Copyright (c) The Arizona Republic. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
| July 15, 2004
Section: Front Edition: Final Chaser Page: A1 Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic |
| The $4.5 million purchase, which may take up to a year to complete, involves two ranches and more than 900,000 acres of grazing land. Trust officials say they want to restore the land, hit hard by decades of grazing and drought, to a healthy condition. It runs from scorching-hot deserts to forested plateaus where it snowed just two weeks ago. It's in stunning company: Neighboring lands include Grand Canyon National Park, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Grand Canyon Staircase and Grand Canyon Parashant national monuments, the stands of trees at 9,000 feet in the Kaibab National Forest and the Hualapai, Havasupai, Navajo and Kaibab-Paiute reservations. "It's too big, it's too much right in the center of the places we care about to not take advantage of this opportunity," said Bill Hedden, executive director of the Flagstaff-based trust. "We're excited, heart-in-the-mouth excited," Hedden said. The purchase ranks as one of the biggest conservation moves in the United States, said Christine Fanning, marketing and communications director for the Arlington, Va.-based Conservation Fund. "I'm not aware of any land-conservation efforts that rise to this scale," she said, noting the 900,000-plus acres affected by the sale. "When you think about the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, it doesn't get any more important than this." The deal involves a one-year exclusive purchase option from the Kane Ranch Land Stewardship and Cattle Co. to the trust and its fund-raising partner, the Conservation Fund. The deal involves 1,000 acres of private land, covering the historic Kane Ranch and the adjacent Two Mile Ranch. It also extends to the grazing rights the ranches hold on 900,000 acres of state and federal land. Hedden would not reveal the name of the company's owner, calling him "an incredibly reclusive guy" who doesn't want his name disclosed. The Grand Canyon Trust will manage the land, maintaining the minimum number of cattle required by the grazing leases, Hedden said. But he emphasized that the trust aims to repair the land, which he said is in poor condition due to decades of grazing and the drought. "The main purpose of this is trying to restore that land to health," he said. It must be done within the confines of grazing laws, which is why the trust will operate a working cattle ranch. Hedden could not estimate how long such recovery would take. But, he said, cattle will not be allowed on the most sensitive lands in the area. The Grand Canyon Trust's mission is to protect and restore the lands along the Colorado Plateau. Anyone visiting northern Arizona can see the areas that will fall under the trust's management. And there will be volunteer opportunities as the trust takes on projects ranging from ranch management to ecosystem restoration, Hedden said. But the first task is to finish raising the $4.5 million needed for the purchase. Fanning said they are working with private groups and individuals to raise the sum, but contributions are welcome. "We'll take it from anyone," she said. Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8963. CAPTION: Conserving ranchland CAPTION: The Kane Ranch and Two Mile Ranch, along with their grazing rights, are being acquired by the Grand Canyon Trust and the Conservation Fund to protect wildlife, ranchland and a large stand of ponderosa pine. The lands cover more than 900,000 acres on the North Rim of the Grand canyon. CAPTION: Two Mile Ranch CAPTION: Kane Ranch CAPTION: Grand Canyon Trust |
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Copyright (c) The Arizona Republic. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc. |