Old Granddaddy will rise again
photo by Sharon Weltz
by Sharon Weltz
Our Native American tour guide led us to a huge stand of saguaros and began playing an ancient melody on his flute. We watched as shadows grew as tall as these desert giants, lit against a spectacular sunset. Our guide had explained the precarious life of the saguaro and its importance to Indian culture and the desert ecosystem. We were enchanted and wanted to know more. If it were not for a concerned few, these giants of the desert may not have survived.
“Old Granddaddy was my favorite,” said Don Swann, a Saguaro National Park biologist in Tucson Arizona. At the height of its glory, Old Granddaddy had stood 40 feet tall, weighed three tons and boasted fifty-two arms. King of the cacti, it had stood in view of the Rincon Peak for almost 300 years.
Old Granddaddy had begun to die in 1992 from a disease known as bacterial necrosis, a common affliction among geriatric saguaros. It was heartbreaking to watch. As time passed, Old Granddaddy’s arms began falling off and its vibrant green skin began turning a tell-tale brown. “After he, well, ‘it,’ died, I never had another favorite,” said Swann. “He was amazing.”
Swann is not alone in his awe. Old Granddaddy was the largest and most photographed cacti in Saguaro National Park. A favorite of park visitors and the media, photos of Old Granddaddy regularly appeared in newspapers, travel ads and in the Arizona Highways magazine. Another reason people cherished Old Granddaddy was because it had survived a time when saguaros were disappearing from the desert landscape in alarming numbers.
Saguaro National Monument was established in 1933 for the study and preservation of the saguaro. Early research had indicated that the saguaro population was disappearing. As old saguaros were dying, their rate of re-population was not enough to sustain their continued existence over time. Scientists began mapping out plots of land to study and catalogue the saguaro population, lifecycle and habitat. This effort would come to be known as “The Saguaro Census”.
Plot 41A in the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) of Saguaro National Park is a historic plot that was first surveyed in 1941. At that time, 210 saguaros were growing in that plot. Over the course of the next 30 years, biologists watched the numbers dwindle and by 1965 there were only 60 saguaros living in the plot. During that same time, several studies were conducted in an effort to determine the cause of the decline and to uncover ways to ensure the future of the saguaro. Their scrutiny yielded four major concerns.
Years of excessive timber cutting, cattle grazing, winter freezes and bacteria carrying moth larvae were having a lethal impact on the saguaro population.
Encroachment on desert lands brought with it the need for wood and places for cattle grazing. Unbeknownst to anyone at that time, the existence of desert trees and brush are critical to the establishment and survival of the baby saguaro population. The saguaro begins life from a tiny seed which can only germinate and grow in the shelter of a "nurse" tree or shrub. The “nurse” plant provides the shade and moisture a young saguaro needs to survive. If a saguaro survives its first ten years, it will grow to be 1.5 inches tall.
Looking over photographs taken in the early 1930s, trees and shrubs were conspicuously missing amongst the stands of saguaros. Excessive timber cutting and cattle grazing had stripped the land of the saguaros’ much needed nurse plants, significantly hindering re-population. Once this relationship had been identified, efforts were made to re-establish trees and shrubs into the saguaro environment. But there were still other issues to address.
The demise of the saguaro was not limited to human intervention. Mother Nature offered a double threat. Devastating freezes were recorded during the winters of 1937, 1940 and 1941 which damaged or killed many of the very old and the very young saguaros. Death resulting from a freeze is slow, happening over the course of several years’ time, and not immediately observed. Freezes continue to remain a threat today. A forth threat, a mysterious disease, confounded biologists for decades.
Initially, diseased saguaros were given antibiotics. When antibiotics did not help, the diseased saguaros were cut down and buried in mass grave pits with the hope of keeping the disease from spreading to the rest of the saguaro population.
But these efforts failed, and scientists were no closer to understanding what was causing the disease. Then in 1945 Alice M. Boyle conducted a survey on how the disease was spread. Her efforts uncovered an overlooked culprit: a common moth larva which carries a bacterium. Thanks to Boyle, controlling the spread of the disease was now as easy as removing the moth larvae. Once moth larvae are removed, the infected saguaro can heal on its own.
Armed with these new revelations, an action plan was established to reduce many of these threats and amend the environment to enhance the saguaros chances for survival. Since its implementation, the plan has generated amazing results and we are now seeing evidence of saguaro re-population.
Between 1975 and 2002, the saguaro population of Plot 41A grew from 60 to 90 saguaros. But not all newly germinated cacti survive. The 2010 census revealed their numbers had dropped. Thirty years into their conservation efforts, Plot 41A still contains less than half of the 210 saguaros recorded in the 1941 census, but overall the giant saguaro is making a comeback. The Saguaro Census reveals that the vast majority of the current saguaro population is made up of youngsters standing only inches to three feet tall. “Saguaros do not begin to grow arms until they are around 70 [years old],” said Swann. This new crop of saguaros will not begin sprouting their iconic arms for another 20-50 years. Swann looks forward to the next Saguaro Census, anticipating dramatic increases.
Old Granddaddy’s seedlings are being carefully watched over now. Thanks to these efforts, future generations who come here will stand in awe of these amazing giants of the desert. If they're really lucky, they will hear an ancient melody as shadows grow as tall as those amazing saguaros lit against a desert sunset.
Our Native American tour guide led us to a huge stand of saguaros and began playing an ancient melody on his flute. We watched as shadows grew as tall as these desert giants, lit against a spectacular sunset. Our guide had explained the precarious life of the saguaro and its importance to Indian culture and the desert ecosystem. We were enchanted and wanted to know more. If it were not for a concerned few, these giants of the desert may not have survived.
“Old Granddaddy was my favorite,” said Don Swann, a Saguaro National Park biologist in Tucson Arizona. At the height of its glory, Old Granddaddy had stood 40 feet tall, weighed three tons and boasted fifty-two arms. King of the cacti, it had stood in view of the Rincon Peak for almost 300 years.
Old Granddaddy had begun to die in 1992 from a disease known as bacterial necrosis, a common affliction among geriatric saguaros. It was heartbreaking to watch. As time passed, Old Granddaddy’s arms began falling off and its vibrant green skin began turning a tell-tale brown. “After he, well, ‘it,’ died, I never had another favorite,” said Swann. “He was amazing.”
Swann is not alone in his awe. Old Granddaddy was the largest and most photographed cacti in Saguaro National Park. A favorite of park visitors and the media, photos of Old Granddaddy regularly appeared in newspapers, travel ads and in the Arizona Highways magazine. Another reason people cherished Old Granddaddy was because it had survived a time when saguaros were disappearing from the desert landscape in alarming numbers.
Saguaro National Monument was established in 1933 for the study and preservation of the saguaro. Early research had indicated that the saguaro population was disappearing. As old saguaros were dying, their rate of re-population was not enough to sustain their continued existence over time. Scientists began mapping out plots of land to study and catalogue the saguaro population, lifecycle and habitat. This effort would come to be known as “The Saguaro Census”.
Plot 41A in the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) of Saguaro National Park is a historic plot that was first surveyed in 1941. At that time, 210 saguaros were growing in that plot. Over the course of the next 30 years, biologists watched the numbers dwindle and by 1965 there were only 60 saguaros living in the plot. During that same time, several studies were conducted in an effort to determine the cause of the decline and to uncover ways to ensure the future of the saguaro. Their scrutiny yielded four major concerns.
Years of excessive timber cutting, cattle grazing, winter freezes and bacteria carrying moth larvae were having a lethal impact on the saguaro population.
Encroachment on desert lands brought with it the need for wood and places for cattle grazing. Unbeknownst to anyone at that time, the existence of desert trees and brush are critical to the establishment and survival of the baby saguaro population. The saguaro begins life from a tiny seed which can only germinate and grow in the shelter of a "nurse" tree or shrub. The “nurse” plant provides the shade and moisture a young saguaro needs to survive. If a saguaro survives its first ten years, it will grow to be 1.5 inches tall.
Looking over photographs taken in the early 1930s, trees and shrubs were conspicuously missing amongst the stands of saguaros. Excessive timber cutting and cattle grazing had stripped the land of the saguaros’ much needed nurse plants, significantly hindering re-population. Once this relationship had been identified, efforts were made to re-establish trees and shrubs into the saguaro environment. But there were still other issues to address.
The demise of the saguaro was not limited to human intervention. Mother Nature offered a double threat. Devastating freezes were recorded during the winters of 1937, 1940 and 1941 which damaged or killed many of the very old and the very young saguaros. Death resulting from a freeze is slow, happening over the course of several years’ time, and not immediately observed. Freezes continue to remain a threat today. A forth threat, a mysterious disease, confounded biologists for decades.
Initially, diseased saguaros were given antibiotics. When antibiotics did not help, the diseased saguaros were cut down and buried in mass grave pits with the hope of keeping the disease from spreading to the rest of the saguaro population.
But these efforts failed, and scientists were no closer to understanding what was causing the disease. Then in 1945 Alice M. Boyle conducted a survey on how the disease was spread. Her efforts uncovered an overlooked culprit: a common moth larva which carries a bacterium. Thanks to Boyle, controlling the spread of the disease was now as easy as removing the moth larvae. Once moth larvae are removed, the infected saguaro can heal on its own.
Armed with these new revelations, an action plan was established to reduce many of these threats and amend the environment to enhance the saguaros chances for survival. Since its implementation, the plan has generated amazing results and we are now seeing evidence of saguaro re-population.
Between 1975 and 2002, the saguaro population of Plot 41A grew from 60 to 90 saguaros. But not all newly germinated cacti survive. The 2010 census revealed their numbers had dropped. Thirty years into their conservation efforts, Plot 41A still contains less than half of the 210 saguaros recorded in the 1941 census, but overall the giant saguaro is making a comeback. The Saguaro Census reveals that the vast majority of the current saguaro population is made up of youngsters standing only inches to three feet tall. “Saguaros do not begin to grow arms until they are around 70 [years old],” said Swann. This new crop of saguaros will not begin sprouting their iconic arms for another 20-50 years. Swann looks forward to the next Saguaro Census, anticipating dramatic increases.
Old Granddaddy’s seedlings are being carefully watched over now. Thanks to these efforts, future generations who come here will stand in awe of these amazing giants of the desert. If they're really lucky, they will hear an ancient melody as shadows grow as tall as those amazing saguaros lit against a desert sunset.