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A UNIQUE NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHERN AZ February 2012

A UNIQUE NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHERN AZ February 2012 Bureau of Land Management – Tucson Field Office. Ironwood Forest National Monument. Established June 9, 2000 by President Bill Clinton

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A UNIQUE NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHERN AZ February 2012

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  1. A UNIQUE NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHERN AZ February 2012 Bureau of Land Management – Tucson Field Office

  2. Ironwood Forest National Monument • Established June 9, 2000 by President Bill Clinton • Preserve an important desert ecosystem and evidence of human occupation spanning 5,000 years • Managed by the Department of Interior, BLM-Tucson • Encompasses approx. 128,400 acres (almost 300 square miles) • Over 600 species of plants and animals

  3. Sawtooth Mtn’s Samaniego Hills West Silverbell Mtn’s Ragged Top Silverbell Rd. Silverbell Mtn’s Avra Valley Rd. Waterman Mtn’s Roskruge Mtn’s

  4. Geologic Jewels Wolcott Peak and Ragged Top Ragged Top is one of the dominate features in the landscape. Example of a “volcanic neck”, or plug 22 million years old rhyolite vent Elevation: 4,261 ft Microclimates resulting from weathering of rock creating deep crevasses

  5. Waterman Mountains

  6. Sawtooth Mountains

  7. Ironwood Ecological Value Flowers for native bees Roosting sites for hawks and owls Dense canopy for nesting of white winged doves and other birds Leaves foraged by bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope and mule deer Trellis for vines Protection against freezes for saguaro and senita Lower branches protect nursery plants from being trampled and foraged by larger animals Wildflower nursery foraged by rabbits and bighorn Protection against sunburn for night blooming cerus and other nursery plants Burrows for tortoises in and around roots Leaf litter provides nitrogen and organic matter for soil enrichment Seeds for doves, quail, and rodents Symbiotic bacteria and fungi create “islands of fertility” Air temperatures may be 15 degrees cooler under ironwoods than in the open desert sun five feet away. = microhabitat

  8. Ironwood Tree • Found only in the Sonoran desert • Ironwood Forest NM contains the highest density of these trees ever recorded • Member of the legume family • A hardy, slow-growing tree, can live to 800 years or longer • Evergreen with pinktolavenderflowersin May • Flowers and roots used as medicine • Population is dwindling in U.S. and Mexico due to woodcutting, development, and invasive species.

  9. Bufflegrass: Enemy of the Desert • Buffelgrass is native to arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle East • Grows densely and crowds out native plants of similar size • The Sonoran Desert evolved without fire as an ecological factor and most of its plants cannot tolerate it • A single buffelgrass fire kills nearly all native plants in its path • Rapidly converting formerly rich biological communities into monocultural wastelands

  10. Wildlife Rattlesnake Big Horn Sheep Desert Tortoise Mule Deer Lesser Long Nosed Bat Gila Monster

  11. Ecological Highlights Nichols Turks Head Cactus is seen in the limestone rich Waterman mountains, and is on the endangered species list. Nichols Turk Head Cactus There is only one organ pipe cactus in the monument, causing a person to wonder how it came to be here. Organ Pipe Cactus Barrel Cactus in bloom Elephant Tree

  12. Botanical Diversity • The steep, rugged, shady canyons on Ragged Top support a remarkably diverse flora includes over 70% of the total Ironwood Forest NM plant varieties • A total of 76 plant varieties in the Monument were found only on Ragged Top

  13. Saguaro • The largest cactus in the USA • Can live to be hundreds of years old • Plays an integral part of the desert, providing food and shelter for many desert species • Ironwood Forest NM has extensive forests of saguaros, growing in densities exceeded only in Saguaro National Park.

  14. Hohokam Culture • Hohokam is a Pima (O'odham) word used by archaeologists to identify a group of people that lived in the Sonoran Desert. • There is evidence from campsites to villages suggesting the Hohokam people had settlements in the area.

  15. History of Silverbell • Silvebrell Mountains,24 miles west of Marana, AZ • High grade ore discovered in 1860s • Established as Silverbell in 1904 • In 1910 the population was listed at 1,118 persons in 327 households • Chain of ownership: Development Company of America (DCA) Imperial Copper Company Southern Arizona Smelting Company (ASARCO)

  16. For More Information Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/natmon/ironwood.html Laura Olais – Acting Manager Ironwood Forest National Monument 3201 E. Universal Way Tucson, AZ 85756 (520) 258-7242 Fax: (520) 258-7238 HANDS ON THE LAND www.handsontheland.org Gail W. Corkill, Ed D – Education Consultant North Star Learning Solutions, LLC P.O. Box 243 Sonoita, AZ 85637 northstarlearn@gmail.com (520) 490-0760 5/1/2012

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