Saguaro National Park

Park Information

• Date Established: October 14, 1994
• Location: Arizona
• Area: 91,446 acres

Overview

Saguaro National Park was formally established in 1994 to recognize and protect the iconic saguaro cactus. This slow-growing, long-lived cactus is familiar as a symbol of the American Southwest and grows in large concentrations in the area. Visitors come to see the cacti, which can reach a height of more than 50 feet (15 meters) and weigh in excess of 8 tons. It is estimated that more than 2 million saguaro cacti grow in the park, making it the largest collection of saguaro on Earth.

In addition to the namesake cactus and the arid desert environment where it grows, Saguaro National Park includes forests with oaks, pine trees, and other conifer trees and woodland plants. These are found in the higher elevations of the park, which includes mountains in the Tucson and Rincon Mountain ranges that reach as high as 8,700 feet (2,653 meters). Wildlife in the park includes many types of birds, some of which make their homes in the saguaros, as well as snakes, deer, owls, bears, and other types of desert and woodland animals.

History

Saguaro National Park had its origins in a proclamation made by President Herbert Hoover on March 1, 1933. The proclamation established a national monument to the saguaro in an area of desert near Tucson, Arizona. Cactus advocates had lobbied for years for recognition for the saguaro and the role it had already played as a symbol of America’s western frontier. It was feared that the cactus would go the way of many western towns and be cleared away as people and industry expanded into the area.

The saguaro is a tall cactus with branching arms and a surface studded with rows of long, sharp spines. It grows very slowly, taking up to ten years to reach a height of only 6 inches (15 centimeters). The cactus grows straight for as many as eight decades before it develops the characteristic branches and can live for several centuries.

The area where saguaros grow receives very little rain, usually less than a total of 12 inches (304 millimeters) a year. During rainfall, it absorbs hundreds of gallons of water, which allows it to survive in the harsh, hot, and dry climate where temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) in the summer. Once the plants reach maturity, they produce white flowers in the spring that become a sweet red fruit that Native Americans eat and press to make wine. The saguaro is also home to several species of animals, most notably the glided flicker and Gila woodpecker. The woodpeckers drill multiple holes into the cacti in search of the perfect nesting place, leaving holes for other birds and animals to call home.

Being designated a national monument provided some protection for the cacti and the wildlife that depended on them for survival in the desert, but advocates continued to lobby for more. The cacti continued to be endangered by grazing cattle, people who stole cacti to transplant them to other locations, and older cacti dying faster than new plants could replace them. The advocates continued to draw attention to the importance of the cacti until 1961, when President John F. Kennedy added 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) to the monument. Eventually, the monument’s status was changed to a national park by an act of Congress in 1994.

A restoration program that affected both Saguaro National Park and other Arizona wilderness sites was announced in 2024. An influx of federal funding allowed for the reintroduction of native frogs to Southern Arizona ponds, as well as the hiring of a federal fire ecologist to help prevent wildfires. The program also allowed for the harvesting of native seeds for use in post-wildfire wilderness rehabilitation efforts.

Geology and Ecology

The desert environment in Saguaro National Park provides a glimpse at the geology of an area that goes far beyond the park itself. The park includes two mountain ranges, the Tucson Mountains and the Rincon Mountains, which were formed in very different ways. The Tucson Mountains are the remnants of a volcanic eruption that happened around seventy-five million years ago. The Rincon Mountains are made of metamorphic rock, or rock that was formed when another type of rock was exposed to extremes of heat and pressure. These rocks were pushed into mountains by the action of the earth’s tectonic plates, the large slabs of rock that form the lowest level of the earth’s surface.

The geology of the area includes a number of features found in desert areas and mountain foothills, including the following:

Alluvial fans—rock formations created when fast-moving water slows down, as happens when water leaves a canyon

Bajadas—a series of alluvial fans that form a cascade-like pattern

Pediments—a gentle slope formed by erosion

Rock varnish—also known as desert varnish, a thin orange-red, brown, or black scaly coating that forms on desert rocks because of the extreme conditions

Tinajas—a surface pool of water found in the desert and provides an important source of water for wildlife

Because much of Saguaro National Park is a desert, many of the rock formations and features are more readily visible than they would be in areas with heavier vegetation. The area of the park also exhibits signs of past mining operations, as well as erosion and other damage from flooding caused by isolated heavy rains.

The giant saguaro, also known as Carnegia gigantean, is the most famous type of plant life in the park but is far from the only kind that grows there. More than two thousand different plant species have been identified in the Sonoran Desert, part of which is in the park. They run the full range, from the heat-loving cacti to pine trees that thrive in the much cooler temperatures at the park’s higher elevations.

The Sonoran is one of the largest deserts in America. Its ecosystem includes the most diverse display of animal life in any American desert. Experts there have identified at least sixty types of mammals, one hundred types of reptiles, twenty types of amphibians, more than three hundred kinds of birds, and at least thirty kinds of fish.

In addition to providing a way for people to see and learn about the giant cacti and other features of the park, Saguaro National Park continues to be an important way to protect the cacti. Some experts fear that changing weather patterns could threaten the saguaro by allowing more grasses to grow in their habitat. Others are concerned that changes to clean air and water policies could threaten the saguaro. Another potential concern is that a desire to improve roads and other infrastructure could endanger many plant and animal habitats, including Saguaro National Park.

Bibliography

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Davis, Tony. "Ecological Restoration Projects Announced for Saguaro Park, other Arizona Sites." Tucson.com, 21 Feb. 2024, tucson.com/news/local/environment/usinterior-federal-financing-ecological-restoration-saguaronational-park-arizona/article‗7a7c84e8-d02b-11ee-a79d-233764a1672f.html. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

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“Sonoran Desert Network Ecosystems.” National Park Service, www.nps.gov/im/sodn/ecosystems.htm. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

“Welcome to Saguaro National Park.” National Park, www.national-park.com/welcome-to-saguaro-national-park/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.