pima trails association december 2008

PIMA TRAILS ASSOCIATION“Protecting Pima County’s Trails since 1987”

www.pimatrails.orgVol. 21, No. 3 Fall/Winter 2008

President’s Message

As we come to the end of the year, reflecting on all of Pima Trails’ projects during 2008 demonstrates how far

we have come in 21 years and how effective we are as an advocacy organization. Read all about our accomplishments for 2008 in this newsletter.

Tom Ellis, Marana Director of Parks and Recreation, was the recipient of our Friend of the Trails Award this year.

We thanked Tom for his efforts for trail access and preser-vation at the annual meeting/dinner on November 11 at El Parador restaurant.

Your membership shows your support for trails and ac-cess. So when the renewal letter finds its way to your

mailbox, I hope that you will consider us your voice and join us again in 2009. We’re making it easier to renew this year by giving you a choice of sending us a check or paying on-line with a credit card via PayPal. All the information about these options is in the letter you will be receiving.

Hope your holidays are joyful and the New Year filled with good trail experiences.

(continued on page 2)

Sue Clark, President

Friend of the Trails Award 2008

Tom Ellis, Director of the Marana Parks and Recreation department received the Friend of the Trails award from the trails advocacy group Pima Trails Association (PTA) on November 11, 2008 at the PTA annual membership meeting.

The award is bestowed annually to a person who has shown dedication to and support for protecting, developing and planning recreational, non-motorized trails in eastern Pima County.

In addition to being very committed to parks and recreation, Ellis is credited with being committed to recreational trail de-velopment. He led the effort to develop the Best wishes to our friend Steve Anderson.

We wish you a speedy recovery.

Welcome, New MembersCraig Kent

Max Shemwell Brian Vance

PTA Statement of Purpose Pima Trails Association is a nonprofit, 501(c)3, all-volunteer trails advocacy organization com-prised of hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers working together to protect and preserve trails in Pima County.

PTA Goals1. Establish an integrated multi-use public trails system.2. Assure permanent access to trails on public lands.3. Promote cooperation with land owners and developers to pre-serve access to traditional-use trails on private lands.4. Foster cooperation and communication among all trail user-groups.5. Communicate and cooperate with government agencies on trail matters.6. Keep the community informed about trail issues and op-portunities.7. Facilitate the safe and harmoni-ous multi-use of trails through trail education, community programs and fund-raising activities.8. Encourage the development of new recreational and historic trails.9. Expand the effectiveness and influence of Pima Trails As-sociation.

2009 PTA Board MembersSue Clark, President

Terri Gay, Vice PresidentBev Showalter, Secretary

Don Scheer, Treasurer

DirectorsJon ShouseMike Studer

Sharon UrbanHelen Wilson

The Pima Trails Association Newsletteris a quarterly publication of

Pima Trails Association Post Office Box 35007 Tucson, Arizona 85740 Phone 520-577-7919 www.pimatrails.org

Publication of advertising should not be deemed an endorsement by PTA.

Story copy reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily

reflect the views of PTA.

Story copy is subject to editing as needed.

Editor: Susan Dawson-Cook Contributors:

Sue Clark, Terri Gay

© Pima Trails Association 2008 All rights reserved.

Articles or parts thereof may be repro-duced with permission if acknowledgment

is given to Pima Trails Association.

Advertising may not be reproduced.

PTA EventsDecember

December 31, 2008 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DUE

January 2009January 27, 7 pm

PTA BoARD MEETINGHampton Inn, 5950 N. oracle Rd.

FebruaryTuesday, February 24, 7 pm PTA BoARD MEETING

Hampton Inn, 5950 N. oracle Rd.

trail system in Marana’s 2,400-acre Tortolita Preserve and is also lead-ing the effort to create trails in the southwestern portion of the Tortolita Mountains.

He is updating the Town of Marana’s parks and trails plan, and has in-cluded Pima Trails Association in the process.

Ellis is also participating in the update of the Regional Trails Master Plan, and is a member of the River Parks Task Force.

Tom Ellis Honored (continued from page 1)

Former board member Jim Byers at the Pima Trails Association 2008 Annual Membership Meeting enjoying the tasty and bountiful El Parador buffet dinner.


Trails Update Winter has arrived and the Pima County trails commu-nity is abuzz with activity.

The shared-use trail system at Pima County’s 700-acre Sweetwater Preserve was finished in May to excellent reviews and a lot of public use. Plans are now completed for the park’s new trailhead; construction commenced this fall.

The staff of the Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department (NRPR) is hard at work on the new trail system at the 1,000 acre Robles Pass Trails Park. Approximately two miles of trail have been con-structed to date, and the system will be in excess of ten miles when it is finished. We look forward to the comple-tion of this system in the spring of 2009.

On Saturday, November 15, the Starr Pass Trailhead was dedicated to longtime Sierra Club leader Rich Genser. Rich, who passed away in February at the age of 63, was an ardent and accomplished conservationist and one of our community’s most passionate open space advocates. He was also a trail user who enjoyed hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. This honor is very well de-served. Pima Trails sends its condolences and best wishes to Rich’s family, friends and Sierra Club colleagues.

Pima County NRPR prepared a new trailheads brochure for distribution to the public. The brochure lists all of Pima County’s trailhead facilities along with information on hours, directions, and other considerations, including limitations on dogs. Pima Trails Association partnered with Pima County to split the printing costs for the brochure, which is available from Pima Trails, at special events around the community and at NRPR headquarters at 3500 W. River Road,

County staff is nearing completion of the first draft of the Tortolita Mountain Park Trail System Master Plan. Once the draft is complete, a public meeting will be held

to solicit public input on the draft plan. Pima Trails looks forward to reviewing and commenting on this plan along with the trails community.

The impacts of ATVs and other off-road vehicles has be-come a serious issue in Marana’s Tortolita Preserve and on Arizona State Trust Land in the Tortolita Alluvial Fan area (the western side of the Tortolita Mountains). Efforts to control motorized access to these sensitive areas have so far been unsuccessful. Fences have been cut, signs damaged, and gates removed, but we’ve been advised that efforts will continue to control these impacts. If you have suggestions or input to provide on this matter, please call the Marana Parks and Recreation Department at 382-1950.

Last June, the Pima County NRPR department held the first meeting of its new River Parks Task Force. The Task Force was created to help facilitate communication and cooperation between all stakeholders interested in the development of our River Park system, and to produce a strategic plan aimed at identifying major impediments and resolving them as quickly as possible. A second meeting was held September 5th, and all participants were pleased with the considerable progress that had oc-curred since the group’s first meeting. The strategic plan is making excellent progress, and we were glad to see the most recent version at the Task Force’s meeting in late October.

As many of you are already aware, Pima County has worked to secure access to Tortolita Mountain Park from the Town of Oro Valley for a number of years. Recently, Pima Trails was concerned to learn that the two acre trail-head site provided to the town by Vistoso Partners, the developers of the Rancho Vistoso project, has significant constraints and might not be usable for trailhead purpos-es. Vistoso Partners requested additional density on sev-eral parcels of property it controls near the trailhead site.

Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclistssdmb.org

[email protected]

Saddlebrooke Hiking Clubsaddlebrooke.org/clubs/hiking/

hiking_welcome.htm

Pima Trails recommended to Oro Valley that the addi-tional density be denied unless Vistoso Partners provided a usable trailhead site, along with legal public access to the property and from the property to the boundary of the park’s expansion area. Vistoso has now withdrawn their request. Pima Trails will continue to monitor this issue, and will work to secure access.

The Town of Oro Valley is working with the Arizona State Land Department to prepare a conceptual devel-opment plan for the 10,000 acres of State Trust land be-tween the existing northern boundary of the town and the Pima-Pinal county line, immediately east of the Tortolita mountains. Much of this area was supposed to be set aside for the expansion of Tortolita Mountain Park, and the proposed development plan, called Arroyo Grande, would make the expansion of the park impossible.

The Arroyo Grande development concept conflicts with both the Tortolita Mountain Park Master Plan, which has been adopted by the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Town of Oro Valley, and Pima County’s Arizona Preserve Initiative application for Tortolita Mountain Park. The proposed development would drastically affect both trails and access in the area, as well as viewsheds and the area’s many cultural resources. Arroyo Grande is an ill-advised proposal, and Pima Trails has already made its feelings known to the Governor’s office.

Trails Update(continued from page 3)

PTA’s Year in Review This has been a year of considerable progress for the trails community in Pima County. A wide variety of projects have either been completed or initiated, and we’re well on our way to achieving our goal of being one of the absolute best trails communities in the U.S. Our progress includes the following: ● Sweetwater Preserve: In May, Pima County NRPR completed the new trail system at the Sweet-water Preserve. The 700-acre preserve, which Pima Trails was involved in protecting, now features a sustainable 10.4-mile system of shared-use trails that have been getting rave reviews. Construction has begun on the new trailhead for the Preserve. ● Robles Pass Trails Park: Work began on the new trail system at the Robles Pass Trails Park. Pima County parks ordinance funding is being used for the first time since the ordinance was passed in 2003 to build trails in Pima County. Two miles have been built so far, and the remainder of this 10 to 12 mile system will be completed by the end of the current fiscal year, June 2009. ● Arizona Trail: Since 2004, the trails commu-nity has led the effort to construct the Arizona Trail in Pima County. After literally thousands of hours of volunteer labor, we can now see light at the end of the tunnel. Less than six miles remain to be finished in here, which means the Arizona Trail in Pima County will be done in 2009! Pima Trails has donated $500 each year for lunches to feed the trail crews. ● New Camino de oeste Trailhead: The much-needed trailhead at the end of El Camino de Oeste— access to the David Yetman Trail—was finished in 2008, expanding the parking area from four to 14. ● Eastern Pima County Trails System Master Plan: Major progress was made on the update of the Eastern Pima County Trail System Master Plan. 30,000 words written! Pima Trails has been very ac-tive in this effort. ● Master Plan for Julian Wash Greenway: A new master plan for the 19-mile long Julian Wash Greenway will be finished before the end of the year. ● Houghton Greenway is in Design: A key segment of the Houghton Greenway—from I-10 to Tanque Verde—is presently in design as a part of the


Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association

saaha.org520-762-5353

Southern Arizona Hiking Clubsahc.org

[email protected]

Houghton Road RTA improvement project. ● Julian Wash: The planning and design for the newest segment of the Julian Wash Greenway (a 2.6-mile stretch across the U of A Science and Tech Park property) was completed in 2008. The segment will be built in 2009. Pima Trails played a key role in working with the U of A. ● El Paso and Southwestern Greenway: The El Paso and Southwestern Greenway (the best thing about Rio Nuevo) is presently in design. Sage Landscape Architecture and Environmental is do-ing the planning and design work using RTA funds. Pima Trails led the effort to protect this historic corridor, which would have otherwise just become another road. ● Fantasy Island: Pima Trails and the Fantasy Island Task Force continue to work with the Tucson City Manager’s Office to push Fantasy Island towards protected status. As soon as Westcor finishes its con-cept plan, the economy improves and the first auction of Trust Land in the Houghton Corridor is complete, we will be able to put this one to bed. ● River Parks Task Force: Since local residents and trail users were frustrated by the delayed comple-tion of the river park system, Pima Trails advocated the creation of a new River Parks Task Force to facili-tate communication and identify major impediments. The group has met three times, and will have a draft of its Strategic Plan complete before the end of the year. ● Tucson Mall Gap: The effort to resolve the Tucson Mall Gap on the south bank of the Rillito Riv-er Park continues. Although a preliminary agreement was reached earlier this year, the current economic crisis has pushed the management company, General Growth, to the brink of bankruptcy, delaying the final disposition. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can finalize this issue. ● Alamo Wash: We’re still working with the City of Tucson to complete the trail along the Alamo Wash to the Rillito. ● La Canada and Tanque Verde: These 2 roads are being widened and have trails along them, so we are currently working with Pima County De-partment of Transportation on this project.

● omni at La Cholla: Through Pima County Flood Control we were able to secure a solution to allow equestrians to access the CDO wash. ● Rio Vista Park: Pima Trails advocated for this park’s trail system to connect to the Rillito River Park. ● RTA/Bike/Ped Working Group: Pima Trails has a rep on this committee which makes funding recommendations for greenways and pathways. ● Pima Parks Alliance: We also serve on this newly formed group, which will actively support projects and budgets of parks and recreation agencies. ● Trails inclusion in the upcoming Pima Coun-ty Bond Program: Pima Trails was a major advocate for trails funding to be included in the future Pima County Bond Program.on the down side: ● NRPR’s Trails Crew: The Trails Crew is only a temporary program. We need to make it permanent. ● Encroachment into our river park corridors continues: For instance, the UA Science Center downtown on the Santa Cruz is planning to encroach 60’ into the 100’ river park corridor. ● The Arroyo Grande proposal is threatening Tortolita Mountain Park. ● Access issues remain to be resolved in the northeast side of town at Horsehead Road and Roger Road and on the west side, getting the Clear-well Road paved to the Starr Pass Trailhead. ● And access issues still remain for the trailhead in Stone Canyon in Oro Valley. Pima Trails has been actively working with Oro Valley to make this trail-head a reality. Reasons to be very optimistic! ● We’re expecting major progress in the river parks in 2009. ● More trails parks – Golf Links, McKenzie Ranch, Indian Kitchen, Walden Ranch are coming. ● Equestrian-focused trails will be planned on Pima County’s large ranch acquisitions and other open space purchases, as well as on Empirita Ranch.

So this is what we did in 2008 and we expect 2009 will be another superb year for trails!

PTA’s Year in Review(continued from page 4)

Canyon del oro Linear Park DedicatedA new 2.7 mile paved, multi-use trail along the CDO wash in Oro Valley officially opened with a dedica-tion ceremony in October. The trail offers a 10 foot wide pathway with access over three washes via bridges. Amenities include benches and landscaping. The $2.5 million project required the cooperation of more than a dozen agencies and consultants.

Ainsley Legner, Director of Oro Valley Parks and Recreation, and Nancy Ellis, left, Multimodal Coordinator, at CDO Linear Park dedication,

Still under development, the CDO Linear Park will run along the Canyon del Oro wash from north of Rancho Vistoso to Ina Road on the south.

NARANJA DR.

N. ORACLE RD.

E. LAMBERT LN.

N. FIR

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PUSCH

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CDO LINEAR PARKPh

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County Line Riders of Catalinacountylineriders.org

P.o. Box 8881Catalina, AZ 85738

The Magic Garden magicgardennursery.com

7909 E. 22nd Street520-885-7466

Pima County Sheriff’s Mounted Possesarci.org/posse.htm

posse6 @ sarci2.org.

Mike StuderAssociate Broker, GRI3446 N. Country Club Rd.Tucson, AZ [email protected]

AAA Landscapeaaalandscape.com

4742 N Romero Rd.520-696-3223

Colossal Cave Mountain Parkcolossalcave.com

16721 E. old Spanish Trail520-647-PARK (7275)

Fair Wheel Bikes fairwheelbikes.com 1110 E. 6th Street520-844-9018

Summit Hutsummithut.com

5045 E. Speedway520-795-1125

White Stallion Ranch wsranch.com 520-297-0252

[email protected]

Epic Ridesepicrides.com 520-745-2033

24 Hours in the old Pueblo Event Producer

Town of oro Valleywww.ci.oro-valley.az.us/PkRec/

[email protected]

Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association

saaha.org

Tucson Saddle Clubtucsonsaddleclub.com

Analytica Systems Internationalasiwebpage.com

281-516-3950

PIMA TRAILS ASSoCIATIoNP.o. BoX 35007TUCSoN, AZ 85740

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Pima Trails Association Statement of Purpose 12-08Pima Trails Association is a nonprofit, volunteer trails advocacy organization comprised of hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers working together to protect and preserve trails in Pima County.

Time to renew your membership!

Return the renewal notice you received in the mail, or visit

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pima trails association december 2008

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