Agua Fria National Monument

Infobox_protected_area | name = Agua Fria National Monument
iucn_category = III

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caption =
locator_x = 57
locator_y = 109
location = Yavapai County, Arizona, USA
nearest_city = Phoenix, AZ
lat_degrees = 34
lat_minutes = 9
lat_seconds = 15
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 112
long_minutes = 4
long_seconds = 35
long_direction = W
area = 71,100 acres (288 km²)
established = January 11, 2000
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = U.S. Bureau of Land Management
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thumb|right|214px|Saguaros in Agua Fria National Monument] Agua Fria National Monument is located in the U.S. state of Arizona, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Created by Presidential proclamation on January 11, 2000, the 71,100 acre (288 km²) monument is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The U.S. 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's National Landscape Conservation System. Over 450 distinct Native American structures have been identified in the monument, some of large pueblos 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 A.D. when several thousand Native Americans, known as the Perry Mesa Tradition, inhabited the region. The petroglyphs depict animals, geometic figures and abstract symbols and are found by the thousands. Numerous ruins of agricultural terraces and irrigation devices indicate that farming was widespred during this period. Other historical entities that are found include 19th century mining features and Basque sheep camps.

Situated between 2,150 and 4,600 feet (655 and 1,402 m) in elevation, the monument is a blend of desert and semi-desert ecosystems. Reptiles and amphibians including the Leopard frog, the Garter snake, the Desert tortoise, can be seen in the monument. Mammals such as the Pronghorn, Mule deer, White-tail deer and Javelina are relatively common. The elk (wapiti), black bears and Mountain lions are also found in the monument, but are much less common. Four species of native fish, including the Longfin dace, the Gila mountain sucker, the Gila chub, and the Speckled dace, exist in the convert|129|mi|km|sing=on-long Agua Fria River and its tributaries.

In late 2004, the BLM and the Sierra Club helped spark the formation of the Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument, a non-profit organization created to assist the federal agency in monument protection, management, and outreach.

ources and external links

* [http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/natmon/afria.2.html Agua Fria National Monument] , BLM. Retrieved 4/2/08
*cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.blm.gov/az/aguafria/bkgda.htm | title = Agua Fria National Monument Proclamation | format = | work = | publisher = U.S. Bureau of Land Management | accessdate = 2006-08-13 | accessyear =

*cite web | last = Crossley | first = John | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/agua_fria/national_monument.html | title = Agua Fria National Monument | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = 2006-08-13 | accessyear =
*cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.discovernlcs.org/TheNLCS/Monuments/AguaFria.cfm | title = Agua Fria National Monument | format = | work = | publisher = National Landscape Conservation System | accessdate = 2006-08-13 | accessyear =
*cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.aguafriafriends.org | title = Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument | format = | work = | publisher = Friends of the Agua Fria National Monument | accessdate = 2007-06-13 | accessyear =