Tucson AMA Land Ownership

Land ownership, including the percentage of ownership by category, for the Tucson AMA is shown in Figure 8.5-2.  The principal feature of land ownership in the AMA is the relatively large proportion of State Trust lands.  A description of land ownership data sources and methods is found in Volume 1, Appendix A.  More detailed information on National Parks, Monuments and Wilderness Areas is found in Section 8.0.4.  Land ownership categories are discussed below in the order of largest to smallest percentage in the AMA.

State Trust Land

  • 37.8% of the land is held in trust for public schools and other beneficiaries under the State Trust Land system.
  • Primary land use is grazing.

Private

  • 31.2% of the land is private.
  • Land uses include domestic, commercial and agriculture.

National Forest

  • 11.6% of the land is federally owned and managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) as the Coronado National Forest. 
  • The AMA contains the 7,550-acre Pajarita Wilderness, the 56,770-acre Pusch Ridge Wilderness, the 11,130-acre Rincon Mountain Wilderness and 10,320 acres of the 15,860-acre Mt Wrightson Wilderness (See Figure 8.0-13).
  • Land uses include recreation, resource conservation and grazing.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

  • 6.2% of the land is federally owned and managed by the Tucson Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management.
  • This AMA includes the 2,740-acre Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and 4,480 acres of the 5,080-acre Coyote Mountain Wilderness. The AMA also includes a portion of the Ironwood National Monument (See Figure 8.0-13)
  • Land uses include resource conservation, recreation and grazing.

Wildlife Refuge

  • 4.6% of the land is federally owned and managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Land uses include resource conservation and recreation.

Indian Reservation

  • 4.4% of the land is under tribal ownership as the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservations.
  • Land uses include domestic, commercial and agriculture.

National Park Service (NPS)

  • 3.0% of the land is federally owned and managed by the National Park Service as Saguaro National Park.
  • 68,400 acres of the 83,000-acre Saguaro National Park is designated as the Saguaro Wilderness.
  • Land uses include resource conservation and recreation.

Other (Game and Fish, County and Bureau of Reclamation Lands)

  • 0.7% of the land is owned and managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and Pima County.
  • “Other” includes land in the western portion of the AMA managed by BOR for the Central Arizona Project canal and pumping stations as well as regional parks managed by Pima County.
  • Land uses include water infrastructure and recreation.

U.S. Military

  • 0.4% of the land is federally owned and managed by the U.S. Military as Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
  • Primary land use is military activity.

Click to view Figure 8.5-2

Figure 8.5-2 Tucson AMA Land Ownership

 

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