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Red Butte Canyon Research Natural Area: History, Flora, Geology, Climate, and Ecology Great Basin Naturalist Volume 52 Number 2 Article 1 9-22-1992 Red Butte Canyon Research Natural Area: history, flora, geology, climate, and ecology James R. Ehleringer University of Utah Lois A. Arnow University of Utah Ted Arnow Consulting geologist, Salt Lake City, Utah Irving B. McNulty University of Utah Norman C. Negus University of Utah Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Part of the Anatomy Commons, Botany Commons, Physiology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Ehleringer, James R.; Arnow, Lois A.; Arnow, Ted; McNulty, Irving B.; and Negus, Norman C. (1992) "Red Butte Canyon Research Natural Area: history, flora, geology, climate, and ecology," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 52 : No. 2 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol52/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. The Great Basin Naturalist PUBLISHED AT PROVO. UTAH. BY BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERsm ISSN 0017-3614 VOLUME 52 JUNE 1992 NO.2 Great Basin Naturalist 52(2}, pp. 95-121 RED BUTTE CANYON RESEARCH NATURAL AREA: HISTORY. FLORA, GEOLOGY. CLIMATE. AND ECOLOGY 1 James R. EhLermger , Lois A. Am~, Ted Am~. Irving B. McNulty', and Norman C. Negus· ABSrnACT.-Red Butte Canyon is a protected, near pristine canyon entering Salt Lake Valley, Utah. It contains a weU-developed riparian zone and a perennial stream; hillside vegetation ranges from grasslands on the lower limits to Douglas-fir and aspen stands at the upper elevations. In this paper we describe the history ofhuman impact, natural history aspects of climate, geology, and ecotogy, and faunal and floral information for key species in the canyon. The role and importance ofResearch Natural Areas is discussed, particularly with respect tathe need to protect Red Butte Canyon---Qne ofthe few remaining undisturbed riparian ecosystems in the Intermountain West. Key w(wds: gra.ssland, Intermountain West, oak-maple, plant adaptation, Red Butte Canyon, Research Natural Area, riparian ecology. Red Butte Canyon. one ofmany canyons in stantial value to society. These might include the Wasatch Range of Utah, opens westward unique geolOgical features. endangered plant into Salt Lake Valley. immediately east of the and animal species. or areas ofparticular value University of Utah (Fig. 1). Like most canyons for scientific research as baseline bench marks along the Wasatch Front. it is a grassland at the ofecosystems that have been largely destroyed lowest elevations. is forested at its upper end, by human impact. In the case of Red Butte and has a perennial stream. What makes this Canyon. the RNA designation was given canyon unusual is its history. The canyon was the because this canyon is one ofthe few remaining watershed for Fort Douglas, the U.S. Army post (if not the last) undisturbed watersheds in the built in 1862 that overlooked Salt Lake City. As Great Basin. The U.S. Forest Service report a protectedwatershed. these lands were. for the propOSing that Red Butte Canyon be declared a most part. kept free from grazing, farming. and Research Natural Area described the canyon as other human-impact activities. When the U.S. "... a living museum and biological library of a Army declared these lands surplus in 1969, the size that exists nowhere else in the Great Basin u.s. Forest Service assumed responsibility for ... an invaluable bench mark in ecolOgical the canyon. Since that time. Red Butte Canyon time." The Red Butte Canyon RNA is unique bas been kept in its protected state and desig­ because it is a relatively undisturbed watershed nated a Research Natural Area (RNA). adjacentto a major metropolitan area (Salt Lake The Research Natural Area designation Valley). To protect this valuable resource. access denotes an area that has been set aside because to the Red Butte Canyon RNA has been largely it contains unusual or unique features of sub- restricted to scientific investigators. One of the 1Dep'lrto>entofBiology. University of Utah, Slolt L:tk., City, Ut,.h 84112. 2Con~\Ilti"ggeologisl.l064 E. Uillview Drive, Salt Lake City. Uhlh 84124. 95 96 GREAT BASIN NATURALIST [Volume 52 .;;;;;;;;;;;;;;: """"""",.:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. Salt lake City ~:::::::::' Inti. Airport :~~~~~~~~;, I ,"""''', Pinecrest ~ 0',,.,,,,,,,,,~~~~~~~~~~t. ::::::::::::: .,p Cnyn """""",.,.,~., .~ ,.:v 0u",""",",,,,,,,"",,." ""._ ...... n Un',vers',!y 0,.... ,..,n .."",.,,.,,,,..""'"",, ..,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,"'·,-."",,n 01 Utah e." v Utah ',,,'''''' """""::::::::::~.." Salt ~:::::::::::: N ::::::::::: ::::::::::::, F ::::::::::: L k :::::::::::::, ort .rt'\ 0""""" a e -"o""""'" . uglas C(\.,· """"",.""",..,.., C. ""·,n..""'"" .." .." ..", ..",;,;,",. ",,\\V'-'....t\ ~ ~~~~~~~. ..._~\':' """"""""".~~~~~~~~~~.",. tty"""""""""'"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" "",",u, ~.-;"" ... ~~~~~~~~~~~. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" ~~~~",~,~~~•............ ,,~,~~~~,~,~~~~~~~~~~~~,. "~,~,~~~~~~~~,~~,~"""""""~~,~,~,~,,,,,,~~. """~'~""~""~'~"'~""~'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~". ,~~~~~~~""~~,~~,~,~"""",,,~~~~~~~~~,~~~~,~,~. 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Location of Red Butte Canyon and other sites referred to in text. goals of the RNA Program is to protect and ofbiotic communities along an elevation gradi­ preselVe a representative array ofall Significant ent from about 1530 m (5020 ft) on the west end natural ecosystems and theirinherent processes to more than 2510 m (8235 ft) at the crest, as baseline areas. A second goal is to conduct The pmI'oseofthis paperis to providea brief research on ecological processes in these areas deSCription of the history, flora, geology, cli­ to learn more about the functioning of natural mate, and emlogy of this unusual and valuable versus manipulated or disturbed emsystems. resource. There is increasing interest in Red Research activities in the Red Butte Canyon Butte Canyon. in part by scientific investigators RNA are directed at both ofthese goals: under­ because ofits utility as a protected, undisturbed standing basic """logical processes (physiologi­ watershed, and in part by curious citizens from cal adaptation, drought adaptation, nutrient the nearby Salt Lake Valley, Yet, there has not cycling, etc,) and also the impact ofhumans on been an overall reference available for those our canyons through both airborne (air pollu­ interested in general fearures of the canyon or tion, acid rain, etc.) and land-related (grazing, past ecological studies within the canyon, Most human traffic, etc.) activities, The latter are of the information on Red Butte Canyon is conducted through mmparison of Red Butte scattered, With the closure of Fort Douglas in with other canyons along the Wasatch Range, 1991, manyofthe historical records will become In size, Red Butte Canyon is relatively small compared with other drainages along the more difficult to access, It is hoped that the Wasatch Front. The drainage basin covers an syntheSiS presented in this paper will provide area of approximately 20,8 km' (5140 acres) the necessary background for those interested (Fig, 2), The drainage arises on the east from a in the history and ecology of the Red Bulte minor divide between City Creek and Emigra­ Canyon RNA. Irving McNulty first summarizes tion canyons and drains to the west. Thecanyon the history of the canyon, followed by Ted has two main forks (Knowltons and Parleys) and Arnow's deSCription ofgeology and soils. James many side canyons. Near the canyon base, a Ehleringer contributed the hydrology, climate, reservoir was constructed earlierthis century to and plant ecology sections, The section 011 vas­ provide a more stable water supply to Fort cular flora was prepared by Lois Arnow, and Douglas, The diversity ofslope and aspect com­ Nannan Negus wrote the mammalian and avian binations of the terrain contributes to a variety fauna sections. 1992] RED BUTTE CANYON RESEARCH NATURAL AREA 97 N o_~.~~~_~~"",,1 mile O~=_~~_~.;.1 ~~~~~2 kilometers Fig. 2 Major drainages and weather and bench mark stations within the Red Butte Canyon Research Natural Area. B represents the location of the USGS Bench Mark station; circles numbers 2, 4, and 6 represent the locations ofweather stations known as Red Butte #2, Red Butte #4, and Red Butte #6, respectively. HISTORY to be used in construction in the building ofSalt Lake City. It wa<; the closest source ofconstruc­ The history of Red Butte Canyon comes as tion-quality sandstone and was quarried for bits and pieces from many sources, including
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