 Pima and Santa Cruz counties join City, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish Santa Cruz River Wildlife Partnership
PIMA COUNTY, Nov. 22, 2024 – In the shadow of Mount Wrightson and within view of the Santa Cruz River’s footprint at Historic Canoa Ranch, officials from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region, Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and the City of Tucson gathered Nov. 21 to sign a memorandum of understanding to establish the Santa Cruz River Wildlife Partnership (SCRWP).
The agreement enables the four governmental entities to work more formally toward common objectives such as environmental education, outreach and programs while protecting a vital wildlife corridor that runs through both counties. It’s the first such national wildlife partnership the national agency has established in the state of Arizona.
“Protecting the Santa Cruz River and the area that surrounds it is a key component of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan,” said Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Adelita S. Grijalva. “By establishing this partnership, we will be better positioned in the future to take advantage of opportunities to protect the Santa Cruz when they present themselves.”
Formally establishing the SCRWP is the first step toward creating an Urban National Wildlife Refuge (UNWR) along the Santa Cruz River, the ultimate goal of the grassroots coalition that formed in 2023. In addition to protecting the waters of the Santa Cruz, a UNWR would boost equitable access to the outdoors for the hundreds of thousands of people that live along the river.
For Grijalva, the connection to the area is personal.
“My tata worked this land,” said Grijalva, whose father, Congressman Raul Grijalva, spent his early childhood living at Canoa Ranch. She noted that 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 here in this beautiful space today.”
Martha Williams, USFWS director, flew in from Washington to be part of the ceremony. “I feel honored to be here and recognize this critical moment,” she said.
Amy Lueders, USFWS Southwest Regional Director, echoed that sentiment.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to be part of this amazing grassroots, community-driven partnership," said Lueders. “We look forward to collaborating with the City of Tucson, Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and local communities to foster cooperative efforts to explore and create opportunities to improve access to nature and advance conservation.”
Over the course of the past year, both the Pima County and Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors have approved items supporting the creation of a UNWR. The Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a proclamation encouraging the community to support the designation, and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution calling on U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to create the refuge.
"The collaboration between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both Santa Cruz and Pima counties, and the City of Tucson represents a unique opportunity to enhance our local economies and our natural resources,” said Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce Bracker. “By investing in wildlife habitat restoration and educational outreach, we are creating a more inviting landscape for nature tourism, which will drive economic growth for local businesses and create jobs in Southern Arizona.”
As one of America’s longest continually inhabited regions, the Santa Cruz River Valley’s identity is anchored in the diverse ecosystems and its long history of cultural diversity. The creation of the SCRWP will not only preserve history for future generations but also celebrate it in a way that honors a region with traces of human life dating back more than 12,000 years.
“I want to thank Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the Biden-Harris administration for putting people at the center of a vision to care for and restore our public lands and waters,” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.
“There has been so much history, and it has taken a lot of willing partnerships and local community work to create this restorative vision we are celebrating today. I am thankful for the stewardship of Austin Nunez, Chairman of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the late Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías, who have paid close attention to the health of the river.”
Photo caption: Pictured from left to right, as part of the MOU signing ceremony, were Kevin Dahl, Ward 3 Council Member, City of Tucson; Martha Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director; Amy Lueders, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Director; Bruce Bracker, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors; and Adelita S. Grijalva, Chair, Pima County Board of Supervisors.
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