The Ironwood tree, which can live to be over 800 years old, has served as a quiet but enormously important protector of species diversity within the Sonoran Desert. Ironwood Forest National Monument will honor this species for its role in upholding the ecosystem, and the Preserve would achieve practical conservation goals that are necessary to promote the recovery of the endangered pygmy-owl.
Prior studies have established the importance of cultural resources within the area. Bedrock outcrops and volcanic hills in the Ragged Top, Pan Quemado, and Silverbell mountains are unusual for the number of petroglyph or rock art sites that have been recorded. There is wide variation in the number and complexity of petroglyph sites, ranging from a handful of simple elements to hundreds of individual petroglyph elements, some of which are very complex.
At the south end of this region of prehistoric settlement lies Cocoraque Butte, which is listed on the National Register. This butte and its surrounding desert floor exhibits an extensive Hohokam village and numerous rock art panels that are exceptional for their complexity of design and the number of elements. Like many rock art sites, Cocoraque Butte is considered to be a traditional cultural place by the Tohono O'odham and Hopi Indian tribes.
More recently, a study led by Dr. Gary Nabhan of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum entitled Desert Ironwood Primer established that within the Sonoran Desert "the Ragged Top site [in the Silverbell Mountains] ... contributed the highest levels of species richness [of the study], with six of the ten plots having the highest levels within the entire region."
Pima County - Ironwood Forest National Monument in green
Map of the Area
Photos of Ragged Top and the Silverbell Mountains Photos of Cocoraque Butte Ecological Value of Ironwood Cultural Value of Ironwood Map of Ironwood Habitat More Ironwood Information
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