The new Sonoran Preserve in northern Phoenix has grown to more than 5,000 acres. In December 2008, the City of Phoenix purchased an addtional 737 acres of pristine desert land to add to the Sonoran Preserve, the latest segment of the city’s vast desert and mountain preserve system.
The parcel, located near 7th Avenue and Carefree Highway in north Phoenix, is the fourth large piece of state trust land the city has purchased for the Sonoran Preserve. The purchase was for $46 million and was completed at an Arizona State Land Department auction Dec. 16. The Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative and an Arizona Preserve Initiative (Growing Smarter Funds) matching-fund grant each provided half of the funding for the purchase.
The Parks and Recreation Department previously purchased 4,512 acres for the preserve. This latest acquisition brings the total to nearly 5,250 acres.
The land in the new preserve is unique. Much of it is located in the transition zone to the Arizona Upland subdivision of the Sonoran Desert. This area is characterized by higher amounts of rainfall, up to 12.5 inches a year, which increases both the lushness and diversity of plant life.
South Mountain, Camelback Mountain and Squaw Peak, on the other hand, are located in the Lower Colorado River Valley, the largest and most arid subdivision of the Sonoran Desert. With only 7.5 inches of rainfall a year, vegetation in these areas is sparser and less varied.
The Parks and Preserve Initiative was re authorized by 83 percent of Phoenix voters in May 2008. It authorized the continuation of a modest sales tax for a 30-year period to purchase thousands of acres of state trust land and to fund construction of and improvements to regional, neighborhood and community parks. The public lands purchased were reclassified for conservation through the API, established by the Governor and Legislature in 1996. Voters passed Growing Smarter in 1998 to fund the matching grant provision of the API through 2012
Sonoran Preserve Master Plan
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