Summarizes four documents that reflect some of the work that Pima County and Department of Interior staff, along with the science and Geographic Information Systems technical teams, have created to develop the biological component of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.

Summarizes the attached resource reports that have been submitted so far to help develop the SDCP within the watershed planning area of the Altar Valley. This initial presentation of resource information is intended to both educate and serve as an invitation to greater participation in crafting the SDCP.

Arivaca, located on the southern border of Pima County, is one of the few remaining riparian areas in southern Arizona. This report presents collected data, shows how the Arivaca area relates to the SDCP, and makes recommendations on how the plan could address pressing groundwater issues in the Arivaca Valley.

A companion to the "Importance of Conserving Resources in the CIenega Creek Watershed" document and provides a focus on Altar Valley. This report includes detailed investigations into the historic conditions of the watershed, current rangeland conditions of biotic communities, and the environmental impact of a potential floodplain project.

Pima County Department of Transportation's Technical Services Division maintains GIS hardware, software, and databases with skilled personnel and has applied TIS technology to the SDCP, adapting, creating or acquiring over 1000 data layers for use in the Plan. Metadata has been developed for some of these layers.