Wild animals and outdoor enthusiasts could one day hike freely between Saguaro National Park and Pima County’s Sweetwater Preserve, thanks to a land acquisition announced this week.
Wild animals and outdoor enthusiasts could one day hike freely between Saguaro National Park and Pima County’s Sweetwater Preserve, thanks to a land acquisition announced this week.
The National Park Service and the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land teamed up to acquire just over 83 acres in the foothills of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountains to protect it from development.
The mostly undisturbed patch of desert includes an important wildlife corridor between the Santa Cruz River and the eastern flank of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountains.
The land slopes upward roughly 200 feet from east to west, providing sweeping views of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the Catalina Mountains, said Michael Patrick, project manager for the trust.
“It’s pretty remarkable,†he said. “For a long time, people have talked about connecting the park with Sweetwater Preserve.â€
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The Trust for Public Land bought a 64-acre parcel on Sweetwater Drive in February for $1.15 million, and then combined it with another 19.4 acres donated to the organization by adjacent landowners Martin Reimann and Oliver Schilke.
The park service paid the trust $1.25 million for the entire property, which was conveyed to the federal government last week.
Patrick said it was Reimann who alerted the park service and the trust when the 64-acre parcel near his land first came on the market back in January 2019. The worry then was that the land was about to be developed into at least 14 residential lots, Patrick said.
The 64-acre tract might be familiar to some free-spirited, longtime ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans. Back in the late 1970s, a previous owner of the property set up more than a dozen hot tubs on concrete slabs and rented them out under the name Sweetwater Funtubs. After neighbors complained, county officials declared the unauthorized business a public nuisance, and it was ordered closed in 1981.
Patrick said the spas are long gone, and the slabs have since been removed as well.
Wild animals and outdoor enthusiasts could one day hike freely between Saguaro National Park and Pima County’s Sweetwater Preserve, thanks to a land acquisition announced this week. More info: (Video taken by Henry Brean / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on the land that was just added to Saguaro National Park’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District)
The park service paid for the property with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses federal royalties from offshore oil and natural gas production to fund preservation work.
That program was permanently reauthorized by Congress last year, and lawmakers are now working on legislation that would expand the fund for land protection, outdoor recreation projects and mounting deferred maintenance work at national parks.
Several residents who live along Sweetwater Drive also chipped in money for the effort, as did the National Park Foundation, the official charitable partner of the park service.
“Connecting these two parcels of protected land provides an important ecological connection for the park and the sky island region of Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,†Saguaro National Park Superintendent Leah McGinnis said in a written statement announcing the acquisition.
The land deal also drew bipartisan praise from U.S. Sens. Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema and Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Ann Kirkpatrick, who said the move would bring ecological and economic benefits to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ area.
This marked the fifth time overall — and the third time in the past four years — that the trust has partnered with the park service to expand Saguaro National Park.
Until now, Patrick said, all of the trust’s work at Saguaro has been in the Rincon Mountain District on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s east side, including the acquisition of old ranch property that now has the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Trail running through it.
The trust also played a central role in the county’s original acquisition of almost 700 acres for Sweetwater Preserve in 2004. The deal led to questions and some criticism of the nonprofit, which cleared nearly $450,000 after expenses for its role in brokering the $11.73 million transaction.
Patrick said the money was donated to the trust by the original landowner of the Sweetwater site, and $100,000 of it was passed on to the county as a grant for improvements at the preserve, which now features roughly 15 miles of interconnected trails popular among hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and trail runners. The trust spent the rest of the donation on its conservation work nationwide, he said.
Wild animals and outdoor enthusiasts could one day hike freely between Saguaro National Park and Pima County’s Sweetwater Preserve, thanks to a land acquisition announced this week. More info: (Video taken by Henry Brean / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on the land that was just added to Saguaro National Park’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District)
“It’s a shame it became such a big story,†Patrick said. “Be assured (that) as a nonprofit we put the money to good use.â€
It will be up to the park service to decide what to do with the new property, but Patrick said he would love to see a trail developed so people can hike back and forth between Saguaro and Sweetwater.
At the moment, though, the new owners aren’t encouraging visitors. The property and the road leading into it are marked with “private†and “no trespassing†signs.
On its maps of the recent acquisition, the trust optimistically refers to the 83 acres as “phase one.â€
Patrick said they are now in talks with several other landowners in hopes of acquiring another 100 acres or so between the park and the preserve.
Gallery: Saguaro National Park through the years
Photos: Saguaro National Park through the years
Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Monument cactus garden in 1955.
Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Monument visitors center in 1955.
Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Monument visitors center in 1955.
Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Monument visitors center in 1955.
Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Monument West visitors center, left, with two rangers' apartments under construction in 1966.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Monument East unit loop drive in 1958.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Monument East, ca 1950s.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Monument in 1935.
Saguaro National Park

Snow at Saguaro National Park East (then called Saguaro National Monument) on Dec. 23, 1965.
Saguaro National Park

Undated photo (probably 1950s) of tourists enjoying picnics and hiking at Saguaro National Monument.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Monument visitors center ca 1940s.
Saguaro National Park

Home Shantz, a plant scientist and president of the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in the 1920s, was instrumental in establishing Saguaro National Monument in 1933.
Saguaro National Park

Panorama of cactus forest in Saguaro National Monument, 1931.
Saguaro National Park

Dr. Alice Boyle applies Penicillin to a Saguaro cactus at Saguaro National Monument. Dr. Boyle’s studies of saguaros included treatments with penicillin that were somewhat successful. Later research showed that the loss of old saguaros was a result of age and periodic freezes, not a “blightâ€!
Saguaro National Park

The Freeman family in Saguaro National Monument in 1936.
Saguaro National Park

Freeman's adobe home in Saguaro National Monument in 1934.
Saguaro National Park

A park ranger with visitors on the loop drive in Saguaro National Monument in 1961.
Saguaro National Park

Centennial Saguaro cactus outside the Saguaro National Monument visitors center.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Monument cactus
Saguaro National Park

Snow storm in Saguaro National Monument in 1937.
Saguaro National Park

A view looking south from Signal hill at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain Range in Saguaro National Park, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District in 2016.
Saguaro National Park

A view looking east from Saguaro National Park, along Picture Rocks Road in the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District in August, 2016. In the distance, cloud rise over the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Saguaro National Park

A Saguaro carcass framed at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

A southerly view out the window of a picnic shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s that was built with surrounding rock in the Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

A desert tortoise makes its way down Kinney Rd. in the Saguaro National Park West, Wednesday, August 10, 2016, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Saguaro National Park

A Saguaro cactus off Golden Gate Rd. holds a top full of flower buds at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

A view looking south from Signal hill towards Wasson and Amole Peaks from left in Saguaro National Park, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District in August, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Visitors take a look at trail maps on the patio of the Red Hill Visitor Center at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Visitors from Denver stroll one of the many trails off Golden Gate Rd. at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Panoramic view from Spud Rock, including the city of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, from six images, ranging from southeast at left to northeast at right, near Mica Mountain on the western slopes of the Rincon Mountains in the Saguaro National Park on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

A hawk watches from his perch at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

A zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) perches on a rock near the Signal Hill Picnic Area at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Panther and Safford Peaks in the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountains North of Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest

Stella Tucker uses the sharp edge of a stem of a Saguaro fruit to slice the husk to get to the sweet meat inside as she harvests the fruit in the Saguaro National Park in 2005.
Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest

Stella Tucker uses a kuipaD to harvest saguaro fruit in the Saguaro National Park 2005. During the early summer Tucker camps out in the park to harvest and cook the fruit just as her Tohono O'odham ancestors did. Tucker died in 2019 at age 71.
Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest

Bob Martens uses a kuipaD, lengths of Saguaro ribs topped by a small limb of creosote, to knock down ripe Saguaro cactus fruit as he helps Stella Tucker during the Tohono O'Odham harvest at Saguaro National Park in 2005.
Ha:san Bak, Saguaro cactus fruit harvest

Under the early morning sun, Jerry Yellowhair strengthens the joint where a small creosote branch is attached to a length of Saguaro rib to make a kuipaD, used to reach the Saguaro fruit.
Saguaro National Park

1907: Prominent ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥an Levi Manning and his family spent the summer at a get-away log cabin high in the Rincon Mountains.
Saguaro National Park

Manning Camp in the Saguaro National Park East, in 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Some of the pots, pans and iron skillets used by the staff during their stays at Manning Camp in the Saguaro National Park on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Next generation ranger Ryan Summers, left, and wilderness ranger Shannon McCloskey look over the camps visitors log shortly after arriving at Manning Camp 8,000 feet above sea level in the Saguaro National Park, on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Horse shoes on one of the logs making a wall in the cabin at Manning Camp in the Saguaro National Park on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Next generation ranger Ryan Summers splits wood for the evening's fire at Manning Camp in the Saguaro National Park on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

The view east over Reef Rock, lower left, from Rincon Mountains near Manning Camp in Saguaro National Park, June 2, 2016
Saguaro National Park

Wilderness ranger Shannon McCloskey, left, and next generation ranger Ryan Summers prepare to do some upgrades to the facilites at Manning Camp in the Saguaro National Park on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Sid Kahla, left, and Thor Peterson get a pannier balanced on Goose while packing seven mules for a resupply of Manning Camp ranger station in 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park trails supervisor Nick Huck, left, and chief of maintenance Jeremy Curtis split up a box of paper towels, distributing the weight evenly among the panniers while preparing for a pack mule resupply of Manning Camp on April 14, 2016. Seven mules were in the supply train and each mule can carry between 100 and 120 pounds.
Saguaro National Park

Wasson and Amole Peaks at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Monsoon clouds gather over the cactus forest in the Saguaro National Park West, Wednesday, August 10, 2016, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro cacti backlit by western sun at the Saguaro National Park, West, The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District (TMD) in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

A horizontal sliver of sun catches a stretch of cactus in front of the Rincon Mountains just off the Mica View Trail in Saguaro National Park East, Friday, August 12, 2016, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Saguaro National Park

This old stone building was constructed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps at the Cam-Boh Picnic Area at Saguaro National Park West.
Saguaro National Park

In the aftermath of an evening summer storm, lightning arcs through the night skies over the Saguaro National Park West in 2012.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park trails supervisor Nick Huck, left, and chief of maintenance Jeremy Curtis split up a box of paper towels, distributing the weight evenly among the panniers while preparing for a pack mule resupply of Manning Camp on April 14, 2016. Seven mules were in the supply train and each mule can carry between 100 and 120 pounds.
Saguaro National Park

A Harris' antelope squirrel, a year-round resident of the Sonoran Desert, comes out of from under a bush for a look-see near the Golden Gate Road at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District of the Saguaro National Park in 2010.
Saguaro National Park

A jack rabbit munches on some greens near the Broadway Trial Head at Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Hikers in Saguaro National Park, like these on the King Canyon Trail in the park's unit west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, can pay park entrance fees at trailheads using a smartphone.
Saguaro National Park

Loop of connected trails at Saguaro National Park East, made up Shantz, Pink Hill, Loma Verde, Cholla and Cactus Forest trails in 2012.
Saguaro National Park

From atop an outcropping under the Rincon Mountains, Next Generation Ranger Ryan Summers points out the ancient fault line that shifted and formed the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ valley to a group of visitors during a geology tour of Saguaro National Park East on April 26, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaros stand on a ridge line as massive storm clouds drift in the distance along the Hohokam Road at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District of the Saguaro National Park in 2010.
Saguaro National Park

Chief of maintenance Jeremy Curtis gets the strap as tight as possible with the help of trail supervisor Nick Huck while preparing a 70+pound propane tank for a pack mule resupply of Manning Camp in the Saguaro National Park, Rincon District on April 14, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park ─ Sunset can be a colorful time along a network of trails near the eastern end of Broadway.
Saguaro National Park

Ranger Donna Gill points out cactus flowers and birds during the Twilight Glow to Moon Shadows hike on the Sendero Esperanza Trail at Saguaro National Park West in April, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Hedgehog cacti are in brilliant fuchsia bloom at many sites around ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ from Sabino Canyon to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Russell Jones takes a picture at the Saguaro National Park West Red Hills Visitor Center in 2009.
Saguaro National Park

Poppies were blooming profusely at Saguaro National Park West on February 23, 2015
Saguaro National Park

Mike Ward of Saguaro National Park, left, and volunteer LaDeana Jeane observe a Saguaro cactus while conducting a census at the east section of Saguaro National Park in 2009.
Saguaro National Park

Gavin Youngstrum drives a roller along the bed of the new Mica Springs Trail, work which will make it ADA compliant in Saguaro National Park East on April 22, 2016, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. Power tools and motorized equipment is used very rarely in the park. The trail is not in a wilderness area so the prohibition on the use of power tools and machinery doesn't apply.
Saguaro National Park

A blue ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ lupine mixed in with a handful of yellow bladderpod along the Ringtail Trail in Saguaro National Park ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District in 2013.
Saguaro National Park

Park Ranger Ann Gonzalez watches the campers in her group as they go over a map during Junior Ranger Wilderness Day Camp at the Saguaro National Park in 2009.
Saguaro National Park

Petroglyphs are among the many wonders at Saguaro National Park West.
Saguaro National Park

Runners top the first climb as the sun rises at 6:30am, during the annual 8K Saguaro National Park Labor Day Run at Saguaro National Park East in 2007.
Saguaro National Park

A saguaro under the stars, including a smudge of the Milky Way, at the Broadway Trail Head at Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Sunset reflected in a mud puddle left over from heavy rains a few days earlier at the Broadway Trail Head of the Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District in 2015.
Saguaro National Park

The moon hangs high over Wasson Peak as Ranger Donna Gill leads hikers during the Twilight Glow to Moon Shadows hike on the Sendero Esperanza Trail at Saguaro National Park West in April, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Volunteers help yank out the nonnative, invasive buffelgrass at Saguaro National Park East.
Saguaro National Park

Using a laser, amateur astronomer Joe Statkevicus points out a few interesting objects in the night sky to Landon George and Vickie Miller at a Saguaro National Park East Star Party in 2010.
Saguaro National Park

A bee works through a patch of baldderpod in the Saguaro National Park ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountain District along the Ringtail Trail in 2013.
Saguaro National Park

Trail worker Brad Duffe redistributes material as he and his trail crew lay down a bed for a new surface, part of remodeling the Mica Springs Trail to make it ADA compliant in Saguaro National Park East on April 22, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Riders maneuver their mounts down a hillside just north of the Douglas Spring Trail in the Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District, Friday Nov. 27, 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Tim and Connie Phillips, from Salt Lake City, look for photo angles during the Twilight Glow to Moon Shadows hike on the Sendero Esperanza Trail at Saguaro National Park West in April, 2016. The retired couple sold their home and are "following the weather" across the country in their RV.
Saguaro National Park

A few items, photos and brief entries in tiny notebooks from an unofficial shrine at Mica Mountain in Saguaro National Park on June 2, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

The sun sets over the Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District on Oct. 8, 2015.
Saguaro National Park

Scarlett Gates and the rest of the tour group watch the last few minutes of daylight from a rock outcropping along the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail during their guided sunset hike in Saguaro National Park East on April 16, 2016.
Saguaro National Park

Gold poppies stand out against a backdrop of cacti and blue desert sky at Saguaro National Park west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on March 11, 2019.Â
Saguaro National Park

Rainbows pop up over Saguaro National Park East, as the first major monsoon storm of the season begins to roll into the valley, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., July 11, 2020.
Saguaro National Park

A half rainbow arcs over Saguaro National Park East as a highly localized cell of monsoon rain sweeps through a small band of the eastern valley, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., July 28, 2020.
Saguaro National Park

A light coating of snow remains on the Rincon Mountains seen nearby the Broadway Trailhead in Saguaro National Park in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. on January 27, 2021.
Saguaro National Park

A cactus in the Saguaro National Park East stands in front f the snow in the higher reaches of the Santa Catalinas, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., March 13, 2021.
Saguaro National Park

A lighting strikes hits in the Saguaro National Park, east of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., July 29, 2021, one of several storm cells that skirted the city.