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.

The research team assessed desert bighorn sheep‐highway relationships from 2008 to 2010 along an 18‐mile stretch (mileposts 0−18.0) of U.S. Route 93 southeast of Hoover Dam and 70 miles northwest of Kingman, Arizona. The study section of the highway cuts through the northern extent of the Black Mountains where nearly 30 percent of the state’s total desert bighorn sheep population resides. Desert bighorn has long been a focal species of concern in planning for the Hoover Dam Bypass project begun in 2002. The environmental analysis addressed the impact of the widening on desert bighorn sheep travel corridors and habitat fragmentation, as well as the potential for increased sheep‐vehicle collisions. Extensive prior desert bighorn research supported the implementation of a comprehensive set of measures to maintain wildlife connectivity as part of highway reconstruction, including three wildlife overpasses and ungulate‐proof fencing.