News

Goats, Fire, Improvements, Restoration, Camp Out – 3/25/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Cliffs below Pusch Peak and Bighorn Mountain in the sunset from the Linda Vista Trails. March 2016.
Cliffs below Pusch Peak and Bighorn Mountain in the sunset from the Linda Vista Trails. March 2016.

The Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update for the period ending March 9 was released earlier in the month – it reports that 19 lambs have now been observed this season and estimates the population could be up to 87 sheep! However the most fascinating Bighorn news for the month was probably Domestic sheep, goats pose threat to Catalina bighorns from the Arizona Daily Star. Signs have been posted at several trailheads warning that domestic sheep and goats can transmit diseases to bighorns – apparently there was a report of someone walking a goat on the Finger Rock Trail. Walking the goat is legal – the signs are meant to discourage people from unknowingly endangering the bighorn sheep in the area.

Hiker with medical issue dies at Seven Falls, Arizona Daily Star: A 62-year-old hiker died on a trip to Seven Falls.

Firefighters extinguish small brush fire on Mt. Lemmon – TucsonNewsNow: A human caused fire near the Butterfly Trail was put out by Mount Lemmon Fire District Crews – a camp grill left burning and unattended has been indicated as the cause.

The plans for Improvements at the Marshall Gulch Trailhead and Picnic Area – “replace restrooms, renovate picnic sites and trailheads, install vehicular bridges over stream, naturalize stream channel, and improve roads and parking areas” – is now listed as expected in July 2016 – Schedule of Proposed Actions for the Coronado National Forest.

Partners continue Lower Bear Canyon restoration – Coronado National Forest: “The Santa Catalina Ranger District, Coronado National Forest and the Sky Island Alliance will continue work on a project in Lower Bear Canyon to remove invasive fountain grass and restore native plants for pollinators and other wildlife. The year-long project is funded by the National Forest Foundation, and is expected to continue through May.”

Some seasonally-closed gates reopen on Mt. Lemmon – Coronado National Forest: This release was from the beginning of March and notes some gates as still closed – while these gates may be open now this is a good reminder that there are a number of gates that close seasonally and warm weather in Tucson may not always be a good indicator about the ice/snow/conditions of road thousands of feet higher up the mountain.

7 runs: Break a sweat, enjoy the party, Arizona Daily Star: A schedule of selected runs including a long running, and quite fun, trail run in Catalina State Park.

A colorful spectacle: Canyons in bloom, Arizona Daily Star: Great wildflower pictures and a call out for the flowers along the Ventana Canyon Trail.

Brief snowstorm blankets Mount Lemmon, KVOA.com – Despite overnight snowfall, Catalina Highway is open, TucsonNewsNow: In early March there was a wonderful storm that, briefly, brought new snow to the mountain!

Introduce the family to camping in a state park, TucsonNewsNow: The Arizona Family Campout Program is taking place in Catalina State Park April 16 and 17 – the program is for families that have little or no camping experience, families are asked to bring some equipment but tents, sleeping mats, chairs, help, knowledge and activities are provided! Registration is required – see the Arizona Family Campout Program page for information.

One of the many rocky points on the ridges below Pusch Peak. March 2016.
One of the many rocky points on the ridges below Pusch Peak. March 2016.

 

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.

 

Catalina State Park Sunsets, Comet, Flowers, Airmen Peak – 1/27/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Mesquite Bosque - Birding Trail, Catalina State Park. January 2016.
Mesquite Bosque – Birding Trail, Catalina State Park. January 2016.

The Catalina Comet was featured on NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day – the picture was taken by Fritz Helmut Hemmerich who has more beautiful shots of the comet on flickr. The information with the picture notes that “Comet Catalina is now outbound from the inner Solar System and will slowly fade in coming months.” The Catalina Comet was discovered by – and named for – the Catalina Sky Survey.

Wildflowers blooming in desert canyons — in midwinter – Arizona Daily Star: A great call out for the flowers that are appearing around the Santa Catalina Mountains! Lucky rain and weather this year…

Recent Santa Catalina Bighorn Videos – there are five new short videos of Bighorns in the Santa Catalina Mountains on YouTube and currently linked on the Friends of Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Facebook Page – a nice contrast to the deaths in recent months!

I recently found the blog Contributing to the Problem – there are several great posts linked on the Hiking in the Santa Catalina Mountains page – I particularly enjoyed Molino Thimble and Airmen Peak that includes a short description of climbing the ‘Molino Thumb’ (southwest of Airmen Peak and labeled ‘The Thumb’ in the Molino Canyon Overview of Bob Kerry’s Backcountry Rockclimbing in Southern Arizona) and references the Airmen Peak page on this site.

Sunset light in Catalina State Park. January 2016.
Sunset light in Catalina State Park. January 2016.
Sutherland Wash in Catalina State Park - running water! January 2016.
Sutherland Wash in Catalina State Park – running water! January 2016.