News

Winter Storm, Pusch Peak – 12/12/2015

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
A line of rain, hail and snow moving towards the mountain. December 2015.
A line of rain, hail and snow moving towards the mountain. December 2015.
Winter storm on the route up to Pusch Peak. December 2015.
Winter storm on the route up to Pusch Peak. December 2015.
In the clouds on Pusch Peak. December 2015.
In the clouds on Pusch Peak. December 2015.
Light thru the clouds from the overlook off the Pusch Peak route. December 2015.
Light thru the clouds from the overlook off the Pusch Peak route. December 2015.

We watched clouds swirl across the mountain peaks in the AM before we started – but Pusch Peak was clear and it looked like a great place to watch the storm… It didn’t take long for the storm to catch us though, waves of precipitation rolled towards and over us, rain first – then hail – then snow, when we reached the peak it had been eaten by the clouds – too cold to linger we started back down.

The Santa Catalina Mountains had several days of winter storm – while the links below are now ‘old’ a number of them have interesting pictures – some showing the snow on the mountain!

Bighorn Capture and Mountain Deaths, Free AZ State Park Entry, Bond Failure – 11/22/2015

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Pusch Ridge - end of the day - from Safford (Sombrero) Peak in the Tucson Mountains. November 2015.
Pusch Ridge – end of the day – from Safford (Sombrero) Peak in the Tucson Mountains. November 2015.

 

The latest Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update includes information on two deaths:

  • As previously reported during the recent November release one captured Bighorn was not released into the mountains – the Bighorn was unable to exit the transport trailer and was taken to the AZGF Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center where he was found to have a femoral fracture and was euthanized. Captured bighorn euthanized because of fractured leg – Arizona Daily Star.
  • The report also covers the death of Ram #34641 whose remains were found by a “hiker … near a mountain peak in the Catalinas”. The cause of death is currently unknown ” due to the age of the remains”.

With the death of Ram #34641 and the release of 29 new sheep (3 of which were not collared due to age/size) there are now 60 collared sheep believed to be alive in the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Arizona State Parks offer free admission on Black Friday – azcentral.cpm, #Optoutside at Arizona State Parks: AZ State Parks have partnered with REI to offer a free day pass for entry into one of Arizona’s State Parks if you visit an REI in Arizona from Saturday Nov. 21 through Wednesday Nov. 25. AZ State Parks is also giving away 10 Annual Passes to the 10 most liked pictures taken in an Arizona State Park and posted to the AZ State Parks #OptOutside Facebook page from 11/26 to 11/29.

Climbing Costs: Should hikers pay the bill for stupidity? – Tucson News Now: An article about the cost of rescues that asks if hikers/climbers/etc. should be charged for rescues. While the article does include some information about rescues in the area there was very little information from rescuers and no background information about how rescue costs are handled in other areas – for me the most thought provoking part of the article was the quote from Jim Holmes of the Southern Arizona Rescue Association: “We don’t want to do anything that would discourage the public from calling for help, if they delay because they’re afraid there’s going to be an expense associated with the rescue, it makes our job harder.”

County bond plan might have been too big to pass – Arizona Daily Star: In the beginning of November Proposition 430 Natural Area Conservation and Historic Preservation was not approved by voters in Pima County. Bonds and public expenditures are complex issues and it is worth reviewing the Audobon and Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection pages on this failed Proposition.

Snow, Bighorn – 11/18/2015

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles

The Santa Catalina Mountains had a fantastic Winter Storm early this week – over two inches of snow! The weather has already warmed up this week so we will have to wait for later storms to bring lasting snow to the mountain. Greg McGowan posted my favorite picture from this storm on his Facebook page, PCSD: Catalina Highway closed at base of Mt. Lemmon (of course, now open…) – Tucson News Now, ‘Winter Wonderland’ after snowstorm hits Mt. Lemmon – KVOA.com, A great shot of driving conditions from the PCSD.

While the snow didn’t hang around it will add to the water flowing on the mountain, the canyons should be beautiful! A quick shot from Soldier Canyon, not far from Hairpin Turn:

A beautiful small set of falls a few minutes up Soldier Canyon from Hairpin Turn. November 2015.
A beautiful small set of falls a few minutes up Soldier Canyon from Hairpin Turn. November 2015.

29 Bighorn Sheep from the Yuma area were released into the Santa Catalina Mountains on Monday 11/16/2015 – one captured Bighorn was not released and as of Monday was in a clinic in Phoenix due to possible “capture exhaustion” – probably the most interesting quote was from the AZGF Facebook page:

This was the last of the three planned releases to restore the historic herd that once existed in the area. Department biologists and the advisory committee that oversees the project will now monitor the population to determine if it can become self-sustaining on its own.

29 More Desert Bighorn Sheep Released in Santa Catalinas – AZPM, More bighorn sheep released in Catalinas today – Arizona Daily Star.

Bighorn, Crossing, Decapitation, Comet, Snow, App, Rescues – 11/15/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

There are plans to release 30 bighorn sheep from near Yuma into the Santa Catalina Mountains during the third week of November. Pneumonia – identified as the cause in a number of recent deaths – is still a concern but the bighorn planned for the release “have been previously exposed to the illness and are therefore resistant to it.” More Bighorn Sheep Coming to Santa Catalinas Near Tucson – Arizona Public Media, More bighorns coming to Catalina Mountains next month – Arizona Daily Star.

Wildlife crossings pave the way for biodiversity in Sonoran Desert – Arizona Sonora News: There is an exciting project that is part of the widening of Oracle Road – two wildlife crossings that will help link the Tortolita and Santa Catalina Mountains! The Arizona Department of Transportation has a single sheet overview of the project that is quite informative. While the project is not finished it appears that a tortoise is the first documented user of the new crossing!

Decapitated deer found tied to tree on Mount Lemmon – KVOA.com: Near Molino Basin a deer that had been shot and decapitated was found tied to a tree on Nov. 6 – there is a $2,000 reward for information (contact Operation Game Thief – 1-800-352-0700). A quote from the article: “This case is very troubling, given the nature of the crime scene. We are outraged by this, and expect that the general public will be as well” – Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of Game and Fish in Tucson.

Mt. Lemmon biz looking forward to El Nino winter – KVOA.com: “General Manager [of the Sawmill Run Restaurant] Steven Sanders said the more snow, the more people come up and the more jobs there will be to go around.”

First snowfall of season on Mt. Lemmon brings out plenty of sightseers – Tucson News Now: First snow of the Season!

Catalina State Park: Blue skies, flowing water – Arizona Daily Star, Sabino Canyon gearing up for busy season – Tucson News Now: Two articles that are a great reminder that we are starting to have days with amazing weather for getting outside to the desert/lower elevation areas of the mountain!

Long Term Permit for Sabino Canyon Shuttle Services – USFS: This page contains information about the proposed 20-year special use permit for the shuttle system in Sabino Canyon. The SCRA Shuttle Scoping Letter has some interesting notes about the project including a list of design features that mentions minimizing conflicts between the shuttle/hikers/bikers and reducing ‘auditory impacts’ from the shuttle that seem to depend on ‘modernizing [the] existing 1970s era shuttle fleet’.

Space junk crashing toward Earth found by Mount Lemmon lab – Arizona Daily Star: Space debris – possibly an old rocket booster – that entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Indian Ocean was first spotted by the Catalina Sky Survey!

Comet named after Catalina Mountains may soon be seen with naked eye – Tucson News Now: Comet Catalina will soon be at its closest to the sun and may be visible with the naked eye. The comet was discovered in 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey. This post from EarthSky.org has information on locating the comet in the sky.

Closure of shooting sites on Redington Pass extended – Arizona Daily Star: Three unofficial shooting areas off Redington Road that were closed for clean up will remain closed until next year while the Forest Service works on a management plan for the Redington Pass area.

Motorcyclist airlifted after Mt. Lemmon crash – Tucson News Now: non life-threatening injuries sustained in a crash near milepost 17.

UA College of Science Produces Mount Lemmon Audio Tour – UANews: The University of Arizona College of Science has produced a mobile app for Android and iPhone called ‘The Mount Lemmon Science Tour’. The app is largely a guided audio tour with great accessible science content (how the mountain formed, life zones, water, …) that is timed for a drive up the mountain.

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

  • Crystal Spring Trail – 10/25: Exhaustion results in a hiker carried out to the Control Road
  • Blackett’s Ridge – 10/7: Ankle injury, hiker carried out.
  • Seven Cataracts – 10/2: Hiker injured in a fall on the unofficial trail/route from the Seven Cataracts Overlook to the pools in Seven Cataracts – hoisted out and transferred to a medical helicopter.
  • Sutherland Trail – 9/23: Lost hiker calls for help after being unable to follow the trail – the current trail conditions plus attractiveness of this route continue to cause incidents.

Bighorn Pneumonia, No UFOs, LWCF, Weather – 10/6/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

On 9/21 the carcass of Bighorn ewe ID 37442 was found in the Santa Catalina Mountains – a field necropsy showed signs of pneumonia. This is the 5th recent death – none of which have been attributed to predators – 3 of which have been linked to pneumonia in laboratory tests. While earlier deaths prompted AZGF to take a “take a wait and see attitude” about a November release of Bighorn in the Santa Catalina Mountains (source) it now appears that the pneumonia has been assessed as  “limited” and the November release is still planned. AZGF is “looking at bringing animals from a herd with prior exposure to pneumonia.” The latest updates from the project are available here – also see Another bighorn dies in Catalinas — apparently of pneumonia – Arizona Daily Star.

Storms result in rescue, outages, closures, evacuation – Tucson News Now: The article mentions rocks on the highway up the mountain in the recent storms – note that in almost every wet storm some rocks – perhaps small – will be on the highway, they are usually cleared remarkably quickly but in wet weather some extra caution is advised.

Tucson’s UFO Mystery Revealed – Huffpost Weird News: The recent UFO Videos shot from the Sabino Canyon area have been debunked – the lights appear to have been from human activity on the mountain…

Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: National Public Lands Day on September 26th – KVOA.com: Every year National Public Lands Day often features waived fees and good opportunities to volunteer!

Congress must renew the Land & Water Conservation Fund – Arizona Daily Star: A letter about the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Established in 1965 and primarily funded by royalties on offshore oil and gas drilling the fund provides money for the acquisition of land for recreation and protection. Unfortunately this fund was not reauthorized (as of 10/6/2015) (The Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition and Congress Lets Sun Set on Land and Water Conservation Fund) – while it is possible it will be reauthorized it seems like it will be more difficult now…

Cloud Road named for family with long Tucson history – Arizona Daily Star: Some great historic details about the Cloud Family who purchased property along Sabino Canyon in 1910.

Hittin’ the Trails 4 You: Mount Lemmon’s Wilderness of Rock Trail – KVOA.com: Video and commentary on the Wilderness of Rocks Trail.

Monsoon brings greenery, flowing streams, wildflowers – Arizona Daily Star: A great quote from Frank Rose – “This has been one of the best monsoons I have seen in 33 years of hiking the Catalinas — bringing a great variety and quantity of flowers, some into their second bloom of the year”.

Highway up Mt Lemmon back open following crash – Tucson News Now: A vehicle/motorcycle crash.

Canyon View Elementary placed on brief lockdown due to mountain lion sighting – KVOA.com: the school across from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center has a mountain lion sighting.

Four figures in the fog — hiking Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon – The Spectrum: A nice write up of a hike on the Marshall Gulch Trail and Aspen Trail on a stormy day.

AZ Game and Fish: Reward offered in poaching of two javelinas – Tucson News Now: Two javelina were found in Tucson – NW of Grant and Swan and near Cloud and Sabino – both shot by an arrow. AZGF said: “There is no archery javelina hunt open at this time, so we are investigating these incidents as illegal take of wildlife.”

 

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