Conservation Practices
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Prescribed Grazing Practices
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Adaptive Ranch Management Practices
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Surface & Sub-Serface Irrigation Practices
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Watering Facilities, Pipelines, & Wells
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Solar Power Conversion
Primary Resource Concerns
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Fire Management
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Watershed Health/Soil Erosion
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Urban Expansion/Loss of Production Lands
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Rangeland Improvement
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Water Quality & Allocation
District Contact Information
District Meeting information
Meetings are held quarterly (Feb, May, Aug, Nov) on the second Tuesday of the month
The next meeting is scheduled for: August @1:00 p.m., Plant Materials Center, Tucson, AZ
Visit the District website for agenda and minutes
About the District
The Pima Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) encompasses 2.14 million acres in Eastern Pima County and a small part of Pinal County near Red Rock, including more than 1 million acres of grazing lands owned by the Arizona State Land Trust. The mission of the Pima NRCD is to provide for the restoration and conservation of lands and soil resources in the District area, the preservation of water rights and the control and prevention of soil erosion, and thereby to conserve natural resources, conserve wildlife, protect the tax base, protect public lands and protect and restore rivers and streams and associated riparian habitats, including fish and wildlife resources that are dependent on those habitats, and in such manner to protect and promote the public health, safety and general welfare of the people (A.R.S. § 37-1001).
Physical Features
- Elevation: 2,000 ft. to 9,157 ft. at Mt. Lemmon
- Terrain: From undulating Grasslands to the Mexican Oak-Pine Forest of the Catalinas, Rincons, and Santa Ritas
- Precipitation: Average of 7-30” annually, varying with elevation
Land Use/Ownership
- Federal: 594,308 acres
- State: 787,529 acres
- County: 80,753 acres
- Private: 673,883 acres
Board Members
- Jim Chilton, Chairman
- Cindy Coping, Vice-Chair
- Patricia King, Treasurer
- Jonathan DuHamel, Supervisor
- Andrew McGibbon, Supervisor
District Highlights
Pima NRCD's Long Range Plan and Conservation Strategy
Pima NRCD updated its “Long Range Plan and Conservation Strategy” in 2019 to extend through 2024. By working with District Cooperators and other stakeholders, Pima NRCD has identified the following goals for the 2019-2024 Long Range Plan and Conservation Strategy:
- Promote soil and water conservation through prescribed fire, brush management, and coordinated resource management planning of water distribution systems.
- Protect sovereign Arizona authority over water rights against federal government overreach.
- Protect the local tax base in accordance with the mission and the statutory authorities and duties of the District.
- Participate in the public planning processes for federal, state, and county land use projects.
- Establish judicial standing on proposed regulations through timely submission of comments under federal laws such as the National Environmental Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and other federal laws.
- Protect District Cooperators’ livelihoods, unique heritage, culture, and lifestyle from regulatory overreach and “junk-science.”
- Promote the idea that the Endangered Species Act needs to be carefully viewed from the perspective of all species in an ecosystem including the all-important human species.
- Educate the public on the basic principles of soil and water conservation and the environmental benefits of science-based cropland farming and grazing management.
- Establish a public record of the impacts to ranchers from the past and present Mexican wolf 10(j) program, Jaguar Critical Habitat designation, Pima Pineapple regulations, and other regulations that impact District Cooperators.
- Continue existing working partnerships with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Arizona Association of Conservation Districts.
- Train District Cooperators in voluntary Best Management Practices for ranching.
- Coordinate, if appropriate, with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona State Land Department, other relevant state and federal agencies, the County of Pima, and other municipalities.
- Coordinate with appropriate state and federal agencies to address ecological impacts of border security infrastructure projects and policies.
- Support environmental education programs together with funding Altar Valley Conservation Alliance research, public education, and conservation projects.