Conservation Biology and the National Parks – an example from 1935 Saguaro National Park
1985
Conservation Biology and the Conservation Biology and the National Parks – an example from National Parks – an example from Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park
• What are national parks? • Management, restoration, and education • Challenges in conservation biology • Examples: • The need for knowledge – Charismatic and endangered species – Biodiversity – The Saguaro
Conservation Biology and the National Parks – an example from Saguaro National Park
• Management, restoration, and education • Examples: – Charismatic and endangered species – Biodiversity – The Saguaro
1 National Park Service Organic Act (1916)
“The fundamental purpose…is to conserve the scenery and natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”
Saguaro National Park
2 Arizona Sky Islands – Madrean Archipelago
Saguaro National Park – established 1933
3 1935 1998
Source: Ray Turner
Diseased Saguaro Treatment and Research, 1941-1950
4 Large increase in young saguaros, 1941-1975
Black = 1941 White = 1975
Source: Steenberg and Lowe 1983
Steady decline in saguaros, 1942-1970
1970 – 2000: Lots of new Large increase saguaros! in young saguaros beginning in (this one is early 1970s probably about 7 years old)
Source: Orum and Alcorn, 1991
5 1961 How Many Saguaros in Saguaro National Park?
1990 2000 Young Old saguaros saguaros TMD 798,245 1,091,181
1988 RMD 190,000 243,375 Large increase in young Source: Turner and Funicelli, 2001 saguaros, Source: Turner 1992 (does not include expansion lands) 1961-1988
Conservation Biology 1. What’s the need? 2. What’s the problem? 3. What do we need to know? 4. What can we do? Let’s try it! 5. Did it work? 6. What did we learn?
6 Buffelgrass • Challenges in conservation biology – What are the threats?
• The need for knowledge – What do we know? What do we need to know?
7 8 Species Inventories
9 10 11 Why are inventories important?
1905. Source: SNP files, Manning Family 1902. Source: Arizona Historical Society
Extirpations?
1914. Source: D.E. Brown, The Wolf in the Southwest
12 Additions?
Source: Lynn Rogers (copyright)
? Abert’s Squirrel Increases (non-native)
Arizona Gray Squirrel (native)
13 Range changes?
Declines and mysteries
Source: SNP files
Eastern cottontail
Antelope jackrabbit
Photo by Paul and Shirley Berquist
14 Conservation research
Pool 1 before and after the 1999 Box Canyon Fire
Adults and Juvenile Frogs Observed on Surveys in Two Canyon, Saguaro National Park, 1996-2003 (No surveys in yellow canyon, 1997-1998)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Sp96 Fa96 Sp97 Fa97 Sp98 Fa98 Sp99 Fa99 Sp0 0 Fa00 Sp01 Fa0 1 Sp02 Fa02 Sp03 Fa03
15 “Extinction events”? “Colonization events”?
Distribution of Lowland Leopard Frogs
4 km in Rincon Mountains, 1996-2008
Boundary Studies
16 414
Saguaro NP Rincon Mtns. Saguaro NP 40 4 private land Tucson
Rail line Interstate 10
10 km Santa Rita Mtns.
500 m
Riparian Conservation • Management, restoration, and education
17 How does Saguaro National Park protect saguaros? Restoration
Javelina Picnic Area Before and After SCC pull
“Habitat Restoration and Reestablishment of Experimental excavation of frog habitat Lowland Leopard Frogs in and Near Saguaro National Park” using volunteers
May, 2005
18 Pool 1 being excavated partially (left) and fully (right) in 2005
19 Rincon Institute
Cooperators Historic Notch Neighborhood Association
Arizona Game and Fish Department
US Geological Survey, SW Biological Science Center
University of Arizona
US Forest Service, Coronado National Forest --Can we actively restore frog habitat? Tucson Herpetological Society --Can we create new refugia in case Friends of Saguaro National Park populations do disappear? Volunteers from the Sky Island Alliance and Pima Community College
SaguaroSaguaro Census Census 2010 2010
Bob Love photo
What is it?
--Keeps track of our -- Every 10 years namesake plant (since 1990) -- Every 10 years (since 1990)
20 56 plots - 25 at TMD (and 31 at RMD)
-- Coincides with the U.S. Census-- Every 10 years (since 1990)
Count and measure saguaros
Count saguaro arms
Count bird holes
21 Record other plants Measure epidermal browning
Why is the Census important?
Broadway Established in 1942
d a o R p o Lo Freeman Road
VC Source: Steenberg and Lowe 1986
22 Saguaro Census 2010
Climate change
Saguaro Census 2010 – How can you help? Old --Talk about it! Granddad – -- Help us recruit volunteers at one time, the park’s largest saguaro
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