Catalina is Saguaro Central

by Neil Donkersley, Park Manager

Almost 5,000 saguaros thrive at Catalina State Park.

All our parks can lay claim to unique features that make them special. That’s why they're state parks. But each of our parks have some unique characteristics, as well, that set us apart from our sister parks.

One of the special features at Catalina State Park (among many!) is an amazing population of saguaros. There are about a half-dozen large stands within the park, each numbering close to 500 plants. Along with hundreds of scattered individuals, these stands account for an estimated saguaro population of close to 5,000 plants.

I believe we can claim, unequivocally, that Catalina has by far the most saguaros of any state park in America! Ah! A flimsy boast, you might say! Consider, however, that probably no other icon is so closely identified with the imagery of the American Southwest. And pretty much all the saguaros in the US are found right here in Arizona. It’s amusing, therefore, that popular media portayals of the American West place saguaros everywhere from the West Coast to Texas. I’ve seen many magazine ads touting Texas tourism with images of saguaros. How dare they usurp OUR cactus! You show me a saguaro in Texas, and I’ll show you a big green chunk of plastic or neon.

All of this leads us to the undeniable conclusion that, 1) if the saguaro is the most recognizable symbol of the American Southwest and, 2) if Catalina has more of these big bad boys than any other state park in the nation, then 3) it follows that humble Catalina State Park must represent the unique flavor of the American Southwest better than ANY state park in the whole USofA!

Quick, somebody call Guinness Book! An especially encouraging aspect of Catalina’s saguaro population is that our plants seem to be particularly virile. If we look closely under mesquite and palo verde trees (“nurse plants”, for those who know their saguaro ecology), we find that there is a good ratio between mature plants and “babies” less than three feet high. So the future of our saguaro community is very promising.

I had a visiting saguaro researcher from University of Arizona tell me a few years back that the population in Catalina State Park was among the healthiest and most prolific in the Tucson area. This poor scientist backed away cautiously as I pumped my fist in the air and screamed, “Yes-sssss, Catalina Rules!!!”. You would’ve thought the Cats had just pounded the Devils in roundball, AGAIN! Oops, back on topic.

There are many fascinating factoids surrounding the ecology of Carnegiea gigantea, not to mention its pre-eminent stature in the cultural consciousness of the desert Southwest. But if you care to come face-to-face with some of the finest specimens and communities on the planet, you need only indulge yourself with a leisurely hike in Catalina State Park. After all, it has been empirically proven to be the most “Southwestern.”

“Snake Man” Charms Catalina Visitors

Snake Man Live Animal Exhibits: Animals are Hibernating: Program resumes in Spring 2009

"The Snake Man" Jim Cloer, a volunteer at Catalina State Park, about to release a rehabilitated hawk.

Nope, there’s no spitting cobra weaving out of a basket, but Catalina State Park has something just as intriguing for Saturday morning hikers (Note: Program will resume in Spring 2009.). Volunteer Jim “the Snake Man” Cloer and his crew of volunteer assistants enchant visitors at the park trail head with a menagerie of reptiles, arachnids, and animals who inhabit the Sonoran Desert.

Jim is a retired science and biology teacher who instructed pupils all the way from 5th grade to university graduate school. Jim has state and federal permits to hold various wildlife for rehabilitation and public education purposes, and his collection normally includes several varieties of rattlesnakes as well as a mix of non-venomous snakes. He also keeps a Gila monster, desert tortoise, tarantula and scorpions. He houses his “friends” in glass enclosures for easy viewing and safety, but occasionally he handles the nonvenomous species so visitors can enjoy close encounters of the scaly kind. Some of our regular hikers who show-up every Saturday just to see Jim and his critters began calling him “the Snake Man” a few years ago.

Reptiles, especially snakes, inspire a wide range of responses from people. Curiosity, wonder, fear and disgust are a few. One of Jim’s primary goals is to relieve the reactions of fear and disgust that some people experience by acquainting them with these animals oneon- one. Negative perceptions of reptiles are often rooted in simple lack of understanding. It can make a big difference in a child’s attitude about a snake just to know that it’s shiny skin is smooth, but not slimy. It’s a lot easier to engender respect for wildlife when the response is fascination instead of fear, and Jim Cloer’s motivation is to foster respect for all wildlife.

Jim and his pal Archimedes, a great horned owl.

In addition to wildlife education, Jim is also involved in rehabilitation of injured animals. Last year, he became caretaker for a great horned owl that had lost part of one wing. When included in the park program, the owl he named Archimedes was most comfortable around people when perched on Jim’s gloved hand. Archimedes has since moved on to a wildlife education program in California, but for a while he was a big hit with visitors at the park.

Jim Cloer has volunteered at Catalina State Park for eight years. He has also done programs at Oracle State Park and various Tucson area schools. He is currently involved in training local fire department personnel in the art of safely handling rattlers found in people’s yards. He also teaches classes at Central Arizona College in the natural history of the Sky Islands (the mountain ranges that dot the desert floor of southern Arizona).

Jim has five talented helpers who assist him with all of these endeavors. These are all folks he recruited to be interpretive volunteers for the park. Although Jim is the mastermind and leader of this dedicated group, we greatly appreciate the contributions of everyone involved with the program. “The Snake Man” and his critters have charmed thousands of park visitors while promoting respect and appreciation for desert wildlife.

The views, conclusions, findings and opinions expressed in this Feature Story are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Arizona State Parks, the Arizona State Parks Board, or the government of Arizona.

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Catalina is Saguaro Central

by Neil Donkersley, Park Manager

“Snake Man” Charms Catalina Visitors