The Patagonia Mountains support Madrean woodland habitats along with many canyons and drainages lined with sycamores and other riparian vegetation. At higher elevations, the vegetation becomes more pine-oak dominated. These mountains exhibit "sky island" properties of a high-elevation area surrounded by grasslands and desert.
The Patagonia Mountains provide habitat for Madrean Occidental sky island breeding and resident birds as well as acting as an important migrant stopover. The extensive oak habitat distinguishes this area from other nearby sky islands that usually contain a limited band of oak habitat. Approximately 115 bird species have been documented in the Patagonia Mountains.
Conservation Goals
- To conserve and protect a unique example of a Madrean Occidental sky island ecosystem and the populations of special status avian species that depend on it.
- Increase connectivity to other mountain ranges and significant wildland blocks.
Map
Primary Threats
6. Energy Production and Mining
8. Invasive and Other Problematic Species
9. Natural System Modifications
Potential Conservation Actions
1. Land and Water Protection
- Develop conservation easements on public or private lands in order to maintain and protect wildlife corridors.
2. Land and Water Management
- Continue maintenance of wildlife waters to mitigate drought and the effects of temperature extremes.
- Protect native brush species from livestock overgrazing through appropriate stocking rates.
- Conserve or improve areas for migratory birds identified as important habitats during any part of their annual life cycle (breeding, stopover, or wintering).
- Remove non-native, undesirable, and/or invasive wildlife and plant species. Monitor the success of removal efforts.
- Identify wildlife corridors essential to the movement of species between high-quality habitat blocks.
- Increase connectivity by removing barriers and impediments to species movement. Modify pasture and boundary fences to meet wildlife-friendly criteria to allow safe wildlife movement or provide wildlife crossing structures to minimize wildlife/vehicle collisions.
- Manage for thinning and prescribed burns to create healthy habitats that are less prone to catastrophic wildfires and resilient to drought and insect infestations.
4. Education and Awareness
- Develop outreach programs for the public on impacts to wildlife, and recreation from introduced species.
- Incorporate citizen science programs to identify distribution of invasives ( SEEDN, iMapInvasives, etc.)
5. Law and Policy
- Work with local governments to incorporate wildlife protections and habitat connectivity into general plans.
7. External Capacity Building
- Collaborate with partners at different scales (e.g., statewide, regional, national, and international) to develop and implement management plans, conservation. agreements, recovery actions, research, management recommendations.
3. Species Management
- Improve management and restoration of agave species to provide resources and migration corridors for lesser long-nosed bat and other pollinator species.
Habitats Present
Strategy Species
Amphibians
Arizona Toad, Sonoran Desert Toad, Sonoran Tiger Salamander
Birds
American Peregrine Falcon, Arizona Woodpecker, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Canyon Towhee, Common Nighthawk, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Azure Bluebird, Elegant Trogon, Grace's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Mexican Spotted Owl, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Montezuma Quail, American Goshawk (Northern Goshawk), Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Whiskered Screech-Owl
Invertebrates
Mammals
Arizona Gray Squirrel, Cave Myotis, Jaguar, Pale Townsend's Big-eared Bat
Reptiles
Brown Vinesnake, Madrean Alligator Lizard, Mountain Skink, New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake, Sonoran Spotted Whiptail, Tiger Rattlesnake
Fish
See Associated Aquatic COAs for fish species.
Protected Areas and Other Areas of Conservation Value
- Patagonia Lake State Park
- Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve (TNC)
- Coal Mine Spring Wildlife Area
Potential Partners
- Tucson Audubon Society
- Sky Island Alliance
- US Forest Service - Coronado Ranger District
- Bat Conservation International