Land-Use & Public Lands
- Pima County Will Preserve Tumamoc Hill
- Obama Signs Wilderness Protection Bill
- Proposed Wilderness Area: Tumacacori Highlands
- Help Save the Scenic Santa Ritas
- Protect our Sonoran Desert & Ironwood National Monument!
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Threatened by Oil Drilling
Pima County Will Preserve Tumamoc Hill
(Reprinted from the April-June, 2009, Rincon Group Newsletter)
by Keith Bagwell
Pima County won state approval at auction in February
to buy 320 acres of state land on Tumamoc Hill once
under threat of development. The county will preserve
this jewel for the study and enjoyment of future generations.
The rugged hill behind Sentinel Peak is within the city
of Tucson and overall is an 860-acre icon that has since
1903 been the site of the University of Arizona’s Carnegie
Desert Laboratory.
The laboratory has studied Sonoran Desert flora and
fauna continuously for its 105-year life, making it an
invaluable repository for data on this unique desert. Pima
County will be custodian of the remains of Hohokam stone
terraces and walls dating to 300 B.C., of dozens of Tohono
O’odham burial plots dating to the early historical period,
and of the road to the laboratory that is one of the area’s
most popular walking and jogging paths because of its great
beauty.
The combined and dedicated efforts of Pima County
Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Elías,
Congressman Raúl Grijalva, other elected officials over the
years, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry and his
staff made this purchase possible.
But the voters of Pima County also provided for the
acquisition of these vital Tumamoc Hill acres by passing
bonding authority for this purpose in 1997 and 2004. The
county is using $2.35 million from these bond authorizations
to match a $2.35 million state grant from Arizona State
Parks to buy the $4.7 million parcel.
The final hurdle to the county’s Tumamoc Hill purchase
was cleared when the Tucson City Council unanimously
approved Member Regina Romero’s February 10 motion
for the City of Tucson to take title to the 25-acre landfill it
operated on the site from 1962 to 1966. The landfill is
polluting ground water beneath it.
Pima County began trying to buy these Tumamoc Hill
acres back in the late 1990s, but was thwarted by quirks in
state law. Congressman Grijalva and former Congressman
Jim Kolbe developed legislation a few years ago to get the
federal government involved in preserving this land. But
Senator Jon Kyl refused to cooperate.
The word Tumamoc is O’odham for horned toad, and
the shape of the hill resembles this desert creature. On
Tumamoc Hill, Hohokams figured out how to grow food
crops in the harsh desert climate in ancient times. Centuries
later, the O’odham lived and grew crops on the hill, and
also used it for burial of their dead. The Native American
presence on and around Tumamoc Hill and the Santa Cruz
River makes this area probably the longest continuously
inhabited area in the United States.
The Rincon Group applauds the county and the elected
officials who acted to protect this invaluable historic,
scientific - and beautiful - desert resource for future
generations.
Obama Signs Wilderness Protection Bill
Law protects acreage from Sierra Nevada mountains in California To Jefferson National Forest in Virginia:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/30/tech/main4904524.shtml
Protect our Sonoran Desert &
Ironwood National Monument!
The Sonoran Desert is home to many unique and rare plants and animals, including desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, sonoran pronghorn, saguaro cactus, and ironwood trees, as well as the endangered cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl. Rapid population growth and other human modifications of the environment now threaten many species found in the Sonoran Desert.
But we can do better. In order to protect our precious desert for ourselves and future generations to enjoy and explore, we are working to ensure the strongest species and habitat protections possible under the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. This habitat conservation plan, being developed by Pima County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a public process which enables citizens just like you to help decide the future of land use in Pima County outside the Tohono O'odham reservation.
Visit the Home of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Part of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan is the protection of Ironwood Forest National Monument, a biological and cultural gem, located near Tucson. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently crafting a management plan for this monument. In order to protect the monument from nearby sprawl, mining, off-road vehicle abuses, and other harmful practices, it is critical that the BLM receives public comments urging adoption of the strongest conservation alternative in the Monument Management Plan.
Protecting the Sonoran Desert for our families and our future is a great opportunity and a great challenge. Please join us-get involved and help ensure that our children will enjoy the same quality of life that we do now.
We can protect Arizona's Sonoran Desert
Ask the Bureau of Land Management for a strong Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
For more information on the Sierra Club's work on Arizona's Sonoran Desert, please contact:
Sean Sullivan - Sierra Club Rincon Group
738 N. 5th Avenue, Suite 214
Tucson, AZ 85705
620-6401
sean@sonorandesert.org
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Threatened by Oil Drilling
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a 19.3 million acre refuge in the northeastern corner
of Alaska. Situated between the Arctic Ocean and the Brooks Range, the Refuge covers an
amazing diversity of habitat, from rugged peaks and glaciers to tundra and the coastal plain.
The coastal plain is the most biologically rich part of the Refuge and helps to form one of the
last completely preserved ecosystems left in North America. The Refuge is home to
numerous animal species, including musk ox, polar and grizzly bears, wolves, and the largest
international herd of caribou in the world.
The coastal plain of the Arctic has been compared to the Serengeti
of North America. Every year, the 129,000 caribou of the
Porcupine River Caribou Herd migrate to their calving grounds on
the coastal plain. Millions of birds from as far away as Antarctica
and Asia migrate to the coastal plain to nest. From Ohio, the
Tundra Swan and the Semipalmated Sandpiper utilize the coastal
plain of the Arctic Refuge as their nesting grounds.
The Threat of Oil Drilling
The Refuge was established in 1960 by President Elsenhower. In
1980, Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands and Conservation Act (ANILCA),
which enlarged the Refuge to its present size. However, the Senate had to compromise in
order to win final passage of the bill. The compromise called for the coastal plain of the
refuge - the biological heart of the ecosystem - to be set aside for study of oil and gas
potential. The Refuge contains the last 5% of the entire Alaskan coastal plain that does not
already allow for oil drilling, but the petroleum industry is working to have it completely
opened for oil exploration and drilling.
Even "responsible drilling" can be very harmful to the
natural environment. According to the Alaska Department
of Environmental Conservation's Oil Spill Database, the oil
fields of Alaska's Northern Slope have averaged over 400
oil spills a year since 1996. The U.S. Department of the
Interior has estimated that the Porcupine River Caribou
herd could suffer a decline of up to 40% if oil drilling takes
place on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.
Six Months of Oil, Ten Years from Now
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says that the most likely amount of oil to be
found in the Arctic Refuge would be roughly the same amount of oil that the United States
consumes in six months. Executives from the oil industry have further testified that it would
take approximately ten years after drilling were approved before any oil from the Refuge
would be available.
Drilling in the Refuge is Not Good Energy Policy
By far, the best way to increase energy security is through energy efficiency. US EPA
estimates that by increasing the fuel efficiency of our cars and light trucks by 3 mpg, it will
save approximately 5 times the amount of oil estimated to be under the Arctic Refuge. The
United States currently consumes 25% of the world's oil, but owns only 3% of the world's
proven oil reserves. It is not possible to drill our way to energy security. Drilling in the
Arctic does not make good energy sense, does not increase our national security, and should
not be part of the discussion over any national energy plan.
Other Backdoor Tactics
Proponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge have tried many backdoor tactics to win passage
of any bill that would allow them to put oil rigs in the Refuge. From attempts to include the
proposal in the federal budget, to including it in must-pass emergency defense bills after
9/11, to tying the issue to healthcare for miners, drilling supporters have shown they are
willing to say or do anything to put holes in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.
Protect the Arctic Refuge
Arizona's Senators have split on protecting the Arctic Refuge - Senator John McCain has
voted to protect the Arctic Refuge and Senator John Kyl has voted for drilling. We would
like both Senators to vote to protect the Refuge. Senator McCain needs to be thanked for his
strong support and Senator Kyl needs to be told to change his position.
The Refuge needs protection! Write to BOTH of Arizona's Senators and tell them you want them to support protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Letter writing tips:
Make sure your letter is neat and legible and addressed to the Senators:
Senator John McCain Senator John Kyl US Senate US Senate Washington DC, 20510 Washington DC, 20510
- In your own words, tell how important the Refuge is to you and why it deserves protection, and not oil drilling
- Tell them that it is not good policy to destroy one of the most pristine places in North America for a speculative six-month supply of oil
- Ask them to oppose all efforts to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- Include your name, address, and phone number
122 C Street, NW, Suite 240, Washington DC, 20001
www.alaskawild.org
(202) 544-5205
