The News from Saguaro

Feds to use computer chips to foil cactus thieves

Anyone thinking of swiping a stately saguaro cactus from the desert could soon be hauling off more than just a giant plant.

National Park Service officials plan to imbed microchips in Arizona's signature plant to protect them from thieves who rip them from the desert to sell them to landscapers, nurseries and homeowners.

The primary objective is deterrence, but the chips also will aid in tracking down and identifying stolen saguaros, said Bob Love, chief ranger at southern Arizona's Saguaro National Park.

Body of Missing Woman Found in Desert at Saguaro Park East

The body of a 70-year-old woman who suffered from dementia and Alzheimer's disease was found late Tuesday afternoon in the desert near the end of East Speedway.
Authorities found the body of Paula B. Gniewek about 100 feet off a trail that leads into Saguaro National Park East, about a half-mile from where her car was parked.

Sticky fingers target cactuses in Palm Desert to resell for barrels of money

PALM DESERT -- Someone is swiping the cactuses in this upscale desert city.

Over the last six months, there has been an epidemic of thefts. Officials say they have lost nearly $20,000 worth of the plants. The main target is the golden barrel, which, depending on its size, can fetch anywhere from $100 to $800 each.

The problem is so bad that surveillance cameras have gone up near large concentrations of cactuses in urban landscaping, and authorities expect to implant microchips into the barrels soon to track their whereabouts.

Saguaro National Park, volunteers to eradicate buffelgrass

Now that monsoon rains have brought dormant plants back to life, staff at Saguaro National Park will again be using herbicides to control buffelgrass. Other city, county, state, and federal agencies are spraying buffelgrass at this time of year as well, states a Saguaro National Park news releaase.

Buffelgrass is an aggressive, non-native grass that competes with native plants such as saguaros and palo verdes, and also carries wildfires that can harm these Sonoran Desert natives. If buffelgrass continues to spread, it will be a serious threat to biological conservation efforts in the area, and buffelgrass fires may also become a major threat to public safety and property. Buffelgrass is classified as a noxious weed by the state of Arizona.

Marana Residents Taken By Surprise Over National Park Fence

The trucks showed up early Tuesday morning. Work crews unloaded fence posts, flags, concrete and rolls of barbed wire. Neighbors say they never saw it coming.

"You're not going to stop anything," said resident Tom Guedel.  "It's just a waste of taxpayer money."

The US National Park Service says it's building a four foot high barbed wire fence to keep out unwanted traffic, such as ATVs and cattle, even though neighbors in Continental Reserve say they've never seen anything but respectful traffic.