Saguaro National Park will grow by 47 acres. How a private trust is making it happen
The Trust for Public Land, an organization with a mission to create quality parks and protect green spaces, announced the addition to the park on April 25. The new acreage adds to the organization's work protecting over 2,300 acres in and around Saguaro National Park since 1993.
The land was purchased with a federal funding source called the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which comes from a portion of the federal government's offshore oil and natural gas revenues that are reinvested into protecting American natural resources.
The Trust for Public Land also received financial assistance for project costs from Pima County and the Southern Arizona Hiking Club, a nonprofit volunteer group that promotes outdoor recreation.
Saguaro National Park, encompassing about 92,000 acres across two locations, protects ecologically valuable and biodiverse Sonoran desert landscape, including a number of unique desert species like roadrunners, Gila monsters, desert tortoises and the iconic saguaro cactus.
The new park land will also bolster the linkage between Saguaro National Park and Pima County's Sweetwater Preserve, an 880-acre park that includes 13 miles of interconnected trails used for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The preserve was created in 2004 through a partnership among Trust for Public Land, Tucson Mountain Association and Pima County.
'I'm beyond pleased to see Saguaro National Park West growing with this new addition of beautiful natural land,' said Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen in a news release.
'Being good stewards of our public lands is one of the core principles of Pima County, as laid out in the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan,' said Allen. 'It's an honor to see our conservation partner, Trust for Public Land, continue and expand that stewardship within our community.'
As the park expands, outdoor recreationists may soon be able to explore the new acreage after a public planning process is completed.
'Preserving the wildlife linkages is job one. Any new trail linkages have to go through a public planning process,' said Michael Patrick, senior project manager at Trust for Public Land, 'so everyone will get a chance to say what they want to see out here before the park actually puts it in the trails and opens it up.'
John Leos covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to john.leos@arizonarepublic.com.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Land trust acquires 47 acres to help Saguaro National Park grow
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