Vascular Plant and Vertebrate Inventory of Saguaro ... - USGS

populations in the district and may be sensitive to
future extirpation. We recommend a monitoring
program for mule deer, a high-profile species;
loss of this once-common species from a national
park would be very unfortunate. We also
recommend continued research on forest squirrels
and increased research on small mammals.
Pocket gophers, an ecologically significant group
of animals at the park about which almost nothing
is known, would also be an excellent candidate
for additional research.
Additional small trapping may increase
the number of species documented in the Rincon
Mountain District. The Rincon Mountains are
a rugged and remote mountain range. Packing,
setting, checking, and removing live-traps
is difficult and time-consuming work. We
believe that complete understanding of the
genus Peromyscus (white-footed mice) in the
Rincons remains elusive. We confirmed cactus
mouse and brush mouse, but two deer mouse
specimens exist from the park (Appendix F),
and white-footed mice may also occur in the
district based on records from nearby mountain
ranges (Hoffmeister 1986, Lange 1960). In
addition, mesquite mouse is also a possibility
at lower elevations. Species in this genus are
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very difficult to distinguish in the field, and
specimens (or genetic samples) are required. In
addition, we failed to detect several semi-desert
grassland rodents that have been recorded in
nearby mountain ranges where better access
facilitates more comprehensive surveys. Whether
our failure to capture more semi-desert grassland
species was due to insufficient effort or to
interesting aspects of biogeography remains to be
seen; there is evidence that many of these species
simply do not occur in the Rincon Mountains.
Nevertheless, we encourage the park to promote
additional studies of small mammals in the
district, particularly in the semi-desert grasslands
at elevations between 4000 and 6000 feet.
We also suggest that the park encourage
visitors to the backcountry to report sightings of
porcupines, which we believe may be extirpated
from the district. Because porcupines are difficult
to confuse with other species and because many
park visitors now carry digital cameras, it would
be prudent to enlist their assistance to report
sightings of this species. We suggest posting
requests for information at prominent trailheads
or attaching such a request to each backcountry
permit.