Filtering by
- All Subjects: Groundwater--Monitoring
- All Subjects: Ironwood Forest National Monument (Ariz.)
- Creators: Pima County (Ariz.). County Administrator's Office
Provides a brief summary of a compilation of resource investigations that have been submitted so far, to help develop the SDCP within the watershed planning area of the Avra Valley. The report also includes a number of proposals related to the Ironwood Preserve.
Four adjacent ranges define the western edge of the Avra and Altar valleys. Even though desert ironwood has dark green, lush foliage much of the year, this tree is almost exclusively a Sonoran Desert species. The same is true of the distribution of saguaros, foothill palo verdes, fishhook barrel cacti, and most of the hundreds of other plants growing here. These rugged ranges also provide natural refuges for a variety of wildlife, including desert bighorn and migratory pollinators. In addition to the biological resources, the area has abundant rock art sites and other archaeological sites.
The SDCP recognizes the important links between groundwater, streamflow, and vegetation that still exist along some streams and springs in Pima County. Unfortunately, depletion of aquifers has altered streamflow and associated groundwater-dependent vegetation along the Santa Cruz River and other streams. The main purpose of this report is to establish priorities for potential expansion of Pima County's existing aquifer monitoring for groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
Provides a review of eight monitoring efforts in southern Arizona to highlight their accomplishments and to critique their efficacy and overview of important attributes of a monitoring program. This review of projects and successful attributes will provide an assessment framework to better guide the development of the Pima County Ecological Monitoring Program.