A five-acre parcel of land in Patagonia near Harshaw Creek is being restored with native plants to benefit pollinators, birds and, eventually, residents and visitors.
Tucson Bird Alliance is leading the design and implementation of the habitat restoration project. Property owner South32 contracted with the Alliance for the job, recognizing the organization’s expertise in habitat restoration and its strong presence in Patagonia operating the Paton Center for Hummingbirds.
“This project is about creating something that benefits both people and nature,” said Maggie Blais, Principal Biodiversity & Permitting with South32 Hermosa. Once South32 had contracted with Tucson Bird Alliance, “we said to them, ‘Tell us what you want to happen here,’” Blais recalled.
The land is in the northeast corner of what was previously farm and grazing land owned by the Ensign family, until South32 bought it in 2018. The section being restored is bordered by The Nature Conservancy property to the north, which runs along both sides of Harshaw Creek.
Being adjacent to Nature Conservancy land made this project especially attractive to the Alliance, since the creek bed already attracts many species. “We’re always happy when we can work in areas with established microclimates,” said Kari Hackney, Director of Habitat Stewardship at Tucson Bird Alliance, and a project leader.
The project is in phase two of a three-year plan. Phase one focused on planning and design, earthworks to create water retention ponds, and initial invasive species control. This year’s phase includes installing irrigation lines, seeding and planting native species, and continuing invasive species management.
TBA’s crew of restoration specialists and invasive plan strike team members works on the project between one and three days most weeks. When asked what their biggest invasive challenge is this year, Hackney said “Tumbleweeds!”
Three habitat zones are planned: A pollinator garden of nectar plants, a section of sacaton grassland, and a mesquite bosque for birds and wildlife. They are planting 75 trees of layered canopy, including desert willows, Arizona walnuts, hackberry and elderberry.
“The most fun part is coming up with which plants to plant,” said Hackney.
Target species for the pollinator garden include monarchs and other butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and agaves for bats.
The three habitat zones will create food sources for birds who are migrating through the area. While some birds, like Lucy’s warblers, may nest there eventually, “the real value is in the forage,” explained Melissa Fratello, Tucson Bird Alliance Executive Director. “Birds need bugs, and these plants will support bugs.”
Another design goal of the project is flood mitigation and erosion control. The water retention ponds will help slow water flow during heavy rains. Some of the dirt from the earthworks was used to build up a bit more flood protection for the property’s neighbors.
Next year, phase three will include building a loop trail, installing seating and signage, and preparing for public access. The hope is to eventually connect to the existing trails in the creek area.
The pollinator project is part of South32’s commitment that the Hermosa mine results in “no net loss of biodiversity” through a combination of avoidance, minimization, restoration and offsets like this project.
Fratello said the Bird Alliance wishes extractive mining wasn’t happening in this sensitive, biodiverse region, but since it is, “the extractive industry has a responsibility to mitigate, in real time and in real ways, the environmental impact of their operations,” she said.
“Tucson Bird Alliance has been doing environmental mitigation work for 25 years, where a developer has to pay for mitigation for damage done,” Fratello said. “although we know we can never truly mitigate all of the effects of development.”
“We can, however, ensure that the restoration work done on this property is executed to the highest standards in terms of ecological function,” Fratello continued. “If there’s anything we can contribute that can add value here, we want to do that. We want to offer some benefit to the environment, and to the community.”