The Coalition received great news this fall! We have a unique and exciting fundraising opportunity, offered to us by some of our most generous supporters! The Coalition’s largest individual supporter offered to double his giving this Fall — he then successfully challenged the Coalition’s other largest donors to double their gifts as well!

 

In total, our major supporters have now pledged $40,000 as a matching challenge grant.  By contributing to this campaign, you can help us raise $80,000 for Sonoran Desert Protection!

These supporters now challenge you, one of the Coalitions valuable supporters, to give generously this fall. These funds will go to support the central and most critical activities undertaken by staff and volunteers – a targeted media campaign, expanded education and outreach, new materials, coordinated activities with partner groups, press tours, general office expenses and of course, working with the Pima County Board of Supervisors, and County and other agency staff.

We need your help to achieve this goal.  I, along with these other Coalition supporters, ask that you help us meet this matching challenge grant and make a donation to the Coalition today!

The closer we get to finalizing the Plan, the more detailed our work becomes. As the Pima County Board of Supervisors votes on the final plan in the coming months, we must also establish monitoring and management mechanisms for long term success, identify a secure funding source for the implementation of the plan, advance other complementary local plans, and protect additional important Sonoran Desert lands and wildlife corridors.

Over the past eight years we have developed a vision for the Sonoran Desert and Pima County that is shared by tens of thousands of us living here. We’ve spent countless hours at public hearings and meetings, sitting at tables with friends and other interest groups working toward consensus, and achieving much. We have successfully protected desert uplands, riparian corridors and other critical habitats that, without our work, could have been gone forever.

Thank you for believing in us.  

We at the Coalition are part of our greater community that works together toward the same vision. We couldn’t have done our work without your support.  Thank you for sending regular and generous donations; writing letters to newspapers; contacting elected officials; spreading the word about our work and vision; talking to friends, family and co-workers; and for sporting Coalition hats, shirts, and bumper stickers!

The final draft of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan has been released by Pima County. We are preparing our final comments and finalizing our strategy to get the best Plan possible submitted to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Here are a few of the things on our immediate agenda, as well as some of the longer-term issues we need to address to ensure success:  

• Continue building public support by giving presentations, meeting with community groups, hosting forums and maintaining a visible public presence – do you have somewhere we can make a presentation?
• Prepare and present comments at upcoming federally-mandated public hearings.
• Conduct a media campaign that mobilizes supporters to attend meetings, write letters to newspapers, call elected officials, and talk to neighbors and friends.
• Obtain media coverage that supports our Community Vision.
• Partner with agencies, including Arizona Departments of Transportation and Game and Fish, to protect and restore Pima County’s critical wildlife linkages – ensuring passages across regional roads, highways and interstates.
• Ensure that money from the 2004 Open Space Bond continues to be spent on the most critical parcels of land.
• Prepare for a 2008 Open Space Bond to continue the county open space program.
• Continue to work with the Town of Marana and City of Tucson to further habitat conservation planning goals.

All of this work will happen because we support a shared community vision. Our success with this work takes resources. We thank our generous lead supporters for donating $40,000 and issuing this challenge to you!

I also thank you in advance for believing in our vision and stepping up to help us meet the challenge to raise $80,000 by making a generous gift today.

Together we’ll protect a Sonoran Desert for our future, where ecosystem health is important, nature and healthy native plant and animal populations have value, and where visitors, children and future generations will find wild places to roam.   Thank you for your generous support.