Editing Mount Graham (section)

==Description==
Mount Graham summits are headwaters for numerous perennial streams that tumble through five major [[botanical]] zones. Located between the southern [[Rocky Mountains]] and Mexico's [[Sierra Madre Occidental]], and biologically isolated for millennia, the higher elevations have provided [[Refugium (population biology)|refuge]] for relict populations of plants and animals with adaptive strategies rooted in Pleistocene ice age environmental conditions. Of particular note are stands of the oldest conifer trees in the U.S. Southwest and associated habitats for threatened and endangered species, especially the [[Mount Graham Red Squirrel]].<ref>T. W. Swetnam and P.M. Brown "Oldest known conifers in the Southwestern United States: Temporal and Spatial patterns of Maximum Age," In M.R. Kaufmann, W.H. Moir, and R.L. Bassett, eds., "Old-Growth Forests in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regions", ''Proceedings of a Workshop. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report'' RM 213: 24–38 (1992); Henry D. Grissino-Mayer and Harold C. Fritts, "Dendroclimatology and Dendroecology in the Pinaleño Mountains, In Conrad A. Istock and Robert S. Hoffmann, eds., ''Storm over a Mountain Island: Conservation Biology and the Mt. Graham Affair'', pp. 100–20 (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1995).</ref>

Located near the northern limit of the [[Chiricahua|Chiricahua Apache]] homeland and the southern margins of [[Western Apache]] territory, the range is one of the Western Apache's four holiest mountains and is considered sacred by all of the region's Native peoples. Since a determination by the Keeper of the Register in 2002, Dził Nchaa Sí'an, as it is known in the Western Apache language, ranks as the largest and most extensive (~330,000 acres) property listed on or formally determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>Elizabeth A. Brandt, "The Fight for Dził Nchaa Sí'an, Mt. Graham: Apaches and Astrophysical Development in Arizona," ''Cultural Survival Quarterly'' (Winter) 1996: 50–57; John R. Welch, "White Eyes' Lies and the Battle for Dził Nchaa Sí'an," American Indian Quarterly 21 1997: 75–109; Patricia M. Spoerl, Determination of Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, Mt. Graham (Dził Nchaa Sí'an) Safford Ranger District, Coronado National Forest, Arizona. Prepared under an agreement with the University of Arizona and submitted to the Keeper of the National Register by Coronado National Forest (2001); Mary M. Farrell, "Proposed MGIO Permit Renewal Determination of Effect," Heritage Resources Report 2008-05-076 (Tucson: Coronado National Forest, April 7, 2008).</ref>

In 1993, the [[St. Paisius Orthodox Monastery]] was founded at the base of the mountain.

Mount Graham hosts both species of Arizona native trout – [[Gila trout|Gila]] and [[Apache trout]] and three species of introduced trout.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eacourier.com/news/mount-graham-may-become-anglers-choice-destination/article_e13c5535-30f0-5276-86e1-e9007d484718.html |title=Mount Graham may become anglers' choice destination |publisher=Eastern Arizona Courier |author=Jon Johnson |date=November 11, 2011 |access-date=July 9, 2014 }}</ref>