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Arizona Newsletter, Fall/Winter 2005

Arizona State Park's employee Steve Haas at Coal Mine Springs, protected by TPL last December. Photo by: Josh Schachter

Partnering to Protect a Living River
by Amy McCoy

Cool mornings, towering cumulus clouds, and thundering afternoon rainstorms signal monsoon season in the Sonoran Desert. Rivers come to life during the monsoon, recharging groundwater and sustaining the cottonwood and willow that in turn support hundreds of other species.

The Santa Cruz River is no exception. The upper Santa Cruz corridor extends north from the city of Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border some 25 miles through Santa Cruz County in southeastern Arizona. As the distinguishing natural feature of the region, the river supports the area's ecology, culture, and people—a constant ribbon of life connecting grasslands to deserts, the U.S. to Mexico, and the past to the present. Adjacent to modern organic farms and stylish adobe homes, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail runs parallel to the river. Other evidence of human settlement along the river dates back 13,000 years.

"The Santa Cruz River is the cradle of civilization in this region," says Sherry Sass, a founder of the Friends of the Santa Cruz River, a locally based conservation group. "People have lived, farmed, and traveled alongside Arizona's rivers for thousands of years, and history has been made along their banks. Furthermore, rivers are a lifeline for migratory and resident wildlife populations. Rivers sustain us ... they deserve protection."

The Santa Cruz River is changing, however, from a remote corner of the world that locals once referred to as the "end of the earth" to a rapidly growing destination on the map. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Arizona is the nation's second-fastest growing state; and the population of Santa Cruz County has more than doubled since 1970. The burgeoning population places a tremendous amount of pressure on a limited water supply, impacts the beauty of the landscape, and threatens the very resource that makes this area so attractive.

The Santa Cruz River has become a conservation focal point in southeastern Arizona. The Trust for Public Land-Arizona has joined the Sonoran Institute, Santa Cruz County, the Tucson Audubon Society, Friends of the Santa Cruz River, landowners, and others to coordinate and implement a river conservation vision.

"Currently, the county and partners are focusing on community input so everyone can feel vested in what we are doing," explains Mary Dahl, the director of community development in Santa Cruz County. Plans for future growth are key to protecting the upper Santa Cruz corridor, and Santa Cruz County's comprehensive land use plan places special emphasis on the need to conserve and manage the Santa Cruz as a "living river" ecosystem.

Sonoran Institute's Alfonzo Gonzalez demonstrates water sampling methods on the Santa Cruz River.  Photo by: Brian P. Anderson

"Most of the land along the river is privately owned. With so many diverse stakeholders, it's important for nonprofits, community members, and others involved to work together toward a common conservation goal," explains Luther Propst, executive director of the Sonoran Institute. "Fortunately, each partner brings their own set of skills to the table, so together we can accomplish great things."

Although TPL is a relative newcomer to the area, the TPL-Arizona team's experience with building partnerships, working with landowners, and leveraging state and federal funds is proving to be essential. "TPL is honored to have the opportunity to bring our specific land conservation skills to this partnership," says Shauna Kerr, director of TPL-Arizona. "Everyone's dedication to this vision is remarkable."

TPL's continued involvement in Arizona depends on unrestricted support from donors, since donations allow us to lay the groundwork for land conservation projects that may take months—or even years—to complete. One example of such a project is TPL's successful protection of 2,600 acres of Coal Mine Canyon in December 2004. The canyon cradles Coal Mine Creek, a tributary to Sonoita Creek—an east-west tributary of the Santa Cruz River that links high-desert grasslands with the low-desert floor. An internationally known destination for birdwatchers, the area provides invaluable habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species, including the lesser long-nosed bat, Mexican spotted owl, and the western yellow-billed cuckoo.

After working with the landowner for about two years, TPL was able to pull together funding from the Arizona Heritage Fund and a federal Recovery Land Acquisition grant provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (authorized under Section 6 of the federal Endangered Species Act) and convey the land to the Arizona Fish and Game Department. Arizona State Parks will manage the property in conjunction with the adjacent Sonoita Creek State Natural Area.

"The acquisition [of Coal Mine canyon] only occurred because TPL worked with us and Arizona State Parks to ensure the long-term protection and management of the property," says Joan Scott, habitat program manager with Arizona Fish and Game. TPL currently is negotiating with the landowner to protect an additional 830 acres of Coal Mine Canyon.

Near the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River.  Photo by: Amy McCoy

By simultaneously protecting land and engaging the community in a long-term plan for conservation, TPL and its partners are working to ensure that the Santa Cruz River remains a healthy corridor for wildlife and people alike. With the continued financial support of donors and landowners, TPL can be a key partner in protecting Arizona's ecological and cultural values. Together we can guarantee a future where children can play and learn about wildlife along a river that will always run strong, clean, and free.

Your support makes it possible for TPL to play a part in planning efforts like the ones to protect the upper Santa Cruz River and Sonoita Creek. We need your support now more than ever to preserve the landscapes we treasure, for now and for future generations.

To find out how you can help, please contact Laurel Savino, development director, at (505) 988-5922 ext. 16 or laurel.savino@tpl.org.

Helping Fill a Niche
by Louise Robbins

The Trust for Public Land's community gardens program drew my attention. In my work with an inner-city tennis program, I'd seen how parks, gardens, and school playgrounds can bring neighbors together. TPL is unique among land conservation organizations in that it addresses the needs of urban residents as well as the need to preserve open land in the face of future development.

When I contacted TPL to learn about its plans in Arizona, I discovered that the organization also has planning expertise, experience working with local governments, and land acquisition know-how that is necessary for the protection of Arizona's most valued open spaces.

Photo courtesy of Louise Robbins

Marshes and waterways are important to me, and TPL's programs tie in with my experience back east as a volunteer for an Inland Wetlands Commission. Saving the Coal Mine Springs property was a terrific accomplishment that added 2,600 acres of watershed land to the Sonoita Creek State Natural Area—an important step toward protecting the Santa Cruz River. Only two percent of Arizona lands contain wetlands or rivers, but they are one hundred percent important to wildlife and plants, farms and people. The encroachment of housing into open land in the 15 years that I've been in Tucson is astonishing. I think it's now or never if we want to preserve the Santa Cruz River corridor, or that lovely strip of green will be lost forever.

TPL focuses on maintaining the quality of life for Arizona's residents through the preservation of open land. By supporting TPL, that's a goal we can all work toward.

With the support of donors like Louise Robbins, the Trust for Public Land is able to bring much-needed planning, fundraising, and real estate-transaction support to some of the poorest and fastest-growing areas of Arizona. If you can help, please contact Development Director Laurel Savino at (505) 988-5922 ext. 16 or email laurel.savino@tpl.org.

Tribal Lands Program Makes a Difference

Alvin Warren, the director of TPL's Tribal Lands Program, understands how important land is to the tribes of the Southwest. "Land is our life, our sovereignty, our home. It feeds us, sustains us, enables us to keep alive our culture for the next generation," he says.

Together with Associate Director Milton Bluehouse, Jr.—a member of the Navajo Nation who grew up in Ganado, Arizona—Warren helps TPL build collaborative partnerships with tribes to help them regain and conserve land.

Alvin Warren (left) and Milton Bluehouse, Jr. from TPL's Tribal Lands Program.  Photo by: Laurel Savino

"In the U.S., we are gifted to have 562 federally recognized tribes," says Warren. "Many tribal cultures are still vibrant, but many are at risk. By listening to and working in conjunction with tribal leaders and staff, we have an opportunity to restore tribal land to maintain these land-based cultures, and retain the richness of who we are as a country."

Warren hopes that, through the national Tribal Lands Program, TPL volunteers, supporters, and staff will gain a "sense of urgency, and a commitment to this important and long overdue work."

For more information about TPL's national Tribal Lands Program, or to find out how you can help, please contact Alvin Warren, director, at (505) 988-5922 ext. 11 or email alvin.warren@tpl.org.

Preserving Waterways, History, And Culture

Clay pot on display at Tumacacori National Historical Park in the Upper Santa Cruz River Valley.  Photo by Brian P. Anderson

For millennia, people have traveled, traded, settled, and explored along Arizona's rivers. From 1775 through 1776, Captain Juan Bautista de Anza—on orders from the viceroy of Nueva España—led 200 people from Culiacán, Mexico, along the Santa Cruz and Gila Rivers and across the Colorado River to California to settle the port of San Francisco. The immigrants, almost all born on this continent with mixed European, African, or Indian ancestry, brought with them their languages and traditions. Their passage shaped the future of the American West and changed the lives of the indigenous peoples they encountered, including the Tohono O'odham, Cahuilla, Chumash, Esselen, Ohlone, and Bay Miwok peoples.

TPL-Arizona works to preserve evidence of America's diverse heritage by protecting landscapes that sustained and carried our predecessors, especially those along Arizona's waterways. 

In 1990, the U.S. Congress authorized the creation of the Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail, which is administered by the National Park Service in partnership with other federal, state, and local agencies as well as nonprofits and private landowners. For more information about the trail, visit www.nps.gov/juba/.

Trail in Oak Creek Canyon Protected
by Nicole Lampe

Just ten miles north of Sedona lies Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona's second largest attraction after the Grand Canyon. In June, the Trust for Public Land protected 25 acres of the canyon above Oak Creek, adding a much-needed public access point for hiking and exploring Red Rock country and the Coconino National Forest. The Thomas Point Trail, which traverses the property, climbs the east rim of the canyon, offering spectacular views toward Sedona and the crimson bluffs near Slide Rock, as well as the steep cliffs of one of Oak Creek's largest tributaries, West Fork Canyon. At the top, one can see as far as the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, located about 30 miles away.

"As Sedona becomes more and more popular as a tourist destination, it is increasingly important that we preserve its legacy for present and future visitors to this beautiful area," says William Eich, chairman of the Land Preservation Task Force at Keep Sedona Beautiful, a local nonprofit and frequent TPL partner. "We are delighted to see the Thomas Point property protected as part of the Coconino National Forest. This is a project that everyone in Sedona appreciates."

Hiker Frederick Ropp enjoys the view from the top of the Thomas Point Trail.  Photo by Suzanne Clemenz

The protection of Oak Creek Canyon marks TPL's seventh project with the U.S. Forest Service in the scenic Red Rock area. "The success of the Red Rock area program is a result of the collaboration and hard work of many groups and individuals," says Ken Anderson, a U.S. Forest Service ranger in the Red Rock district. "Local support from Keep Sedona Beautiful, the Hoel family, and others were critical to protecting the Thomas Point Trail, and of course, we couldn't have done it without our friends at the Trust for Public Land."

The purchase of the Thomas Point Trail property was financed by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and was secured through the efforts of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and U.S. Representative Rick Renzi.

The Thomas Point trailhead is just south of the Call o' the Canyon parking area. From Sedona, follow State Route 89A north toward Flagstaff for about 10.5 miles. The parking area is on the left as you come around a curve. Follow the trail from the south corner of the parking lot parallel to the highway. At the end of this trail (past the picnic area), carefully cross the highway and walk south facing oncoming traffic. The Thomas Point trailhead is a couple of minutes down the highway, marked by a rectangular concrete step and metal sign. The trail can be strenuous, and there is no water along the route, so please check with the U.S.F.S. Red Rock Ranger District at (928) 282-4119 for current conditions before setting out.

The conservation of the Thomas Point Trail is a continuation of TPL's work in the Sedona Red Rock area, where we have protected more than 650 acres in eight transactions since our first success in 1980. For more information, or to find out how you can help, please contact Laurel Savino, development director, at (505) 988-5922 ext. 16 or laurel.savino@tpl.org.

Proactively Protecting Land in Arizona

When I accepted the position of TPL-Arizona state director this summer, I was inspired not only by TPL-Arizona's 25 years of success and the dedication of its donors, volunteers, and staff—especially former director Jenny Parks, now director of TPL-New Mexico—but also by the challenges that lay ahead.

When TPL preserved its first piece of land in Arizona (the Crescent Moon Ranch near Sedona) in 1980, I doubt any of us expected the urgency with which we'd one day protect ranches in far southern Arizona. These once-isolated ranchlands are now the subject of stiff competition among developers who would divide them into dozens of smaller properties, splintering wildlife habitat and requiring new roads.

New TPL - Arizona director Shauna Kerr.  Photo by Pat Cone

TPL doesn't oppose development, but we feel that communities, elected leaders, and developers need to carefully consider where development might best be directed and which lands should be preserved, in order to protect our water and the special places that contribute to the quality of life for everyone. In addition to spending months working with willing landowners to preserve their land, we are now spending years helping communities identify their conservation priorities and plan for future growth before the bulldozers roll in, when things get really expensive and complicated.

It is absolutely appropriate that we do this work, but we can't make these commitments without the support of our donors. Your generosity enables us to lend our unique skills to the communities where they are most needed, take long-term risks, and stick with these efforts for years. Thank you for your support so far, and please consider donating to our Arizona state operating fund so that we can continue this important work.

Many thanks,

Shauna Kerr, director of TPL-Arizona

Posted 12/2005