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- All Subjects: Riparian ecology
- All Subjects: Santa Cruz River (Ariz. and Mexico)
- Creators: Pima County (Ariz.). County Administrator's Office
Arizona's fish story begins in 1904 with the publication of Morton Chambrlain's "Survey of Arizona Fishes", the first detailed study by an aquatic biologist of the area. He was able to count sixteen native species in Arizona. Today more than half are either extinct or listed as threatened or endangered, and most of the rest are considered to be imperiled. In Pima County, we count more extirpated native fish than remaining residents. The story, absent a fairly dramatic change in circumstances, will end with the extirpation or extinction of all native fish in the region. This report provides an opportunity to change the circumstances of aquatic and riparian systems in eastern Pima County.
This memorandum describes (1) the potential applicability to Pima County of a national initiative to institute reforms in floodplain management; and (2) an assessment of the effectiveness of Pima County's Riparian Habitat Mitigation Ordinance (attachment). An inter-departmental team was formed to formulate specific proposals for consideration as part of the Riparian Protection Element of the SDCP and the major plan amendment to the County's comprehensive plan.
Ten watercourses in eastern Pima County were selected because, except for one, each has a 100-year discharge in excess of 10,000 cfs, and each is located within an urbanized or urbanizing area, or in an area where an increasing number of permits are being sought to develop in the floodplain.
Because the West Branch area has been left alone, it has a chance to recover and become a part of the larger Paseo de las Iglesias project, and a cornerstone of a more extensive effort at ecological restoration involving the mesic coorridors of Pima County, the Santa Cruz, Rillito, and Pantano.
This paper expands on the Conceptuall Plan (April 1998) for a cultural and riparian restoration project called Paseo de las Iglesias.
Stream flow disappearance due to groundwater pumping, floodplain development, and habitat loss due to erosion have significantly altered the biologically rich and diverse riparian corridors of eastern Pima County. Today, there are new opportunities to recreate our watercourses as a gathering place for people and wildlife.