M USIC IN THE CANY O N - Friends of Sabino Canyon

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JULY 2006 STORMS BRING RECORD FLOODS & CHANGE LANDSCAPE
FALL/WINTER 2006
Landscape Change in Sabino Canyon
and the Santa Catalina Mountains
by Heidi Schewel
P.O. Box 31265 • Tucson, AZ 85751-1265
www.sabinocanyon.org
When rain finally came in July, it was a blessing. After a bone-dry winter and years of extended
drought, Tucsonans rejoiced when the monsoonal
storms brought the much-needed rainfall. By the
end of the month, some wondered, did we have
too much of a good thing? Was our rainfall a mixed
blessing? What would become a significant natural
event began rather unassumingly. Sabino Creek had
been drier than usual due to the lack of the winter
rains. On Wednesday, July 26th, the creek was dry.
DIANA MADARAS DONATES Storms that night brought water down through
the canyon, which was nothing out of the ordinary.
PROCEEDS FROM
Additional storms Thursday night and Friday night
NEW SABINO CANYON
raised the water level to flood stage. Then, in the
PAINTING
early morning hours Monday, July 31st, after days
of rain and a series of overnight thunderstorms,
Mother Nature rearranged parts of Sabino CanRenowned local artist Diana Madaras has
created a new painting of Sabino Canyon to yon. The storms brought record floods to Pantano
Wash, Rillito Creek, Rincon Creek, Sabino Creek,
benefit Friends of Sabino Canyon. The
and Tanque Verde Creek. In the Sabino Canyon
painting, “A Walk in Sabino,” appears
watershed, the cumulative storm total measured
on notecards now on sale at the
eight to 10 inches of rainfall. The three- and four-day
Madaras Gallery at 1535 E. Broadway and 3001 storm frequencies at Sabino Dam reached the 500
East Skyline Drive, and the bookstore at the year return period. From July 26th to July 31st,
Sabino Canyon Visitor Center. Proceeds from water flowing over the dam went from zero to over
the sale of the cards will help Friends of
15,000 cubic feet per second, which was a record
flow. Upper Sabino became inaccessible due to high
Sabino Canyon in its work to preserve and
water levels.
enhance Sabino Canyon.
(See LANDSCAPE CHANGE inside)
VISITORS FEEDBACK
49% favored restoring the roads, shuttles
www.sabinocanyon.org
9%
DRESS WARMLY & BRING A FLASHLIGHT
$5 per INDIVIDUAL
$10 PER FAMILY
all proceeds benefit Friends of Sabino Canyon
and facilities to pre-flood conditions
SUGGESTED DONATION
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2006
4:50 PM-9 PM
HOLIDAY CONCERT & SILENT AUCTION
featuring the Tucson AriZONA BOYS CHORUS
MUSIC IN THE CANYON
JOIN US FOR THE
Of the 510 written comments received at the
Sabino Canyon Visitor Center:
favored the shuttle traveling to the
Shuttle Stop #9
9% sought modification to shuttle service
7% envisioned shuttle traveling to Shuttle
Stop #8, with a hiking trail leading further
7% wanted to see hiking (trails or road)
restored before other improvements made;
5% did not want the shuttle to operate;
4% wanted the area left alone;
1% favored phased reconstruction;
8% offered various other suggestions.
(by Heidi Schewel/LANDSCAPE CHANGES
continued from page 1)
With the water came some landscape-altering
debris flows. A debris flow is a slurry of water
and sediment which can transport large boulders
long distances. Soil high up on the mountainsides
became saturated to the consistency of cement,
and slopes failed, bringing boulders, rock and sediment sliding onto the road and into the canyon.
Most of the debris flows occurred between 4,000
and 6,000 feet in elevation. Eighty-six percent of
the flows were initiated in areas which incurred
minor effects from the Aspen Fire. In addition to
the natural changes taking place, some facilities
sustained significant damage.
At Shuttle Stop #9, the rest room was broken
apart and pushed from its foundation down the
slope and into the creek. What remains is a
boulder field. The roadbed was undercut in a
number of places. In Rattlesnake Canyon, a debris
flow traveled more than two and one-half miles
down the canyon. When it reached the roadway
and the Civilian Conservation Corps-constructed
bridge beneath which it usually passed, the culverts
couldn’t handle the load and became plugged. The
bridge held, but the flow took the path of least
resistance and cut through the roadway above it,
widening the channel into Sabino Creek. Lower
Rattlesnake Picnic Area was partially buried in the
process.
Historically and prior to this event, five small
debris flows are known to have occurred in the
Front Range of the Santa Catalina Mountains, in
addition to prehistoric debris flows. Since July 31st,
the U.S. Geological Survey has counted over 240
“new” debris flows on the Front Range, 18 within
Sabino Canyon. In at least one case, sediments
were removed down to bedrock, leaving a relatively
stable surface. In others, only the upper layers
of sediment were removed, leaving the slopes
unstable and vulnerable to further sediment loss
during “normal” rainfall events.
The debris flows left rocks, boulders and sediment in the road in many areas, and undercut the
road and approaches to bridges in others. All nine
of the bridges, which had accrued heavy sediment
loads behind them from upstream soil loss caused
by wildfires, remained in place. Some sustained
damage – broken dragon’s teeth, missing pillars, and
lost surfacing – damage similar to that which has
occurred during past flood events.
During this period, parts of the Sabino Canyon
Recreation Area were closed to the public. The
Phoneline and Historic Sabino trails were closed
due to washouts. Many other trails sustained
damage, but were passable. The road into Upper
Sabino was closed from the washout at Rattlesnake
due to undercutting and piles of rock and boulders
covering the road. In late October, the washout
was repaired, and much of the debris was cleared
away below Shuttle Stop #8. The day many had
been waiting for occurred on October 25th, when
the road reopened. The shuttle was able to travel
as far as Shuttle Stop #4 (two miles into the canyon), and visitors could walk up to Shuttle Stop #9.
The collective joy was evident in the faces of those
returning to their beloved canyon, broad smiles
exchanged silently between strangers. Trail closures
remained in effect with the addition of the Sabino
Canyon Trail from Shuttle Stop #9 to the junction
of the East Fork and West Fork trails, due to
inaccessibility.
(more)
NOTES FROM THE
ASSISTANT RANGER
November 2006
District Ranger Larry Raley asked me to share
my impressions of Sabino Canyon related happenings this fall. That’s included a public meeting
on the floods/future of the canyon, drawing
some 300 people downtown on a Saturday
morning; a “state of the canyon”’ walk with
about 40 Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists
to assess the impact of July 31 floods on lower
Sabino; and Public Lands Day Sept. 30 where
415 volunteers helped shovel out picnic tables
and pull up invasive plants in the canyon and
along the roads. 476 people have written comments about the canyon’s future—many including stories of how they moved here specifically
because of Sabino Canyon, their memories of
family outings in the canyon, or their daily walks
up the canyon. As I am writing this, a contractor is working in Sabino to fix the road bed at
Rattlesnake , clear the road up to stop #4 for
tram access and make the upper canyon road
safer for pedestrians. By the time you read
this, the tram should be running to stop #4 and
people hiking the upper canyon from there.
My first impression is simply awe at the level
of interest in and commitment to this place.
When I was here as a UA student in the 70s,
Sabino was a place for family picnics but there
was no visitor center, no tram and certainly not
the dozens of people who walk the roads and
trails every morning and evening. I’m equally impressed by the great ‘workforce’ of volunteers
who hike the trails and make visitor contacts,
serve in the visitor centers, and provide conservation education to Tucson schoolchildren.
I am also impressed by the cumulative impact of
several years of drought, two fires, heavy rains,
flooding and the results throughout the Santa
Catalinas. The debris flows in Sabino were the
most dramatic, but throughout the district we
have washouts, downed trees, and abundant
vegetative growth – both natural and invasive
– knee to chest high, depending on elevation.
These natural events have rendered the area
so many people love more difficult to use and
enjoy. Trails are washed out and hidden in deep
grasses; hikers are getting lost; roads are rutted;
some picnic and camping sites are closed.
I see immense challenges and immense public
commitment. I’m envisioning a whole new era
of stewardship of Sabino and the Catalinas, with
even more involvement from our Friends – in
adopting trails, in monitoring the vegetative and
landform changes, in building further on a great
base of volunteerism, conservation education
and community involvement. If you have ideas
on we can do this together, feel free to drop
me a note at [email protected]
Cindy Chojnacky – Assistant District Ranger
Santa Catalina Ranger District
(by Heidi Schewel/LANDSCAPE CHANGE
continued from page 2)
Following the flooding, Forest Service personnel sought and received public comment on Sabino’s
future. Nearly 300 people attended a meeting held September 23rd requesting input. Peter Griffiths,
Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, presented information on what had actually happened,
and how changes might affect future stability of the area.
For the duration, the public, the people who love Sabino Canyon, waited and wondered: what’s
going to happen? When? How can I help? The answer was forthcoming. On National Public Lands
Day, September 30th, Forest Service personnel organized a work day in Sabino. Under the Incident
Command System, a framework of personnel and work assignments was developed. The community
responded in force. Four-hundred people turned out to focus their labor and their passion on working in the canyon which was so important to them. After being divided into crews, volunteers dug
out two picnic areas used for educational programs by the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists, and
removed over 660 bags of buffelgrass and fountain grass, which are highly invasive grasses of African
origin. Spirits were high, people pulled together, and a tremendous amount of much-needed work was
performed. Visitors can now access two picnic areas in popular locations, and much of Sabino looks
more like the Sonoran Desert than an African grassland. Thanks to volunteers from the Friends of
Sabino Canyon, the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists, the Santa Catalina Volunteer Patrol, the Santa
Catalina Mounted Assistance Unit, district personnel and the many organizations and individuals who
teamed up to make it happen.
The question now is, what’s in store for the future? The Forest Service will apply for emergency
funding for restoration. We are continuing the review process, analyzing information on what kinds of
repairs are possible and/or feasible to the road, the facilities and the trails. When the analysis has been
completed, decisions will be made as to the degree of restoration that will be undertaken. Written
comments and suggestions are being accepted at the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center.
Sabino Canyon will now hold different meanings for some. It is still a place of awesome beauty,
perhaps even more so in its new context. In some places, it’s the same place we have known and
loved. In others, it is forever changed, with new side canyons entering the main channel, deposition of
sediment, or lack of the familiar riparian greenery. That’s how it’s supposed to be. On July 31st, Sabino
Canyon was doing exactly that which Nature intended, draining water from the Santa Catalina Mountains. “Damage” occurred to things that were important to us, but not to natural processes. Looking
at the bigger picture, the 100-plus years we have been using the area for recreation are not even a noticeable speck on the geologic time scale. The mountains are continually undergoing change, but usually so subtly that we don’t even notice it. When something of this magnitude occurs, at first we may
be shocked, but then we may realize the opportunity before us, the privilege we have, to observe the
forces of Nature at work, something many don’t get to experience in their lifetimes. But we do, and
we have. In recent years we have gone full circle from drought, to fire, to flood. We will return back
to drought, to fire, and, maybe sooner, maybe later, to flood. No matter what we do, natural forces will
continue to operate as they have long before we were in the picture. And things we hold dear may be
lost. But Sabino Canyon will be what it is meant to be, a functioning system, ever-changing, an evolving
canyon with or without our influence.
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S MESSY DESK (10/28/06)
It seems to happen every year. Some sort of disaster happens in the canyon and we end
up locked out. This year was supposed to be the season of fire. With little rain, the heat coming on, we were poised for the big one. Wrong! Rains happened early and frequently. Blessed
we were, but not out of the woods. In late July the canyon roared with rockslides and record
water flows like none ever seen. Before this time we had to look to the floods of ’83 for
anything close. Before this we had debris flows in a handful of areas in the Santa Catalina
range. In a matter of hours we had 240 slides. They speculate that this may happen once in
ever 10,000 years. Well now, I guess we are living the dream. What a fantastic relief to the
past years this summer was, as we watched the canyon transform. Sure, we can aid the damage to some extent, clear here, rebuild there.Yet, we can’t deny the forces that lie within this
treasure of ours. In my message dated 5/8/06 I hoped the rains would overcome the lightning,
and that the .75 inches of rain in ten months would be compensated. “Music in the Canyon”
had been a huge success, and we wished our winter visitors bon voyage. Now we welcome
them, and you back to a transformed canyon. Living the dream.
See you in the canyon,
Dave Bushell - President