The continued growth of the human-built environment in Pima County, Arizona will result in the “incidental take” of species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. To avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to both listed and unlisted species and their habitats, Pima County is submitting this Multi-species Conservation Plan for 44 species that may be impacted as a result of the otherwise lawful activities of Pima County and its development community. The Incidental Take Permit, also called a Section 10 permit, will be for 30 years. This MSCP is part of the required documentation needed to receive an Incidental Take Permit under Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA.

The Multiple Species Conservation Plan will complete the land use planning process in a conflict between competing interests on the question of growth. A path of balance was chosen by advancing the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. This second draft will be posted on the website and distributed to interested community and committee members. A public process will be conducted so that during 200t the document can be finalized and submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the application for a federal endangered species permit.

The primary purpose of this study is to determine what transportation improvements would be needed to accommodate future growth and development of the Raytheon Missile Systems facility located south of Tucson International Airport on Hermans Road. A secondary purpose of this study is to consider longer-term roadway and transit improvements that will improve access to Tucson International Airport and associated airport property planned for future development. Specifically, the study analyzed the effects of closing Hughes Access Road/Alvernon Way to non-Raytheon traffic and recommends alternative roadway improvements that would be needed to accommodate this closure.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, in coordination with Apache County District II and the Fort Defiance Chapter of the Navajo Nation, analyzed the traffic circulation conditions of Navajo Routes 7, 12, 54, 110, and 112 within the Fort Defiance Industrial Area which is designated as a major growth area on the Navajo Nation. The study was funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s State Planning and Research Program and administered through ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division's Planning Assistance for Rural Areas (PARA) program. The study was initiated to develop a planning strategy to improve the mobility and safety within the Fort Defiance Industrial Area.

In September 2004, ADOT awarded a contract for the Pinal County Corridors Definition Study to Kimley-Horn and Associates. The scope of the Pinal County Corridors Definition Study included the following activities:
* Confirm the need for the East Valley and the North-South corridors;
* Define planning-level corridor definition alternatives;
* Perform a technical assessment of engineering, environmental, and land use compatibility constraints opportunities for the planning-level corridor definition alternatives;
* Identify to the extent possible, feasible and preferred planning-level corridor definitions on the basis of the technical evaluation;
* Document planning-level costs of corridor development (including studies, design, construction, and right-of-way costs) for the preferred corridor definitions.

The Pinal County Corridors Definition Study resulted in sufficient detail to provide a basis for the future establishment of geometric roadway alignments and corridor design concepts, the preservation of right-of-way, and the identification of required environmental clearance studies.

In this initial (interim) report, 21 different natural resource based outdoor recreational activities are identified. These activities are believed to represent the most popular natural resource based recreational activities in eastern Pima County. Based on the best information available, the document provides an overview and description of each of the noted activities. Information is also provided regarding the primary or preferred locations where the subject activity occurs. Data on participation in the individual activity is included where available. Use patterns, such as seasons when the activity is most prevalent, have been identified and trends related to changes in participation levels are discussed. Finally, issues related to the recreational activity vis-a-vis the goals of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan are also presented.