Great news! On June 19, 2018, the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 3,200 acres of new open space on the east side of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The Tesoro Nueve Ranch contains parts of Buehman Canyon, an important tributary to the San Pedro River and a crucial wildlife linkage between the Catalinas and the Galiuro Mountains. The property is surrounded by other open space properties owned by the County and national forest, making it an important “piece of the puzzle.” Home to a variety of threatened fish, frogs, birds, and wildlife, including coatimudi and bears, we are very excited that Pima County will be adding this property to the county parks system. 

According to a Pima County press release, “The total purchase price is $1.55 million, with $488,000 to be paid by RFCD and the balance to be paid by the County Administrator’s Special Revenue Fund at closing, scheduled to occur before Aug. 17. That fund includes $1 million received from a 2014 Kinder Morgan mitigation agreement and can’t be used for purposes other than purchasing land for conservation. No general funds will be used to acquire the property.” Furthermore, “The property was part of the estate of Katheryne B. Willock, a noted archaeologist and a generous contributor to the University of Arizona Libraries, who died in January 2017.” 

More information can be foundation at the full Pima County press release. 

And check out this short but wonderful video of a large troop of coatimundis taken on the property:

Tags: Buehman Canyon, coatimundis, conservation, open space, Pima County, Tesoro Nueve Ranch