PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #37: River and Riparian Restoration II.
Presiding: J. Berg
Tuesday, August 6. 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Mohave Meeting Room, TCC.
A cooperative restoration effort of an ecologically significant wash in Tucson, Arizona.
Morales, Susana*,1, Harris, Lisa1,2, 1 Harris Environmental Group, Inc., Tucson, Arizona2 University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
ABSTRACT- A cooperative effort between city and county officials, biologists, and landscape architects produced a successful restoration of an ecologically significant wash in Tucson, Arizona. As a result, the wash will continue to provide food, shelter, and access for wildlife in the area. In 2001 the City of Tucson Water Department completed a reservoir and booster station located on a 7-acre site adjacent to the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area of Coronado National Forest. The site contained an ecologically significant protected wash that connected springs just south of the reservoir to the wilderness area in the north. Positioning of the reservoir and booster station was limited by site topography, which required grading of approximately 70% of the wash. Tucson Water developed a conservation and restoration plan for the wash using recommendations from the Pima County Design Review Committee, a private natural resource consulting firm, and landscape architects. Plans included clear delineation and monitoring of grading limits, preservation of top soil, reduction of the vertical distances of exposed slopes to reduce disturbance of the wash, revegetation of all disturbed areas with native plant species, and authentic reconstruction of the wash using boulders and plants at densities similar to undisturbed portions. The restoration of this wash is an example of successful cooperation between groups to conserve rapidly dwindling natural resources.
KEY WORDS: restoration, cooperation, desert wash, Tucson, Arizona