Cave Creek Canyon: Revealing the Heart of Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains

The first major publication from the Friends of Cave Creek Canyon is back from the publishers and available for purchase.  With 45 chapters, each written by a local expert, the book covers topics including background on the sky islands, geology, all the different types of wildlife, and much much more.  A true labor of love this will be the goto book about the Chiricahua Mountains for the next several decades.  It is available at the Chiricahua Desert Museum or may be ordered from the museum.  It should also be available from Amazon at some point.  There will be a book signing party at the desert museum on Jan 31st from 3-6 PM, where all the authors will be available to sign their chapters for those wishing individualized copies.

The new book from the Friends of Cave Creek Canyon

Friends of Cave Creek Canyon - Garden Work Day

The Friends of Cave Creek Canyon held a work day in the gardens planted last year by the visitors center in Cave Creek Canyon.  Eight participants turned out for the event and a sunny Saturday morning was spent removing weeds and laying ground barriers around several of the planting areas to reduce future weeding. Images from the event are shown below.

Post by Friends of Cave Creek Canyon (FOCCC).

Friends of Cave Creek Canyon Garden Party

The finished garden at the Cave Creek Canyon visitors center was the center of attention at a garden party hosted by FOCCC to celebrate the newly completed garden.  A number of local individuals and groups set up informational tables around the front of the Cave Creek Canyon visitors center with interactive displays covering astronomy, native plants and animals, and the prehistoric residents, while food was served behind the visitors center.  Native plant sales took place out in the new garden area, and of course the visitors center was open for inspection.  The new flag purchased by FOCCC is now installed on the signage erected last year alerting new visitors to the visitors center.

panorama of garden party

visitors at FOCCC garden party

 

Native plants at the Friends of Cave Creek Canyon's garden party

Interior of the visitors center in Cave Creek Canyon

Volunteer Work in the Chiricahua Mountains.

A group from the Portal Rodeo Hiking Club including some Friends of Cave Creek Canyon and regular trail maintenance volunteers gathered to work on some hiking trails with Zac Ribbing of the Coronado National Forest.  The group worked on 1 1/2 miles of trail between the research station and Herb Martyr dam clearing fallen trees, pruning, and erosion control.  After lunch, the team regrouped and headed up the 4 wheel drive road to the Greenhouse Trail where a new sign was installed at the wilderness boundary.  A good day of volunteer work and some new trails for tail mapping.

Cave Creek Canyon: Then and Now

Everything changes and evolves and many are uncomfortable with that notion.  Many find security in the idea of permanence and long for places that are unchanging.  But the reality is change is the norm not the exception as exampled by the Horseshoe Two Fire of 2011 which involved a rapid change in the Chiricahua Mountains.

How is change measured and quantified?  For many it is memory based, and the first line starts "I remember when..." and frequently ends with "it is all ruined now".  But there are alternatives ways to measure change that are more quantitative and do not rely on the imperfections of memory.  One methodology is photographic.  Images captured over period of time can be used to document change and are neutral recordings of changes in the landscape.

Below are 2 images of the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains of the Coronado National Forest.  The first is a postcard taken in the 1940's, while the second is a photograph taken from the same place on September 18, 2011, a span of 60-70 years.

Note the changes in the entryway, the bronze plaque is missing as is the left stone pillar.   Cathedral Rock as well as the other outcrops are the same but an abundance of low scrubby vegetation has grown up obscuring part of the view.  But the overall density of vegetation covering the lower slopes appears similar.

1940's view of the entrance to the Coronado National Forest in Cave Creek Canyon

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The same view taken September 18, 2011.

Lifting the Closure in the Chiricahua Mountains

Just received this from Naturalist Journeys

"The Douglas District of Coronado National Forest will lift a portion of the forest closure JULY 13th. Bill Edwards, District Ranger phoned with news that the main corridors of South Fork and Herb Martyr Roads will be open and the road to Onion Saddle, hopefully with extension of the road to the jct. of Rustler and Barfoot Parks soon after. Rustler and Barfoot Parks will remain closed to extensive burned hazard trees, as will the Pinery side of the Trans Mountain Road . There will be a public meeting at the Rodeo Community Ctr. Wed., July 13th at 6PM. Some trail, road and campground closures will remain, perhaps through summer. Everywhere, Bill reminds us that we need to stay flexible in response to Monsoon weather. Parking may be limited in narrow canyon areas prone to flooding, and East Turkey Creek with multiple water crossings will remain closed. We will post information as we receive it and we will all learn more at the meeting Wednesday! Thanks to all who have worked long hours to get these areas OPEN."