Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area

Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area
Established 1903 (1903)
Field of research
Agricultural science
Environmental science
Location Pima County, Arizona, USA
31°50′00″N 110°51′10″W / 31.83342°N 110.85286°W / 31.83342; -110.85286Coordinates: 31°50′00″N 110°51′10″W / 31.83342°N 110.85286°W / 31.83342; -110.85286
Zip code
85721
Operating agency
University of Arizona
Website Santa Rita Experimental Range

The Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area[1] is the longest continuously active rangeland research facility and among the five oldest biological field stations in the United States. Located south of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, the 52,000 acre Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) was founded in 1903 and administered by the United States Forest Service until 1987, when the University of Arizona College of Agriculture took over administration of the site. The mission at the SRER is "to advance research and education on the ecology and management of desert rangelands through the secure, long-term access to research areas, state-of-the-art facilities, new discoveries, and research legacies."[2][3][4]

Environmental Data

The SRER makes available several spatial and time series data sets for research purposes including monthly resolution precipitation data from 1922 to present, long term vegetation response studies, and livestock grazing histories. Additionally, the SRER maintains a repeat photography archive, allowing researchers to visually inspect land cover and landscape changes for 117 locations from as early as 1902 to present.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.