Molino Basin

Molino Basin

Coronado National Forest

• Who does this land belong to?
• Can you take things from a national forest?
• Why should we be good stewards of the land?
• Why are there fee areas? Do you think you should have to pay to use natural spaces?
• Note: Only 12% of AZ is private land. Other areas are Federal or State land, either bombing ranges, military bases, Indian Reservation, or national forests.

Snake safety

• Why are snakes important? Rodent control to prevent destruction and spread of disease!
• AZ has 11 species of rattlesnakes, 4 of which are protected
• They are most active March-October, starting during the day, but as the days get hotter in May, snakes rest during the day and become more active at night
• In an encounter, you are more of a threat to a snake than it is to you, so it will be nervous. Move slowly and deliberately and back away at the sight or sound of a rattlesnake. The snake will not chase you. Alert others!
• Snakes do not crawl fast, up to 3 mph. The strike speed, however, cannot be evaded, and reaches up to 2/3 the length of the snake. It is best to keep at least 6 feet distance.
• If a snakebite occurs: Remove all jewelry in area, immobilize extremity and keep below the heart, decrease total body activity, get to medical facility. Do NOT apply ice, make an incision, use a tourniquet, give alcohol or drugs, use electric shock.

Snake info. resource [1]

Flash floods

• Flash flood warnings are issued by the local National Weather Service office (UA campus in Tucson)
• It only takes about 6 inches of rushing water to push a car off the road
• To prevent deaths due to attempts to drive across flooded creeks, Arizona adopted the “Stupid Motorist Law.” If a driver has to be rescued, he is charged the cost of his rescue plus a fine.

Grass-oak fire regimes

• Grass burns quickly and spreads fire across the landscape fast when struck by lightning

Oaks

• Have acorns
• Several species in region (Arizona white, Mexican blue, Emory, gray, ...)
• Are super diverse in this region, thanks to adaptive radiation in the Sierra Madre mountains to our south
• Hybridize easily, so in addition to many species here, there may be hybrids of species

Moisture

• Ask if students think this area gets more or less snow and rain than at Babad Do'ag - what evidence can you look for?
• Ask if students think evaporation is higher, lower, or the same as at Babad Do'ag - what evidence can you look for?
• Ask what that means for total moisture here.
• Look at the differences in plant structure: which cactus are still present? What new forms are present? What are their adaptations for?

Streams / riparian vegetation

• Does this dry wash count as a stream? For what purposes?
• Do the plants in and around the wash look any different than up on the hillside? Are there any more or less of some kinds than others?
• How can you tell there is a stream? Why are there different sized rocks? Why are the rocks rounded?
• Where does the water come from? Where does it go?

Vegetation change

• Transition from low desert to oak grassland.
• Are there any species in common with the lower site you visited? Do you think the species turnover happens independently for each species, or are there communities of associated species that turnover together?
• Why do species like saguaro cacti no longer appear?

Southern AZ Vertical Life Zones Diagram [2]