Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett and Council Member Josh Nicolson led a successful effort last week to make the revegetation of the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve a priority in next year’s budget. As a result, the council unanimously approved including $2 million in that budget to begin the revegetation program in earnest.
Council needed to do something because town staff planned to spend next to nothing on the Preserve
Barrett and Nicolson were spurred to action because town staff had decided to fund the Preserve at a trivial level: $200,000 per year in the budget for each of the next five years; $100,000 for ensuing five. That amount is barely enough to keep the weeds at bay. At that rate, Nicolson noted, “I’m gonna be ninety years old by the time we're actually gonna be putting in some capital improvement in the property.” He’s forty today! He continued: “I do think it'd be nice for us to do something now for the people who invested nearly $2 million in the community,” referring to the fact that residents raised money to buy the Preserve.
As we reported last week, the current state of the Preserve after two years of Oro Valley ownership is dreadful. One resident speaking at the meeting called it a “Ghost Preserve” because “we don’t know what’s growing there.”
Residents underscored need for real funding
Fifteen residents spoke at the meeting. They emphasized the urgent need for increased funding and focused efforts to restore the Preserve to its original desert beauty and ecological integrity. They urged the Town Council to prioritize its redevelopment, advocating for strategic investment to transform the area into a vibrant natural space representative of Oro Valley's beauty. They highlighted the importance of native seeding, revegetation, and infrastructure repair. They also called for equitable funding and decisive action to fulfill the potential of the preserve as a valuable asset for the community, emphasizing its role in enhancing Oro Valley's recreational offerings and preserving open space.
The Conservation easement holder recommended getting started now
John Welch, the representative of Archeology Southwest, the manager of the conservation easement on the property, spoke at the meeting. He said that it's time to update how we restore nature, focusing on less toxic ways to control invasive species and erosion. He believes that the town needs to complete the Vistoso master plan, making it current and consistent with the easement requirements, and that it should take action to fix urgent issues in the preserve. He believes that doing this will make it sustainable long-term and attract outside funding.
All Council Members supported the funding
At the meeting, Council Member Tim Bohen expressed the general consensus of the council. Addressing the residents directly: "You made an investment of your time, your will, and your energy, and it's really time for the Council to act. I don't think that the motion goes far enough. If there's going to be support for it, I think we should do it for at least three years… So I will support the motion, and I'm super grateful for the money that you put in. It's time for the town to start investing, and I hope we can do even more than this motion proposes tonight."
Next step: Reviewing and approving a realistic plan
In a few week, the council will hear the consultant, Sites Southwest, plans for the Preserve and the cost. Past plans presented have been grandiose. Portions have been in violation of conservation easement requirements.
Vice Mayor Barrett set the tone for that discussion: “We don't want a super expensive plan that's expensive because it involves lots of paving, additional trails, and other things that aren't consistent with the conservation easement.”
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