The Heliograph Spring 2013 Official Newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network

Inventory & Monitoring Program National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Casa Grande Ruins NM  Chiricahua NM  Coronado NMEM  Fort Bowie NHS  Gila Cliff Dwellings NM  Montezuma Castle NM  Organ Pipe Cactus NM  Saguaro NP  Tonto NM  Tumacácori NHP  Tuzigoot NM

Volume 3, Issue 1 The Heliograph Spring 2013 Official Newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network

Climate Monitoring Heats Up Ham Radio Technology Provides Low-Cost Data

You’ve listened to the wind blow and will be automatically archived and rain fall, but have you heard the air managed by the National Oceanic get hotter? Sonoran Desert Network and Atmospheric Administration staff will soon be doing just that, (NOAA) Citizen Weather Observ- as the network introduces the use er Program. Each weather station of low-cost Davis weather stations costs approximately $1,100 (plus as part of our climate monitoring periodic repair and maintenance), protocol—the last protocol sched- has a range of approximately 100 uled for implementation under the miles, and requires no subscrip- SODN Monitoring Plan. tion fee. Equipped with instrumentation to Because the Davis station data are measure air temperature, precipita- downloaded so frequently, the tion, wind speed and direction, solar results are highly scalable, which radiation, relative humidity, and, in will allow the network to target some cases, soil moisture and tem- a range of parameters and time perature, the Davis stations collect periods of interest to certain vital weather data and then use ham- signs. Temperature and precipita- radio technology to translate it into tion, for instance, could be chart- a series of sound signatures that will ed over the course of a five-year be transmitted to the SODN office cycle of uplands monitoring or in Tucson every 10 minutes. There, examined for a previous growing the tones will be received and trans- season in a certain type of bird lated back into weather data, which habitat. Download frequency will also help capture the magnitude of stochastic events—such as cloudbursts, windstorms, and Inside this Issue frosts—that can be temporally brief but extreme, with long-term Project Updates...... 2 ecological consequences. See sto- Weather Stories...... 4 ry on page 4 for more. See What You’re Missing Online!...... 5 The affordability and flexibility Where Are We?...... 6 of the Davis weather stations re- lieves what has been a significant New Documents Available...... 6 barrier to effective SODN climate monitoring: geographically

. . . Continued on page 3

1 Official newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network Project Updates

Groundwater the federal budget sequester implement- vegetation at springs. Field sampling and ed on March 1. presentation of results for this protocol Groundwater monitoring for Water Year will be cancelled due to the effects of the (WY) 2012 was completed in October. Landbirds federal budget sequester. The WY 2012 database has been updated QA/QC of data collected in 2012 has been and QA/QC (quality assurance/quality Uplands control) of those data is underway. Data completed, along with verification of new collected by parks were received, data bird sightings. Training was planned for In October 2012, at Chiricahua NM and collected by the Arizona Department the last week of February at the Desert Coronado NMEM, crews wrapped up of Water Resources and U.S. Geological Research Learning Center. Field work is several months of repeat sampling of Survey is being gathered, and the updat- scheduled to begin in March. plots burned during the 2011 fires. Also ing of master files of continuous data for in October, 12 new uplands monitor- selected wells is ongoing. Winter-quarter Natural Resource ing plots were established at Organ Pipe groundwater monitoring was completed Condition Assessments Cactus NM. During November and De- cember, crews worked to establish new in early February. The water supply well Information gathering and processing, plots at both districts of Saguaro NP. at Tonto National Monument was inves- map creation, and report writing con- Field summaries of work completed in tigated for monitoring options but can- tinue on the NRCAs for Montezuma 2012 are now available. Reporting ac- not be monitored due to lack of sounder Castle/Tuzigoot NMs, Tumacácori NHP, tivities will continue over the next few accessibility. Gila Cliff Dwellings NM, and Tonto NM. months. In particular, draft sections on vegetation Invasive Exotic Plants and soils for MOCA/TUZI and TONT, Vegetation Mapping Recent work in exotic plants has in- mammals and herps for MOCA/TUZI volved QA/QC, delivery of data to Exotic and GICL, and chapters 2 and 3 for GICL Data collected at Gila Cliff Dwellings Plant Management Team crews, and field and TONT are in progress. The target NM have been entered into a database summary reporting. Field summaries of date for completion of these reports was and quality-checked in preparation for work completed in 2012 are now avail- extended due, in part, to unanticipated analysis. All mapping data have been able. Implementation of this protocol is medical leave and commitments related digitized in ArcGIS to create the first it- being constrained due to the effects of to the monitoring program. Our goal is eration of the vegetation map. A field to have the NRCA reports completed by summary of work completed at GICL in the end of this fiscal year. 2012 is now available. Over the next few National Park Service months, the GICL data will be reviewed U.S. Department of the Interior Streams and analyzed. In addition, data will be analyzed, and a community type draft SODN has been conducting monitoring description prepared, for Saguaro NP fieldwork in all Southwest Network Col- (West) and Montezuma Castle NM. The Sonoran Desert Network is one of laboration (SWNC) parks where streams 32 National Park Service inventory and are monitored. We have collected mac- monitoring networks nationwide that are Washes implementing vital signs monitoring in order roinvertebrate samples at Pecos NHP SODN is testing methods for monitoring to assess the condition of park ecosystems and Gila Cliff Dwellings NM, measured and develop a stronger scientific basis for water quality data at all parks, and sur- ephemeral streams (a.k.a. Washes) at Sa- stewardship and management of natural veyed post-fire channel morphology at guaro NP (East). In January, SODN staff resources across the National Park System. Gila Cliff Dwellings NM. Quarterly sam- downloaded data from pressure trans- Sonoran Desert Network pling will continue at all SWNC parks. ducers located on Monument Wash. 12661 East Broadway Blvd. Riparian vegetation will be sampled at These instruments measure the eleva- Tucson, Arizona 85748 Tumacácori NHP in March. Briefs de- tion of water in the channel and will help Phone tailing the 2012 monitoring season are us to understand the timing and intensity 520-546-1607 now available. of flow events in wash systems. With the help of park staff, SODN will implement Internet http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sodn Springs the next stage of testing: placing very https://www.facebook.com/npssodn small moisture dataloggers (the size of SODN staff, with Glen Canyon National dimes) in the Monument Wash system Recreation Area botanist John Spence, The National Park Service cares for the to look at the spatial variability of flows. special places saved by the American people is working on methods for monitoring so that all may experience our heritage.

2 Official newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network Sonoran Desert Network National Park Service Climate Monitoring U.S. Department of the Interior Continued from page 1 Arizona and New Mexico appropriate coverage. While still har- vesting climate data from extant weather station networks, such as the National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative ! Observer Network (COOP) and the Happy Jack Ranger Station fire operations network of Remote Au- 7,480ft (2,280m) tomated Weather Stations (RAWS), the Davis stations allow us to fill in the gaps Montezuma Castle Montezuma Well Climate Variation along Beaver Creek, AZ in coverage—a critical need in the Amer- National Monument National Monument 3,180ft (969m) 3,556ft (1,084m) 1981–2010 ican Southwest due to the strong topo- 021.25 .5 57.5 10 graphic drivers of climate over relatively Miles limited spatial scales. MOCA/MOWE (normals) Happy Jack (normals) 40 40 100 100

For instance, Figure 1 shows the differ- Maximum 30 30 80 80 ences in aridity at Montezuma Castle Maximum 20 20 National Monument and the nearby 60 60 Happy Jack ranger station, located on 10 10 emperature (ºF)

40 emperature (ºC)

emperature (ºF) 40 emperature (ºC) national forest land. Here, an elevational Minimum 0 Minimum 0 Air t Air t Air t 20 Air t 20 difference of 4,300 feet equates to a dif- -10 -10 ference in average maximum tempera- Jul Ju l Jan Jun Oct Jan Feb Ap r Sep Dec Ju n Nov Oct Feb Ap r Ma r Sep Au g De c Nov 10 Ma y Mar Aug ture of about 20°F. As elevations drop, 10 May 25 25 te r Potential te r SODN parks see a concomitant increase Evapotranspiration 8 Potential 8 20 wa wa

te r 20

ater Evapotranspiration in aridity that is associated with height- wa 6 6 15 Water 15 ened potential for evapotranspiration. Storage Water Deﬁcit Water 4 10 4 Water Deﬁcit 10 As such, high-elevation patterns of pre- Storage Inches of w Inches of 2 2 5 Centimeters of

5 Centimeters of cipitation and water storage are not al- Precipitation Precipitation ways reflected at downstream sites, as is 0 0 0 0 also evident in Figure 1. Aridity Index = 0.20 Aridity Index = 0.55 Semi-arid Sub-humid Like many other SODN efforts, climate monitoring is being approached through Source: NOAA Figure 1. a collaborative effort that includes the NOAA Tucson Office, the NPS Chi- The network expects to have the first gram, and U.S. Geological Survey stream huahuan Desert and Southern Plains round of Davis weather stations in place gages, and hosted by climateanalyzer. networks, and the new U.S. Fish and by 2014, budgets permitting. In the org. Wildlife Service I&M program for the meantime, interactive data on climate Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. We and streamflow can be accessed from —Andy Hubbard, Program Manager are also engaging local ham radio clubs the climate and park pages of the SODN —Alice Wondrak Biel, Writer-Editor in the development and deployment of website. These data are collected by the this innovative technology. NWS Coop program, the RAWS pro-

SODN Climate Monitoring Objectives • Determine biannual (warm season vs. cool season) status and departures from 30-year normals in monthly total precipitation, mean air temperature, and reconnaissance drought index on a park-by park basis.

• Identify the occurrence of extreme stochastic events (low temperatures and exceptional rainfall) by season (warm vs. cool).

• Report this information in biannual resource briefs, and evaluate the data in relation to other vital signs in a covariate and data exploration context.

3 Official newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network Weather Stories (also known as stochastic events)

or monitoring purposes, stochastic events are short-term but often ex- Ftreme occurrences with the potential for long-term consequences. The network’s Davis weather stations are expected to capture the scope, magnitude, and timing of such events more effectively than traditional weather stations. Recent examples of stochastic weather events include the following. On February 20, 2013, a late winter storm dumped several inches of snow on Tucson and its surround- ing areas, covering the iconic sa- guaros and the rest of the desert landscape with an uncharacteristic blanket of white. National Weather Service records indicate that to date, there have been more days with freezing temperatures (23) this season (be- gun July 1, 2012, ending June 30, 2013) than in any other since 1916–1917, when the mer- cury dropped below freezing on 75 days. On July 17, 2012, after about a week of previous rain storms, a storm cell developed south of Chir- icahua National Monument and be- gan to move north. By late afternoon, all of the monument’s large drainages, including Bonita, Rhyolite, Madrone, and Surprise Canyons, had reached full flood stage. Wa- ter and debris quickly swept over Bonita Campground and the visitor center. When rockfall, debris, and sediment left Bonita Canyon Road impassable, the monument was officially closed. The following morn- ing, a SODN crew that had arrived in the park for monitoring activities on July 15 helped park staff to clear sediment and debris from the visitor center parking lot. At around 1 pm, the park was re-opened. —Alice Wondrak Biel, Writer-Editor —Greg Goodrum, Biological Technician 4 Official newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network See What You’re Missing Online!

Website re-designed, Facebook popularity grows

All of the I&M websites are scheduled for re-design, and SODN’s was one of the first to be completed. The new look is more in keeping with the NPS template and makes things easier to find. SODN pioneered the creation of “park pages,” where you can go to learn about individual network parks and find everything we’ve produced related to those parks. Many other networks are now following our lead. Facebook isn’t yet widely used by the I&M program, but the SODN page continues to grow in popularity as the place to go for updates on our activities as well as posts about new research, job openings, park events, cool photos, and other So- noran-iana. You can access Facebook from your government computer, and though we’d like you to Like us, you don’t have to log in or even have a Facebook account to view our page, www.facebook.com/npssodn. Fun Fact: Through the wonders of virality, more than 10,000 people have seen the during-and-after photo comparison of the February 20 blizzard shown on page 4 of this newsletter!

5 Official newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network Where Are We? Here’s what we have planned for March, April, and May. NOTE: Portions of this work may be cancelled due to the effects of the federal budget sequester.

Park March April May CAGR Landbirds: 1st round of monitoring Exotic Plants: Regular sampling CHIR Washes: Index station installation Washes: Installation of index stations (tentative), Feb 27–March 6 (tentative), April 15–19 CORO Washes: Index station installation Washes: Installation of index stations (tentative), Feb 27–March 6 (tentative), April 15–19 GICL Streams: Sonde deployment and station Exotic Plants: Regular sampling mount installation, April 22–26 Streams: Quarterly and macroinvertebrate sampling, May 5–9 Vegetation Mapping: Continued mapping MOCA/TUZI Streams: Quarterly and Exotic Plants: Regular sampling (MOCC, macroinvertebrate sampling (MOCC/ MOWE, TUZI) MOWE/TUZI), May 27–30 ORPI Washes: Index station installation Washes: Installation of index stations (tentative), Feb 27–March 6 (tentative), April 15–19 Landbirds: 1st round of monitoring SAGE Landbirds: 1st round of monitoring TONT Exotic Plants: Regular sampling TUMA Streams: Riparian vegetation, Mar 13–20 Streams: Sonde deployment, May Exotic Plants: Regular sampling 3; Quarterly and macroinvertebrate sampling, May 21–22 PECO* Streams: Sonde deployment and station Streams: Quarterly and mount installation, April 22–26 macroinvertebrate sampling, May 5–9 BEOL* Streams: Sonde deployment and station Streams: Quarterly and mount installation, April 22–26 macroinvertebrate sampling, May 5–9

*Southern Plains Network parks. PECO=Pecos National Historical Park, BEOL=Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site. Acronyms for SODN parks are shown in the box below.

The Heliograph New documents available is a publication Sonoran Desert of the Sonoran from the SODN website Desert Inventory & Network Parks Monitoring Network. Briefs Casa Grande Ruins NM (CAGR) Streams monitoring, 2012 Gila Cliff Dwellings NM Chiricahua NM (CHIR) Program Manager Montezuma Castle NM Andy Hubbard Coronado NMEM (CORO) Tumacácori NHP Tuzigoot NM Editing and Design Fort Bowie NHS (FOBO) Field Summaries Alice Wondrak Biel Gila Cliff Dwellings NM (GICL) Invasive Exotic Plants monitoring, 2012 Contributors Montezuma Castle NM (MOCA) Chiricahua NM Debbie Angell Organ Pipe Cactus NM (ORPI) Coronado NMEM Kristen Beaupré Gila Cliff Dwellings NM Saguaro NP (SAGU) Colleen Filippone Tumacácori NHP Greg Goodrum Tonto NM (TONT) Uplands monitoring, 2012 Evan Gwilliam Field Summary Overview Andy Hubbard Tumacácori NHP (TUMA) Chiricahua NM Sarah Studd Tuzigoot NM (TUZI) Alice Wondrak Biel Coronado NMEM Gila Cliff Dwellings NM All photos in this document are courtesy of NM = National Monument Organ Pipe Cactus NM the National Park Service. NMEM = National Memorial Saguaro NP (East) Visit us on the web at NHS = National Historic Site Saguaro NP (West) http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sodn NHP = National Historical Park Vegetation Mapping https://www.facebook.com/npssodn Gila Cliff Dwellings NM

6 Official newsletter of the Sonoran Desert Network