Natural resource inventories are extensive, point-in-time efforts to determine the location or condition of resources. Sonoran Desert Network inventories assess and document the current condition and knowledge of natural resources in network parks, providing a solid baseline for long-term monitoring and management. To view completed inventory reports for Sonoran Desert Network parks, visit our Inventories & Assessments page.
The national Inventory and Monitoring Division provides guidance, funding, and technical assistance for a set of basic natural resource inventories at all parks with significant natural resources. These basic inventories are intended to provide park managers with the minimum information needed to effectively manage the natural resources of their parks: Air Quality Data, Air Quality-Related Values, Base Cartography Data, Climate Inventory, Geologic Resources Inventory, Natural Resources Bibliography, Soil Resources Inventory, Species Lists, Vegetation Inventory, Water Body Location and Classification, and Baseline Water Quality Data.
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- Locations: Saguaro National Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network
Vegetation maps tell park managers what’s growing where, and what kinds of habitat occur in a park. At Saguaro National Park, the Sonoran Desert Network mapped and classified 97 different vegetation associations from 2010 to 2018. Communities ranged from low-elevation creosote shrublands to mountaintop Douglas fir forests on the slopes of Rincon Peak.
- Locations: Coronado National Memorial
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network
Vegetation maps tell park managers what’s growing where, and what kinds of habitat occur in a park. This helps them with many planning, resource, and interpretive activities. At Coronado National Memorial, the Sonoran Desert Network mapped 25 different vegetation associations, ranging from dense, non-native grasslands dominated by exotic Lehmann lovegrass to steep expanses of exposed bedrock dominated by mountain mahogany and evergreen sumac.
- Locations: Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network
Vegetation maps tell park managers what’s growing where, and what kinds of habitat occur in a park. At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, the Sonoran Desert Network mapped and classified 16 different vegetation associations from 2012 to 2015. Pinyon-juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forests cover the greatest area in this park, which was strongly impacted by the 2011 Miller Fire. A total of 349 different plant species were recorded during the project.
- Locations: Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network
Vegetation maps tell park managers what’s growing where, and what kinds of habitat occur in a park. This helps them with many planning, resource, and interpretive activities. At the two units of Montezuma Castle National Monument, the Sonoran Desert Network mapped 12 different vegetation associations. The park’s vegetation can be classified into two broad types: riparian woodlands and gallery forests, and thornscrub communities in rocky uplands.
Last updated: November 16, 2018