Ewe #39553 – killed by a mountain lion northeast of Biosphere 2 – in some previous mountain lion deaths there has been an attempt to kill the responsible lion, but in this case the “predation event occurred outside of the project’s designated area for administrative mountain lion removals, so no attempt was made to locate the lion responsible for the kill.”
Ewe #39551 – cause unknown but predation was ruled out, it does not appear there will be further investigation of this death.
Ewe #39543 – killed by mountain lions – the lions were pursued but the “efforts were unsuccessful”.
As predicted in the last update the collars from sheep released in 2013 have begun to drop off and now only 2 sheep from 2013 remain collared – this reduces the number of collard sheep by 9 and contributes to the drop in collared sheep known to be alive – 57 in the last report, 45 in this report.
Also included in the report is a picture from Brett Blum of the first lamb observed in 2016!
Enjoying cloudy weather on the Nature Trail in Catalina State Park. January 2016.
Mount Lemmon being trashed by visitors, KVOA.com – The snow on the mountain always bring an impressive number of visitors to the mountain and that always results in more trash on the mountain. This article points out that Pima County does not collect trash in Summerhaven and that residents and business owners end up picking up quite a bit of trash left behind by visitors – be sure to properly dispose of all trash and help keep the mountain clean!
Buffelgrass is a non-native species that was introduced to the US in the 1930s as livestock forage and arrived in Tucson shortly before 1940. While now understood to be a threat to the environment and wildlife it was intentionally planted late into the 20th century for purposes such as erosion control.
“In Southern Arizona, rapid spread of buffelgrass and conversion of fire-resistant desert to flammable grassland rivals urban growth and water as the region’s most pressing environmental issue. Buffelgrass has introduced a new wildfire risk into an ecosystem that is not fire adapted. It grows in dense stands, crowds out native plants, and negatively impacts native wildlife species and their habitat. Buffelgrass is considered a particularly serious threat to the saguaro cactus, the iconic plant of the Sonoran Desert Ecoregion, and is extremely detrimental to desert tortoise and mule deer habitat. Desert wildfires worsen the buffelgrass invasion because buffelgrass is able to quickly respond to fires, filling in the newly disturbed areas with seedlings. Buffelgrass not only impacts native ecosystems and conservation efforts, it also poses a serious threat to life, property, tourism and the regional economy. Ecotourism is a cornerstone of the economy of southern Arizona and wildfire in the Sonoran Desert has the potential to disrupt recreational activities and degrade viewscapes. This scenic native desert area attracts millions of tourists every year who contribute billions of dollars to the regional economy; tourism accounts for nearly 40,000 tourism-related jobs, about 12% of total wages in Pima County. Areas most at-risk to buffelgrass invasion are also highly prized real estate where multi million dollar homes are nestled among the saguaros and paloverde trees of the mountain foothills.”
Coming up on January 23 is the annual Beat Back Buffelgrass event – this event is an easy opportunity to volunteer and help with the removal of Buffelgrass – you don’t need any previous experience to join in! The basic details are included below, visit the registration page on the SABCC website to register –
Beat Back Buffelgrass 2016!! January 2016.Beat Back Buffelgrass After Party Poster. January 2016.
Cody Trail – in the snow! January 2016.Oracle Ridge Trail at the junction with the Cody Trail. January 2016.Snow near Point 5466 off the Oracle Ridge Trail. January 2016.Sunset from just off the Oracle Ridge Trail. January 2015.
The elevation in Tucson is around 2,600′ – too low for snow to collect on the ground during the recent storms – but at 4,400′ the American Flag Trailhead outside of Oracle is high enough that there is snow at the trailhead!
At the beginning the Cody Trail alternated between well trodden snow and mud, as I climbed higher the snow became slowly deeper and once I passed the Hijinks Mine there was no trace of anyone coming this way since the storm.
Eventually I reached the junction with the Oracle Ridge Trail – covered in tire tracks – and wandered up to and around point 5466 off the Oracle Ridge Trail before finding a spot to photograph the sunset. Eventually I turned on my headlamp and headed back down the Cody Trail…
The incredible snow in the Santa Catalina Mountains has allowed Ski Valley to open for skiing and snowboarding for the first time this year! But restrictions on travel on the Mount Lemmon Highway have changed a number of times in the past few days – consider calling (520) 547-7510 for ‘nearly current’ road conditions before trying to head up the mountain – Tucson News Now reports that this afternoon there is a long line of cars waiting to go up the mountain and because of over-crowding they are only letting a car go up when one comes down….
The edge of the storm – Pusch Ridge, Linda Vista Trails. January 2016.
Catalina Hwy closed, 2 feet of snow expected this week – Arizona Daily Star: The Catalina Highway was closed because of weather, there was rain in Tucson and by sunset a beautiful layer of clouds covered most of the Santa Catalina Mountains – there should be some great mountain weather over the next week!
Pregnant Ewe #39554 died during this period – a fall appears to be the reason for the death, disease testing has not been completed and the cause of the fall is unknown (although predation has been ruled out). Another bighorn found dead in Catalinas – Arizona Daily Star.
The collars on the Bighorn Sheep released in 2013 are running out of battery life and are expected to drop off in January of 2016 – it seems to me that the information from the collars will be missed, while there will still be quite a few sheep with collars the alerts from the collars have helped provide very interesting mortality information.
The yearly trail restrictions on off-trail travel in the Bighorn Sheep Management Area are now in place and will last until April 30 – this page has the details.
Arizona Zipline Adventures is getting closer to opening – located off of Mt. Lemmon Road past the American Flag Trailhead outside of Oracle Arizona Zipline adventures is planning on offering an eco-zipline tour, hiking trails, gold panning and team building activities with your corporate, family or school groups along with deli style food, camping gear/equipment and locally-sourced goods. New zipline in Oracle provides high and fast adventure over the desert floor – OroValleyVoice.com, Adventures opening soon – CopperArea.com
Kick off 2016 with an invigorating hike – Arizona Daily Star: I hope you have been able to get out and enjoy the great outdoors in 2016 – one option for getting out on the 1st was Arizona State Park’s “First Day Hikes” program that included a hike on the 50-Year Trail in Catalina State Park. Catalina State Park and Oracle State Park host a wide variety of events – well worth checking their calendars for interesting opportunities!
Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:
Box Camp Trail – 11/29: Hikers on the Box Camp Trail decide to continue down rather than hike back up – they loose the trail and one hiker continued on for cell phone reception, he was eventually brought out by helicopter. A search was set in motion for the other hiker who had been found and helped by other hikers.
Finger Rock Trail – 12/4: Hiker ran out of water and becomes exhausted – called for help but was able to continue down.
Injured hiker rescued from Ventana Canyon – Arizona Daily Star: A rescue after a hiker fell 30′ in Ventana Canyon. The SARA report on this incident provided some additional details: “A hiker scrambling around on a rocky pinnacle near the Window pulled loose a handhold and fell about 30 feet. His companion was unable to reach him, but called for help” – the injured hiker was short-hauled out.
A snowy hillside – taken from the ridge south east of Bear Canyon. Tucson and Mount Wrightson in the background. December 2015.
In places the snow has melted – but there is still plenty of snow on the mountain to enjoy!
There were two Bighorn Deaths in the first part of December. Initial lab tests confirm that Ewe #37448 died of pneumonia. Ewe #37441 was killed by a mountain lion. The latest project updated noted that:
A subcontractor to the project used a drone to monitor his dogs during pursuit of the lion that preyed upon Ewe #37441. The Department routinely uses low-level fixed wing and helicopter flights in connection with wildlife management projects. The pursuit was terminated upon the Department learning of use of the drone as the Department has not completed ongoing evaluation of how to best use such technology consistent with all applicable rules and regulations.
Rescues/Accidents/Incidents including information from the SARCI Newsletter:
Romero Pools – 11/1: Hiker missed the first crossing, descended the canyon and was accompanied out after reaching the Canyon Loop.
Blacketts Ridge – 11/5: Hiker with chest pains lifted out
Windy Point – 11/11: Fall
Agua Caliente Canyon – 11/22: Ankle injury while coming down the canyon
Marshall Gulch – 11/27: 30′ Fall
Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement – Open for Comment: This site is focused on the Santa Catalina Mountains, but Grand Canyon National Park is probably of interest to almost anyone in Arizona who loves the outdoors… The comment period is currently open on a new Backcountry Management Plan – if you care about the Grand Canyon it is worth reading. This plan is mentioned here in part because the current Preferred Alternative includes seasonal permits and fees for day hiking to the Colorado River on the major corridor trails and notes the potential for future daily use limits, year round permits and similar policies for other trails. This would be a huge change for hiking in the Grand Canyon – please consider commenting. From the plan:
Implemented on [Backcountry Management Plan] Adoption
Day use permits required seasonally for [the North Kaibab Trail below the Manzanita Resthouse, South Kaibab Trail below the Tip Off and the Bright Angel Trail below the junction with the Tonto Trail]
Expected cost of day use permit at least $5 per person per day
Outreach and user education
User monitoring and data gathering
Protocols for Special Use Permits
Potential Adaptive Management
For [the North Kaibab Trail below Manzanita Resthouse, South Kaibab Trail below the Tip Off and the Bright Angel Trail below the junction with the Tonto Trail]
Implement group size limits (e.g., 30); adjust limits as research determines
Daily use limits (e.g., 250); adjust limits as research determines
Designated days for group or individual events
Day use permits required year-round
Policy for other trails
Snow on the Bug Spring Trail above Bear Canyon. December 2015.
