The following is press release from the group Preserve Vistoso.
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Oro Valley, AZ, Nov. 8, 2021 -- Preserve Vistoso (501c3) announced today it topped one million dollars of contributions to The Conservation Fund (TCF) to purchase the 202 acres of the Vistoso property in northern Oro Valley as a nature preserve. The fundraising campaign started on October 12 and the community based organization has until December 15 to reach its goal of $1.8 million in contributions.
Preserve Vistoso with its 1,900 members has been committed to saving the property since the Vistoso Golf course closed in late 2018. Since TCF reached an agreement with the property owner to purchase the property by year end, donors have been eager to contribute to save the property as a nature preserve. “Our community’s support to save a large parcel of Sonoran Desert in northern Oro Valley has been incredible,” said Gayle Mateer, “We are more than half way to reach our goal of $1.8 million, but we need support of the community and those who value saving part of the Sonoran desert as open space.”
If the fund raising goal is reached, TCF will acquire the property and place the nature preserve in a conservation easement in perpetuity that will be monitored by a Land Trust. That means the nature preserve will always be preserved as a Sonoran Desert. TCF is expected to donate the property to the Town of Oro Valley.
TCF is a nationally recognized conservation nonprofit501(c)( 3) organization creating solutions that make environmental and economic sense, redefining conservation to emphasize its essential role in the country’s future prosperity.
“A conservation easement ensures that the property must remain as a nature preserve in perpetuity,” Mateer said. “The property was a desert golf course and the desert is reclaiming the property. With six miles of paved paths, it is a perfect spot for anyone in our community to enjoy a walk or bike ride and enjoy the Sonoran desert.
Tom Weiskopf designed and opened the Vistoso Golf Course in 1995 with more than 70 percent of the property retained as Sonoran desert habitat. It has spectacular mountain scenery, abundant wildlife, more than six miles of paved trails, three restrooms and trail underpasses for major roads. The area was once home to a Native American village called Sleeping Snake, as evidenced by the petroglyphs that can be found on the property.
More information is available at preservevistoso.org
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Source: The group Preserve Vistoso Press Release
