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In the shadow of Mount Wrightson, officials from the Southwest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and Tucson City, on November 21, within sight of footprints on the Santa Cruz River at the historic Canoa Ranch. We got together, signed and gathered. Memorandum for establishing the Santa Cruz River Wildlife Partnership (SCRWP).
Photo from left to right: Kevin Dahl of Tucson. Martha Williams, US Fish and Wildlife. Amy Leuder, US fish and wildlife. Bruce Blacker, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Adelita S. Grillarva, Pima County Board of Supervisors.
The agreement will allow four government agencies to more formalize themselves towards common goals such as environmental education, outreach and programs, protecting important wildlife corridors passing through both counties.
This is the first national wildlife partnership established by a national agency in Arizona.
“Protecting the Santa Cruz River and the surrounding areas is a key component of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan,” said Adelita S. Grijalva, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors. “Establishing this partnership will allow us to position ourselves in the future to take advantage of the opportunities that Santa Cruz will protect when he presents himself.”
Formalizing the SCRWP is the first step in creating the Urban National Wildlife Refuge (UNWR) along the Santa Cruz River, the ultimate goal of the grassroots coalition formed in 2023. Outdoor access for hundreds of thousands of people living along the river.
For Grijalva, connections to the region are personal.
“My Tata worked on this land,” said Grijalba, whose father, Rep. Raul Grijalba, spent his childhood at Kanoa Ranch. She said 25 years ago, the Pima County Board of Supervisors agreed to protect the historic site from development.
“If they hadn’t had that foresight, we wouldn’t be in this beautiful space today.”
USFWS Director Martha Williams flew from Washington to become a part of the ceremony. “It’s an honor to be here and recognize this important moment,” she said.
USFWS Southwest Regional Director Amy Ruders reflected that sentiment.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to be part of this incredible grassroots, community-driven partnership,” Ruders said.
“We look forward to working with the city of Tucson, Pima County, Santa Cruz County and the community to promote collaborative efforts to explore and create opportunities to improve access to nature and promote conservation. ”
Over the past year, both Pima County and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors have approved items that support the creation of the UNWR. The Pima County Board of Supervisors has passed a declaration encouraging communities to support their designations, while the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution calling on the US Secretary of the Interior to create a shelter .
“The collaboration between both Santa Cruz and Pima counties and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the City of Tucson is a unique opportunity to strengthen our local economy and natural resources,” said Bruce Blacker, Santa Cruz County supervisor. It’s there. “By investing in wildlife habitat restoration and educational outreach, we are creating more attractive landscapes for nature tourism.
As one of America’s longest and most continuous inhabited regions, the Santa Cruz River Valley identity is anchored in a long history of diverse ecosystems and cultural diversity.
The creation of SCRWP not only preserves the history of future generations, but also celebrates it in a way that honors regions with traces of human life dating back more than 12,000 years.
“I want to thank the Secretary of Home Affairs, Deb Haaland and the Biden Harris administration for putting people at the heart of our vision to care for and restore our public lands and water,” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. Ta.
“There is so much history and it took a lot of ambitious partnerships and local community work to create this resilient vision that we are celebrating today. San of Tohono O’odham Nation We are grateful for the management of Austinnes, chair of the Xavier district, and for the stewardship of the late Pima County Superintendent Richard Elias for his care in the health of the river.”
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