News
President's Message
State Land Intitiative Redux
Trails Update
President's Message by Sue Clark
Pima Trails watches over more than one thousand miles of trails that are enjoyed by a broad spectrum of users.
The urban river park trails are close to home and convenient for walkers, bike riders, horseback riders and roller bladers. For those who want to drive a little further, Saguaro Mountain Park East and West, Tucson Mountain Park and Catalina State Park offer a more rugged experience. The terrain is varied and ranges from easy to difficult for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and runners. For those who want a far from the city experience, head for Sonoita, Colossal Cave, Davidson Canyon or the Catalinas and Oracle.
The trail experience of the urban pathways that have a more park like feel is very different from that of the front country and the wilderness areas. All trails offer people a place to connect with nature. They can provide a quiet place to get away from it all or a place to pursue fitness.
Pima Trails is working very hard to accommodate all users.
Sharing is critical to a safe and pleasant trail experience.
Please be aware of the rules of whatever trail you are on and
remember that equestrians always have the right of way, then
hikers, and then bikers.
As we approach the midpoint of 2008, our latest trails update
in this issue gives you an idea of what has been accomplished
and where we’re headed for the rest of this year and beyond.
If you have questions or comments, please contact us at 577-7919.
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State Trust Land Initiative Redux by Susan Dawson-Cook
In an attempt to fight for the ever-diminishing acres of land
for open space, an initiative was filed on April 11 to conserve
570,000 acres of state trust land, many of which have been identified
as ecologically important. Attempts to allow the sale of State
Trust Land for open space or conservation were first initiated
in 1998 since there is currently no provision in Arizona’s Constitution
for such measures. By law, when land is sold or leased, it must
go to the highest bidder, but so far, none of these conservation
efforts have succeeded.
According to a receptionist at the Nature Conservancy’s Arizona
Field Office, approximately valid petition signatures–only 230,047
are required–must be obtained by July 3 in order for the proposal
to make the November 4 ballot. According to Conservancy literature,
this measure will provide for the permanent conservation of land
and water, protect funding for Arizona’s classrooms, and enable
better planning and management of State Trust Land.
Mark Flint, a PTA member and also a member of the Sonoran Desert
Mountain Bicyclists and Steward for the Arizona Trail, sees the
initiative and the preservation of State Trust Land as critical
to the recreational community. After all, many of the trails
we have come to know and love are on State Trust Land. Many trail
users in Arizona don’t even know about the current petition and
its importance to the future of trails, he says.
Anyone interested in signing the petition can drop by the Tucson
Audubon Shop at 300 E. University Blvd., at University and 5th
Ave. The phone number is 629-0510. Shop hours are 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. all other days,
and they are closed Sunday. Other petitions are being circulated
by volunteers in the Tucson area.
You can read a summary of the initiative at: http://www.sonorandesert.org/uploads/files/CALW_Fact_Sheet_FINAL_207.pdf
For more information:
http://www.sonorandesert.org/2008/04/17/state-land-initiative-filed
www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2008/05/09/20080509trustland0512-ON.html
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Trails Update
The first quarter of 2008 has been a productive one for trails
in Pima County. The new trail system at the county’s Sweetwater
Preserve is nearing completion, and should be finished by the
end of April. Construction of this trails park’s new trailhead
staging area, which is expected to begin later this year, is
all that remains to be accomplished at Sweetwater, besides
the addition of some additional signage and barriers to motorized
access. Equestrians, hikers and mountain bikers are already
using the new trails within the 10.5 mile system on the site,
and the response has been extremely positive. A ribbon-cutting
to be hosted by the Tucson Mountains Association will occur
this fall, probably in October. Look for more information on
this event in our next issue.
The trail system at Pima County’s Robles Pass Trails Park is
already being laid out, and construction will begin shortly after
the beginning of the county’s new fiscal year. County parks staff
held a successful public meeting in March to solicit comments
from the public about the management of the property and the
development of the park’s trail system, and received a considerable
amount of positive feedback from area residents and the trails
community.
A special feature of the Robles Pass Trails Park is the proposed
“ecoduct” under the Ajo Highway. The four-lane divided Ajo Highway
presently separates the 1,000-acre Robles Pass property from
the 23,000 acre Tucson Mountain Park. To enhance wildlife movement
between these open space preserves and connect the trail systems
on both properties, Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and
Recreation has proposed the replacement of a small existing 4’
x 6’ box culvert with a pair of arched ducts that will allow
both trail users and wildlife to pass safety under Ajo Highway.
Funding for the ecoduct would come from the Regional Transportation
Authority’s $45 million Wildlife Linkages fund, which was approved
by the voters in May of 2006. The ecoduct would be the most significant
project undertaken by the RTA Wildlife Linkages fund to date,
if it receives support from ADOT and is approved for funding
by the RTA Board.
The much-anticipated Wild Burro Wash Trail has been laid out,
and construction of the trail, which will provide access to the
Town of Marana’s Tortolita Preserve and Pima County’s Tortolita
Mountain Park, will occur in the second half of 2008.
Progress on the update of the Eastern Pima County Trail System
Master Plan is continuing, and is expected to be complete this
summer. Another set of public meetings will be held to review
the draft of the updated plan in the late spring or early summer.
Pima Trails has been a major participant in this planning process,
and looks forward to the completion of this important document,
as well as its re-adoption by the Pima County Board of Supervisors
and the Tucson City Council.
Work on the trails master plan for Tortolita Mountain Park is
also making strong progress, and will be completed by the end
of the year. This plan was delayed by the Arizona State Land
Department’s proposed Arroyo Grande plan, which proposes to develop
most of the open space within Tortolita Mountain Park’s eastern
expansion area, and would make many of the proposed trails in
that area impossible. A new statewide effort to conserve this
land and not have it enter the jurisdiction of Oro Valley for
development is now underway. Pima Trails is supportive of this
initiative’s effort to protect the Tortolita property and other
sensitive State Trust Lands.
Pima Trails is also pleased to report that Pima County is moving
ahead with the creation of a River Parks Task Force. The task
force is intended to improve communication between the various
agencies implementing projects along the community’s major water
courses, and will result in the preparation of a River Parks
Strategic Plan that will identify major issues to be resolved
and chart a course for the implementation of the system. Pima
Trails will participate in the work of the Task Force, as will
the Urban Trails Coalition.
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