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.

This report describes the different, and sometimes conflicting, conceptions of land use that have been held by residents of southern Arizona during the past 500 years. Briefly outlining major events in the Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo experience, the report provides a chronology of events.

By including ranch lands as a landscape form worthy of protection and preservation, Pima County formalized its commitment to keep ranchers ranching as a way of achieving multiple community goals, including conserving natural and cultural resources, preserving open spaces, and defining urban form.