Arizona Endangered Species

Arizona has over 50 threatened and endangered plant and animal species. I found a list on the internet. Here it is:

Arizona--52 Species
Animals--35 species
E -- Ambersnail, Kanab (Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis) *
E -- Bat, lesser (=Sanborn's) long-nosed (Leptonycteris curasoae yerbabuenae) *
E -- Bobwhite, masked (quail) (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi)
T -- Catfish, Yaqui (Ictalurus pricei) *
E -- Chub, bonytail (Gila elegans) *
E -- Chub, humpback (Gila cypha) *
T -- Chub, Sonora (Gila ditaenia)
E -- Chub, Virgin River (Gila robusta semidnuda) *
E -- Chub, Yaqui (Gila purpurea) *
T -- Eagle, bald (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) *
E -- Falcon, Northern aplomado (Falco femoralis septentrionalis)
E -- Flycatcher, Southwestern willow (Empidonax traillii extimus) *
E -- Jaguar (Panthera onca) *
E -- Jaguarundi, Sinaloan (Herpailurus (=Felis) yagouaroundi tolteca) *
T -- Minnow, loach (Rhinichthys (=Tiaroga) cobitis)
E -- Ocelot (Leopardus (=Felis) pardalis) *
T -- Owl, Mexican spotted (Strix occidentalis lucida) *
E -- Pronghorn, Sonoran (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis) *
E -- Pupfish, desert (Cyprinodon macularius)
E -- Pygmy-owl, cactus ferruginous (Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum) *
E -- Rail, Yuma clapper (Rallus longirostris yumanensis) *
T -- Rattlesnake, New Mexico ridge-nosed (Crotalus willardi obscurus)
E -- Salamander, Sonoran tiger (Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi) *
T -- Shiner, beautiful (Cyprinella (=Notropis) formosa) *
T -- Spikedace (Meda fulgida) *
T -- Spinedace, Little Colorado (Lepidomeda vittata) *
E -- Squawfish, Colorado [a.k.a. Colorado pikeminnow] (Ptychocheilus lucius) *
E -- Squirrel, Mount Graham red (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis) *
E -- Sucker, razorback (Xyrauchen texanus) *
E -- Topminnow, Gila (incl. Yaqui) (Poeciliopsis occidentalis) *
T -- Tortoise, desert (Gopherus agassizii) *
T -- Trout, Apache (=Arizona) (Oncorhynchus (=Salmo) apache) *
E -- Trout, Gila (Oncorhynchus (=Salmo) gilae) *
E -- Vole, Hualapai Mexican (Microtus mexicanus hualpaiensis)
E -- Woundfin (Plagopterus argentissimus) *

Plants--17 species
E -- Arizona agave (Agave arizonica)
E -- Kearney's blue-star (Amsonia kearneyana)
T -- Welsh's milkweed (Asclepias welshii)
E -- Sentry milk-vetch (Astragalus cremnophylax var. cremnophylax)
T -- Navajo sedge (Carex specuicola)
T -- Cochise pincushion cactus (Coryphantha (=Escobaria) robbinsorum)
E -- Pima pineapple cactus (Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina)
T -- Jones cycladenia (Cycladenia humilis var. jonesii)
E -- Nichol's Turk's head cactus (Echinocactus horizonthalonius var. nicholii)
E -- Arizona hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus var. arizonicus)
E -- Huachuca water-umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva)
E -- Brady pincushion cactus (Pediocactus bradyi)
E -- Peebles Navajo cactus (Pediocactus peeblesianus var. peeblesianus)
T -- Siler pincushion cactus (Pediocactus sileri)
E -- Arizona cliffrose (Purshia subintegra)
T -- San Francisco Peaks groundsel (Senecio franciscanus)
E -- Canelo Hills ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes delitescens)

Threatened or endangered species are species protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This act states that the ecosystems endangered, broadened to include "and threatened species", can be preserved for conservation purposes, and anything that can be done to accomplish this should be done. Congress declared that all Federal Departments and Agencies should seek to conserve endangered and threatened species and use authorities to achieve the purposes of this act. Conservation and protection of species are the main ends of the Endangered Species Act.


Here is an interesting site. http://www.fws.gov/

Al Gore and Global warming My response

The science supporting global warming is wanting. The sun is the driving force of life and the warmth of the earth. Carbon dioxide is a small contributor to our atmosphere, although it does hold in some of the warmth we receive from the sun. Temperature changes are natural. Ecologically, I find Al Gore's speech to be unsound.

Al Gore had wonderful suggestions for caring for our environment. I appreciated his suggestions about creating automobiles that are more fuel-efficient. More fuel efficient automobiles are needed. It's rather ridiculous how far computers have advanced over the last 2o years, yet automobiles are still only going a few hundred miles per gallon. A transition away from fossil fuels would be good for Americans as well. Why be dependent on anything that can damage the environment? Americans should be moving away from dependence on fossil fuels. My favorite point Al Gore made related to global stewardship. Global stewardship by balancing money and the entire planet is hard to argue with. Every American should do what they can to care for the earth.

Al Gore did nothing to make his point by attacking George Bush. These responses made his message seem too politically bent rather than ecological in nature. Al Gore was trying to give a compeling message about Global Warming and other environmental issues, so politics should not be involved, as they only detract from the message rather than enhancing it.

The Cacti of the Grand Canyon

Having had my abode in South Carolina, it has been a rarity for me to see desert cacti. These rare plants to the east find a perfect home in the Grand Canyon area. Based on research, three different variety of cacti are common in the Grand Canyon: Barrel Cacti (Pic 1), Prickly Pear Cacti (Pic. 2), and Hedgehog Cactii ( Pic 3.)Identifying plant life is a necessary component of ecology and an initial stage of critical thinking.

Glen Canyon Dam

A trip to the Grand Canyon National Park wouldn't be complete without visiting the Glen Canyon Dam. Glen Canyon Dam has become a primary feature of Grand Canyon National Park and the surrounding area. The building of the Glen Canyon Dam began in October 1956 and was finished in 1963. It has an enormous ecological impact on Page, AZ. Waters exist where only desert would be found if it hadn't been built. Lake Powell would not exist at all, and the Colorado River would be completely dry in regions. Plant and animal life is also impacted, both inviting and decreasing both forms of life in the area. Human life would be impacted as well. Native Americans would have been driven out of the area if the dam hadn't been built, and if it had been built where it was originally intended, groups of Native Americans, such as the Hualapai, would have lost their lands. Glen Canyon Dam is a magnificent example of modern architecture and makes an area that would be uninhabitable desert livable.

Critical Thinking and the Grand Canyon

The stages of critical thinking are constantly practiced in the sciences surrounding ecology. As an amateur ecologist, I went through the processes of identifying, gathering, examining, formulating, applying, evaluating, and reflecting. When I was going through the Grand Canyon on the boat, I identified strange, ghostlike markings on the rocks. Over the day I saw more of them. I examined the rocks to see what they were. I had the idea that some of the markings were there as a result of human effort. Humans had actually carved into the rocks at the Grand Canyon. I evaluated this against what my guides were telling me. After evaluating the information I received through my own reasoning and the information given to me by my guides, I found that the markings in the rocks were not human markings at all, but markings that resulted from water draining down the sides of the Canyon. I then rejected my idea in favor of the reality, that the markings were indeed biochemical, not manmade. I then reflected on the differences between the human markings I was seeing and the natural markings. I realized that the human markings were smaller as well as closer to the ground. Critical thinking is always necessary whenever I try to learn about the world around me.

Steps of Critical Thinking

Identify- recognize clearly define root problem
Gather- assemble information to sort through
Examine- analyze pertinant information
Formulate- divise a plan
Apply- implement the plan
Evaluate- judge results objectively
Reflect- thinking about what you are doing and thinking

Unusual dwarf trees in Arizona

From the first moments we touched down in Arizona, I noticed most of the deciduous trees had two common adaptations which aid in their survival: a small size and comparitively thin distribution. Arizona trees are significantly smaller and more thinly distributed than trees in South Carolina. Arizona is mainly desert and lacks water--essential nutrients and the temperatures are fairly high throughout most of the state--so the trees have to find different means to survive. Fewer leaves, larger root systems, smaller leaves, and a small size keep these desert trees alive. Different sections of the Grand Canyon, for example, the Southern Rim and Western Rim, have two very different tree populations. On the Southern Rim, where the trees were not burned as a result of fire, the trees were softwood, had white trunks, and the leaves were fairly familiar in shape but smaller in size. Softwood trunks give these trees leeway in the stong winds coming through this area. The trees near the Western Rim of the Grand Canyon had leaves unlike any in the east; these leaves were long and thin like thin straws. These straw-like leaves are CAM leaves. In Winslow, Arizona, at the Meteorite Crater, the dwarf trees have small round leaves, a dark tree trunk, and a bush-like shape. The bush-like shape would distribute heat and cold and allow high winds to filter through the tree. The small leaves call for fewer nutrients and hold in water unlike larger flat leaves. All of these adaptations aid tree survival in the different regions of Arizona.

My Vacation to Arizona (Intro Post)

Since Spring Break began my husband and I have been in Arizona. The Arizona landscape and wildlife, especially the Grand Canyon and surrounding desert lands, enforce much of what I have learned throughout my current college course in Ecology (Maintaining this blog for a few weeks is a required assignment for the course.) Later I will be discussing my trip ecologically. In this post I will be focusing on our trip itself.

On March 12th, my husband and I flew into the Phoenix airport and drove in a rented car across the Arizona desert, with mountains, buttes, and many other rock and sand formations in the distance, to a little Bed & Breakfast in Williams, Arizona. We stayed here for 4 nights. Next, we traveled to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Amazingly we were able to stay at the Maswik Lodge, a very busy lodge, ¼ mile from the rim of the Grand Canyon for 3 days. The first day went on the Grand Canyon Adventure, an all day tour that starts at Grand Canyon National Airport. This tour consisted of rides on plane, truck, raft and bus. On the plane ride we flew over a large portion of the Grand Canyon. By truck we traveled to Antelope Canyon. We were driven from Antelope Canyon to the Glen Canyon dam at Lake Powell where we smooth water rafted. Finally, we were picked up by bus and driven back to the Grand Canyon National Airport. On day three we hiked the Rim Trail and saw amazing views of the Grand Canyon but also the remains of a recent forest fire. During the next phase of our trip we drove to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon and stayed on the Hualapai Indian Reservation at the Hualapai Lodge for two short days. On the second day of our stay we woke up early for a Hualapai guided “River Runners” trip offered through the lodge on the Colorado River. River Running is an interesting way to explore the Grand Canyon, and the Hualapai Indians make a little money this way. Yesterday we drove from the West Rim of the Grand Canyon over desert and flat plains to the La Posada Hotel in Wilson, AZ. Somehow a car or gas tank exploded causing a toxic field fire that lasted most of the day. The La Posada Hotel is the last great historical railroad hotel in existence; it is also a hacienda. We hope to see the Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest over the next few days. So far, our vacation to Arizona has been filled with adventure and beautiful natural wonders.

Ecologically speaking, this trip has been rich. I hope to present some of this richness to you, my readers.