U.S. Bureau of Land Management, December 6, 2000

Establishment: President Clinton signed a bill creating the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (NCA) and Acquisition Planning District in southeastern Arizona on December 6, 2000. The designation was the result of Congress' passage of H.R. 2941 (Congressman Jim Kolbe). The new 42,000-acre NCA consists entirely of public lands managed by the BLM's Tucson Field Office. The NCA is bordered on the north and east by lands within the Acquisition Planning District.

Location: These lands are located about 50 miles southeast of Tucson. Combined, the NCA and Acquisition Planning District total 142,800 acres of public, private, county, and state trust lands. They form a scenic landscape of vast desert grasslands and rolling oak-studded hills connecting several "sky island" mountain ranges. Cienega Creek, with its perennial flow and lush riparian corridor, forms the lifeblood of the NCA. The area is home to a great diversity of plant and animal life, including several threatened or endangered species. Protection of this regionally significant open space safeguards a network extending south of Interstate 10 to protected lands in northern Sonora, Mexico.

The BLM Tucson Field Office manages the NCA, which includes the Empire-Cienega Resource Conservation Area. Lands within the Acquisition Planning District are owned and managed by Pima County, National Audubon Society, the State of Arizona, and numerous private landowners.

Access: There are two main access points to the NCA. The best is located off State Road 83 about seven miles north of Sonoita. This maintained dirt road leads three miles to the Empire Ranch House and continues to other areas within the NCA. Another, less developed, entrance is located five miles east of Sonoita off State Road 82.

Activities: Activities that were permitted on BLM lands before the designation of the NCA are still permitted except for the filing of new mining claims and mineral leasing. Off-highway vehicle use is limited to designated roads. A designated road map is available from the BLM offices in Tucson and Phoenix.

Facilities: There are no developed facilities like campgrounds or picnic sites. Camping, at least 1/4 mile from wildlife watering areas, is allowed for up to 14 days. There are no services available, but may be acquired in the local communities such as Sonoita.

Safety Tips: Potential hazards exist, including rugged and unmarked roads, sink holes, poisonous reptiles and insects, extreme heat, and flash floods. Visitors should bring plenty of water and gasoline, and stay on improved roads.

Contact: Call the BLM at (520) 258-7200, Monday through Friday. More information and a map can also be found on BLM¹s web site at .az.blm.gov.

Significant Resources of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area

Water: Numerous invaluable streams and perennial springs, including portions of Cienega Creek, where water flows year round. Significant portions of the Creek's watershed also provides important regional groundwater recharge and flood prevention measures for the community of Tucson.

Vegetation: The Las Cienegas NCA includes a variety of unique and rare vegetative communities including five of the rarest habitat types in the American Southwest: cienegas (marshlands), cottonwood-willow riparian forests, sacaton grasslands, mesquite bosques, and semi-desert grasslands.

Fish and Wildlife: These vegetative communities on the NCA support a diverse assemblage of plants and animals; species include 60 mammals, 230 birds, 43 reptiles and amphibians, and three native fish. Included in this list are 33 species which are federally listed as threatened or endangered, identified as species of special concern by the State of Arizona, or designated as sensitive species by the BLM. Among the special status species are the endangered Gila top minnow, lesser long-nosed bat, and southwestern willow flycatcher; the Chiricahua leopard frog, proposed for endangered species listing; and the Gila chub, a candidate for federal listing. Large game animals include mule and white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, javelina, and mountain lion.

Archaeological and Historical Values: Rare prehistoric sites, historic travel routes, mines, and mining towns are all present in the NCA and Acquisition Planning District. The Empire Ranch House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is being restored with the help of the Empire Ranch Foundation in partnership with the BLM. Contributions are being matched by a White House Save America's Treasures Millennium Grant.

Scenic Views: The NCA and Acquisition Planning District have spectacular vistas of expansive native grasslands, rolling oak woodlands, towering mountain ranges, riparian corridors, and vast desert landscapes. Two state-designated scenic highways traverse the area. Exceptional night sky views beckon stargazers. Vast open spaces make it a popular area for artists and photographers.

Recreation Opportunities: Dispersed and permitted recreation opportunities on the NCA include hiking, camping, mountain biking, picnicking, horseback riding, birding, back-country road touring, hunting, and photography. A 10.5-mile stretch of Cienega Creek has been rated as eligible for national Wild and Scenic Rivers designation.

Rangeland Resources: Four livestock operators lease four public lands grazing allotments in the Las Cienegas NCA and Acquisition Planning District. Ranches tend to be year-long cow/calf operations, with intermingled private, state and federal lands. The operators of the Empire-Cienega grazing allotment has won several awards for their stewardship of these sensitive resources.

Resource Management: Management of public lands within the NCA is directed by the Interim Management Prescription in the 1989 Phoenix District Resource Management Plan. Preparation of an Empire-Cienega Integrated Management Plan through a community-based effort is currently in progress. Pima County manages Cienega Creek Natural Preserve under a plan developed in 1994.

People Who Care: The proposal to designate Las Cienegas NCA grew, in part, from collaborative planning efforts of the Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership, a voluntary association of local citizens, conservation organizations, ranchers, recreationists, and government agencies, who spent five years developing a multi-use management plan for the Empire-Cienega Resource Conservation Area.