On Sunday, April 30, 2006, the Tucson based Arizona Daily Star carried a substantive lead opinion article by editorial columnist Jim Kiser calling for Wilderness designation for the Tumacacori Highlands located in southern Arizona. Kiser comments, "Nowhere is the need to deliberately create wilderness areas greater than in fast-growing Arizona, where natural, wild lands are cleared, bladed, paved or otherwise tamed ceaselessly."
The Friends of the Tumacacori Highlands has been working to gather support for designation for the area, which is home to an array of rare plants as well as the rarely seen jaguar and a number of endangered species,. "In addition to being good habitat, the Highlands area is good 'connective habitat,'" noted Kiser.
"You might think all 10 of Arizona's senators and congressmen would almost automatically support new wilderness areas, since wilderness is so much a part of Arizona's heritage and character. And indeed, if all 10 were to back Tumacacori Highlands, it likely would sail through Congress. But that is a big "if," given the conservative leanings of most members of the Arizona delegation. Consequently, it is important for wilderness supporters to contact Arizona's members of congress and let them know this wilderness area is important," urges Kiser. "By creating the Tumacacori Highland Wilderness, we would be preserving some of Arizona's past at the same time we protect its future."
Background
The Tumacacori Highlands are located 15 miles northwest of Nogales, Arizona, on the west side of the Santa Cruz River. The area, which lies within the Coronado National Forest, is known for its spectacularly eroded, lichen-drenched cliffs and is home to an array of sub-tropical and northern plant and animal species, many of which are rare and do not exist anywhere else in the United States. Southeastern Arizona is the only place in the country where jaguars have been spotted in the last five years. The area also offers birding enthusiasts one of the most species-rich habitats in the world.
In 2004, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) along with members of the community, local elected officials and environmental groups, unveiled a proposal for permanently protecting Arizona's Tumacacori Highlands. If designated by Congress, the Tumacacori Highlands would be the first wilderness on national forest lands in Arizona in more than 20 years.
For More Information
