Sonoran Desert National Monument
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sonoran Desert National Monument | |
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| IUCN Category III (Natural Monument) | |
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| Location | Maricopa County & Pinal County, Arizona, USA |
| Nearest city | Phoenix, AZ |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 496,337 acres (2,008 km²) |
| Established | January 17, 2001 |
| Governing body | U.S. Bureau of Land Management |
Sonoran Desert National Monument is located south of Goodyear, Arizona. Created by Presidential proclamation on January 17, 2001, the 496,337 acre (2,008 km²) monument is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management already managed the lands, however under monument status, the level of protection and preservation of resources is enhanced. Sonoran Desert National Monument protects but a small portion of the Sonoran Desert, which is 120,000 square miles (311,000 km²), and extends well into California and the country of Mexico. The North Maricopa Mountains, South Maricopa Mountains and the Table Top Wildernesses protect the richest regions of desert habitat from any future development.
The Sonoran Desert National Monument is unique among monuments in that its establishing Proclamation specifically mentioned the impacts of livestock grazing on Monument "objects." The Proclamation mandated the closure of all grazing allotments south of Interstate 8 at the expiration of their permits. For four allotments, this meant Feb 28, 2008, and for the remaining allotment, 2009. The BLM was charged with determining compatibility of livestock grazing and resource protection for the grazing allotments north of the Interstate, which is has thus far not completed.
The Monument is home to several federally-listed endangered species.
[edit] External links
- Sonoran Desert National Monument. U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.
- Sonoran Desert National Monument. National Landscape Conservation System. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.
- USGS Estrella (AZ) Topo Map. Topozone. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.
- Conservation issues
