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February 25, 2011

Supervisor Sharon Bronson, District 3
Pima County Board of Supervisors
130 West Congress Street, 11th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

RE: March 2, 2011 BOS Consent Agenda: Real Property, Resolution No. 2011-32

Dear Supervisor Bronson and Members of the Board,

The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection supports the purchase of the 187-acre Sweetwater Canyon property. This parcel lies mostly within the Multiple Use Management Area of the MMB Conservation Lands System (CLS) and is directly adjacent to the county’s 700-acre Sweetwater Preserve.

The Sweetwater Preserve was purchased by the County in 2004. According to the County’s recent open space report1, the property “contains several major washes…including a key segment of Sweetwater Wash…[It also] provides suitable habitat for many species, including the lesser long-nosed bat, Gila monster, mule deer, Abert’s towhee, California leaf-nosed bat, mountain lion, and desert tortoise.” The Sweetwater Canyon property would provide an important extension to the Sweetwater Preserve, especially since it is crossed by the Sweetwater Wash and two small tributaries, providing valuable space for wildlife movement.

The Coalition also supports the recent letter submitted to the Board Supervisors by the Tucson Mountains Association about this property. This added acreage to the Sweetwater Preserve will increase the Preserve’s habitat value, and we encourage you to approve the Sweetwater Canyon purchase at your March 2, 2011 meeting. Thank you for considering our input.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Campbell
Executive Director