Field work by Friends of Saguaro helped locate several springs in Saguaro National Park’s Rincon Mountains / Friends of Saguaro

Editor's note: Earlier this year we ran an article about how national park friends groups are being asked to spend more dollars on operational needs, an appropriation that takes away from the organizations' efforts to add a "margin of excellence" for parks. How is margin of excellence defined? Take a look at what Friends of Saguaro is doing for their park.

In 2017, the Friends of Saguaro National Park Board of Directors approved funding for the first-ever inventory of important natural and cultural resources in the high-elevation (7,000’-8,700’) wilderness area of the Rincon Mountains. The survey crew of park technicians and NextGen Rangers were stationed at Manning Camp and completed this vital survey of 1,500 acres, focusing on five resources; water, invasive plants, forest health, cultural and wilderness.

Water—The survey led to the discovery of several high elevation springs (notably Scarlet Spring) that had not been mapped. With several once-reliable springs (Spud Rock, Deer Head, Mint and Jelks) now frequently dry, there is a recognized need for better information on the locations and water dynamics of springs.

Invasive Plants—Park staff is aware of patches of highly invasive plants at high elevations, such as cheat grass and horehound, but they have never been systematically surveyed. The survey identified, mapped, and documented the invasive plants that will aid the park in deciding how to manage the invasive plants before they become too expensive to control.

By surveying forests, teams funded by the friends group were able to map forest health and pinpoint where bark beetles were becoming a problem / Friends of Saguaro

Forest Health—The survey mapped and confirmed infestations of bark beetles and dwarf mistletoe for the first time. Overall, the results suggest that the forest health in the northern portion of the Rincon Mountains is generally good. Additionally, seven species of plants never before found in the Rincon Mountains were discovered along with six species of plants that had not been documented in more than 100 years.

Cultural—Archaeological sites in the desert below 4,500 feet in elevation are well studied, however, no survey has been done at higher elevations. This survey discovered numerous prehistoric rock shelters and a large cave of significant archaeological value.

Wilderness—This survey helped provide vital data on the 77 percent of Saguaro National Park that is congressionally designated wilderness (Wilderness Act of 1964) and will complement the 2017 park-wide Wilderness Character monitoring effort by gathering field data on night skies and soundscapes that were not gathered during the baseline surveys in 2012.

The results of the high elevation Natural and Cultural Resource Surveys were truly amazing! Further surveys, research and an increased focus on the newly discovered archaeological sites, by trained archaeologists is required. Please support the Friends ongoing Natural and Cultural Resource Surveys at Saguaro National Park by visiting www.friendsofsaguaro.org.