Bighorn Sheep

Death, Rabies, Snow, Dazzling Cactus – 4/28/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Storm over Samaniego Ridge - above Rainbows End Wash west of Double Tank. March 2016.
Storm over Samaniego Ridge – above Rainbows End Wash west of Double Tank. March 2016.

Three bighorn sheep die, mountain lion is killed – tucson.com: In the month of April 3 ewes were killed mountain lions and two mountain lions associated with the deaths were killed. Arizona Game and Fish now reports the number of living collared Bighorn in the Santa Catalina Mountains to be 38 while estimating the number of bighorn in the range at 80+.

Rabid Skunks have been confirmed in a number of Pima County locations including the Summerhaven area in the Santa Catalina Mountains – avoid contact with and don’t approach wildlife that are behaving abnormally or appear to be ill. If you believe that you see a rabid animal, call AZGFD at 1-623-236-7201 or the Pima County Health Department at (520) 724-7797 immediately. More information on rabies from the CDC. AZ Game and Fish expands rabid skunk warning – TucsonNewNow, State issues warning about rabid skunks – KGUN9.

Take a Hike: Seven Falls trail is a great to get out and see Sonoran beauty – The Daily Wildcat, Springtime in Sabino Canyon: An excursion into beauty – tucson.com, Tucson Desert bursts into dazzling cactus bloom – tucson.com: Great hikes, destinations and inspiration in this collection of articles.

Snow on Mount Lemmon, rain for Tucson – tucson.com: Snow! While this article doesn’t have any snow covered pictures of the mountain it does briefly note that in early April a storm managed to bring snow and ice to the mountain – maybe for the last time this season?

In April Mauricio Carreon-Maltos died in the Seven Falls area – there was a large multi-agency search for him – unfortunately with a tragic ending. From a post on the Southern Arizona Rescue Association Facebook page:

On Saturday, April 16, Pima County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue unit and SARA concluded the longest and most intensive search in Pima County since August of 2004. SARA is deeply saddened of the outcome and extends our heartfelt condolences to family of Mauricio Carreon-Maltos.

Ultimately, local Pima County volunteer SAR teams supplied over 1600 person-hours. SARA is especially grateful for the assistance of the volunteer ground, dog, and mounted search teams from Pima, Pinal, Maricopa, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai counties, and for the other agencies involved, all of whom together supplied an additional nearly 1200 hours to the seven-day search effort. Many thanks also to the watchful and attentive public during this time. Thank you.

Search continues for missing hiker in Sabino Canyon – Tucson News Now, Manpower increases in Day 3 of search for missing hiker – KVOA.com, Search continues for hiker missing since Friday – Tucson News Now, Mother of missing hiker speaks out about her son – Tucson News Now, Hiker’s body found in Sabino Canyon – KVOA.com, Family mourns death of missing hiker – KVOA.com.

 

Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter – :

  • Ventana Trail 3/3/2016 – A hiker on the trail after dark without a light was unable to follow the trail somewhere below Maiden Pools – a friend was able to help her down the trail.
  • Romero Canyon 3/4/2016 – Two hikers were separated on the way back from Romero Pools – one was reported missing but eventually made it back to the trailhead without assistance.
  • Seven Falls 3/7/2016 – A group of hikers was worried about continuing after sunset in the rain – in the end they made it back to the trailhead without needing assistance.
  • Seven Falls 3/10/2016 – A cardiac arrest resulted in a hiker being declared deceased on the trail and flown out from Seven Falls. Hiker with medical issue dies at Seven Falls – tucson.com.
  • Agua Caliente Canyon 3/15/2016 – A hiker requested help after attempting to hike down canyon – he was met and helped out via trails in the area.
  • Romero Canyon Trail 3/17/2016 – An exhausted hiker is able to hike out with assistance.
  • Seven Falls Trail 3/18/2016 – A hiker with an injured ankle is assisted out by stokes and mule.
Double Tank - State Trust Land outside of Oracle Junction near Rainbows End Wash and Arizona 77. April 2016.
Double Tank – State Trust Land outside of Oracle Junction near Rainbows End Wash and Arizona 77. April 2016.

Lambs, Lions, Death – 3/25/2016

Posted - Charles Miles

The Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update for the period ending March 23rd was released this evening:

  • 22 lambs have been observed this season!
  • Ewe #37454 died on March 17 – the cause of death was mountain lion predation and state of the carcass indicated that multiple mountain lions fed on the ewe. The mountain lions were pursued and a subadult mountain lion was killed – a female and another subadult mountain lion were subsequently unsuccessfully pursued.
  • The update mentions that “The last mountain lion removal occurred just over two years ago, and this was the fourth lion removed as part of this bighorn sheep reintroduction effort.” (Note that 
  • The update puts the “total potential population” at 89 bighorn sheep, but obviously with just under half the population without collars it is difficult to know the exact number.

Death, Wildflowers, Rescues, Falls – 2/28/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
A Saguaro floating above the shadows on the slopes of Pontatoc Canyon. February 2016.
A Saguaro floating above the shadows on the slopes of Pontatoc Canyon. February 2016.

The latest Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update was recently released:

  • Ewe #39555 was killed by a mountain lion 2/14 or 2/15 – the lion was pursued but not found/killed.
  • 44 collared sheep are known to be alive – with a number of collars out of battery life and continued breeding in the range this count is less relevant than it was 12+ months ago – although the information from this subset of the population is still very interesting.
  • 18 lambs have been seen this season!

Look beyond poppies for additional worthy wildflowers – Arizona Daily Star, Best places to see Arizona’s wildflowers – Arizona Republic: Wildflowers!!! Notes on some of the flowers that are blooming and a mention for Catalina State Park as a great place to see wildflowers.

Hiker injured, rescued from Seven Falls on horseback – Tucson News Now: A leg injury left a hiker unable to walk in the Seven Falls Area – the hiker was taken out on horse by the Southern Arizona Mounted Search and Rescue.

PCSD rescues hiker off of Windy Point – KVOA.com: A hiker fell and suffered a broken leg in “a remote rocky area” near Windy Point – the hiker was flown out by the Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter “SHERIFF 1” – video from the helicopter of the nighttime pick up.

Seven Falls: A magnet for waterfall watchers – Arizona Daily Star: Some details on the popular hike to Seven Falls with a few pictures.

Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:

  • Sutherland Trail 2/12/2016 – A hiker intended to go up Sutherland and then come back down via the Mount Lemmon Trail and Romero Canyon Trail but lost the Sutherland Trail in the snow and was not prepared for night hiking – the hiker was able to hike out with an escort.
  • Romero Canyon Trail 2/21/2016 – A hiker called saying he was ill and in Romero Pass – the hiker was able to hike down and refused help other than gatorade.
Sunset in Pontatoc Canyon. February 2016.
Sunset in Pontatoc Canyon. February 2016.

Balloon, Vandalism, Firescape, Bighorn – 2/14/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Balloon - trash on a hillside above La Milagrosa Canyon - there was a 2nd balloon below... February 2016.
Balloon – trash on a hillside above La Milagrosa Canyon – there was a 2nd balloon below… February 2016.

Balloons floating up into the sky can seem beautiful and symbolic – but after picking up balloons from an astounding number of places in the mountains – including many off-trail destinations with no sign of people/trash for miles – I cringe when I see a piece of floating trash ascending into the sky… For more sad pictures of balloons and a bit more information see Balloons in the Backcountry.

In January a boulder with a petroglyph was pushed over and some surrounding vegetation was damaged in Catalina State Park – if you have any information please contact the Coronado National Forest Supervisor’s Office at (520) 388-8300. It is sad anyone would vandalize a site like this – January was not a great month in regards to vandalism with an incident also reported in Saguaro National Park. Vandalism at Catalina State Park – Coronado National Forest, Catalina State Park vandalism under investigation – Arizona Daily Star, Native American petroglyph vandalized at Catalina State Park – TucsonSentinel.com, Vandals strike Catalina State Park – Tucson News Now.

The comment period for the Catalina-Rincon FireScape Project  is open and the Forest Service is holding several open houses about this project:

  • Saturday, February 20, 2016 – 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Chuck Bowden Mt. Lemmon Community Center, 12949 N. Sabino Canyon Parkway., Mt. Lemmon, AZ
  • Tuesday, February 23, 2016 – 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Oracle Fire Department, 1475 W. American Ave., Oracle, AZ
  • Thursday, February 25 – 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Morris K. Udall Regional Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Rd., Tucson, AZ

The press release from the Forest Service provides this quick summary of the project – “The CRFS is a landscape-scale restoration project that focuses on promoting resilient ecosystems; protecting life, property, and natural resources; and encouraging natural wildland fire to function as a healthy process in the ecosystem” – and the Scoping Notice provides background including:

The fire history recorded by tree rings indicates that, since the beginning of the early 20th century, the frequency of natural fire has decreased dramatically. Tree-ring research has shown that for many centuries, the Santa Catalina and Rincon mountains shared broadly similar fire regimes and ecosystem properties. However, since the early 20th century, natural fire regimes have been significantly altered because of grazing (which removes the fine fuels that carry surface fire) and continued fire suppression.

The latest Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update was recently released:

  • As of 2/10 the total number of lambs confirmed by visual observation is now 13! The Friends of Catalina Bighorn Sheep Facebook page has links to recent video/pictures.
  • Ewe #39540 died in the first part of February – “she had suffered a severe injury to her left front leg in addition to a
    superficial wound on her chest, both injuries likely sustained in a fall” – samples have been sent for disease testing.
  • Test results from Ewe #39554 who died in December indicate that she did not have pneumonia and that injuries sustained in a fall were the likely cause of death.

Coronado National Forest waives fees in honor of Presidents Day – Coronado National Forest: Coronado National Forest will waive fees at most of its day-use recreation sites Monday, February 15, in honor of Presidents Day – Fees are waived generally for day-use areas, such as picnic grounds, developed trailheads and destination visitor centers!

Recreation projects completed on Mt. Lemmon – Coronado National Forest: A recent press release from the Coronado National forest notes several recently complete projects include 22 new interpretive signs along/near the highway and new restrooms at the Cypress Picnic Area and Showers Point Campground.

Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:

  • Finger Rock Trail 1/16/2016 – Hikers descending from Mount Kimball ran out of daylight on the way down the Finger Rock Trail, ended up at Linda Vista Saddle and couldn’t find the way down.
  • Alamo Canyon 1/18/2016 – Hikers returning from Romero Pools ended up in on the slopes of Alamo Canyon.
  • Blackett’s Ridge 1/20/2016 – A fall results in ankle, knee and face injuries – injured hiker was flown out by helicopter.

 

Snow and Ice, Lambs, Babad Do’ag, Missing Hiker – 2/2/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Light Snow in Bear Canyon. February 2016.
Light Snow in Bear Canyon. February 2016.

By mid-day the highway had re-opened – low on the mountain there was no sign of yesterday’s storm – but somewhere before Bear Canyon snow started covering the ground. There was more snow higher on the mountain – and an impressive display of ice on the roadcut above the pullout for the Ridgeline Climbing Area.

Road to Mt. Lemmon closes as storm makes for a chilly Monday – Arizona Daily Star, Storm closes road to Mt. Lemmon – KVOA.com, Monday’s winter storm brings fresh snow to Mount Lemmon – KVOA.com, Road to Mount Lemmon open – Tucson News Now.

Ice on the road cut above the Ridgeline Parking Area. February 2016.
Ice on the roadcut above the Ridgeline Parking Pullout. February 2016.

The latest Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update was recently released:

  • 8 lambs have been confirmed this season!
  • The past several updates have talked about the collars dropping off as the batteries run out – 3 of the collars failed to drop off, but “This does not create any added potential risk to the animals since they are mature adults”.
  • Since the end of 2013 there have been published updates on the project every two weeks – starting in March the plan is to go to once a month updates: “With the continued positive indicators on this project (including a successful November 2015 release and 2013 collars now dropping off as anticipated) the Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project is running smoothly and requiring less intensive management. Coupled with this milestone is an anticipated reduction in the frequency of the current routine bi-weekly project updates. Beginning in March we intend going to a monthly update schedule (issued on the last Friday of each month).”

Hiking around Babad Do’ag Trail – Toni Savanna Photography: a great set of pictures from the Babad Do’ag Trail!

Mt. Lemmon search crews looking for missing hiker – Arizona Daily Star, UPDATE: Hiker who went missing on Mount Lemmon found safe – Tucson News Now: A hiker missing after going for a hike on the Bug Spring Trail was found in good condition.

The Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center recently made a Facebook  post about Sahara Mustard, an invasive species in the Sonoran and Mohave Desert – while I am not aware of Sahara Mustard being found in/around the Santa Catalina Mountains it was interesting to learn more about it – some information from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – and from the TUBB CANYON DESERT CONSERVANCY SAHARA MUSTARD: FAQS:

Sahara Mustard threatens to bring a real “Silent Spring” to the Anza-Borrego Desert and other deserts of the Southwest. Sahara Mustard quickly multiplies to overshadow, poison, and rob water from the wildflower fields and blooming cacti that bring so many visitors from around the world to see the. Eventually, Sahara Mustard can kill even tough creosote, cholla and barrel cacti, literally taking over the desert and turning it into a mustard wasteland devoid of the biodiversity needed to sustain desert wildlife

Ice on the roadcut above the Ridgeline Parking pullout. February 2016.
Ice on the roadcut above the Ridgeline Parking Pullout. February 2016.