Sonoran Desert I&M Network (SODN)

Parks in this Network

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Network Parks

Sonoran Desert Network

Tavasci Marsh, Tuzigoot National Monument

Montezuma Well, Montezuma Castle National Monument

Beaver Creek, Montezuma Castle National Monument

Cottonwood fluff, Tumacácori National Historical Park

Juvenile saguaros, Saguaro National Park

Quick Links

The Sonoran Desert Network (SODN) is one of 32 National Park Service (NPS) inventory and monitoring networks nationwide that are implementing vital signs monitoring in order to assess the condition of park ecosystems and develop a stronger scientific basis for stewardship and management of natural resources across the National Park System.

The Sonoran Desert Network (SODN) consists of 10 units in central and southern Arizona and 1 unit in southwestern New Mexico. These units are characteristic of the upper Sonoran subdivision of the Sonoran Desert Ecoregion and the Apache Highlands Ecoregion, and range in size from half a square mile to 517 square miles (147 to 133,882 hectares).

This web site delivers information about these resources and the scientific activities underway in the SODN. Learn more about what we're doing by exploring the links on the left or visit our park unit pages to find out about the resources found at each of these special places.

Featured Information

Heliograph Newsletter, Summer 2013

Get the scoop on our new digs--the Desert Research Learning Center--and find out how we're using the new office space and grounds to facilitate service learning and collect data (as well as to analyze and report on it). The issue also includes project updates and a schedule of summer fieldwork.

Video: It's Alive! Biological Soil Crusts in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts

Monitoring Brief: Streams Monitoring at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, 2012

This brief highlights work completed in the past year and discusses the effects of recent fires on the park's stream systems. Briefs are also available for Tumacácori National Historical Park and Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot national monuments.