1. Between 20 and 30 species are listed as endangered in Pima County.
To date, there are 23 species listed in Pima County including plants, birds, fish, reptiles, and mammals.

2. The Gila chub is a native fish and a federal "species of concern."
It used to be a fairly common native fish. Now it is rare in this area, and it's a candidate for the endangered species list.

3. A species is extirpated if it is no longer found where it used to live.
Extirpated species still exist somewhere but not in a particular area where they used to live. For example, Mexican wolves have been extirpated from the wild in Arizona, but they have been introduced into the White Mountains

4. Nichol's Turk's head cactus grows only in limestone soils.
There are only a few places in Pima County where it grows in nature.

5. The Spaniards introduced wheat into this region.
Wheat soon became a popular food and the basis for wheat tortillas.

6. There are few native fish species in Pima County due to loss of habitat.
Many of our rivers no longer have dependable water supplies or good fish habitat.

7. State Trust Land is intended to generate revenue.
By law, it must be managed to bring in money for education. It can be leased for ranching and other uses, or be sold, but it cannot be given away.

8. There used to be enough water in the Santa Cruz River at Congress Street to irrigate crops.
The river was never deep enough for regular boating or year-round swimming.

9. The Huachuca water umbel is an aquatic plant.
This is a rare native plant which Pima County plans to reintroduce into some streams.

10. Federal laws fully protect archaeological sites on federal land.
There are some rules that give scientists a chance to study sites and which encourage the return of human remains to their Native American tribes. However, the sites can then be destroyed unless they are on federal reserves.

11. Biodiversity refers to many kinds of plants and animals.
Good biodiversity means having a healthy mixture of plants and animals, many of whom depend on each other.

12. A carnivore eats meat.
Carnivore is a word derived from the Latin words for meat (carne) and eat (vore). A herbivore eats plants (herbs), and an omnivore eats all (omni) kinds of food.

13. Ecology is the study of the interrelationships between creatures and their environments.
It is a scientific study of living systems.

14. Pima County includes a number of remarkable natural features.
It is one of the largest counties in Arizona. Part of the San Pedro River is in northeastern Pima County. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is in western Pima County, and Mt. Lemmon is in northern Pima County.

15. The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP) is a plan being developed by Pima County with a lot of help from others.
Citizens, scientists, and numerous agencies (local, federal, state, and private) are all working to put the plan together.

16. Nobody knows why so many Ice Age animals became extinct in southern Arizona.
No one causal factor has yet been determined. It is likely that numerous factors caused the extinctions.

 

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Level III Quiz