oracle state park

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

14 Bighorn Released, Dark Skies in Oracle State Park

Posted - Charles Miles
Jack Hanna helps release 14 bighorns into Catalinas – Douglas Kreutz – Arizona Daily Star, Fourteen bighorn captured for release into Santa Catalinas Thursday – JD Wallace – Tucson News Now, Bighorn Sheep Release in Santa Catalinas Closed to Public – Maria Inés Taracena – Arizona Public Media: On Thursday AM – in a release closed to the public – 14 additional Bighorn Sheep (11 ewes and 3 rams) were released into the Santa Catalina Mountains. The release took place in a residential area that offers access into the areas on Pusch Ridge that the Bighorn remaining from the first release have been using. The release was closed because of “public safety concerns and animal welfare concerns”… Best of luck to the new Bighorn Sheep! (The Friends of Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Facebook Page is currently a good resource for capture and release videos and pictures.) Oracle State Park gains international dark sky status – Yoohyun Jung – Arizona Daily Star: Oracle State Park is the first state park in Arizona to be recognized as an international dark sky park by the International Dark-Sky Association, – the park received Silver Status which means that there are “minor impacts from light pollution and other artificial light disturbance”. The park is normally limited to day use – look for Stargazing and Dark Sky Celebration events in January and March on the Friends of Oracle State Park and Oracle State Park websites. The Bighorn Sheep Restoration Project Status update for 10/27 to 11/12 is now available (all updates are currently available here). The most interesting part of this status update is a small change to the reporting on the lambs where the document simply says “No lambs were observed during this reporting period” – I believe some previous status updates may have simply reported the number of lambs previously observed when there was no reason to suspect any moralities.