Saving Historic Babacomari Ranch, New Agreement Protects Fragile San Pedro River

Ranchers, the Military, Federal Agencies & Conservationists Unite To Save Grasslands Buffering Fort Huachuca in Southeast Arizona

SIERRA VISTA, AZ — July 2, 2007— A coalition of unlikely partners has joined together to protect 487.3 acres of a 175-year-old cattle ranch along the Babocomari River—a key tributary to the San Pedro River near Sierra Vista—in order to secure this free flowing river and groundwater supplies in the growing area, buffer Fort Huachuca Army Installation from encroaching development and keep open a major flyway for birds and wildlife corridor for animals migrating into Arizona from Mexico between two conservation areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Babacomari Ranch © Peter Warren/TNC

This agreement marks the fourth conservation easement secured on the Babocomari River since January, bringing the total area protected to 1,410.2 acres and 4.61 miles of river. This voluntary land protection agreement restricts future development to safeguard its natural resources, while allowing landowners to continue to live on and use their land.

The Brophy family, owners of the Babacomari Ranch Company L.L.L.P., together with the Department of Defense, Fort Huachuca and The Nature Conservancy in Arizona, signed the most recent deal to protect these pristine grasslands, some of Arizona’s most beautiful, nestled in a valley between the Mustang and Huachuca mountains.

The Conservancy purchased the Babacomari Ranch easement from the Brophy family. Over time, Fort Huachuca will reimburse the Conservancy $1,997,930 for the easement using funds from the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program, established in 2003 to resolve installation conservation and encroachment issues at Army installations nationwide. The 73,272-acre fort is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and is the region’s largest employer.

The ranchlands, which include an important cienega or wetlands habitat, also anchor one of the world’s most biologically diverse habitats—the San Pedro River watershed. The area is second only to Costa Rica for its concentration of mammal species and is a major north-south route for 350 species of migratory birds between the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) and Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.

“This agreement accomplishes the type of incentive-based conservation needed in Arizona to manage our burgeoning growth and to protect and manage our precious water supplies,” says Holly Richter, the Conservancy’s San Pedro program manager in Sierra Vista.

“This not only helps prevent encroachment that could restrict Fort Huachuca from accomplishing its vital missions, but is also a great example of the extraordinary lengths that Fort Huachuca and the Army are taking to ensure we meet our obligations to reduce groundwater pumping in the area and protect the future of the San Pedro River,” said Col. Jonathan Hunter, Fort Huachuca garrison commander. “This partnership and the resulting easements will have great benefit to the Babocomari and San Pedro rivers and will preserve these natural treasures.”

Earlier this year, Fort Huachuca purchased the first two easements, adjacent to one another, for $830,000 to prevent development along the Babocomari River corridor north of the fort’s East Range and near the flight path of a training runway. These easements also reduce potential future water use, and as a result, future impacts to the SPRNCA, into which the Babocomari River drains.

Most recently, the third easement protecting 674.6 acres was purchased by the BLM for $2.7 million in March. This area, together with the fourth easement announced today, comprises what is known as the River Pasture. All four easements will help minimize groundwater pumping in order to protect the shallow aquifer underlying the Babocomari River—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.

Historically rich, the Babacomari Ranch originally was part of a 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. 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 a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. For more information about our work in Arizona, visit nature.org/arizona.