths yearly in the United States. Consid-ering that’s out of an estimated 45,000 totalsnake bites, death by rattler is not as likelyas one might think.

The best cure for snakebite is preven-tion. If you see or hear a rattlesnake, moveaway and leave it alone. Snakes will notchase you. Most strikes can be attributedto attempts to handle a snake. Embarrass-ingly often, these involve young men and/or quantities of alcohol.

If the snake is in your back yard, it is ei-ther a transient that will soon be gone or ithas moved in to hunt the rodents that livethere. Keep your environs rodent-free andclear any rock, brush or debris piles that couldprovide shelter to hunter and prey. [Remov-ing rattlesnakes by calling your fire depart-ment or pest control service should be a lastoption (see Spring 2003 issue).]

Look before putting your hands or feetinto holes or crevices, under rocks or logsor into clumps of vegetation. Some rattle-

continued from previous pagesnakes (newborns and the Mohave, typically)may not give the rattler’s tail-shake warningbefore striking.

Baby snakes are just as dangerous asadults because their venom is more potentand they are less able to control the amountof venom injected.

Even dead snakes can be dangerous, asbites may occur as a reflex action severalhours after death.

If you are bitten, do not panic. Do not useany item in your first-aid kit that claims tobe useful for snakebite: no tourniquet, noknives, no ice. Do keep the affected limbbelow the heart if possible. Track the spreadof any swelling or redness by marking it ev-ery 15 minutes—this will indicate the amountof venom involved. Do get medical attentionimmediately.

A new antivenin, on the market for abouttwo years, is reported to be more reliable andless dangerous than the old horse-serum ver-sion. However it is very expensive and oftennot covered under medical insurance.

It is better to treat snakes—as all animals—with respect, and leave the snake-handling toreligious cults and professional herpetologists.

Snakebite First Aid

do some work in the Tumacacoris, SantaRitas, southern Peloncillos, Chiricahuas, andthe Dos Cabeza Mountains.

Tortoise killed by fire, south side of Catalinas

natural fire regime. Unfortunately, fireis notoriously hard to control.

“Conflagrations are bad for the snakeregardless of how they are lit. Careful fireplanning and management can help fed-eral land managers walk the fine line be-tween restoring the snake’s habitat andburning it to cinders,” Holycross says.

photo by T. Esque, U

SG

S

photo by Andy H

olycross


Aaron Hall has just finished his first yearat the University of Arizona College of Law.Aaron grew up in Tucson and is a graduateof Salpointe High School. After graduatingfrom the University of Oregon with a de-gree in Philosophy, and minors in bothSpanish and Environmental Studies, hespent two years in the Peace Corps in Hon-duras. In Honduras, Aaron established wa-ter supply and health projects for commu-nities, and facilitated the development ofeco-tourism with an indigenous village.Aaron will spend the first part of the sum-mer at a summer school program inGuanajuato, Mexico, studying the Mexicanlegal system. Upon his return to Tucson atthe end of June, Aaron’s knowledge ofMexican law, and Spanish-speaking abilitywill help us to begin some much-needed

A Big Sky Island Welcome to Our Summer 2003 Legal Interns!by Rachel Kondor, SIA Ecosystem Defense and Policy Director

This summer will be a productive one for the legal departmenthere at the Sky Island Alliance. I am anxiously awaiting fourfantastic legal minds whom I will put to work the minute they

step through the door at the end of May.research on national Mexican law, and thestate laws of Sonora and Chihuahua.

Leonardo (Lenny) Alvarado will be start-ing his last year at the UA Law School thisfall. Lenny is a fluent Spanish speaker aswell. He graduated from Fort Lewis Col-lege in Durango with a degree in Interna-tional Relations, and from the University ofArizona with a Master’s in American IndianStudies. In law school, Lenny is active inthe Native American Law Students Asso-ciation, where he acts as co-chair, and hasalso worked in the Tribal Law Clinic. Oneof his projects there included doing researchon the ruling by the Inter-American Courtof Human Rights against the Nicaraguangovernment for illegal logging concessionson indigenous territory. Lenny’s Spanish-speaking ability and background in Native

American issues will assist us in researchrelated to tribal issues, as well as Mexicanlegal systems.

Jennifer Wolfsong will be joining us againthis summer. She has been with us since lastsummer when she worked full-time, and shestayed on part-time throughout the schoolyear. She has been a great addition to ourstaff here at SIA because she is a diligentresearcher, excellent writer, and all aroundfun person to work with. She has workedon a variety of issues while at SIA and re-cently she played a key role in respondingto a Bush Administration proposal to changethe regulations under the National ForestManagement Act. Jennifer’s commentspointed out in no uncertain terms how theproposals did not comport with the letter ofthe law or the intent of the National ForestManagement Act. In addition to her dutiesin the legal department, Jennifer is alsotraining to be a wildlife tracking volunteer;she’s taken a “multiple-use” approach whileworking at SIA!

Vanessa Gross is just finishing her firstyear at the College of Law. She gradu-ated from Kenyon College in Ohio witha degree in Anthropology and Spanishliterature, and also received a Master’sin Social Work from Arizona State. Be-fore beginning law school, she workedfor the Nature Conservancy for severalyears as their membership coordinator.Vanessa has a deep commitment to com-munity service and volunteerism. Shecontinued to volunteer for the Conser-vancy for several years after leaving herofficial position there, has volunteeredfor Big Brothers Big Sisters, and was aboard member and volunteer for the St.Patrick’s Educational Society. Vanessawill be volunteering for us half time thissummer and we are really looking for-ward to her help!

Our interns always bring a huge amountof energy and enthusiasm to the office dur-ing the summer months. Please welcomethem to the Sky Island family!

When out in the field, it’s likely you’ll be surrounded by a caf-eteria of culinary delights! One group of field flora we wel-come each spring is the prickly pear. The most common species

found in the bajadas surrounding your favorite Sky Islands will likely beOpuntia engelmannii-Engelman’s prickly pear. All species of prickly pearare edible, and the young tender pads (nopales) found in the spring to earlysummer are the best choice.

La DinamitaLa DinamitaLa DinamitaLa DinamitaLa Dinamita

My father-in-law and Tomas’ grandfa-ther was born in Clifton, AZ. Among hisoccupations was herding sheep in south-eastern Arizona and southwestern NewMexico. Food in the backcountry wasenlivened with his “dry” salsa, which dueto the chiltepin content was aptly namedLa Dinamita! This dry and light salsacan be carried all over Sky Island trails.Shelf life is not likely to be an issue as it’sdoubtful that any pathogen would messwith chiltepin! And you may find it soflavorful anyway that you’ll have it con-sumed in a very short time.

60-chiltepin2-tablespoons garlic powder2-teaspoons salt20-dried leaves of epazote

On the Trail-Food from the Fieldby Tomas and Tom Taylor-Mesa, AZ

To harvest young pads, you’ll need a pairof tongs and your pocketknife. Pliers willwork, if used with a light touch, for the tongs.Or you can fashion tongs out of mesquitetwigs and use them like chopsticks.

Once you have a dozen or so tender pads,you will need to remove the spines. Holddown the edge where the pad was removedfrom the mother plant with your tongs andscrape off the spines with your knife. Flipthe pad over and repeat. Then trim about aquarter inch off the edge of the pad circum-ference. Next, wash the pads in cool water,and then cut into bite-sized chunks. Placethe cut nopalitos in a pot of water and steamfor five to 10 minutes or until tender. Duringthe steaming process, a gooey liquidbyproduct will form, similar to okra. Removethe pads and wash in cool to cold water.(Note: The goo can be saved to apply topi-cally to minor abrasions or to soothe sunburn,or you can save it to thicken chile powderinto a gravy.)

You can then sauté the nopalitos with on-ion, garlic, oregano and bacon bits, or add toscrambled eggs!

Nopalitos have a distinct vegetable taste(like okra or green beans) and are nutritious,with vitamins A and C, dietary fiber, pro-

tein, calcium, iron, ash, potassium, and arefat free. They are especially good for diabet-ics. The liquid was also utilized in the reno-vation of the Mission San Javier del Bac.Added to mortar, it lets moisture evaporateout of the walls, unlike modern petroleumproducts that trap moisture. Let’s hear it for“old school!”Summer WSummer WSummer WSummer WSummer Wine and the Livin’ isine and the Livin’ isine and the Livin’ isine and the Livin’ isine and the Livin’ is

Easy! Native Fish are Jumpin’ andEasy! Native Fish are Jumpin’ andEasy! Native Fish are Jumpin’ andEasy! Native Fish are Jumpin’ andEasy! Native Fish are Jumpin’ and

the Saguaro Fruit is High!the Saguaro Fruit is High!the Saguaro Fruit is High!the Saguaro Fruit is High!the Saguaro Fruit is High!

In the heat of summer, while in the vicin-ity of Martinez Canyon monitoring translo-cated native fish, we often harvest saguarofruit. One of the products of the fruit har-vest is a delicious, sweet desert wine. (Note:We are on BLM land and per BLM stateoffice, the harvesting of saguaro fruit for per-sonal use is allowed without a permit.)

In May the saguaro cactus are in bloom,and in late June through July you can har-vest the red plum-shaped fruits. You will bein for some competition with white-wingeddoves for this sweet, delectable fruit!

To harvest saguaro fruit you will need twodry saguaro ribs that will extend to 15 to 20feet bound together with baling wire. A fewinches from the tip of this pole, wire a cross-

member rib a few inches long. You can usean upward or downward stroke on the fruit.Try to catch the fruit as it falls in a five-gallonbucket (it’s best to work in a team of two).Any fruit with a pinkish blush is ripe for use.

Once you fill your bucket, return to campand split open the “pears” and remove thefruit, seeds and all. Place all this in a pot ofcool water and cook to a bright juice consis-tency. After an hour or so of cooking, pourthe entire contents through a strainer into abucket. Pour this liquid into a glass or claycontainer and cover. Make sure cover is not

airtight. Place in a shaded, room-tempera-ture area. Taste daily. Figure on two to fourdays for fermentation. Be careful, there’s afine line of time between wine and vinegar.

Note: Save the strained fruit pulp. It canbe air dried into cakes for consumption.

Salsa Recipes

Ripe, pulpy saguaro fruits, yumm!

Place all ingredients in an old coffeegrinder or molcajete (stone grinder) andgrind to a superfine powder to pour froma salt shaker. Note: All measurements areinexact. Adjust to your own tolerance!Salsa de Chile ChipotleSalsa de Chile ChipotleSalsa de Chile ChipotleSalsa de Chile ChipotleSalsa de Chile Chipotle

1-16 oz can tomato Sauce6-sprigs cilantro, stalks and leaves1-tablespoon Mexican oregano½-tablespoon salt5-smoked, dried jalapenos4-garlic clovesToss all ingredients in a blender, and

blend to a smooth liquid consistency.Add or subtract from indicatedamounts to adjust flavor and heat ac-cording to your needs and tolerances!Shelf life of this salsa on the trail is twodays or so if stuffed down in the coolinnards of your backpack, or five to sixdays if refrigerated.

by Tomas and Tom Taylor


the wild roses were earlythis year—a few pale bloomsfaint-scentedin the hot air, fleckedwith blackfrom fires upwind, drivencloser ridge by ridge—forestgrass and thorn flamed downto the bone flakes of white, papery ash fall around us—blackened pine needles puzzle-bits of charred bark ashen supper for spiders tonight one sweep of cool wind then, again —the oven’s open door in the nighta light spatter on the roof...and today, my son’s birthday, a deluge!thunder and hail and the riveralready rising—todaynew roses open deep pinkand smelling like rain

—V. Bodner

We livein a world of Power

the sky hurls ice and fire, cracks its own shell strikes! straight to the heart

sparked by lightning [deep in the forest—did anyone see?]this fire, “our” fire, has lost all sense of proportion we say and call it WILD as it heads for ranches at the top of our valley now marked for evacuation

the school cafeteria crowdedanxious, weathered faces “are the cattle all out?” “are you sure everyone knows?” “what if someone won’t leave?” “what about my chickens?”“we’ll do all we can” “find each other...help each other” “that’s the way it works” Dolores adds —sun and soot, sweat the hot, hot wind

past the roadblock sharp smell of smoke sudden chillfor the forest and all its life

we stop at our neighbor’s“no relief in sight—the forecast saysmore wind this way—”

by the dry-mud streambed our cabin a twisted old pine by the doorwe rake pine needles and sit down to wait

no sweeter sound rain on the metal roof...

lightning and thunder hail and drenching rain

pools form tracks of small animals layer by layer dissolve and float downstream

in pouring rain a blackbird splashing and splashing in the river

Storm swallows Fire—monstrous thirst finally quenched

...for now at least simmering sleep in the soft ash

we live in a world of power

—V. Bodner


educate a group of schoolchildren aboutfire and southwestern forests. It’s a cleverdevice because it naturally extends the les-son to the reader. One senses Doc’s pa-tience and the understated value of thefenced experimental plot outside Flagstaffwhere the forest of long ago has been res-urrected. Pyne seems at his best in the firstperson and like kindling many of his small-est pieces burn brightest, among them Fire-bug and Almost Lost. The latter, probablymy favorite, catches the author at his mostreflective on a night when he is acciden-tally locked in a bathroom. Like a truefirefighter Pyne jury rigs a way out (I won’tspoil it) while at the same time makingsubtle commentary about those who pur-sue graduate degrees and those who workin the woods. It’s only two pages but thehumor glitters like broken glass in a firepitand provides us an endearing glimpse ofthe man behind the pen.

I’ll admit to being surprised by portionsof Smokechasing. Pyne neither panders tothe greens by proclaiming fire itself a curefor sick forests, nor does he reduce fire toa blunt instrument. He writes no sweep-ing policy and offers no panacea. But hedoes treat fire with the respect your par-ents always told you it deserved. No mat-ter what aspect of fire you are most inter-ested in, Smokechasing will probably sat-isfy. It’s not slash and burn writing, but itdoes smolder with accumulated wisdom,and in its own way raises an alarm or two.

About half the essays in the book arenew, many have been substantially re-worked, and nearly all of them strive toreconfigure the way we relate to fire. It’sno easy task because fire is inextricablylinked to who we are as a culture and, asPyne makes clear, “fire regimes express thevalues, institutions, and beliefs of their sus-taining societies.” To flesh out this pointPyne takes us on a tour of various coun-tries and continents. In Africa, Australia,New Zealand, and other places we see howfire has interacted with climate, geography,wildlife and, most importantly, humans,taking on a unique character in each in-stance. We are also introduced to whatPyne refers to as the two great combus-tion realms: those of industrial fire andopen fire. Industrial fire involves the burn-ing of fossil fuels, whether in diesel enginesor steel mills, aircraft or tractors. It usu-ally follows and displaces the more primi-tive fires of agricultural societies, alteringand often extinguishing what were oncetraditional uses for flame. The influences

by Bob VanDeven

The spring grasses have withered and the dry winds of summercarry whiffs of smoke and Phos-Chek—memories of last year’sfire season. If the Bullock Fire of 2002 seems far removed, or if

you’re new to Tucson, then drive up the Catalina Highway, park at theAspen vista point and survey nearly 35,000 acres of matchstick trees andcauterized slopes, aprons of ash reaching almost to the San Pedro River.Now think about the Rodeo-Chedeski fire that took out nearly half amillion acres and God knows how many homes and you begin to feel anancient and pragmatic fear of this potent force. Yet fire is also useful,natural, and often necessary—in a word, complex. Author Stephen Pynehas been immersed in this complexity, both literally and figuratively, formost of his adult life. A veteran of 15 fire seasons on the North Rim ofthe Grand Canyon and author of 15 books (at least nine of them on fire),he has perhaps a broader platform than anyone from which to speak. Inhis latest, Smokechasing, he heaps together a collection of essays nearlyas combustible as his namesake.

of industrial fire, Pyne claims, are scarcelyunderstood but one thing is certain, indus-trial fire has changed the way we apply orcontrol open fire.

Pyne continues with an examination ofhow modern Americans confront fire. Hisessay The Source illustrates perhaps bet-ter than any single piece how history andculture intersect to generate policy. In the19th century many rural Americans prac-ticed “light burning” in which duff andunderbrush were ignited to prevent trueconflagrations and/or to open the understory for grazing, but in 1910 the “BigBlowup” ripped through half a dozen statesand on into Canada, killing at least 78firefighters and costing the fledgling For-est Service a million dollars. Suddenly thedebate over fire policy contracted to justtwo alternatives: light burning or total firecontrol. But Pyne correctly asks why onlytwo choices should have been consideredand in exposing the false frontiers of thedebate he makes his best case for what hecalls fire-as-biology. This new way of look-

ing at fire eschews both fire-as-tool and fire-as-natural,both mere slogans in Pyne’seyes and both equally inad-equate as prescriptions for firepolicy. Fire is more than atool, it’s a necessary compo-nent of most ecosystems anda desirable component of pas-toral life. Likewise fire,though a natural phenom-enon, can and does burn inunnatural and unhealthyways; the Bullock Fire, a de-structive crown fire uncom-mon in pre-settlement ponde-rosa forests, stands as a goodexample of this. Instead, Pyneargues, fire needs to be con-sidered in the context of whatthe land needs and what it hasto give. It’s a point that sur-faces repeatedly in his writing.

Pyne has a voice uniqueamong fire chroniclers oreven nature writers in gen-eral—tinged with humor, eru-dite, and passionate. Yet hisstyle can at times seem inac-cessible, especially when thereader stumbles over wordslike swiddener, impauperate,or revanchist. One can’t helpwondering if nine books andnumerous articles have said allthere is to say, turning Pyneto the task of finding new ways to say it.Still, it’s hard to imagine a more thoroughor intelligent treatment of the subject andas we journey from Paleolithic Europe toGhana to the forests of the San FranciscoPeaks we witness new pieces of the firemosaic skillfully tapped into place. DocSmith’s History Lesson is a wonderful,evenly paced essay in which we watch Doc

“Prescribed fire

does not need more

policy. It needs a

poet.”

—Stephen J. Pyne

Smokechasing Smolders with Wisdom

Little Rincons, continued from

back coverThe Little Rincons see moderate hunting in the deer season. Hik-

ers and campers occasionally take advantage of the range, the lat-ter utilizing a number of undeveloped sites along Paige Creek andAsh Creek. The lush cottonwoods and sycamores are particularlyattractive to birdwatchers and even though the high granite faceshave lured a few rock climbers, most prefer more accessible routesin other ranges. ATV use is common along Forest Road 35, whichis the primary access to the area, as well as on various spurs andwildcat roads.

ATV use has increased greatly in the Little Rincons, due in partto easy access along Forest Road 35. Riders have pushed deeperinto unprotected wilderness areas, in particular ignoring signs andbarriers in the bed of Paige Creek at the north end of the range.Overgrazing is also evident in much of the Little Rincons and thefragile, xeric soils rebound slowly if at all from such impacts. Wil-derness designation would protect these fragile soils from the rav-ages of motorized abuse. Overgrazing is being adressed throughthe allotment review process.

photo by Bob V

anDeven


Become a SIA Program

Fund Donor

• Mexico—the Chihuahua ResearchStation in Janos, and the JaguarProgram in Sonora.

Please make your check out to SkyIsland Alliance, with a note in the Memoline about which fund you’d like to sup-port. We’ll make sure your money goesto the programs that mean the most toyou, and we’ll send you reports!

• Comfy couch or recliner for office

• Comfy office chairs in good condition

• Office supplies: copier paper, postage stamps, etc.

• Mac-compatible, large-screen monitor for layout

• barstools for our map table

All the necessary road closures, track-ing workshops, and wilderness advocacygets done only with extra funding, soplease consider a special donation to oneof the following funds:

• Roads & Restoration,• Wildlife Monitoring (Tracking),• Missing Link,• Wilderness, and

Stories in this issue and the Spring issue have been featuring pro-

jects in our Rewilding Program: road inventory and restoration,wilderness work, wildlife monitoring and the Missing Link, our

Dragoons Restoration Demonstration Area.

Join UsSky Island Alliance

If you received this newsletter and it’s time to renew your member-ship, please send in your check! If you are reading a friend’s news-letter, consider joining us! We rely on members for our basic opera-

tions. Contributions are tax-deductible; we are a 501(c)3 organization.Basic membership is only $25, but if you add a little to that, here’s

a sampling of what your dollars can do:•$50 will help us survey 30 miles of roads.•$75 will sponsor volunteer training workshops.•$100 will close one mile of road.

Your Name ________________________________________________

Address____________________________________________________

City ____________________________ State _____ Zip ____________

Phone _______________ E-Mail ______________________________

Thank you!

Sky Island Alliance

P.O. 41165Tucson, AZ 85717

Sky Island Alliance Summer–Fall

2003 Field ScheduleSky Island Alliance would like to thank the following individuals. Each of these 214

volunteers donated time in the field or office. Without these folks, Sky Island Alliancecould not do the good work. Joe Cicero, entomologist extraordinaire, was the Volun-teer of the Year, donating more than 240 hours! Thanks Joe! And thank you again to allour great volunteers!

Brandy Acuna, Adam Adorisio, LoriAndersen, Barry Anderson, Paul Bagley, GretaBalderrama, Acasia Berry, Rob Betasso, NickBleser, Steve Bless, Gita Bodner, John Boone,Curt Bradley, Dorita Brady, Debbie Brewer,George Bromley, Dan Brudno, Janay Brun,Cyndi Bush, James Byers, Joan Calcagno,Josh Campbell, Clinton Cates, MichaelChamberland, Anna Mary Childs, Jack Childs,Dyna Chin, Joe Cicero, Matt Clark, LaurelClarke, Sid Clarke, Marie Claude Perigon,Matt Colvin, Paul Condon, Steve Condon,Neva Connolly, Cullen Cramer, Sky Crosby,Sarah Curtiss, Jack Davis, Marybeth Dawson,Roy Dawson, Dana DeBalko, DavidDewenter, Sonya Diehn, Darry Dolan, FranDostillo, Russell Duncan, Dave Eerkes, JoanEerkes, Gerry Engel, Jessica Faustini, DeenaFishbein, Julia Fonseca, Frog, Mike Fugali,Chris Fuhrman, Ron Furhman, Samm Fuller,Joe Gendron, Rochell Gerret, Lyssa Goins,Grant Gourley, Wade Goyetche, Robert Grant,Randy Gray, Larry Green, Jeanmarie Haney,Robbie Hannawacker, Kevin Hansen, BrittHanson, Jonathon Hanson, Roseann Hanson,Cassidy Hare, Delaney Hare, Janet Hare,Mark Harris, Chris Hass, Lisa Haynes, MikeHeadrick, Katy Heck, Susan Hess, AmberHodges, David Hof, Jeff Hoff, Kelly Huber,Mike Huckaby, Ron Hummel, Mike Iorio, SkyJacobs, Renee Janaway, Frank Jents, ChrisJohnson, Greg Johnson, Cory Lee Jones,Linda Jones, Jen Katcher, Frank Kirshner,Rob Klotz, Sam Knowlden, Rachel Kondor,Jane Kroesen, Bill Kurtz, Ellie Kurtz, LisaLabita, Kenneth Langton, Mike LeBlanc,Lainie Levick, Brie Love, Gregg Magee, Kelsey

Mahoney, Robert Mann, Steve Marlett,Carolyn McCallister, Nell McCallum, SharonMcDonough-Means, Brad McRae, RindaMetz, Alyssa Miller, Amanda Moors, SueMorse, Ken Mroczek, Sheri Murphy, JudithMusick, Aletris Neils, Will Nelson, AmyNewhall, Doug Newton, Stepahanie Nichols-Young, Jim Notestine, Anne O’Brien, DanielPatterson, Steve Pavlik, Penny Pederson, CarolPowell, Erin Pruett, Janice Pryzbyl, AnnaRanek, Paulo Ranek, Michele Redmond, SeanMichael Reed, Judy Reed, Kurt Rinehart, SusieRinehart, Ted Reynolds, Jenny Roberts,Joanne Roberts, Iris Rodden, James Roemer,Phil Rosen, Barbara Rosensimon, Julie Ross,Michelle Rudy, Cheryl Ryan, Aleka Sage, DugSchoellkopf, AJ Schneller, Todd Schram,Michael Scialadone, Nancy Seever, BrianSegee, Mike Seidman, Randy Serraglio,Jeniene Shaffer, Misty Shafiqullah, SalekShafiqullah, Harley Shaw, Alyssa Shiel, JonShumaker, Oscar Simpson, Rhiwena Slack,Tom Slawson, April Smith, Randy Smith, GregSower, Birdie Stabel, Eric Stanford, PattyStern, Donna Stevens, Van Stevens, JoeStevens, Renell Stewart, Ron Stewart, KellyStoos, Don Swann, Sara Thibault, MirandaThornton, William Thornton, Priscilla Titus,Jonathon Titus, Nick Toberg, Christina Tonelli,Jean Tsai, Dale Turner, Elizabeth Venable,Cora Veras, Robert Villa, Peggy Vincent, MaryVint-Moore, Terri Volk, Dale Volz, TiffanyVolz, David Warnack, Vickie Warner, CathyWaterman, Stephanie Weinstein, BarbaraWellman, Bill Wellman, Ann Wendland, Mer-lin Wheeler, Kenny Wilcoxon, Natasha Winnik,Marilyn Wright-Germain, Nancy Zierenberg.

Please contact the Sky Island Alliance office at 520.624.7080 [email protected] if you are interested in attending anyof the following events.

June 20-23. Riparian InventorJune 20-23. Riparian InventorJune 20-23. Riparian InventorJune 20-23. Riparian InventorJune 20-23. Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Weekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Val-al-al-al-al-leyleyleyleyley..... Join the Sky Island Alliance’s Riparian Inventory/Monitoring Program in aproject to assess the San Rafael Valley as a site for the conservation and manage-ment of our sensitive riparian fauna. 2.0 hours from Tucson.

June 27-July 2. Blue Range-Black River InventorJune 27-July 2. Blue Range-Black River InventorJune 27-July 2. Blue Range-Black River InventorJune 27-July 2. Blue Range-Black River InventorJune 27-July 2. Blue Range-Black River Inventoryyyyy..... Beat the heat and headnorth into cool conifer forests with us to monitor and inventory areas that had ahigh proliferation of roads when inventoried in years past. If you can’t make thewhole trip, come when you can. 4.0 hours from Tucson.

July 11-13. Riparian InventorJuly 11-13. Riparian InventorJuly 11-13. Riparian InventorJuly 11-13. Riparian InventorJuly 11-13. Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Weekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Veekend. San Rafael Val-al-al-al-al-leyleyleyleyley..... Join the Sky Island Alliance’s Riparian Inventory/Monitoring Program in aproject to assess the San Rafael Valley as a site for the conservation and manage-ment of our sensitive riparian fauna. 2.0 hours from Tucson.

August 29-September 1. WAugust 29-September 1. WAugust 29-September 1. WAugust 29-September 1. WAugust 29-September 1. Wilderilderilderilderilderness Boundarness Boundarness Boundarness Boundarness Boundary Sury Sury Sury Sury Surveyveyveyveyvey. Chiricahua Moun-. Chiricahua Moun-. Chiricahua Moun-. Chiricahua Moun-. Chiricahua Moun-tains. tains. tains. tains. tains. Join the Sky Island Alliance as we revisit a favorite haunt! We will camp inPinery Canyon and looking at the northern boundary of the existing ChiricahuaWilderness. Trogons! Ridge-nose rattlers! Coatis! 2.5 hours from Tucson.

September 12-14. Riparian InventorSeptember 12-14. Riparian InventorSeptember 12-14. Riparian InventorSeptember 12-14. Riparian InventorSeptember 12-14. Riparian Inventory and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Wy and Monitoring Weekend. Saneekend. Saneekend. Saneekend. Saneekend. SanRafael VRafael VRafael VRafael VRafael Valleyalleyalleyalleyalley..... Join the Sky Island Alliance’s Riparian Inventory/MonitoringProgram in a project to assess the San Rafael Valley as a site for the conservationand management of our sensitive riparian fauna. 2.0 hours from Tucson.

September 19-21. TSeptember 19-21. TSeptember 19-21. TSeptember 19-21. TSeptember 19-21. Tumacacori Mountains Roads Inventorumacacori Mountains Roads Inventorumacacori Mountains Roads Inventorumacacori Mountains Roads Inventorumacacori Mountains Roads Inventory and Advocacyy and Advocacyy and Advocacyy and Advocacyy and AdvocacyTTTTTrip.rip.rip.rip.rip. Threatened Landscape! Join us as we inventory the roads on the south andwest side of the Tumacacori Mountains. On Sunday we will have a presentationon the area and natural history hikes. The Tumacacori Mountains have some ofthe largest diversity of sub-tropical species in the US. 2.0 hours from Tucson.

October 3-5. Roads, Riparian Areas, and Biological Surveys. PeloncilloOctober 3-5. Roads, Riparian Areas, and Biological Surveys. PeloncilloOctober 3-5. Roads, Riparian Areas, and Biological Surveys. PeloncilloOctober 3-5. Roads, Riparian Areas, and Biological Surveys. PeloncilloOctober 3-5. Roads, Riparian Areas, and Biological Surveys. PeloncilloMountains and San BerMountains and San BerMountains and San BerMountains and San BerMountains and San Bernarnarnarnarnardino Vdino Vdino Vdino Vdino Valleyalleyalleyalleyalley. . . . . The Peloncillos are the only Sky Islandmountain range that stretches from Mexico to the Gila River! We will be doing avariety of work both in the mountains and down in the valley. 4.0 hours fromTucson.

October 10-12. Sky Island Festival.October 10-12. Sky Island Festival.October 10-12. Sky Island Festival.October 10-12. Sky Island Festival.October 10-12. Sky Island Festival. Stay tuned for lots of big adventures!Parties! Lectures! Hikes!

or join online at www.skyislandalliance.org

Wish List

Thanks, folks!


Sky Island AllianceP.O. Box 41165

Tucson, AZ 85717

The Little Rincon Mountains—No Small Glory

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PPPPPAIDAIDAIDAIDAID

Permit #Tucson, AZ

The Little Rincons cling like parentheses to the eastern flank of their sister range, embracing two majordrainages and some of the most rugged country in southeastern Arizona. The main body of the rangeis a jumbled wilderness of granite slabs and boulders, concealing secret waterholes and narrow canyons.

Less foreboding are the lower elevations where streamside galleries of cottonwood, willow, and sycamore meanderthrough grassy hills and the aptly named Happy Valley. Providing both a peaceful escape from the modernhustle and bustle and a challenge to the adventurous, the Little Rincons are emblematic of Sky Island diversity.

North Star Peak stands at 6,041 feet abovesea level, the highest point in the range and arocky vantage point from which to survey thelower slopes and drainages. All precipitationfalling in the Little Rincons will eventuallyreach the San Pedro River, some coursingdown the eastern slopes on a short journeyand some flowing west into either Paige Creekor Ash Creek which arc around the north andsouth ends of the range, respectively. Thesetwo drainages support long groves of cotton-wood, ash, willow, and sycamore and providehabitat for javelina, Sonoran chub, leopardfrogs, and countless migratory songbirds.

Most of the lower portions of the range, in-cluding Happy Valley, are semidesert grass-land while higher slopes support Madrean ev-ergreen woodland. Saguaros and associatedSonoran Desert species also occur at certainlow-elevation sites and south-facing slopes.The Little Rincons contain a surprising de-gree of geological diversity as well, from thegranite towers of the high country to lime-stone and Dripping Springs quartzite at thenorthern end of the range. Long ago contactmetamorphism—brought about by the intru-sion of Catalina Gneiss—changed some of thelimestone to marble and today one can findlarge, polished blocks lodged between wallsof black basalt in certain canyons.

Both whitetail and mule deer populate theLittle Rincons, along with black bears, moun-

tain lions, and coatimundis, which take ad-vantage of the solitude and biological pro-ductivity of this isolated range. The USForest Service manages most of the LittleRincons as part of the Catalina RangerDistrict.

There are no developed trails withinthis rugged range although two thatclimb into the larger Rincon Range, theMiller Creek and Turkey Creek trails,begin on the edge of the proposed wil-derness. One unmaintained route leadsto Hidden Pasture; although it appearsas a trail on some maps it is difficult foreven the most seasoned hiker to find. TheLittle Rincons offer adventurous soulsthe opportunity to truly leave civilizationbehind and enter a maze of boulder-choked canyons, soaring monoliths, andsilent amphitheaters.

The Little Rincons link the largerRincon Mountains with the San PedroRiver. They are a small but valuable step-ping stone in the Sky Island chain, espe-cially in light of the lush and productivedrainages that line their western flanks.Both zone-tailed hawks and black hawksnest along Paige Creek, and several spe-cies of bat roost in the abundant crevassesand shallow caves that pockmark therange. Paige Creek also hosts at least twospecies of native fish and has been tar-geted by the Forest Service for removal ofnon-natives .

The Little Rincons are an importantcomponent of the San Pedro watershed,channeling and mitigating the movementof water into Paige and Ash Creeks.

continued on page 14

Newsletter of the Sky Island Alliance Vol. 6 Issue 2 ...€¦ · Jennifer Wolfsong Board of...

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