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.

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.

This study from the citizens of the Arivaca community proposes to establish an Arivaca Resource Management Zone, where a atwo level management plan integrates the otherwise fragmented land use and water policies of the various regulatory agencies. The Arivaca watershed contains one of the last remaining cienegas and perennial streams in southern Arizona. These unusual water features exist because the area is still in a state of balance, where annual water consumption is less than the natural recharge replenishing the aquifer during years of average precipitation.

Until recently carbon monoxide poisonings were thought to occur in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas. However, open-air cases of poisoning have recently been reported including exposures from exhaust from various kinds of watercraft including houseboats, cabin cruisers and ski boats. Unlike automobiles, boat engines do not have mechanisms to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. The density of watercraft and the large numbers of people using the channel creates the opportunity for individuals to be exposed to excessive carbon monoxide emissions. This exposure investigation examines the extent of carbon monoxide exposure in recreational boaters in the Rotary Beach area near the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona during the Memorial Day Holiday in 2003. The objective of the investigation is to determine whether a public health hazard from carbon monoxide exposure exists in an area heavily used by recreational boaters.

The Arizona Department of Health Services conducted a carbon monoxide exposure survey among recreational boaters at the Maricopa County Lake Pleasant Regional Park during the 2003 Labor Day weekend. To investigate the extent that recreational boaters are exposed to carbon monoxide from a variety of watercraft, ADHS measured exhaled carbon monoxide to determine the amount of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) present in their blood. To determine whether a widespread public health hazard exists because of carbon monoxide exposure from watercraft, the ADHS health consultation, "Investigation of Carbon Monoxide Exposure, Rotary Beach at the London Bridge, Lake Havasu, Arizona, May 25-26, 2003", recommended conducting further biomonitoring studies at other recreational lakes in Arizona. ADHS asked the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), under its Cooperative Agreement Program with ADHS, to interpret data from the Lake Pleasant survey and to determine whether carbon monoxide exposure is a public health hazard among recreational boaters at Lake Pleasant.