To prevent unwanted urban sprawl and unregulated development, it is most important that Pima County encourage and retain viable ranches. Ranching is a significant land use that has served to protect our natural open space, and it continues to be an important traditional industry that has shaped the rural landscape.

Four maps showing vacant parcels, improvements on 5+ acres outside the Eastern Pima County Conservation Lands System. Map 1: Less than $10,000 -- map 2: Less than 1$15,000 -- map 3: Less than $20,000 -- map 4: Less than $25,000.

This report was drafted to facilitate discussion about protection of cultural resources under the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. The first part of the report provides an overview of historic preservation in Pima County, while the second part provides analysis and recommendations for improving Pima County's historic preservation policy.

The first in a series of installments in a regional synthesis of cultural and historical resources that will be produced to develop the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.