Dirt Is Not Cheap: Livestock Grazing and a Legacy of Accelerated Soil Erosion on Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
Rutman S. 1997. Dirt Is Not Cheap: Livestock Grazing and a Legacy of Accelerated Soil Erosion on Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. Pages 360-375. In Rutman S (ed): Proceedings of a Symposium on Environmental, Economic, and Legal Issues Related to Rangeland Water Developments, November 13-15, 1997. Tempe, AZ. November 13-15, 1997. Arizona State University, Center for the Study of Law, Science and Technology. Tempe
Active sheet and gully erosion is a management problem at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Pima County, Arizona. Sheet erosion has removed up to 25 cm of sediment in places and in other places gullies are 1-2 meters deep. To determine when the accelerated erosion began and to identify possible causes, an environmental history of each erosion site was constructed by compiling the scattered information located in books and the files, archives and libraries of the Monument and the National Park Service-Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Arizona. Observations regarding current conditions and land uses on adjacent properties contributed to the interpretation of historical material. Of the six actively eroding areas in the Monument, two sites are addressed in this paper. The Dos Lomitas site was located on the south (International) boundary of the Monument. Accelerated erosion rates were most likely triggered there by poor grazing management practices and channelization of the Rio Sonoita. Accelerated erosion at the Armenta Ranch site was most likely triggered by poor livestock grazing practices. Water developments, livestock grazing and fine soil texture were the three common denominators at all six erosion sites in the Monument. The Monument, having permanently lost many thousands of cubic meters of soil, now must try to minimize additional losses.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Rutman, Susan
- Units
- ORPI , SODN
- Keywords
- Erosion, Grazing, Soil, Sonoran Desert