The Table Top Mountains COA include the Table Top Mountains Wilderness, located in the southeastern portion of the Sonoran Desert National Monument. They are named for the mesa Table Top Mountain with an elevation of 4,374 feet. The Table Top Mountains are an area of upland Sonoran desertscrub habitat with relict, individual scrub oaks occupying some areas near the summit within the range. Precipitation within the mountains drains primarily west to Vekol Wash and east to Santa Rosa Wash. Impacts from cross-border smuggling and law enforcement actions, feral and trespass livestock, and long-term drought are a few of the key threats to the long term viability of the habitat and wildlife in the area.
Conservation Goals
- Reduce/eliminate impacts from cross country travel related to cross-border activties.
- Remove/exclude wild horses and trespass cattle from sensitive habitats.
- Maintain/improve wildlife water catchments in the area to compensate for longer periods without precipitation
Map
Primary Threats
1. Agriculture
3. Climate Change and Severe Weather
7. Human Intrusions and Disturbance
Potential Conservation Actions
2. Land and Water Management
- Maintain and improve wildlife water catchments.
- Repair range fencing and/or replace with wildlife-friendly fencing to prevent wild burro and livestock trespass.
- Remove trespass cattle and feral horse and burro populations that can adversely affect habitats and sensitive species.
- Remove range fencing from pastures on retired allotments to facilitate wildlife movement across the landscape.
5. Law and Policy
- Monitor and enforce compliance with laws, policies and regulations, and standards and codes at all levels to reduce poaching and illegal take of plant and animal species as well as impacts to habitat .
7. External Capacity Building
- Work with federal and state agencies to address illegal activities that can adversely-affect wildlife habitats.
Habitats Present
Strategy Species
Birds
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Gilded Flicker, Varied Bunting
Invertebrates
Mammals
Bailey's Pocket Mouse, Big Free-tailed Bat, Bobcat, California Leaf-nosed Bat, Cave Myotis, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Greater Western Mastiff Bat, Collared Peccary or Javelina, Kit Fox, Lesser Long-nosed Bat, Long-legged Myotis, Mountain Lion, Mule Deer, Pale Townsend's Big-eared Bat, Pocketed Free-tailed Bat, Sonoran Pronghorn, Underwood's Mastiff Bat, Yuma Myotis
Reptiles
Common Chuckwalla, Gila Spotted Whiptail, Gila Monster, Red-backed Whiptail, Rosy Boa, Sonoran Desert Tortoise
Fish
See Associated Aquatic COAs for fish species.
Protected Areas and Other Areas of Conservation Value
- Sonoran Desert National Monument
- Table Top Mountains Wilderness
Potential Partners
- Friends of Sonoran Desert National Monument
- Bureau of Land Management
- Tohono O'odham Nation
Relevant Conservation Plans
- Sonoran Pronghorn Recovery Plan
- USFWS White-nose Syndrome National Plan
- BLM Instruction Memorandum (IM) 2010-181, White Nose Syndrome
- Arizona Landscape Integrity and Wildlife Connectivity Assessment
- Candidate Conservation Agreement for Sonoran Desert Tortoise
- Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances for Sonoran Desert Tortoise
- MOU Between BLM and USFWS for Conservation of Migratory Birds
- Western Burrowing Owl Clearance Protocol
- Sonoran Desert National Monument Resource Management Plan
Associated Aquatic COAs
- No associated Aquatic COAs