Santa Rita Mountains

The Santa Rita Mountains (O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast. The highest point in the range, and the highest point in the Tucson area, is Mount Wrightson, with an elevation of 9,453 feet (2,881 m), The range contains Madera Canyon, one of the world's premier birding areas. The Smithsonian Institution's Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is located on Mount Hopkins. The range is one of the Madrean sky islands.

Santa Rita Mountains
View of the northern end of the Santa Ritas from the Santa Rita Experimental Range.
Highest point
PeakMount Wrightson
Elevation9,453 ft (2,881 m)
Coordinates 
Geography
Santa Rita Mountains
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
RegionSonoran Desert
DistrictTucson, AZ
Topo mapUSGS Helvetia, AZ

The Santa Rita Mountains are mostly within the Coronado National Forest. Prior to 1908 they were the principal component of Santa Rita National Forest, which was combined with other small forest tracts to form Coronado. Much of the range lies within the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness, managed by the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Rita Mountains were severely burned in July 2005 in the Florida Fire.

Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley include the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Rincon Mountains, the Tucson Mountains, and the Tortolita Mountains.

Rosemont mine

A large porphyry copper deposit has been identified near the old Helvetia mining district on the north flank of the range. The proposed Rosemont mine would be an open pit operation located in the Santa Ritas about two miles west of mile marker 44 on Arizona State Route 83.[1]

America's only known wild jaguar

The Santa Rita Mountains are the home range of "El Jefe," an adult male jaguar first identified in 2011. This has raised conservation concerns about proposed open pit copper mining.[2][3]

  • Helvetia, Arizona, in 1909.
  • View of the Santa Ritas from the Catalina Mountains.
  • Mount Wrightson from Madera Canyon in 2012.
  • The San Rafael Valley with the Santa Ritas in the background.
  • A rainbow and the Santa Ritas.
  • The southern end of the Santa Ritas from Sahuarita, Arizona.
  • Overlooking Green Valley, Arizona from the Santa Rita mountains.
The eastern and southern Santa Rita Mountains photographed from the summit of Jack Mountain. Mount Wrightson, the peak left of center, is the highest point in the range.
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See also

References
  1. Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Rosemont Copper Project
  2. http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2016/02/09/el-jefe-the-uss-only-wild-jaguar-can-we-keep-him/
  3. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/return-great-american-jaguar-180960443/?no-ist
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