BLM Purchases Land Conservation Easement
Major Tributary of San Pedro River Protected
TUCSON, ARIZONA — March 14, 2007 — On March 13, 2007, The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Tucson Field Office completed the purchase of a conservation easement in southeast Arizona along the Babocomari River, called the River Pasture. The River Pasture includes approximately three and one-half miles of the Babocomari River channel, which is a perennial river in that location and is a major tributary to the San Pedro River. The Nature Conservancy in Arizona also played an important role in facilitating purchase of the 674-acre conservation easement from the Babacomari Ranch Company L.L.L.P.
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The easement preserves and protects, in perpetuity, a major wildlife corridor and flyway for migrating birds, vast native grasslands, scenic riparian and wetland areas, and ground water within the watershed of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. In addition, the easement will support Fort Huachuca's military testing and training exercises by establishing an encroachment-free buffer zone on the property adjacent to the easement. The buffer zone will help to sustain the mission of Fort Huachuca and ensure its long-term viability and retention, as outlined by a December 2003 report by the Governor's Military Facilities Task Force.
“This is an investment in the future,” said Tucson Field Manager Patrick Madigan. “The purchase of this conservation easement is one tool we can use to help safeguard the valuable resources within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, and ensure that the area will be protected.” The conservation easement was purchased for $2.7 million; the price was based on appraisals of similar properties.
The easement is located within the planning area of the BLM’s Las Cienegas Resource Management Plan (RMP), and within the watershed of the San Pedro River. It is located about 12 miles southeast of Sonoita and approximately 12 miles northwest of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The shallow aquifer underlying the Babocomari River has been identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as one of the most important contributors to the San Pedro aquifer in the Upper San Pedro Valley.
For this reason, one of the important goals of the conservation easement is to minimize groundwater pumping along the Babocomari River. Protection of this important site will also contribute toward the goal of achieving sustainable yield within the Sierra Vista Subwatershed by 2011, as required under Section 321 of the Defense Authorization Act of 2004.
“The Brophy family who owns the ranch deserve tremendous credit for their willingness to protect this land and help secure our water,” said Dave Harris, the Conservancy’s Director of Land Protection in Tucson. “Over the past 15 years, they have shown their commitment to conservation by protecting rare species on their ranch and recognizing that the property holds the future of the San Pedro watershed."
Historically rich, the Babacomari Ranch originally was part of a Spanish land grant established in the early 1820s when the region was still part of Mexico. Since that time, the ranch has been managed continuously for livestock grazing except during the Apache Wars in the late 19th century. The Brophy family purchased the ranch in 1935.
“Our stewardship responsibilities of the Babacomari Ranch have been greatly enhanced by this collaboration between the BLM and the Conservancy. This conservation easement is critical for the future generations of Arizonans and visitors to southeastern Arizona to enjoy the uniqueness of this ecosystem,” said Ben Brophy, managing partner for the Brophy family.
The conservation easement provides for the continuation of the historic uses of the ranch operation, and prevents any use that will significantly impair or interfere with the enormous conservation value of the property.
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The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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