The Natural Environment of Tonto National Monument

Aug 03,2015

When I looked out my car window at the Tonto Basin environment, I immediately wondered: how could anyone ever survive out here? Today, this very same question is one of the most commonly asked topics by visitors at Tonto National Monument. As I began to settle into my role as an interpretation intern shadowing the rangers, I began to realize that there is more to the desert than meets the eye. Now as I make my ascent to the Lower Cliff Dwelling every day I realize that to the Salado culture this was their community garden and share this information with visitors. 

Archeologists and ecologists alike theorize that the Salado established a long-term settlement in the Tonto Basin due the presence of an ecotone: a transition or threshold between multiple ecosystems. Ecotones contain rich biodiversity and biomass which have the potential to offer more natural resources to sustain the Salado people.

Tonto National Monument is located within the Arizona upland region of the Sonoran Desert. It lies almost completely within what is known as the lower Sonoran life zone. The lower Sonoran life zone ranges anywhere from 100-3,400 feet in elevation within the state of Arizona.

The major ecosystems associated with the lower Sonoran life zone that can be found within Tonto National Monument include southwestern desert scrubs and desert grasslands. Within these two major ecosystems lie five unique natural communities. Located within the paloverde-saguaro community of Tonto National monument are the foothill paloverde trees, brittle bush shrubs, as well as cholla and saguaro cacti species. Adjacent to the creeks that flow through the monument laid both riparian deserts and riparian woodland communities which are abundant with tree species such as blue paloverde, Arizona walnut, sycamore, cottonwoods, and willows. The mixed shrub-and-tree community occurs within Tonto National Monument at approximately 3,500 feet. Located within this community are shrubs such as agave, yucca, and jojoba as well as the species like mesquite, ocotillo, and cat claw. Finally, the pinyin-juniper woodland occurs at roughly 3,750 feet on the north facing slopes of the Mazahtzal Mountains.

With such a rich abundance of natural resources, the Salado culture was able to thrive in the Tonto Basin for 150 years. Today, archeologists speculate that the disappearance of the Salado from the Tonto Basin may have been influenced by environmental factors such as drought, but this remains uncertain.

 

Sources:

Doyel, D.E. “A Cultural and Ecological Model for the Tonto Basin” Cultural and Ecological Aspects of Salado Prehistory. A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Anthropology at California State University. Chico, CA. (Fall, 1972).

 

Lowe, C.H. “Arizona Life Zones” Arizona Natural Environment: Landscapes and Habitats. The University of Arizona Press. Tucson, AZ. (1980).

 

Walker, S.L. “Geography” Arizona: The Grand Canyon State. © 1991Camelback/Canyonlands Venture. Flagstaff, AZ.

 

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The Natural Environment of Tonto National Monument

 The Natural Environment of Tonto National Monument

The Natural Environment of Tonto National Monument

The Natural Environment of Tonto National Monument

When I looked out my car window at the Tonto Basin environment, I immediately wondered: how could anyone ever survive out here? Today, this very same question is one of the most commonly asked topics by visitors at Tonto National Monument. As I began to settle into my role as an interpretation intern shadowing the rangers, I began to realize that there is more to the desert than meets the eye. Now as I make my ascent to the Lower Cliff Dwelling every day I realize that to the Salado culture this was their community garden and share this information with visitors. 

Archeologists and ecologists alike theorize that the Salado established a long-term settlement in the Tonto Basin due the presence of an ecotone: a transition or threshold between multiple ecosystems. Ecotones contain rich biodiversity and biomass which have the potential to offer more natural resources to sustain the Salado people.

Tonto National Monument is located within the Arizona upland region of the Sonoran Desert. It lies almost completely within what is known as the lower Sonoran life zone. The lower Sonoran life zone ranges anywhere from 100-3,400 feet in elevation within the state of Arizona.

The major ecosystems associated with the lower Sonoran life zone that can be found within Tonto National Monument include southwestern desert scrubs and desert grasslands. Within these two major ecosystems lie five unique natural communities. Located within the paloverde-saguaro community of Tonto National monument are the foothill paloverde trees, brittle bush shrubs, as well as cholla and saguaro cacti species. Adjacent to the creeks that flow through the monument laid both riparian deserts and riparian woodland communities which are abundant with tree species such as blue paloverde, Arizona walnut, sycamore, cottonwoods, and willows. The mixed shrub-and-tree community occurs within Tonto National Monument at approximately 3,500 feet. Located within this community are shrubs such as agave, yucca, and jojoba as well as the species like mesquite, ocotillo, and cat claw. Finally, the pinyin-juniper woodland occurs at roughly 3,750 feet on the north facing slopes of the Mazahtzal Mountains.

With such a rich abundance of natural resources, the Salado culture was able to thrive in the Tonto Basin for 150 years. Today, archeologists speculate that the disappearance of the Salado from the Tonto Basin may have been influenced by environmental factors such as drought, but this remains uncertain.

 

Sources:

Doyel, D.E. “A Cultural and Ecological Model for the Tonto Basin” Cultural and Ecological Aspects of Salado Prehistory. A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Anthropology at California State University. Chico, CA. (Fall, 1972).

 

Lowe, C.H. “Arizona Life Zones” Arizona Natural Environment: Landscapes and Habitats. The University of Arizona Press. Tucson, AZ. (1980).

 

Walker, S.L. “Geography” Arizona: The Grand Canyon State. © 1991Camelback/Canyonlands Venture. Flagstaff, AZ.