- Location
- Arizona
- Current protection
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, International Biosphere Reserve
- Status
- No active campaign
- Tier
- Tier 1 · National Park
- Undiscovered America
- Featured in the film and the book
Why should it be a National Park?
Located north of the Mexican border in southern Arizona is Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This 517-square-mile monument was set aside to preserve a pristine example of Sonoran Desert habitat. This is the only place in the United States that the Organ Pipe Cactus grows in large quantities. Designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, this area has a thriving community of plants and animals. Human stories also echo throughout this preserve, chronicling thousands of years of desert living. While the plants, animals, and humans who have called this region home for millennia may have adapted to the environment, visitors will find the hot, dry landscape a challenging experience.
The average American doesn't know what an Organ Pipe Cactus is, let alone that we have a rare and incredible natural asset in such abundance in southern Arizona. Elevating awareness for this unique and desolate environment could go a long way in educating about the diversity and grandeur of the American landscape and bringing attention to difficulties along the border. Increased visitation and conservation could bring greater attention and infrastructure, making this garden of cacti less appealing for illegal activity.
The history of National Park Campaigns
The Park Service itself proposed a Sonoran Desert National Park in 1965: after the Advisory Board flagged mining damage (1962), a four-man NPS team spent five days in the area in January 1965, the Southwest Region published Sonoran Desert National Park, Arizona: A Proposal (May 1965), and Secretary Udall endorsed a 1,242,000-acre park combining Organ Pipe and the Cabeza Prieta Game Range on January 7, 1966. President Johnson never acted. The University of Arizona's Sonoran Desert National Park Project revived a 5,000-square-mile version around 1999–2005.
- Distinct National Park attempts
- 2 (1965–66 NPS/Udall; c. 1999–2005 UA project)
- Other designation attempts
- monument 1937; wilderness 1978; biosphere 1976
Sources
- NPS, Sonoran Desert National Park, Arizona: A Proposal (May 1965) — full text online
- Bill Broyles & Charles Bowden, Sonoran Desert National Park Project materials (UA Southwest Center)
- organpipehistory.com
- Wikipedia, List of proposed National Parks of the United States
- April 13, 1937
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (FDR); 1939 — Cabeza Prieta Game Range.
- 1962
Advisory Board on National Parks urges action on mining damage in the monument.
- January 1965
NPS four-man inspection team, five days in the field; May 1965 — Sonoran Desert National Park, Arizona: A Proposal (NPS Southwest Region): "The members of the team were greatly impressed with the possibilities of creating a superlative National Park"; the report catalogs grazing (since ~1919) and mining as threats. (nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/sonoran_desert)
- January 7, 1966
Udall press release "endorsed enthusiastically" the ~1,242,000-acre park including an 80,000-acre Tinajas Altas extension: "This area would provide a National Park of superlative quality." Johnson does not act; the Air Force's Goldwater Range and Interior–DoD conflicts figure in the outcome. (Arizona Highways, 1965; NPS)
- 1976
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; 1978 — Organ Pipe Cactus Wilderness (312,600 acres, P.L. 95-625); 1990 — Cabeza Prieta NWR wilderness.
- 1998
A group of citizens revives the Sonoran Desert National Park proposal.
- c. 1999–2005
Sonoran Desert National Park Project (UA Southwest Center; Joseph Wilder, Bill Broyles, Charles Bowden, Jack Dykinga; Stewart Udall's blessing): a ~5,000-square-mile park uniting Organ Pipe, Cabeza Prieta, and the Goldwater Range with Mexico's Pinacate reserve. No bill. (DesertUSA; Sunset)
- 2000s–2020s
Border security dominates; no redesignation activity.