Natural Resources

The Natural Resource Division of NRPR manages over 200,000 acres of open spaces within Pima County. Pima County's natural resource parks offer many exciting opportunities to hike, camp and explore our unique Sonoran Desert environment.

Ongoing Management Plans

Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan Newsletters

Bird Lists

Scope out the species rich habitats of Pima County’s birding hot spots. These fine birding destinations offer seasonal specialties and reliable Sonoran Desert birds that thrive in the saguaro forests of Tucson Mountain Park and the lush riparian habitats at Cienega Creek Preserve and Agua Caliente Park.

Agua Caliente Park Bird List

Cienega Creek Natural Preserve Bird List

Tucson Mountain Park Bird List

Access and Closure Maps

The Pima County ranch properties and other open space lands are intermixed with or surrounded by Arizona State Trust lands, federal public lands and/or private lands. The lands are managed by the respective owners and Pima County respects their rules and regulations. In most cases, Pima County only has grazing leases over the non-county state or federal lands within an identified ranch boundary.

The rules and regulations of the actual agency land owner always take precedent on their lands. As a visitor to any of the properties, it is YOUR responsibility to know the land status at any point within the ranch boundary and the applicable rules and regulations for those lands near or within a Pima County ranch boundary. Access to Pima County lands on roads across another agency’s lands within a ranch is not always guaranteed to the public. Always follow posted regulations and road closure notices. 

The Use Activities identified in the table below are ONLY for the lands owned by Pima County within a ranch or open space property.

Property Use and Restrictions Table

A7 Ranch Access Map

Empirita Ranch Access Map

Rancho Seco Access Map

Sands Ranch Access Map

Six Bar Ranch Access Map

Sopori Ranch Access Map

Sopori Ranch Field Closure Map

Arizona State Land Department Public Recreation Permit Infomation

BLM Tucson Field Office

Over the past several years, the Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation (NRPR) management team has been working on a variety of strategies to enhance ongoing conservation management efforts on the growing land base identified under the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.

In an effort to establish a set of Standards and Guidelines for NRPRs grazing program, the county has consulted with many individuals, other land management agencies and University range program staff. The result of that effort has been the development of the documents linked below.

Range Management Standards and Guidelines

Mitigation Lands

Project Reports

Mountain Lions and Bobcats of the Tucson Mountains Report June 2010

Buffelgrass

Buffelgrass Info Sheet

Buffelgrass Brochure - Wanted Dead and Gone

County Administrator Update to BOS October 2011

Inter-agency Information Flyer February 2011