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Joint Field Hearing of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands of the House Natural Resources Committee regarding “Our National Forests at Risk: The 1872 Mining Law and its Impact on the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona”: supplemental to verbal testimony delivered February 24 th , 2007 in Pima County, Arizona, by the Tucson Audubon Society Chairman Grijalva, distinguished Members of the Committees, my name is Christina McVie, and I am the Conservation Chair of the Tucson Audubon Society, located at 300 East University Boulevard, Suite #120, Tucson, Arizona, 85705. The Tucson Audubon Society (TAS) has partnerships with private and governmental entities and works to conserve and protect habitats where wildlife is at risk to the many factors that threaten their existence – development, habitat fragmentation, roads, watershed degradation, exotic invasive species, fire, and the potentially toxic byproducts of our transportation, sewage, mining and commercial operations. We own and/or manage several properties throughout the region, including the 20-acre Mason Audubon Center, two nature shops, a 300-acre conservation easement along the Santa Cruz River/Chivas Wash intersection in Santa Cruz County, and two riparian restoration sites totaling over 670 acres along the Santa Cruz River in Avra Valley, Pima County, owned by the City of Tucson. ( http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/ ) I am speaking today on behalf of our more than 4,000 member households in southern Arizona. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Pima County's, Santa Cruz County's, and the City of Tucson's request for Congressional assistance and the consideration of withdrawal of public lands and jurisdictionally conserved lands in Pima and Santa Cruz Counties from mining. As this hearing will assist in the determination of possible future uses of public lands in the region, it is critical that it set a direction that focuses on the best available scientific and commercial information. I would like to address a variety of issues concerning your deliberations including Watchable Wildlife Economics, Important Bird Areas, Ecosystem Services of Birds, Threatened Southwest Riparian Habitats, Wildlife Corridors, and Conservation and Multiple Uses. Watchable Wildlife Economics One of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's recreation strategies is to “Identify, assess, develop and promote watchable wildlife recreational opportunities.” Tucson Audubon Society members enjoy wildlife viewing and think it is critically important to protect wildlife habitat and ensure sustainable populations of the full spectrum of native wildlife species. You might be surprised to learn that birding leads ALL other recreational activities in promoting the economic growth of ecotourism in Arizona . A 2001 study on birding impacts by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that there were 46 million American birders who accounted for $32 billion in annual retail sales in 2001. Birders contributed $85 billion in overall national economic output. Of that, $13 billion was from state and federal income taxes. Most importantly, this economic activity created 863,406 jobs. Of the 18 million Americans who ventured away from home to watch birds, public land rather than private land was visited more frequently, although many visited both. Eighty-three percent of birders used public land such as parks and wildlife refuges, 42 percent used private land, and 31 percent visited both. See the report at http://library.fws.gov/nat_survey2001_birding.pdf When combining birding and other watchable wildlife, the estimated contribution to the economy rises to $38 billion annually. The Service reports that one-third of outdoor enthusiasts take at least one wildlife watching trip per year, and 70% visit forest land to do so. The “ 2001 National and State Economic Impacts of Wildlife Watching ” report is available at http://library.fws.gov/nat_survey2001_economics.pdf Similarly, in a 2006 study, the Outdoor Industry Foundation reported that all outdoor wildlife-related recreational activities generate $730 billion annually for the United States economy, and of that, watchable wildlife generates $43 billion annually. They report 66 million Americans participate in wildlife viewing, which supports 466,000 jobs. Estimated economic returns include retail sales averaging $8.8 billion, trip related expenditures $8.5 billion, and state and federal tax receipts $2.7 billion. The report is available at http://www.outdoorindustryfoundation.org./ The May 2003 Economic Impact Analysis of Nonconsumptive Wildlife-Related Recreation in Arizona , using data provided in the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, prepared by Southwick Associates for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, documented that, in 2001, watchable wildlife in Arizona generated retail sales of $820,717,696 with a total multiplier effect of $1,542,946,561. ( Expenditures made by watchable wildlife recreationists generate rounds of additional spending through the economy. This results in numerous direct, indirect, and induced impacts. The sum of these impacts is the total economic impact resulting from the original expenditures. These economic figures show the total economic effect from 2001 watchable wildlife activities in Arizona to be $1.5 billion .) The creation 15,058 full and part-time jobs accounted for salaries and wages of $429,391,051, or nearly $430 million in total household income. This engendered over $57 million in state taxes (state sales taxes of $46,756,837 and state income taxes of $10,821,828) and federal income taxes of $75,544,307. The study further breaks down the economic impacts by county: In 2001, Santa Cruz County retail sales generated $11,940,965 with a total multiplier effect of $22,710,453 . 236 full and part-time jobs accounted for salaries and wages of $6,241,035. State sales taxes and fuel tax revenues brought in $678,203 while state income tax revenues were $154,772. Federal income tax revenues were $1,074,941. Pinal County brought in retail sales of $50,897,041 with a total economic impact of $95,965,124 . 949 new jobs generated $26,614,902 in total household income. State sales and fuel tax revenues totaled $2,911,907 and state income tax revenues were $665,331. Federal income tax revenues were $4,638,383. Cochise County generated retail sales of $13,723,013 with a total economic effect of $25,887,890 . 273 created jobs brought in $7,087,004 in total household income. State tax revenues accounted for $960,632 (sales and fuel, $773,554; income, $187,078). Federal income tax revenues were $1,302,541. Last, but certainly not least, in 2001 Pima County watchable wildlife produced retail sales of $173,544,691 with a total multiplier effect of $326,536,328 . 3,196 full and part-time jobs were created earning salaries and wages of $90,726,309. This contributed state sales and fuel tax revenues of $9,908,109, state income tax revenues of $2,267,822, and federal income tax revenues of $15,820,112. The report is available at http://www.gf.state.az.us/pdfs/w_c/AZ%20County%20Impacts%20-%20Southwick.pdf Important Bird Area (IBA) Designation & Species of Concern TAS has helped to gather scientific data to identify and protect significant bird habitats as a part of an international effort known as the Important Bird Area Program (IBA). The IBA designation is particularly relevant to protecting critical habitats utilized by birds during some part of their life cycle (breeding, feeding, nesting, migrating) as well as a diversity of wildlife species. The Santa Rita Mountains have been identified as an Important Bird Area . The boundary of the IBA is the boundary of the Santa Rita Mountains unit of the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Rita Mountains IBA contains a number of Species of Conservation Status of the Sierra Madre bird community that extends far south into central Mexico. The species include: Northern Goshawk, Gray Hawk, Mexican Spotted Owl, Whiskered Screech-owl, Montezuma Quail, Elegant Trogon (within 7 canyons), Arizona Woodpecker, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Lucifer Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, and Varied Bunting. Other species of concern that occur within the IBA include: Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Elf Owl, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Greater Peewee, Gray Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo, Bridled Titmouse, Virginia's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, Cassin's Sparrow, and Botteri's Sparrow. Buff-collared Nightjar, a rare species in Arizona, is also present. Winter brings Red-naped Sapsucker to the IBA. See http://iba.audubon.org/iba/viewState.do?state=US-AZ . Ecosystem Services of Birds Though people come from all over the world to bird in the deserts, riparian areas, and sky islands of southeastern Arizona, birds are about much more than being beautiful and fascinating. Birds contribute irreplaceable ecosystem services. According to the American Bird Conservancy's 2007 report, “Birds play an important role in maintaining the ecosystems on which humans depend to maintain our quality of life and civilization. For example, birds eat billions of insects each year that left unchecked could decimate our crops. Birds also play an important role as pollinators, providing a fundamental service to agricultural production that simply cannot be replaced by other means. According to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, birds eat up to 98% of budworms and up to 40% of all non-outbreak insect species in eastern forests. The value of this insect control has been estimated to be as much as $5,000 per year per square mile of forest.” “Birds are also superb “canaries in the coal mine”, or indicators of environmental health and change. Rapid declines in bird numbers have alerted us to the harm being caused to humans and the environment by toxic chemicals. The knowledge we gain from birds directly affects our quality of life and our understanding of how economic development can be made more environmentally sustainable.” See the report at http://www.abcbirds.org/habitatreport.pdf Southwest Riparian Habitats: 5 th Most Threatened in US TAS is very engaged in wildlife issues in Arizona and, in particular, has focused on research, education, recreation, and conservation through habitat protection and restoration, specifically of riparian systems. The recently released American Bird Conservancy's report on the “ Top Twenty Most Threatened Bird Habitats in the United States ” lists Southwestern Riparian Habitat as the fifth most threatened in the nation . Attempts to threaten regional riparian areas have prompted efforts at conservation of this rare habitat type epitomized by the proposed Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area ( http://www.santacruzheritage.org/ ), the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, and their watershed tributaries. Riparian habitat is described as occupying only a tiny fraction of the land area while supporting the largest concentrations of animal and plant life, and the majority of species diversity in the desert Southwest, a designated “hotspot” of biological diversity. The report states “The scarcity of water in the Southwest makes rivers and streams particularly important for sustaining the region's communities. This dependence places a severe strain on natural ecosystems. Achieving riparian habitat conservation depends on public agency buy-in to broad-scale land management plans and the successful provision of incentives to private property owners to restore their degraded land. Riparian areas take time to recover…Currently, though, efforts to restore riparian areas are being considerably outpaced by the rate at which they are being lost, making these vibrant ecosystems an ever-rarer feature of the Southwest.” The protection of our aquifer and the desire to provide flood protection and clean drinking water to the residents of the Tucson valley is what originally prompted Pima County to purchase and conserve the Empire Cienega Ranch. Potentially at stake within and adjacent to Augusta's lands are: rare springs such as Rosemont, Barrel, Helvetia and others unnamed – all identified as Special Elements of Pima County's Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP), and several Important Riparian Areas (IRAs), as identified in the SDCP. Wildlife Corridors To elaborate upon those goals, and to provide for an international wildlife corridor, Pima County purchased private ranch lands with accompanying state trust land leases encompassing Davidson Canyon with 2004 Habitat Protection Priority (HPP) Open Space Bond funds. In addition to being designated an Important Riparian Area (IRA), this corridor provides for the movement of mega-fauna, such as cougar and bear, as well as the entire range of smaller species from tortoise to bobcat and javelina. The corridor passes under Interstate 10, forming a connection between mountain ranges, enabling the required genetic interchange between members of species whose ranges are far reaching. It has been identified as a regional Critical Landscape Linkage (CLL) by the Science Technical Advisory Team (STAT) of Pima County's Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP). Riparian areas are essential to the life processes of, and function as significant wildlife corridors for, many species. Conservation and Multiple Uses Pima County, and the state of Arizona, is now one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. Since the early part of the last century, the taxpaying voters of our community have long put their money where their mouths are to protect open space. Pima County has spent the last nine years learning that, in order to maintain the resilience and flexibility of the ecosystem our health depends on, we must seek a balance between uses that will enable certain scientifically identified lands to be preserved in perpetuity. Pima County has funded the purchase of biologically significant lands with open space bonds to implement the nationally renowned Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP) . See the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and draft Multi-Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) at http://www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp/ . SDCP Species of Concern and their Priority Conservation Area (PCA) rankings, modeled on or adjacent to Augusta's lands, include: Chiricahua Leopard Frog, PCA 2; Swainson's Hawk, PCA 1; Arizona Shrew, PCA 1; Giant Spotted Whiptail lizard, PCA 2; Lesser long nosed bat, PCA 2; Pale Townsend's big-eared bat, PCA 2; Mexican long-tongued bat, PCA 2; Western red bat, PCA 2. Augusta's lands are also identified as being of High Archeological Sensitivity. SDCP Special Elements include: our rarest habitat type, springs, as well as PAG limestone outcrops, oak/grass ecotone, and mesquite. The state of Arizona identifies the Santa Rita Mountains as existing within two Areas of High Biological Significance: the Santa Ritas and the Huachuca Mountains Valley Complex. Pima County, and other jurisdictions, will be contractually required to meet the acquisition, adaptive management, and monitoring commitments of contemplated federal Section 10 permit applications and implementation agreements. Largely unforeseen and potentially devastating impacts to the genetic integrity of large, relatively intact blocks of habitat and critical connective riparian systems, of the region and the state, threaten not just local ecosystem functions, but international ecosystem functions. This region has international significance because of its importance as a migratory and pollinator pathway between northern and southern hemispheres. Riparian systems, in particular, serve as the landscape's life's blood, its arterial and venous systems, both nurturing and cleansing. Pima County, and its cooperators and cosignatories, are rightfully uncertain, and seeking some level of certainty regarding, if they will be able to meet long term obligations under a federal Section 10 permit. Real potential threats to ecosystem health are posed by proposed operations such as Canada's Augusta Rosemont Mine, the Portland Cement plant at Davidson Canyon, Henderson Arizona Properties' Andrada Quarry (calcium carbonate) near Corona de Tucson, and Australia's Broken Hill Properties (BHP) proposed mining exploration at Pima County's Six Bar Ranch on the Lower San Pedro River. Potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts, as well as possible unforeseen consequences, certainly pose a conundrum for local elected officials and taxpayers. Witness the February 20 th , 2007 article entitled “ Uranium level high in wells near GV ” (Green Valley) in the Arizona Daily Star, which begins, “Uranium levels twice the legal limit have been found in groundwater monitoring wells at the Phelps Dodge Sierrita mine west of Green Valley. And three times the normal levels of some heavy metals have been found in the soil and groundwater at the adjacent Twin Buttes mine. Cadmium and thallium have been linked to kidney damage and liver problems, beryllium to intestinal lesions, selenium to circulation problems and hair loss, and chromium to skin problems. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, which cited the contamination findings in a report released last month, is assessing the situation and deciding what action to take. State environmental officials said the contamination has not affected drinking water wells in the Green Valley area, where in 2005 two wells were closed because of sulfate contamination coming from the mine. However, water company officials said uranium levels were rising in at least one of the wells before it was closed, though the level still was below the maximum allowed levels. That report placed a high priority on addressing the situation, and recommended the EPA take the lead in an investigation with the state Department of Environmental Quality.” In addition, there are other instances where regional riparian and other biologically significant areas are potentially threatened: Australia's BHP plans to build 35,000 residences, on the Lower San Pedro River in Pinal County, that could threaten to dewater the Salt River Project's mitigation lands for the City of Phoenix's water supply; Britain's Rio Tinto/Resolution Copper plans for the Forest Service's Oak Flat next to Superior; and the proposed mining exploration by BHP Billiton of the San Rafael Valley, headwaters of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, and the Dragoon Mountains, to name a few. The development of these, and other potential actions, could eventually wreak enough havoc to further threaten our ecosystem's health and our ability to be resilient in the face of global warming. Access to potable water is the most constraining factor for survival in the arid southwest. The over-allocation of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Canal is well documented, as is an ongoing drought, referenced in the February 26 th , 2007 Arizona Daily Star article “Pessimism grows on CAP water shortage”. We must carefully conserve the resources needed to feed and hydrate ourselves as we, and wildlife, try to adapt to changing circumstances. The ability to preserve both public and jurisdictional lands with certainty, in perpetuity, is essential to the region's attempts to balance current and anticipated growth with long term ecosystem health. There is certainly precedence for this approach. Not all public lands have a “multiple use ethic.” Some are established in order to protect specific values, including cultural, historic, biologic, natural hydro-geologic processes, and wildlife. Wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, national parks, and national monuments are just a few of those areas, which have a more protective higher mandate than “multiple use.” People from around the world enjoy Saguaro National Park, East and West, in Pima County. The National Park Service mission is to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” The mission of the Bureau of Land Management's National Landscape Conservation System, which includes national trails, the Ironwood Forest National Monument, Organ Pipe National Monument, the San Pedro River Riparian National Conservation Area and the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, is “to conserve, protect, and restore these nationally significant landscapes that have outstanding cultural, ecological, and scientific values for the benefit of current and future generations.” Again, the protection of these attributes is prioritized over other activities. Pima County is home to the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of l966 mandates the standard of compatibility, i.e.: uses of refuge lands must be determined to be compatible with the purposes for which individual refuges were established. This standard was later clarified in the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997: Conservation is the priority, then various compatible uses. International tourists and residents of the region, especially birders, enjoy visiting the various diverse habitats within the Coronado National Forest's multiple units, much of which is designated multiple use. Yet even the very definition of “multiple use” in the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 recognizes “that some land will be used for less than all of the resources; and harmonious and coordinated management of the various resources, each with the other, without impairment of the productivity of the land, with consideration being given to the relative values of the various resources, and not necessarily the combination of uses that will give the greatest dollar return or the greatest unit output.” The 2006 draft Arizona Game and Fish Department's Strategic Plan for the Years 2007-2012, Wildlife 2012, states that the goals of its wildlife program are “to conserve and preserve wildlife populations and habitat; to provide compatible public uses, while avoiding adverse impacts to populations and habitat; and to promote public health and safety; and to increase public awareness and understanding of wildlife resources.” Conclusion Chairman Grijalva and Members of the Committees, we need reform of the 1872 Mining Act and Arizonans need assistance with the withdrawal of certain lands from mining. Please consider this information in your deliberations. Help our region ensure a sustainable economy – help us conserve the public lands, jurisdictionally conserved lands, and other biologically significant areas of southeastern Arizona, for future generations. Thank you.
Further Testimony Tucson Region For many years, everyone familiar with the Colorado River knew it was oversubscribed and that shortages caused by droughts would force periodic cuts in water supplied to the Central Arizona Project and other users. But it's become clear that the river's outlook is worse than even the worst-case scenario predicted by a federally funded study written 12 years ago, according to one of the study's authors. The principal reason is that the river's three Lower Basin states — Arizona, Nevada and California — have grown faster and used more water than forecasters predicted in the early 1990s. Arizona's population, now about 6.2 million, is up more than 65 percent since 1990. From 1995 through 2005, the seven river basin states' population grew nearly 11 million, or about 25 percent. For Tucson, Phoenix, Central Arizona farmers, Indian tribes and others dependent on CAP water, that means the river stands a good chance of running short more quickly than experts were predicting as recently as the start of this decade. Exactly how soon shortages might hit is something scientists and public officials continue to discuss. But there is probably a 10 percent chance of shortages in four to five years, and a 25 percent chance the river will run short between 2020 and 2025, according to two prominent water officials in Arizona. This week, the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the reservoirs, will release a draft report outlining proposed standards for determining when there is a shortage and how shortages will be managed. "I have no doubt that within the next five to 10 years, we will be in a shortage," said David Modeer, Tucson Water's director and a member of the three-county board that manages the CAP. "It does not look good. If everything everyone is saying about the longtime climate or global warming is true, it looks worse for the future." CAP's deputy general manager, Larry Dozier, is somewhat more optimistic, but he agreed that there is a significant chance of shortages by 2011 or 2012, and a 25 percent to 30 percent chance by 2025. The initial shortages would not reduce deliveries of CAP water to Tucson and other cities; it would primarily affect non-Indian farms that are lower on the pecking order for getting CAP water. If the supply stayed short for five or six years, however, Tucson's share could be reduced. The Southwest's precipitation, runoff into the river and reservoir levels have lagged far below normal for most of this decade. Currently, Lake Powell is only 48 percent full, although that's slightly better than the 35 percent level of early 2005, which followed five straight years of below-normal flow into the reservoir. But the river's plight is not just a result of dry weather, according to one of the 1995 study's authors, Ben Harding, an engineer for the private consulting firm Hydrosphere in Boulder, Colo. Harding called this a "system drought," caused by the huge scale of the Colorado's reservoir system that 25 million people rely on for water, and by population growth that has come to rely on it. "The bigger the reservoirs that you build, the bigger the system you build, the more sensitive it becomes to droughts (and) the longer it takes to recover," Harding said last week. "You have a bigger hole to fill." But the forecasts don't take into account the possibility of global warming. In a report released last week, the National Academy of Sciences predicted climate change will likely mean even less water for the Colorado in the future. The academy didn't predict how soon or how much the Colorado would run short. But reduced stream flow from global warming would make future droughts last longer, be more severe and occur more often. The river has long been over-allocated, with the seven basin states and Mexico having divvied up the rights more than 50 years ago to 16.5 million acre-feet of water. More recent tree ring studies pegged the actual annual average flow at about 14.8 million acre-feet. The 1995 federal study, which looked at the effects of what it called a "severe, sustained drought," was still relatively upbeat for the Lower Basin states. Those states would lose no more than 3 percent of their river supplies even in the worst drought year, said the study, which was primarily by the Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Geological Survey. Instead, this is what happened:
Although the two big reservoirs have recovered a bit from their 2004 lows, they're still far from full. In that analysis, Harding recalled that the study's authors assumed the worst-case drought would be a very rare event and probably many years off, and that the high cost of pumping CAP water 300 miles uphill to Tucson from the Colorado would reduce the demand for the project's water. "The current drought, however, has caught water managers unprepared," Harding wrote. The National Academy of Sciences report also underscored links between population growth and water demands. It said that it would take 15 years of normal precipitation and runoff conditions to refill Powell and Mead. Regardless of rainfall levels, higher population and water demand will make filling the reservoirs more difficult, the report said. In another report that reached a similar conclusion, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation official Terry Fulp wrote in 2005 that reservoir levels will continue to decline in the near term, and the system will take longer to recover than it did after previous droughts, largely because of greater demands today. Contact reporter Tony Davis at 806-7746 or tdavis@azstarnet.com. Bird questions? Check Birding | General questions? Contact: Tucson Audubon Society | Webmaster: Email This page was updated on 12/28/05 |