20 Acres Protected Inside Saguaro National Park by Trust for Public Land
Saguaro National Park Just Got Bigger; Latest Acquisition Marks More Than 2,350 Acres of Saguaro National Park Protected by Trust for Public Land
Tucson, Arizona — Trust for Public Land (TPL), in partnership with the National Park Service, announced today the acquisition of 20 acres of privately owned land adjacent to Sweetwater Preserve, which will be transferred to the National Park Service for permanent addition to Saguaro National Park.
This marks TPL’s sixth land protection project with Saguaro National Park since 2016, further advancing decades of effort by TPL to help protect over 2,300 acres in and around Saguaro National Park, keeping the Tucson region’s iconic desert landscapes whole, connected, and protected for future generations.
”Saguaro National Park is one of America’s most beloved desert landscapes, and with this addition we’re advancing a long-standing community vision to connect the Park directly to Sweetwater Preserve and beyond,” said TPL President and CEO Carrie Besnette Hauser. “By protecting key inholdings like this, we make our national parks whole, ensure seamless connections to immediately adjacent public lands like Sweetwater Preserve, and expand public access to one of the most extraordinary desert landscapes in the world. Saguaro NP is not only Tucson’s backyard — it is a national treasure that draws people from across the globe to experience the beauty and spirit of the Sonoran Desert.”
Saguaro National Park sits at the doorstep of the Tucson metro area—home to nearly one million residents—and welcomes over a million visitors each year who come to experience the remarkable Sonoran Desert landscape, including the world-famous forests of saguaro cacti. The Park provides more than 165 miles of trails and is a nationally significant outdoor destination for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, trail runners, birders, and outdoor enthusiasts from across the country.
The newly protected lands will become part of the western unit of Saguaro National Park, boosting the park’s total acreage to over 92,000 acres. Visitors will now have increased opportunities to explore and savor the breathtaking beauty of the Sonoran Desert, while also safeguarding the habitat of the iconic Saguaro Cactus.
“Trust for Public Land has worked for decades to knit together the landscapes that define Saguaro National Park, and this latest addition represents another meaningful step in keeping this remarkable place whole,” said Jim Petterson, Vice President, Mountain West Region, Trust for Public Land. “Investments through the Land and Water Conservation Fund allow us to protect irreplaceable places, support the region’s outdoor economy, and ensure that visitors today, and generations to come, experience Saguaro National Park as it was meant to be. This project would not be possible without the leadership of Pima County, the National Park Service, and community partners who share this long-term vision for the Sonoran Desert.”
The land was purchased with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal source of funding which does not come from taxpayer dollars but instead is a portion of the federal government’s share of offshore oil and natural gas revenues that are reinvested back into protecting our country’s natural resources. TPL received financial assistance to help with its project costs on these projects from Pima County and the Southern Arizona Hiking Club.
“Saguaro National Park is part of what makes Tucson such a special place. Every acre we protect keeps it intact for visitors who come from around the world. This addition strengthens wildlife habitat, expands outdoor access, and preserves a defining part of our Sonoran Desert. I’m grateful to Trust for Public Land, the National Park Service, and Pima County who helped make this happen,” said Senator Mark Kelly [D-AZ].
“For years, our community has worked toward creating a seamless connection between Sweetwater Preserve and Saguaro National Park. Today’s acquisition shows what’s possible when local leadership, conservation partners, and willing landowners come together with support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This effort protects critical wildlife habitat, expands outdoor access for westside families, and safeguards a defining piece of our Sonoran Desert. I’m grateful to the Trust for Public Land and everyone who helped make this long-awaited milestone a reality,” said Representative Adelita Grijalva [D-AZ].
The newly acquired property, purchased from well-known landscape photographer Tom Wiewandt, sits just south of Sweetwater Preserve, a 900-acre open space that TPL first protected with Pima County in 2004. At the time, Sweetwater was the largest undeveloped property in the Tucson Mountains and was under significant threat of subdivision and residential development. Today, it is one of the County’s most popular outdoor destinations, featuring 16 interconnected trails spanning 13 miles.
“I am thrilled to see TPLs continued perseverance to protect this important wildlife corridor, one property at a time,” said Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen. “Next year Pima County is celebrating 25 years since the adoption of a key component of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, which identified this area as important for conservation. Congratulations to all involved!”
Connecting Sweetwater Preserve to Saguaro National Park has long been a shared priority of Pima County, community leaders, and conservation partners. Congress expanded the Park’s boundary in 2020 to make such additions possible. In 2019 and 2023, TPL completed two adjoining acquisitions that created the first physical connection between the Park and the Preserve; the Wiewandt property now advances the next phase of that vision.
Ecologically, the protection of lands, especially inholdings, in this corridor is critical to maintaining wildlife movement between the rugged Tucson Mountains, nearby rolling hills, and the desert washes that flow toward the Santa Cruz River. From a recreation perspective, these acquisitions may enable future trail linkages connecting Sweetwater Preserve, Saguaro National Park, and eventually Tucson Mountain Park to the south. Currently, there are close to 74 private inholdings, ranging from three acres to more than 400 acres, remaining in Saguaro National Park.
“If this land had been developed, it would have brought new roads, fences, and fragmentation. Instead, we’ve kept this landscape whole so wildlife can continue to move through the Sonoran Desert, just as they always have. And at a time of worsening drought, transferring private inholdings to the National Park Service also strengthens the park’s ability to manage wildfire and protect this ecosystem for the future,” said Michael Patrick, Project Manager, Trust for Public Land
A new report from Trust for Public Land highlights how impactful private inholdings are for our national park system, with across 433 national park units in the United States, approximately 15,000 privately owned parcels—totaling more than 2.5 million acres—exist within park boundaries, fragmenting habitat, complicating management, and interrupting visitor experiences. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was created specifically to address this unfinished legacy, allowing federal agencies to purchase inholdings from willing sellers and permanently protect them as part of the national park system.
Since 1972, TPL has expanded the National Park System by nearly 65,000 acres through more than 220 land conservation projects across nearly 70 park sites, reflecting five decades of commitment to protecting America’s national treasures.
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About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors.
