Arizona Issues
What Can You Do?
Tell your state representative to support efforts to conserve the state trust lands identified in Proposition 103. In northern Arizona, express support for the Open Spaces and Greenways Plan and the Regional Plan. Both plans protect lands in the Flagstaff area that were listed in Prop 103.
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State Trust Land Reform Needed to Conserve Open Space Lands
Growth in the state of Arizona and the northern Grand Canyon region threatens to invade cherished open space lands, natural areas, and cultural sites on or near state trust lands. Several attempts have been made to pass voter initiatives for managing specific state land parcels as open space. The essential step needed to be able to protect state trust lands as open space is to amend the state constitution to allow state lands to be protected for conservation purposes.
In 1910, the U.S. Congress passed the Arizona–New Mexico Enabling Act, allowing Arizona to become a state. The Enabling Act granted Arizona 10.9 million acres of land, referred to as “state trust land,” to be held in trust for the benefit of the named beneficiaries, primarily the public schools. Both the Enabling Act and the Arizona Constitution provide that the state can lease or sell trust land to the “highest and best bidder” at advertised public auction.
The state currently has 9.2 million acres of trust land remaining. Reform is necessary to preserve the thousands of acres identified for open space protection in numerous land use plans throughout the state. This will involve identifying “conservation lands” — state lands that are valuable to communities and the state as open space.
Grand Canyon Trust has worked on state trust land reform for years, beginning with the development of the Flagstaff Visioning 2020 Process. From the visioning process sprung the Flagstaff Area Open Spaces and Greenways Plan, and the Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan. These plans identified key sections for protection in the northern region of Arizona.
The Trust was instrumental in the development and passage of two open space initiatives in Coconino County and Flagstaff. These initiatives provided for $40 million for open space acquisitions.
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