Description of the Project

The Altar Valley Fire Management Plan was collaboratively developed to reintroduce fire into the Altar Valley ecosystem, but also to address multiple threats and opportunities at once.  AVCA led this multi-year effort with input from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona State Land Department, Arizona State Forestry Division (so named at the time), Pima County Natural Resources, and The Nature Conservancy.  The purpose of this collaborative partnership was to develop, facilitate and implement scientifically sound land resource management and conservation strategies in the Altar Valley. All parties agreed to work together to identify, prioritize and implement fire and erosion control management strategies on private, county, and State Trust lands to enhance range and watershed conditions. Conservation measures to minimize the short term adverse effects on sensitive species are included in the Altar Valley Fire Management Plan.  The plan addresses ESA compliance/recovery goals, while implementing a fire management plan that reestablishes fire as a component of the grassland ecosystem in the planning area.