| Agua Fria National Monument | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
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| Location | Yavapai County, Arizona,United States |
| Nearest city | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 34°9′15″N112°4′35″W / 34.15417°N 112.07639°W /34.15417; -112.07639 |
| Area | 72,344 acres (113.038 sq mi; 292.77 km2)[1] |
| Created | January 11, 2000 (2000-01-11) |
| Visitors | 80,000+ (in 2011) |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management |
| Website | www |
| Designated | January 11, 2000 |
Agua Fria National Monument is in theU.S. state ofArizona, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of downtownPhoenix, Arizona. Created byPresidential proclamation on January 11, 2000, the 72,344-acre (113 sq mi; 293 km2)[1] monument is managed by theBureau of Land Management, an agency within theU.S. Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Land Management already managed the lands; however, under monument status the level of protection and preservation of resources within the new monument have been enhanced.
The monument is a unit of the BLM'sNational Landscape Conservation System. Over 450 distinctNative American structures have been recorded in the monument, some of largepueblos containing more than 100 rooms each. The enhanced protection status also provides greater habitat protection for the numerous plant and animal communities.
Petroglyphs are scattered across the numerous puebloan ruins, which were built between 1250 and 1450 C.E. when several thousand Native Americans, known as the Perry Mesa Tradition, inhabited the region. The petroglyphs depict animals, geometric figures and abstract symbols and are found by the thousands. Numerous ruins of agricultural terraces and irrigation devices indicate thatfarming was widespread during this period. Other historical entities that are found include 19th century mining features andBasque sheep camps.
Situated between 2,150 feet (660 m) and 4,600 feet (1,400 m) in elevation, the monument is primarily composed of semi-desert grassland but also contains extensive riparian stands of cottonwoods and willows which are tied to the Agua Fria River. More than 140 bird species have been recorded at the monument.
Notable species ofreptiles andamphibians, including theleopard frog, thegarter snake, and thedesert tortoise, can be seen at the monument.Mammals such as thepronghorn,mule deer,white-tail deer andjavelina are relatively common. Theelk,black bears andmountain lions are also found in the monument, but are much less common. Native fish including the longfin dace, the Gila mountain sucker, speckled dace, and three endangered native fish including theGila intermedia,charalito, anddesert pupfish exist in the 129-mile (208 km)-longAgua Fria River and its tributaries.
In late 2004, the BLM and theSierra Club helped spark the formation of the Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument, anon-profit organization created to assist thefederal agency in monument protection, management, and outreach.[2][3][4][5]
Agua Fria National Monument travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
