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Sabino Canyon continued... |
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No matter what the geology or the climate, if you have water, you have vegetation – and where there's vegetation there are vegetarian animals (herbivores) to eat it, and drink the water. Of course, once you have herbivorous animals, you have predators (carnivores and/or omnivores) – it's the natural balance of things. Sightings of one such predator are not that uncommon in the alluring canyon. The Mountain Lion (Felis concolor) is the undisputed king of this canyon's predators, save, of course, for man. However man is not allowed to pursue game in the canyon, which leaves the mighty Mountain Lion at the top of the local food chain. Only on the very rarest of occasions have these stealthy predators ever been in active contest with modern day humans, but it has been necessary once or twice to remove lions (always done humanely and safely by trained personnel) from the area. If you happen to be lucky enough to observe one, give it wide berth – and take all other precautions necessary when in the vicinity of a large predator. For example, predators like to hunt – things that are moving. So don't turn and run – it only attracts them. Mountain Lions are just one of the many reasons to learn about Tucson's flora and fauna before wandering out into the beautiful Sonoran deserts. There were once plans that would have forever taken the beauty of the canyon away. Or at the very least, made it into something we'd have never called a canyon. In the late 1800's a University professor devised a plan to create a city reservoir by building a massive dam on the Sabino Canyon Creek. His plan was prompted by the obvious: Tucson was growing quickly, and the citizens of the city needed water, and would need more and more as the city continued its expansion. The professor left the Tucson area before he could implement his idea. A group of entrepreneurs formed the Great Western Power Company in the early 1900's. Within a few years the GWPC had expanded on the original city reservoir concept. The revised project was to include a second dam in Bear Canyon, an elaborate pipe-based water transport system, and some power generating plants. Arguments over water rights ownership postponed the project long enough for Mother Nature and fate to intervene with a drought, which clearly proved that the reservoir would not be the answer to the growing population's need for water and power. Still, the trails built to facilitate the movement of men and machines to the projected dam site can be seen on the canyon walls. Originally the trail was dubbed the Plat Rail Trail, but after the installation of a telephone line in 1912, it was, not very creatively, renamed the Phoneline Trail. The 1930's brought with them hard times for the country. Still, Sabino Canyon continued to develop, and grand plans for future uses were hatched. Tucsonans planned a new dam site, one that would create a vast body of water that could support the city's need for water, as well as provide locals with fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreational activities and events. To get to the proposed recreation area, and also to provide transport routes for the development, the Emergency Relief Administration started construction on a road. The road was plotted to wind back and forth across the Sabino Creek a whopping nine times. The road and bridges were finally completed by a different agency, the Works Progress Administration. A number of contractors completed other area amenities like picnic tables and campgrounds. The Lowell Ranger Station was also built in this construction era, which ended in 1937. Today, Sabino Canyon is off limits to powered vehicles, and overnight camping is no longer allowed. Visitors can still enjoy guided tours through the area in small buses that will take them to the areas of the upper canyon, where swimming is still allowed. Hundreds of generations of humans have enjoyed this special canyon's beauty and bounty over many thousands of years. The Forest Service, and the locally created and operated Friends of Sabino Canyon ensure that work on the popular attraction never stops, so that the next thousand generations can enjoy this desert legacy. Suggested sources of information: |
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