Land ownership, including the percentage of ownership in each category, is shown for the Upper San Pedro Basin in Figure 3.13-2.  Principal features of the land ownership in this basin are the relatively large amounts of state owned lands and private lands as well as the Fort Huachuca Military Base.  More detailed information on protected areas is found in Section 3.0.4  A description of land ownership data sources and methods is found in Volume 1, Appendix A.  Land ownership categories are discussed below in the order from largest to smallest percentage in the basin.

State Trust

• 39.1% of land in this basin is held in trust for public schools and five other beneficiaries under the State Trust Land system.

• State owned land is fragmented in most of the basin, however, large contiguous parcels exist north of Interstate 10 and Highway 82, and east of Highway 90.

• Primary land use is grazing.

Private

• 33.3% of land is private.
• Much of the private land is interspersed with state owned land and, to a lesser extent, Bureau of Land Management lands.
• Contiguous private lands exist south of Sierra Vista, north of Fort Huachuca, southeast of Benson and in the vicinity of Benson.
• Primary land uses are domestic, commercial, industrial and farming.

National Forest

• 11.6% of land is federally owned and managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS). 
• All forest lands, although not contiguous, are in the Coronado National Forest in four ranger districts: the Safford Ranger District at the northern tip of the basin; the Santa Catalina Ranger District north of Interstate 10 adjacent to Saguaro National Park; the Douglas Ranger District south of Interstate 10 on the eastern basin boundary; and the Sierra Vista Ranger District in the southern part of the basin adjacent to Fort Huachuca and south of Interstate 10 on the western basin boundary.
• Portions of the Miller Peak Wilderness area and the Rincon Mountain Wilderness area. (see Figure 3.0-12)
• Primary land uses are grazing, recreation and timber production.

Click to view Figure 3.13-3 Upper San Pedro Basin Land Ownership

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• 8.9% of land is federally owned and managed by the Safford Field Office of the BLM.
• The majority of the BLM land in this basin is within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.
• A portion of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.
• A portion of the Redfield Canyon Wilderness. (see Figure 3.0-12)
• Primary land uses are recreation and grazing.

U.S. Military

• 6.8% of land is federally owned and managed by the U.S. Military

  All military lands are within Fort Huachuca.
• Fort Huachuca was established during the Indian Wars in 1877 and has existed as a military outpost, with varied missions, since that time.
• Primary land use is military activities.

National Park Service

• 0.3% of land is federally owned and managed by the National Park Service.
• All park lands are within the Coronado National Memorial and Saguaro National Park in the northwestern portion of the basin.
• Primary land use is recreation.

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