Water as we talk in terms of growth, habitat protection and it is probably the limiting natural resource in this valley and region. Sustainability was drafted into the groundwater proposal in 1980 and it required all of the Active Management Areas of Arizona to achieve a safe deal within 45 years after balance of plan. The groundwater code had a very unique way to meet the assured water supply requirements. Before you can subdivide property you have to show that there is adequate water supply for 100 years.

Ranching was and is a distinct American culture with a distinct set of knowledge, values and beliefs. Many of those communities have been weakened by the relentless urbanization of Arizona, but now is the time to create new communities where environmentalists, hunters, birdwatchers, and hikers partner with ranchers to preserve and restore the open spaces we all cherish.

A series of 51 individual “stakeholder” interviews and two focus groups conducted with members of the Pima County business community in fall, 2001, documented significantly divided opinion about the likely economic impacts of the county’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP). The results of the stakeholder inquiries were striking. Only one major finding reflected consensus, while several others revealed sharp differences of opinion in the business community about the potential economic impacts of the SDCP and associated initiatives.