State Trust Land Reform In Arizona (Back to Landscapes Program Index)

	Observatory Mesa © by Becky Schwartz

State Trust Lands

There are 9.2 million acres of state trust land in Arizona, lands held in permanent trust for the state school system and several other beneficiaries, including the state universities.  Currently, income from state land leases and sales accounts for only 1 percent of total education spending in Arizona.  Although revenue from state lands management will never contribute a majority percentage to school revenue, it certainly can be increased. 

Another aspect of state lands management needing reform is allowing for the preservation of thousands of acres of land

identified for open space protection in numerous plans throughout the state.  An important part of needed reform involves identifying “conservation lands,” state lands valuable to communities and the state as open space.

Open Space Element in the Regional Plan

For the Flagstaff area, identifying conservation lands for open space protection means following the Regional Land Use and Transportation Plan (Regional Plan), a plan that Grand Canyon Trust helped develop and pass in a citywide vote in 2000.  Any legitimate conservation lands proposal must include an overlap of protected lands with the state lands identified in the Regional Plan.

Coconino County Parks and Open Space Program 

In 2002, Grand Canyon Trust led a successful initiative campaign helping to pass the Coconino County Parks and Open Space Program, a funding program that will provide over $19 million to acquire state lands around Flagstaff for open space purposes.  The program will also open up the possibility for receiving “Growing Smarter” matching funds for purchasing eligible state lands.  This could help create a pool of $38 million with which to buy state lands for open space.

Flagstaff Open Space Bonding 

In 2004, Grand Canyon Trust led the campaign to pass two Flagstaff open space bond measures. The bonds are to go to the purchase of state trust lands on Observatory Mesa as well as approximately 550 acres of land throughout Flagstaff’s neighborhoods—including land on which the city intends to build additional miles of the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS).

Conservation Lands Map

The accompanying map depicts the proposed conservation lands for the Flagstaff area.  The biggest block of conservation lands are to the southwest of Flagstaff, lands designated as the NAU Centennial Forest.  Observatory Mesa has roughly four sections of state lands identified for protection.  Picture Canyon and Turkey Hills, on sections northeast of Flagstaff, are part of the NAU Centennial Forest.  State sections near Walnut Canyon are also identified for protection.  Fort Tuthill and neighboring state sections to the south are part of the conservation picture. To view a map of northern Arizona lands earmarked for protection click Conservation Lands Map (1.6MB PDF)

Conserving Arizona’s Future - Proposition 106

Proposition 106, called Conserving Arizona’s Future, was a statewide initiative developed over several years by the conservation and education communities and placed on the November 2006 ballot.  If Prop 106 had passed, it would have reformed how state trust lands are managed and given conservation protection to key open space parcels throughout Arizona.  Unfortunately, it did not pass.

If it had succeeded, Proposition 106 would have:

• Saved 694,000 acres of natural areas surrounding Arizona’s state and national parks, monuments, and preserves for future generations.
• Required state and local communities to cooperate in the planning of state trust lands and provided local authorities the power to limit and control development.
• Protected essential funding for Arizona public schools.

But in a squeaker, Proposition 106, Arizona’s state lands conservation initiative, lost by 51.3 to 48.7 percent -- 38,000 votes -- in the November 2006 election.  The defeat came at the hands of rural county voters as every rural county except Santa Cruz voted against the measure.  Pima County, long considered to be a bastion of conservation voters, passed the initiative but the close 2,549 vote margin was much less than expected. The measure won in Maricopa County by 5,246 votes. In Coconino County, where the Grand Canyon Trust in coordination with Friends of Flagstaff’s Future conducted a direct mail, print ad, early voter, and get-out-the-vote campaign, Proposition 106 won by a nine percent margin.

If the initiative had passed, it would have protected more than 62,000 acres in northern Arizona.  Not just Observatory Mesa, but lands near Grand Canyon, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Rogers Lake, and Dry Lake, all would have acquired conservation protection.

During the campaign, our primary opponents, the Homebuilders Association of Central Arizona, the Arizona

Cattle Growers’ Association, and the Arizona School Boards Association, spent over $2 million on their falsehood-laden “NO on 106” campaign.

Failed Legislative Bill HCR 2039

Another attempt at state trust land reform was made during this past 2007 legislative session.  Representative John Nelson introduced HCR 2039 to amend the state constitution relating to disposition of state trust lands. Given that there was not widespread support for this bill, it never reached the Senate floor.  Part of its failure was due to its lack of a funding provision that would have given communities needed financial support for state land acquisitions.

Protecting Flagstaff-Area Open Space Lands

In recent months, still another state land reform effort has begun, aimed at protecting key parcels of open space state lands throughout Arizona.  This has presented an important opportunity to gain permanent protection for northern Arizona lands, including lands near Walnut Canyon National Monument, Rogers Lake, Dry Lake, Observatory Mesa, Fort Tuthill, and Turkey Hills.

The Grand Canyon Trust is working with conservation colleagues to develop either a legislative referendum or a citizens initiative for the November 2008 ballot.  Perhaps this effort will finally lead to the reform we need to protect valuable open space lands in the Greater Grand Canyon region and the rest of Arizona.

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