mountain lion

Fire, Rain, Rescues, Camping, Trails, Steampump, Buffelgrass, Sheep – 6/29/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

Forest Service monitoring four small fires – Tucson News Now: “The U.S. Forest Service is watching four lightning-caused fires in the Coronado National Forest” including the Romero Canyon Fire which began on Saturday near the Sutherland Trail. At the time the article was written the fire was being monitored, not actively managed. 

Mount Lemmon gets ‘heavy dose’ of rain – Carmen Duarte – Arizona Daily Star: Beautiful summer storms have started to form over the mountain and there has already been rain!

Elderly hiker awaiting rescue from Finger Rock Trail – Carmen Duarte – Arizona Daily Star: “The 72-year-old hiker began hiking the trail at 6 a.m., but by the afternoon on his way back down from the trail he became tired and ran out of water”, while far from impossible this time of year the heat certainly makes the Finger Rock Trail worthy of caution and careful planning.

The Spencer Canyon Campground was closed for several days while reports of a mountain lion in the area were investigated – after nothing conclusive was found the campground re-opened. The last article linked below mentions that “Arizona Game and Fish estimates about 600 mountain lions live in southeast Arizona”. Spencer Canyon Campground closed after possible mountain lion sighting – Cynthia Washington – Tucson News Now, Mountain lion sighting reports close Mt. Lemmon campground – Anthony Victor Reyes and Matt Fernandez – Tucson News Now, Spencer Canyon Campground re-opens after no cougar found – Curt Prendergast – Arizona Daily Star.

Blackett’s Ridge Trail, Aspen Draw Trail, Bug Spring Trail – Doug Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star: Three great hikes, three great workouts – a nice bit of inspiration now that the summer heat is here.

OV budget passes after criticisms – Hillary Davis – The Explorer, Steam Pump funds OK’d – Hillary Davis – The Explorer: After budget wrangling “the Oro Valley Town Council voted June 17 to allocate $425,000 for the stabilization of the historic property”.

Camping: Roughing it made easier for families – Angela Pittenger – Arizona Daily Star: A write up about a Family Campout event at Catalina State Park – for a fee tents and equipment are provided, a great way to experience camping for the first time or just an easy way to get outside!

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY MOONLIGHT HIKE: “Join the Town of Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Department for our annual nighttime, flashlight hike, held in partnership with Catalina State Park.” – if you haven’t gotten to hike at night in the desert a hike like this is a great opportunity to see a very beautiful part of the summer.

Sabino Creek dwindles, but tranquil pools remain – Douglas Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star: Lovely pools remain in Sabino but with the flow almost at zero more water will depend on the summer rains…

Forest returning — ever so slowly — after Aspen Fire – Douglas Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star: “Twelve years after the Aspen Fire roared over the Catalina Mountains, once-blackened slopes are showing expanses of bright green new growth.”

Preserving Sabino Canyon means defending against invaders – Mark Hengesbaugh – Arizona Daily Star, Funding boosts battle against buffelgrass – Douglas Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star: Articles about invasive species including buffelgrass and fountain grass in Sabino Canyon – and the great news that the Department of the Interior will provide $150,750 to help with buffelgrass removal in Southern Arizona. Coronado National Forest, Saguaro National Park and the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center (a fantastic resource if you have questions about buffelgrass!) will all receive funds.

Mt. Lemmon a training ground for visiting military – Craig Reck – Tucson News Now: Military High Angle rescue training on Mt. Lemmon.

From the Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project – May 21 – June 3, 2015:

“From June 2-4, a research biologist recorded visual observations of 22 of the 40 collared sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Three notable groups were observed in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area. The first group included 7 ewes and 7 lambs; the second group was composed of 1 ram, 8 ewes, and 5 lambs; the third group included 5 ewes and 1 lamb. All observed lambs appeared to be between 3-5 months old, with the exception of one lamb that looked to be about 1 month old. Some of these lambs were observed nursing, while the larger lambs in the groups were seen feeding alongside adult sheep. All observed collared sheep as well as the lambs appeared to be healthy and in good body condition.”

Other Trail Incidents:

  • Stranded in the dark – Sabino Canyon Phoneline Trail and Sabino Canyon Historic Trail
  • Hikers in need of assistance due to exhaustion – Green Mountain Trail
  • Ankle injury – Butterfly Trail

Other links:

 

Campground Changes, 1922, Upchurch, Lambs, Rescue Season – 4/9/2015

Posted - Charles Miles

The summer heat has started and the winter rains are starting to be harder to remember – as in all recent years the forest service is encouraging caution during fire season – no restrictions yet… National forest officials urge caution with fire, April 02, 2015, Douglas Kreutz.

With warmer temperatures coming the lower campgrounds are closing and the upper ones are opening – Mt Lemmon seasonal campground changes, 

Tales from the Morgue: Deer and mountain lions, March 23, Johanna Eubank, Arizona Daily Star – A fascinating look back at an Arizona Daily Star article from 1922 – for 4 years the ‘Catalina Game Reserve’ had been closed to hunting in a reaction to game becoming scarce – the 1922 article reports “The advantage of the game reserve is strikingly illustrated, forest officials state, by the increase of game in this district, since sportsmen had almost exhausted the game here before the reserve was closed four years ago”.

Southern Arizona Utility Company Reports Sufficient Water For Now, Tony Paniagua, KGUN9, March 23, 2015 – From the Mount Lemmon Water District – “the water supply is currently doing well, thanks to a few inches of rain in recent weeks and one snowfall of about eight to 10 inches.”

Upchurch promoted to forester for Southwest Region, Derek Jordan, Herald/Review, [email protected] – Jim Upchurch,  formerly Coronado National Forest Supervisor, is moving to a position as a deputy regional forester for the Southwestern Region. Issues that Upchurch dealt with in the Coronado National Forest include the Rosemont Mine and Tombstone Water Pipelines. 

Bighorn lambs in the Santa Catalina Mountains have been in the news with the count up to 15! Project status updates continue to emphasize that it is unlikely all of the lambs will survive and the importance of the restrictions in place in the Bighorn Sheep Management Area.

Backpacking Romero Canyon, Kurt Papke – a video including some of the great areas above Romero Pools on the Romero Canyon Trail.

‘Search and rescue’ season is underway, April 08, 2015, Caitlin Schmidt, Arizona Daily Star – The Pima County Sheriff’s Department warns that in this “season that can be dangerous and leads to an increase in search and rescue operations”. In the past two months rescue and injury reports include the Phoneline, Romero Canyon, Blackett’s Ridge, Bear Canyon, Pima Canyon, Seven Falls, Ventana Canyon and Finger Rock Trails…

Coronado National Forest – Facebook Page!

 

 

 

Buffelgrass, Lemmon, Lions, Events, Sledding

Posted - Charles Miles

Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 2015 – Beat Back Buffelgrass Day is January 24th – there are a number of different locations around Tucson including Catalina State Park with The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection!

Street Smarts: Highway, mountain named for botanist – Arizona Daily Star – David Leighton: Information on where the name ‘Mount Lemmon’ comes from.

Tucson Lion Killings Dropped Dramatically in 2014 – Kierán Suckling – Center for Biological Diversity – This press release from the Center for Biological Diversity points out that Mountain Lion kills by Hunters and Ranchers declined in the Catalina and Rincon Mountains in 2013 and 2014 (according to AZGF records). The release notes that in 2014 no Lions were killed in the ‘Bighorn Sheep Protected Area’ that was put in place in 2013 and bans hunting with hounds in an area similar to the Bighorn Sheep Closure Area that restricts recreational use in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness (see the current Arizona Hunting Regulations for the details of the ‘Bighorn Sheep Protected Area’).

Oracle State State Park Events – See the Oracle State Park Homepage for more details.

  • Saturday, January 24: Winter Evening Stargazing Event: Music, a “Ancient Native American Astronomical Practices” presentation and stargazing with telescopes – this is a great follow-up to the International Dark Sky Park status that park gained last year!
  • Saturday, January 31: Guided ‘Manzanita to Mariposa’ Loop Hike
  • Saturday, January 31: Arizona Trail Virtual Tour: Sirena Dufault will present on the Arizona Trail!

The snow at the start of the year resulted in great sales for businesses in Summerhaven – the General Store sold ‘around a thousand sleds!’. Restricted access to Mount Lemmon did not slow weekend business – Tucson News Now – Craig Reck, Mt. Lemmon businesses booming – KVOA.com – Domenica Fuller: 

Mt. Lemmon sledding accidents send eight to the hospital over the weekend – KVOA.com – Lauren Reimer: “The most common injuries the sledders received were head injuries and broken bones.” The article mentions two interesting details – the injuries happened to both children and adults, and that from New Year’s Eve to January 6th ‘about ten thousand people have visited Summerhaven’.

Wood pile burning to continue on Mt. Lemmon – KGUN9 – Ina Ronquillo

New Book, Splendors, Bighorn Pictures and Death

Posted - Charles Miles

Treasures of the Catalina Mountains: Book tells tales – Douglas Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star: A new book about the Santa Catalina Mountains!! Treasures of the Santa Catalina Mountains: Unraveling the Legends and History of the Santa Catalina Mountains by Robert Zucker is now available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle formats – this page provides more information about the book. I have just started reading the book – so far I am enjoying it and have already learned new things about the range – I have also been very interested/impressed by the number of references the book provides (in some cases seeing where the information comes from has been almost as fascinating as the story itself!). (Note that the current Kindle version is completely readable and enjoyable, but does have some odd formatting (at least on my device) – I have not seen the paperback yet but I suspect it has a more polished layout at this point.)

Game and Fish: Mountain lion kills second bighorn – Arizona Daily Star, AZ Game and Fish confirms death of another bighorn sheep – Brent Corrado – KGUN9, Bighorn sheep found dead in Catalina Mountains – Scott Oathout – KVOA.com: A 2nd Bighorn from the group released late this year has been confirmed to be dead – the current assumption, because of the location of the kill, is that the ewe was killed by the same Mountain Lion that recently killed another Bighorn from this group. This death occurred earlier in the month and has only recently been confirmed – initially the Bighorn’s collar was assumed to be malfunctioning and the carcass and collar were difficult to locate.

New Bighorn Pictures – The Friends of Catalina Bighorn Sheep recently shared several great/recent pictures of Bighorn Sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains on their Facebook page – these have been used in at least one recent news article about the Bighorn.

Hike leads to splendors of the Sonoran Desert – Douglas Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star: Some great advice on and ideas of a great tour of the desert, especially for visitors to Tucson, starting from Sabino Canyon and using the Esperero Trail, Rattlesnake Trail and road.

 

February 21 Bighorn Sheep Project Status Update

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Project Status Update: February 3 – February 16, 2014 – Some notes from this update:
  • “The Arizona Game and Fish Department is implementing an Advisory Committee recommendation to collapse the previous administrative mountain lion removal boundary and re-focus removal efforts to a more defined area.” – A map in the update shows the new area which is (very roughly) west of the highway and south of Charouleau Gap. Also covered here: New Bighorn boundaries set in the Catalinas.
  • “In recent weeks, several solitary sheep have banded together in larger groups.” – The update notes that research has indicated that sheep are safer in larger groups.
  • “Biologists anticipate that several more ewes will become mothers in the near future.” – There have been 3 lambs reported so far