BLM will host another public meeting on the draft RMP at 5:30pm Wednesday, August 22 at the Sierra Vista Police Department. This is an opportunity to voice your concerns about BLM’s plan to open more areas in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area to grazing and hunting.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area with a 90 day comment period. Major changes from the current management approach include increased grazing.
The Friends of the San Pedro River has reviewed the draft and shared our position on the FSPR website. To begin your own review, you can access the document online. Public input will shape the final plan.
Public meetings on the draft RMP are scheduled for:
Public input will shape the final plan, and we strongly encourage you to attend one of the public meetings to learn more about the draft RMP and voice your concerns and suggestions.
Thursday, August 9th, was a sad day for the Friends of the San Pedro River and everyone who cares about the continued existence of the San Pedro, a rare, functioning desert riparian area, and the wildlife it supports. By the slimmest of majorities, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled against a lawsuit that sought to force consideration of groundwater usage as part of the approval of the Tribute residential development project in the Sierra Vista area.
The Friends hoped the plaintiffs would prevail in order to require that the Arizona Department of Water Resources consider the federal water right for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in determining whether there was 100 years of adequate and legally available water supply for Tribute. Instead, the court ruled that ADWR is under no obligation to consider the impact of additional pumping by Tribute on the San Pedro River. Owners of residential wells in the area should be concerned because this means they too have no protection for their water source from prospective deep groundwater pumping associated with Tribute.
Pumping in the Sierra Vista area is already withdrawing more groundwater from the aquifer than is replenished. The result is a cone of depression where the aquifer is being drained. This cone of depression is spreading and adversely affects the flow of groundwater to the San Pedro River. Tribute will add 7,000 new homes that will require additional groundwater withdrawals from the aquifer. The end-result is sadly easy to anticipate.
The BLM has released a draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA). This plan will govern how the SPRNCA will be managed for the next few decades. The Friends has completed a first review of the document and will provide comments to the BLM during meetings and in writing. We would like to share with you our reaction and concerns.
But first, how to find the draft documents…
The draft RMP is available for the public to review and provide comments on the BLM ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xnTuM. Get involved! Your opinion counts. Your voice is needed to counter those with influence who are working behind the scenes to undo the work of the last 30 years.
Public meetings on the draft plan are scheduled for:
Public input will shape the final plan, and we encourage you to attend one of the public meetings to learn more about the draft RMP and voice your opinions and suggestions.
Overall assessment. The BLM has been working on this document for several years. We commend them for the completion of this draft and look forward to working towards issuance of a final plan that continues current protection of this precious national resource. However, we do have significant concerns as discussed below.
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SAINT DAVID CIENEGA ONLY $1600 AWAY FROM RESTORATION PLAN!
Matching funds still available thru May 12th. Double the impact of your donation! To Learn More: https://
See a brief history of the St. David Cienega, a remnant of the San Pedro River of the past, including its recent decline, and learn what the Community Watershed Alliance plans to do to preserve and restore it in an informative video.
A Sierra Vista area State Senator has introduced legislation that would circumvent current law by easing requirements that new developments must show the availability of a 100 year supply of water. This will clear the way for approval of developments, e.g., the massive development proposed along the San Pedro River south of Benson. It is hard not to view this as a death sentence for our river and the rural character of our area.
Arizona Audubon is organizing comments on the proposed legislation. In this post, they explain how you can go about registering comments on this issue with our State legislators.
Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) officials did not properly consider the rights of the Bureau of Land Management, namely the federal reserve water right for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) created by an Act of Congress in 1988, when it gave the go-ahead for a 7,000-home development in Sierra Vista, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
See the article on the appellate ruling (by Howard Fisher of Capitol Media Services) published by the Sierra Vista Herald for further information.
Proposed Vigneto Development Plan Must Address Sustainable Groundwater UseEl Dorado Benson LLC recently submitted the Final Community Master Plan for “The Villages at Vigneto” to Benson officials. One key area of concern is the prospect of large-scale groundwater withdrawals to supply water to the proposed development. We want to ensure that the developer is committed to measures like enhanced recharge of the aquifer and xeriscape landscaping. And we want to convince Benson officials that now is not the time to become complacent about our precious water resources.
Read the entire letter to the Benson Planning and Zoning Commission.
Does the proposed Villages at Vigneto development planned for Benson pose a threat to the San Pedro River? Is groundwater pumping for the planned 27,000+ homes sustainable? Or is this a repeat of unconstrained development like that of California?
Call on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to re-evaluate impacts of this huge, prospective city-sized development that threatens to adversely impact the San Pedro River, a Global Important Bird Area, migration corridor and biodiversity hot spot. Learn more in the Arizona Daily Star article.