Springs Monitoring at Coronado National Memorial: 2024
Callie B, Munson A, McIntyre C , Hubbard A . 2026. Springs Monitoring at Coronado National Memorial: 2024. Science Report. NPS/SR—2026/441. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2318580
The Sonoran Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors three springs each year at Coronado National Memorial, Arizona. We assess the condition of the spring, measure spring discharge and wetted extent (area that contained water), collect core water quality and water chemistry data, note the wetland plants and invasive species present, and sample for environmental DNA (eDNA) to inventory springs for rare species, invasive species, and pathogens. Each spring is somewhat unique, and Arizona has not adopted water quality standards that apply across the diversity of springs in the state. Therefore, we continue to collect water quality data at the springs to form a baseline reference of natural variance. We did not detect any of our eDNA target organisms at the two springs where we were able to obtain samples in 2024. As in 2022 and 2023, Blue Waterfall #2 was completely dry in 2024. However, the spring had water from 2017 (when monitoring began) through 2021. Some riparian vegetation was present in 2024, but several cottonwood trees were dead. Sediment deposits and plant debris remain from a 2022 flood, and there was trash at the site. In 2024, wetland plants included cottonwood (live and dead) and sedges, and we did not find any invasive plants or animals. Fern Grotto lies in the middle of a steep drainage and emerges in a cave covered in thick moss, ferns, and monkeyflowers. The cave is dammed by a one-meter-high cement wall, and the spring contained water in 2024 but was drier than in previous years. The temperature sensor was missing, so there are no water persistence data for 2024. Less trash was present than in prior years. There were a few Bermudagrass plants (invasive species), and native wetland plants included monkeyflower, rushes, and sedges. Sparkes Spring consists of a complex of pools and had water on our visit in 2024, but the first spring orifice was buried under sediment deposits and did not contain surface water. The temperature sensor showed the spring was wet all year, but we noted evidence of drying vegetation for the first time in 2024. Remnants of a concrete dam influence water flow at the site, and trash was present. Wetland plants included mule-fat, rushes, sycamore, and willow. No invasive plants or animals were detected at Sparkes Spring in 2024.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Callie, Bryn; Munson, Annika; McIntyre, Cheryl; Hubbard, Andy
- Date of Issue
- 2026-06
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2318580
- Units
- CORO , NRSS , SODN
- Keywords
- discharge, eDNA, invasive species, monitoring, monitoring report, springs, springs monitoring, water chemistry, wetland plants
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic animals , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Wetland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles