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Voice of Reason Sanity makes an unaccustomed appearance in Arizona. By Susan Zakin I've been a little tough on County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry in this column. But in these first, heady days of the Bush administration--and the concomitant swaggering of Neanderthal Bush-style Republicans in Arizona--Huckelberry is definitely looking like the voice of reason. I read recently that legendary land speculator Don Diamond and his fellow big dogs were meeting with Huck to complain about the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, Pima County's attempt to come into compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act. Keep in mind that Diamond, an enlightened kinda guy, has reportedly called the plan, which is being developed by some of the region's best scientists, "dipshit." After hearing this, I looked more carefully at the draft plan's fine print. My impression is that Diamond and his fellow developers aren't just worried about what the scientists are saying we need to do to protect owls and cactus. They're also concerned about the plan's more mundane planning and zoning reforms. What I found is a solid, well-crafted effort to improve the quality of Pima County's land management. I'm not talking about the hard-core scientific part of the plan designed to help imperiled owls and cactus and lizards in the county's more rural areas. This is still in a vague, preliminary form. What I'm talking about are the mundane planning and zoning reforms that we so desperately need. These reforms will also help wildlife, but they'll help us even more. I'm writing about them now because I'm afraid they'll be overlooked. If enacted, the land-use provisions of the plan crafted by Huckelberry and his staff would be extremely workable. To make sure they're implemented successfully, Huckelberry is proposing long-term collaborative planning agreements with non-profit organizations that specialize in bringing people together to agree on solutions. This is just plain smart, given the whining and complaining that goes on every time the county actually enforces one of its wimpy land-use regulations. Now, I could quibble with some of the details. I'm not too fond of a few of the groups mentioned. The Udall Center is, to my mind, a dishonest, smarmy group. But the ranchers sure like them. Realistically, ranchers have got to be on board to make the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan work. The Rincon Institute, another entity mentioned in the plan, is a weird group funded by Diamond himself, as reparations for a very advantageous land deal he cut with the federal government. But the other groups, like the Arizona Open Lands Trust, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and various university departments, are above reproach. Their involvement will ensure the long-term viability of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Here are a few of the improvements that the county is proposing: · Defer upzoning or granting of conditional use permits in federally designated critical habitat until the plan is finalized. This seems like a no-brainer. But, like spoiled children, developers aren't used to someone saying they can't have two helpings of dessert right now when they want it. · Expand the native plant preservation ordinance to include trees that grow along precious washes, where most of the birds and animals live. The new ordinance will include Arizona sycamore, desert hackberry, Arizona walnut, Arizona ash, cooding willow and seep willow. The ordinance will require that 80 percent of these species be preserved in place. · Amend the Native Plant Ordinance to enhance protection for ironwood trees. All ironwood trees 8 inches in diameter or more must be preserved. For every smaller tree removed, developers must plant four trees. Fines for violation or destruction will be increased from $2,500 to $5,000. · Finally! Golf courses don't count toward a 50-percent open space requirement in the buffer overlay zone, the area right near the national park. · Expand water conservation requirements in new development landscaping. · Impact fees! Hooray! Huckelberry's proposals include impact fees to help fund transportation. I'm not a big fan of building new roads, because studies have shown that roads do indeed promote sprawl, contrary to what county officials (and developers) claim. But we need to stop subsidizing development. The proposed plan also includes reforms to help the county solve gnarly wildcat subdivision problems, like dirt roads that no one is responsible for maintaining. I live on one of these, and I can tell you, it is not a recipe for neighborhood harmony. The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, which represents more than 30 neighborhood and environmental groups, has made a number of good suggestions that could further strengthen the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Check their Web site: www.sonorandesert.org. If you care about the desert, bookmark this site. This will be an ongoing discussion. There are a lot of difficult issues yet to come as the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan goes forward. But the darkest clouds looming over the plan come from the north and the east. The state of Arizona's morally repugnant attempt to sandbag the process was reported in these pages last week. You can find more on this at www.sierraclub.org/chapters/az. Arizona's homegrown yahoos have clearly been emboldened by the Bush administration's rabid anti-environmentalism. With all these storm warnings, Huckelberry could probably use a little help. Before we start arguing over pygmy owls, I'd like to see the environmentalists do something positive. Every single neighborhood and conservation group should be flooding the county supervisors--and Huckelberry--with e-mails, phone calls and letters in support of the improved land-use regulations in the draft Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Tell them we need strong protection now, in the interim period while the plan is still being developed. Astoundingly, not all the supervisors have e-mail addresses. So write to the Board of Supervisors and Chuck Huckelberry at 130 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701. Or call 740-8126.
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