The Friends of Madera Canyon takes the lead in opposing residential development at the mouth of Madera Canyon
EDITORIAL Green Valley News and Sun, January 3, 2007
The glorious Santa Rita Mountain sky island offers a coveted scenic view for residents of Green Valley and surrounding communities. Next time you step outside for a look at Mt. Wrightson to the northeast and Mt. Hopkins to the southwest of the deep green pine-oak-juniper valley below Josephine Saddle that is Madera Canyon, let your eyes drift farther down the slope to the golden alluvial fan or bajada of grasslands that forms the base of the Santa Ritas. The open space that you are viewing is one of the few remaining unfragmented desert grassland habitats that are quickly shrinking in Pima County. In 2004, Pima County voters passed by a vote of 65% to 35% to preserve some 50,000 to 100,000 acres of the Sonoran Desert in a $174 million dollar open space bond package. We would like to see some of these millions used to save the acres of land near the entrance to Madera Canyon.
The Conservation Acquisition Commission classified the grasslands at the base of Madera Canyon as High Priority Private Habitat. These grasslands form the Santa Rita Experimental Range that is owned by the State as Trust Lands and used by the University of Arizona’s Agricultural Experiment Station for research. It has the honor of being North America’s oldest Agricultural Research Station. Unfortunately, some of the high priority private lands, such as the two square-miles owned by the Kettenbachs, remain in private hands. Pima County has offered to purchase the property and keep the open space intact, but the Kettenbachs have thus far refused to negotiate a sale.
The real question is: Why should we agree that a family from Massachusetts, who will never have to see what their development will do to our lands, has the moral right to begin the large scale removal of some of our last remaining open space for private financial gain? Incredibly, the developers of Cielo Madera Estates want us to believe that there will be no visual or environmental impact from a cluster of 288 homes with red-tile roofs, some two stories in height. The Friends of Madera Canyon know better and common sense supports our view that a cluster development on the Kettenbach property will forever change the character of the Santa Rita Mountains.
The visual impact on the unbroken open space is not the only problem we have to be concerned with. We are all aware that the Santa Rita Mountains is one of only a few sky islands in southeastern Arizona. The biological importance of the sky island ecosystem is unique. It contains a mixture of northern and Mexican species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and plants not found elsewhere in North America. Besides being a world-class birding area that draws hundreds of birders and tourists each year, the Santa Ritas and Madera Canyon in particular has been designated a globally important bird migration area. The ecosystem does not stop at the Coronado National Forest boundary but extends throughout the mesquite grasslands below the canyon. Migrating birds do not recognize geopolitical boundaries and each spring pour up the Santa Cruz River valley in their migration north from Mexico. Nesting birds including 15 species of hummingbirds and the Elegant Trogon turn east and fly up the arroyos through the grasslands to nest there and in the canyon.
Madera Canyon is accessible by one narrow paved road that has three one-way bridges along its length before reaching the turnoff to Cielo Madera Estates. The developer predicts that traffic flow will increase from the current 300 trips per day to over 3,000 once the 288 homes are occupied. Each summer the Forest Service watches the weather and as the vegetation dries out and the monsoons begin, it is concerned with lightning strikes or a wayward campfire or cigarette to launch another forest or grassland fire. When the next fire occurs, rapid evacuation of canyon and Cielo residents over Madera Canyon Road could be a potential disaster.
We are also concerned about the availability of water. If a home uses only 4,000 gallons of water per month, then the annual water requirement for homes alone would amount to almost 14 million gallons. So far we see no plan for finding this water. Where will the water for this development come from? Where will the waste water and sewage go? The Kettenbach’s plan is to build a sewage treatment plant on site. What will be the downstream consequences of such a facility? If they Kettenbachs believe that a waste water treatment plant will not have a visual or environmental impact, they are very much mistaken!
At first glance, a cluster development appears to be a better alternative than building one home every 4.13 acres because it would leave most of the land undeveloped and therefore be better for wildlife. However, the Kettenbachs know that a cluster development will greatly increase their profits because they will not have to construct miles of roads and bridges over the many washes, will not have to extend power, telephone, and cable lines to houses spread over two square miles, and will not have to figure out how to get water to and sewage from houses scattered over such a large area. Recognition of the public’s interest is not behind the Kettenbach’s decision to build Cielo Madera Estates as a cluster development. The Friends oppose a cluster development because it will force the developer to solve the costly problems associated with building one home on every 4.13 acres and reduce their profits. The variance that the Kettenbachs are now requesting is to build even more homes than the current regulations allow on less land. If approved, this would further reduce cost and increase profits for the developer. And we know that a thirst for profit drives the engine of development. It is our hope that the reality of lower profits may cause the Kettenbachs to consider selling the property to Pima County.
The Friends of Madera Canyon has sponsored natural history field trips for fourth grade students from schools in the Santa Cruz valley to Madera Canyon for 15 years. We have taught the students to respect their environment and to protect not only the natural elements within the canyon, but the sky island ecosystem as a whole. As a first step in this battle for the integrity of the ecosystem of which Madera Canyon is a part, we are asking former students, parents, grandparents, and local residents to join with us to keep the Santa Rita sky island ecosystem intact by telling the Pima County planners NOT to approve the variance request for this cluster development and at every opportunity, reject proposals for development within this ecosystem. Join with us and help the Friends lead the fight to keep Madera Canyon and the Santa Ritas from being sacrificed on the altar of development. Future generations will thank you!
For more information, attend the forum sponsored by the Friends on Thursday, January 4 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM in the Anza Room of the Santa Rita Springs Social Center in Green Valley.
George C. West for the Friends of Madera Canyon
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