Coalition For Sonoran Desert Protection

THE COALITION'S MISSION IS TO PROTECT THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE SONORAN DESERT IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA THROUGH SCIENCE-BASED ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, AND COLLABORATION.

SEE SCHEDULE O2022 CSDP PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTSCONTINUED ADVOCATING FOR PROTECTED OPEN SPACES, BOTH ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LANDS. THIS INCLUDED DIRECT CONSULTATIONS WITH PRIVATE DEVELOPERS WHERE WE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THEIR DEVELOPMENT PLANS AND ADVOCATED FOR CONNECTED OPEN SPACES AND PROTECTED WILDLIFE HABITAT ON THEIR PROPERTIES. WE ALSO CELEBRATED AND EDUCATED OUR SUPPORTERS ABOUT NEW OPEN SPACE PROPERTIES ACQUIRED BY PIMA COUNTY ALONG WITH PIMA COUNTY'S CONTINUED SUCCESSES IMPLEMENTING THEIR MULTI-SPECIES HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN. WE CONDUCTED THIS COMMUNITY EDUCATION THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, E-NEWSLETTERS, AND PRINT NEWSLETTER. WORKED TO RE-CONNECT OUR THREATENED OPEN SPACE PRESERVES. THIS INCLUDED CONTINUED FACILITATION OF THE MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING OF THE ORACLE ROAD WILDLIFE CROSSINGS. WE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOODS ADJACENT TO THE WILDLIFE UNDERPASS AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO WORK TOWARDS A WIN-WIN SOLUTION FOR WILDLIFE FENCING GAPS IN THIS AREA - THE FINAL FENCING GAPS WILL BE FINISHED IN APRIL 2023. WE ALSO PUBLICIZED AND CELEBRATED THE GROWING DATA SETS COMPILED BY THE ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT ABOUT WILDLIFE USE OF THE ORACLE ROAD WILDLIFE CROSSINGS - WE ARE THE ONLY NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC ON OUR WEBSITE AND IN OUR GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS. WE ALSO CONTINUE TO CONSULT ON PLANS FOR NEW WILDLIFE CROSSINGS SUCH AS THE SITING AND DESIGN OF TWO NEW WILDLIFE BRIDGES ON STATE ROUTE 86 ON THE TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION, NEW WILDLIFE UNDERPASSES ALONG SILVERBELL ROAD THAT WILL CONNECT THE TUCSON MOUNTAINS AND THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER, AND A FUTURE WILDLIFE BRIDGER OVER INTERSTATE 10 CONNECTING THE TUCSON AND TORTOLITA MOUNTAINS. FOR THIS FINAL PROJECT, WE ALSO CONTINUED OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SUCH AS THE TOWN OF MARANA AND PIMA COUNTY TO FURTHER CONNECT THIS WILDLIFE LINKAGE BY BUILDING AN ACCESSIBLE WILDLIFE RAMP INTO THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER AND SUPPORTING THE PURCHASE OF MORE CONNECTED OPEN SPACE PROPERTIES. WE CONTINUED TO PARTICIPATE ON THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY'S WILDLIFE LINKAGES WORKING GROUP WHICH OVERSEES THE MANY WILDLIFE LINKAGES INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY; IN ADDITION, WE HAVE BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT REGIONAL TRANSPORTION PLAN - RTA NEXT- AND ADVOCATING FOR ADDITIONAL MONIES FOR MORE WILDLIFE LINKAGE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS NEW PLAN. WE ACHIEVED OUR GOALS IN THE INTERSTATE 10-DAVIDSON CANYON WILDLIFE LINKAGE, WITH DATA COLLECTION CONCLUDING 2021 AND ONGOING DATA ANALYSIS CONTINUING IN 2022. WE ALSO BEGAN A NEW PROJECT AREA IN THE SOPORI WASH BETWEEN THE SANTA RITA AND TUMACACORI MOUNTAINS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ARIZONA LAND AND WATER TRUST IN 2021 AND CONTINUED WITH THIS DATA COLLECTION IN 2022. LASTLY, WE CONTINUED OUR COLLABORATION AND ONGOING EVOLUTION OF A NEW PROJECT, THE DESERT FENCE BUSTERS, WHICH SEEKS TO REMOVE OUTDATED, UN-USED BARBED WIRE FENCING THAT IMPEDES WILDLIFE MOVEMENT ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE. IN 2022, THE DESERT FENCE BUSTERS HELD 5 VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN EVENTS, REMOVING 15 MILES OF DANGEROUS FENCING. STRENUOUSLY OPPOSED THE PROPOSED INTERSTATE 11 ROUTE IN AVRA VALLEY WEST OF THE TUCSON MOUNTAINS THROUGH ONGOING MEETINGS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. IN 2022, WE JOINED WITH THREE OF OUR MEMBER GROUPS TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AND ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. THIS LAWSUIT CHALLENGES THE TIER 1 PLANNING PROCESS AND THE FLAWED EVALUATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT. ONE OF OUR MEMBER GROUPS, THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, IS PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES RELATED TO THE LAWSUIT ON A PRO BONO BASIS. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE SEVERAL OF OUR OWN WILDLIFE CAMERAS NEAR THE PROPOSED INTERSTATE ROUTE TO GATHER DATA ON WILDLIFE PRESENCE AND DIVERSITY IN THIS IMPORTANT WILDLIFE LINKAGE. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO OPPOSE THE ROSEMONT MINE AND SUPPORT OUR MEMBER GROUPS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT CONTINUE TO FIGHT THIS MINE PROPOSAL IN FEDERAL COURTS - WE SHARED NEWS AND INFORMATION WITH OUR SUPPORTERS ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS AND WAYS TO GET INVOLVED THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, EMAILS, AND PRINT NEWSLETTER.IMPROVED AND REFINED OUR COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROJECTS TO ENSURE THEY ARE COLLECTING THE BEST DATA POSSIBLE WITH CLEAR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND CONTINUING TO PROVIDE AN EDUCATIONAL, ENRICHING EXPERIENCE FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS, NOW TOTALING 65 ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS. BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THIS INVOLVED TRANSITIONING TO VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER TRAININGS AND CHECK-INS AND MOVING OUR PHOTO SORTER SOFTWARE TO AN ONLINE, VIRTUAL PLATFORM. THIS NEW VIRTUAL PLATFORM ALLOWED US TO EXPAND OUR VOLUNTEER CORPS TO NEW GEOGRAPHIC AREAS AND PROVIDE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORTERS THAT HAVE PHYSICAL LIMITATION OR ARE UNABLE TO TRAVEL TO OUR OFFICE. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO WORK WITH PARTNERS SUCH AS THE ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT AND PIMA COUNTY AND PROVIDED REGULAR REPORTS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS ON HOW THE DATA FROM THESE PROJECTS IMPACT OUR ADVOCACY FOR RESTORED WILDLIFE LINKAGES. MAINTAINED PRODUCTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND LANDOWNERS TO ENSURE WE ARE POISED TO TACKLE NEW PROJECTS AS THEY OCCUR.