The Arizona Land and Water Trust (ALWT) is leading a large conservation effort with private landowners in Santa Cruz, Cochise, and Pima counties. In 2014, Fort Huachuca and ALWT received $5 million in Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) funds from the Department of Defense. That money, along with a smaller grant from the State of Arizona, allowed purchase of conservation easements on 2,037 acres of private land on two historic working ranches near the Fort. The REPI funds are used to prevent encroachment from the development of private land around military bases, primarily through the purchase of conservation easements.
Conservation easements are a tool to protect land from future development while supporting current uses. The landowner retains ownership of their land and continues traditional ranching/agricultural/recreational uses. The land stays on the tax rolls and may even raise the value of neighboring properties. A third party, like ALWT, facilitates the purchase of the development rights, in the form of a conservation easement, at a value established by a qualified independent appraiser. The conservation easement prevents the land from ever being subdivided.
In the spring of 2015, Fort Huachuca was also designated a Sentinel Landscape: places where preserving the working and rural character of key landscapes strengthens the economics of farms, ranches and forests; conserves habitat and natural resources; and protects vital test and training missions conducted on those military installations that anchor such landscapes. There are only three military installations in the country that have received this designation, which is conferred by a partnership of the federal Departments of Defense, Interior, and Agriculture. This designation increases the chances for more conservation dollars to come to our region.
On December 16, ALWT representatives presented the REPI project to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. They asked for a letter of support for the next phase, a $7 million request for more REPI funds. The majority of this phase will be in Santa Cruz County, where ALWT hopes to facilitate the purchase of additional conservation easements and some restoration work on private properties within the Babacomari Watershed.
The Santa Cruz County Supervisors unanimously endorsed the grant application. And why not, where else can you find a project which helps ranchers preserve their land and their livelihood, conserves and restores land, water and wildlife habitat, and supports the mission of our military to protect all of us? If you want to know more contact ALWT at www.alwt.org.