snow

Death, Rabies, Snow, Dazzling Cactus – 4/28/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Storm over Samaniego Ridge - above Rainbows End Wash west of Double Tank. March 2016.
Storm over Samaniego Ridge – above Rainbows End Wash west of Double Tank. March 2016.

Three bighorn sheep die, mountain lion is killed – tucson.com: In the month of April 3 ewes were killed mountain lions and two mountain lions associated with the deaths were killed. Arizona Game and Fish now reports the number of living collared Bighorn in the Santa Catalina Mountains to be 38 while estimating the number of bighorn in the range at 80+.

Rabid Skunks have been confirmed in a number of Pima County locations including the Summerhaven area in the Santa Catalina Mountains – avoid contact with and don’t approach wildlife that are behaving abnormally or appear to be ill. If you believe that you see a rabid animal, call AZGFD at 1-623-236-7201 or the Pima County Health Department at (520) 724-7797 immediately. More information on rabies from the CDC. AZ Game and Fish expands rabid skunk warning – TucsonNewNow, State issues warning about rabid skunks – KGUN9.

Take a Hike: Seven Falls trail is a great to get out and see Sonoran beauty – The Daily Wildcat, Springtime in Sabino Canyon: An excursion into beauty – tucson.com, Tucson Desert bursts into dazzling cactus bloom – tucson.com: Great hikes, destinations and inspiration in this collection of articles.

Snow on Mount Lemmon, rain for Tucson – tucson.com: Snow! While this article doesn’t have any snow covered pictures of the mountain it does briefly note that in early April a storm managed to bring snow and ice to the mountain – maybe for the last time this season?

In April Mauricio Carreon-Maltos died in the Seven Falls area – there was a large multi-agency search for him – unfortunately with a tragic ending. From a post on the Southern Arizona Rescue Association Facebook page:

On Saturday, April 16, Pima County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue unit and SARA concluded the longest and most intensive search in Pima County since August of 2004. SARA is deeply saddened of the outcome and extends our heartfelt condolences to family of Mauricio Carreon-Maltos.

Ultimately, local Pima County volunteer SAR teams supplied over 1600 person-hours. SARA is especially grateful for the assistance of the volunteer ground, dog, and mounted search teams from Pima, Pinal, Maricopa, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai counties, and for the other agencies involved, all of whom together supplied an additional nearly 1200 hours to the seven-day search effort. Many thanks also to the watchful and attentive public during this time. Thank you.

Search continues for missing hiker in Sabino Canyon – Tucson News Now, Manpower increases in Day 3 of search for missing hiker – KVOA.com, Search continues for hiker missing since Friday – Tucson News Now, Mother of missing hiker speaks out about her son – Tucson News Now, Hiker’s body found in Sabino Canyon – KVOA.com, Family mourns death of missing hiker – KVOA.com.

 

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

  • Ventana Trail 3/3/2016 – A hiker on the trail after dark without a light was unable to follow the trail somewhere below Maiden Pools – a friend was able to help her down the trail.
  • Romero Canyon 3/4/2016 – Two hikers were separated on the way back from Romero Pools – one was reported missing but eventually made it back to the trailhead without assistance.
  • Seven Falls 3/7/2016 – A group of hikers was worried about continuing after sunset in the rain – in the end they made it back to the trailhead without needing assistance.
  • Seven Falls 3/10/2016 – A cardiac arrest resulted in a hiker being declared deceased on the trail and flown out from Seven Falls. Hiker with medical issue dies at Seven Falls – tucson.com.
  • Agua Caliente Canyon 3/15/2016 – A hiker requested help after attempting to hike down canyon – he was met and helped out via trails in the area.
  • Romero Canyon Trail 3/17/2016 – An exhausted hiker is able to hike out with assistance.
  • Seven Falls Trail 3/18/2016 – A hiker with an injured ankle is assisted out by stokes and mule.
Double Tank - State Trust Land outside of Oracle Junction near Rainbows End Wash and Arizona 77. April 2016.
Double Tank – State Trust Land outside of Oracle Junction near Rainbows End Wash and Arizona 77. April 2016.

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.

 

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.

 

Rock Art, Ranch, and Residence: Cultural Resources in the Town of Oro Valley and Its Planning Area – 1/20/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Snow and clouds on the top of the mountain. January 2016.
Snow and clouds – looking up at Mount Lemmon from Honeybee Canyon Park. January 2016.

Having taken several trips to Honeybee Canyon Park in the past few months I was looking for a little more information about the area and came across Rock Art, Ranch, and Residence: Cultural Resources in the Town of Oro Valley and Its Planning Area. This document was developed by William Self Associates for Oro Valley and completed in 2010.

The document covers the history of the Oro Valley area from the Paleoindian Period (10,000+ years ago) into the 20th century – some of the included information: Hohokam ruins such as Honey Bee Village and Sleeping Snake Village, early land claims in the area, notable 20th century architecture including the Countess of Suffolk’s Forest Lodge and information about later development in the area. While most of the information is fairly brief the broad overview was very interesting to read.

One of the details that I enjoyed was seeing the General Land Office maps of the Oro Valley Area. The General Land Office was created in 1812 and oversaw the survey, platting and sale of public land – including land in present day Oro Valley. The Oro Valley records are from the beginning of the 20th century when the area began to see a steady stream of homesteaders entering the area –  Rock Art, Ranch, and Residence asserts that:

The relatively late beginning for the settlement along the Canada del Oro can be attributed in large part to a continuing perception of the area as dangerous: it was still considered a place too far from Tuscon and too close to the usual range of the Apaches. (p. 60)

The Bureau of Land Management makes many General Land Office Records, dating back to 1810, available online. The map below, from 1902, shows Pusch and Zellweger’s Steam Pump Ranch (which you can still visit today)  – labeled Pusch Ranch – and another ranch – ‘Mexican Ranch’ – that was probably owned by the Marin family and later patented by Francisco Marin. The roads on the map are a reasonable match for modern roads – the early version of Oracle Road is especially easy to recognize!

Township 12 South, Range 14 East, 1902 - General Land Office.
Township 12 South, Range 14 East, 1902 – General Land Office.

 

Weather, Bighorn Death, Zipline – 1/4/2016

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
The edge of the storm - Pusch Ridge, Linda Vista Trails. January 2016.
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!

The latest Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project update includes several interesting pieces of information:

  • 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

Brilliant light bathes Ventana Canyon at day’s end – Arizona Daily Star: Nice pictures and information on the Ventana Canyon Trail.

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.