Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Role Playing Exercise (in class 14 September 2004)
Background:
 In 1998 the Pima County Board of Supervisors initiated discussions on land use planning and
conservation.
 Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan takes advantage of Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act
(refer to act at: http://endangered.fws.gov/esa.html), which allows the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service to provide regulatory relief from prohibitions of the Act if a local government creates a
habitat conservation plan (HCP) designed to protect endangered species.
 Endangered Species Program (with lots of great links; http://endangered.fws.gov/)
 Habitat Conservation Planning (http://endangered.fws.gov/hcp/index.html)




Strength of Plan is seen to be the use of science-based principles in conservation planning
The area the Plan covers is 5.9 million acres located in Pima County, Arizona including the
Tucson metropolitan area. Also includes two major eco-regions, the Sky Islands and the Sonoran
Desert.
Integrates goals of cultural and historic preservation and ranch conservation
Elements of the Plan are:
• Critical Habitat and Biological Corridors
• Riparian Restoration
• Mountain Parks
• Historical and Cultural Preservation
• Ranch Conservation
Interest Groups for role-playing exercise: (If not listed here come see Kathy Gerst or Kevin Bonine)
1. Developers
(Ivan Parra-Salazar, Ryan Couch, Nicole Hallmark, Melissa Amarello)
2. Ranchers
(Ta-shana Taylor, Libby Landeen, Luis Loweree, Bob Seaman)
3. Center for Biological Diversity
(James Feldmann, Dan Post, Laura Marshall, John McNeice)
4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Andrea Marafino, Ben Wilder, Ryan McGrath, Megan Chambers)
5. Miners
(David Kennedy, Juan Ivich, Emi Jones, Andrew Allen)
6. Panel to Report Recommendations to Pima Co. / Pima County Board of Supervisors
(Ed Vasquez, Allison Ebner, Drew Kurtzman, Matt Kluvo)
You will have up to 8 minutes to present your point of view and argue for or against the SDCP. The
panel and other audience members can then ask you questions for 3 minutes. At the end the panel will
have a chance to ask a few more questions and then present their preliminary recommendations.
Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Written Assignment (a paragraph for each of the five questions is sufficient, please be concise but use
complete sentences and appropriate English. Due 21 Sept. in lecture)
1. Which interest group, if any, “won the debate”? Why? Which interest group fared poorly in your
eyes? Why?
2. What information was missing that you think the Advisory Panel would need to make a reasonable
recommendation to the citizens and government of Pima County?
3. What information would your specific group like to have had in order to make your case and represent
your point of view?
4. How is the ESA relevant (both positively and negatively) to the SDCP?
5. Please comment on the efficacy of this role-playing exercise.
References:
SDCP Home: http://www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp/index.html
SDCP article: http://endangered.fws.gov/esb/2002/03-06/toc.html
Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection: http://www.sonorandesert.org
Mining Interests:
http://home.att.net/~desert-gold-diggers/politics/sdcp.htm
Center for Biological Diversity:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/
Ranching Interests:
http://www.cowboysandcattlecountry.0catch.com/
Opinion Articles:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/projects/who_runs_tucson/environment_campbell.html
http://www.sahba.org/regaffairs53.htm
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/currents/Content?oid=oid:43917
http://sonya.espora.org/tiki-print_article.php?articleId=9
http://www.explorernews.com/articles/2004/05/12/northwest_-_pima_county/northwest03.txt
http://www.fguardians.org/news/n010218.html
Criticism and Concern of Developers (as represented by Southern Arizona Home Builders
Association):
“Artificially higher home prices and a falling supply of affordable land combine to shutout many lowincome buyers. Then, what happens to minorities when you throw in the$500 million Sonoran Desert
Conservation Plan? Because of the efforts of a small number of environmental activists, the County Board
of Supervisors is restricting land for a large number of people. Proportionally, the political agenda of the
environmentalists and the County will hurt minority families in our community the most.”(Southern
Arizona Home Builders Assoc., September 2001, Affordable Housing a Nightmare for Tucson’s
Minorities, by Alan Lurie)


Citizens and stakeholders have not been allowed to have meaningful input.
The cost to taxpayers is unbelievable.
Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Rancher Concerns:
 Grazing allotments will be decreased, as will number of cattle allowed to graze.
 Tempts ranchers to sell privately-held land to developers.
 Unnecessary land grabs by the government are an attempt to eliminate grazing on public lands.
 We should get to do what we want on our own land?
 Historical and cultural importance of this way of life in the West.
Center for Biological Diversity Concerns:
 Developers can get around conservation plan by taking advantage of the fact that this is a Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) which initiates long-term habitat conservation for endangered species
while allowing other activities (development, ranching) on the land
 80% of Pygmy Owl land must be preserved by development, but rest can be destroyed
 Sonoran desert is a fragile ecosystem with many other sensitive species that will be impacted by
urban sprawl.
 Lots of important habitat for Sonoran Desert species, including many listed with ESA
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Interests:
 To establish conservation plans and habitat needs for the 26 endangered and threatened species in
Pima County.
 Uphold Endangered Species Act and other federal regulations.
Mining concerns:
 There are many small mining claim holders in the region covered by the Plan and their concerns
and rights are not being addressed
 Mining products are important to local economy and sustained industrial production throughout
the world.
 Mining has an important historical and cultural role in the area.
Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Threatened and Endangered Species in Pima County:
Acuna Cactus (Candidate)
Aplomado Falcon (Endangered)
Bald Eagle (Endangered)
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Endangered)
Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Proposed Threatened)
Desert Pupfish (Endangered)
Gila Chub (Candidate)
Gila Topminnow (Endangered)
Huachuca Water Umbel (Endangered)
Jaguar (Endangered)
Jaguarundi (Endangered)
Kearney's Blue Star (Endangered)
Lesser Long Nosed Bat (Endangered)
Masked Bobwhite (Quail) (Endangered)
Mexican Gray Wolf (Endangered)
Mexican Spotted Owl (Threatened)
Mountain Plover (Proposed Threatened)
Nichol's Turk's Head Cactus (Endangered)
Northern Aplomado Falcon (Endangered)
Ocelot (Endangered)
Pima Pineapple Cactus (Endangered)
Sonoran Pronghorn (Endangered)
Sonoyta Mud Turtle (Candidate)
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Endangered)
Western Yellow-Billed Cuckoo (Candidate)
Some Keystone Species in Pima County:
Saguaro Cactus
Ironwood
Freemont Cottonwood
Velvet Mesquite
Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Role Playing Exercise (in class 14 September 2004)
Background (see course website for links to more information for this assignment):
 In 1998 the Pima County Board of Supervisors initiated discussions on land use planning.
 Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan takes advantage of Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act
(refer to act at: http://endangered.fws.gov/esa.html), which allows the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service to provide regulatory relief from prohibitions of the Act if a local government creates a
habitat conservation plan (HCP) designed to protect endangered species.
 Strength of Plan is seen to be the use of science-based principles in conservation planning
 The area the Plan covers is 5.9 million acres located in Pima County, Arizona including the
Tucson metropolitan area. Also includes two major eco-regions: Sky Islands and Sonoran Desert.
 Elements of the Plan are:
• Critical Habitat and Biological Corridors
• Riparian Restoration
• Mountain Parks
• Historical and Cultural Preservation
• Ranch Conservation
Interest Groups for role-playing exercise: (If not listed here come see Kathy Gerst or Kevin Bonine)
1. Developers
(Ivan Parra-Salazar, Ryan Couch, Nicole Hallmark, Melissa Amarello)
2. Ranchers
(Ta-shana Taylor, Libby Landeen, Luis Loweree, Bob Seaman)
3. Center for Biological Diversity
(James Feldmann, Dan Post, Laura Marshall, John McNeice)
4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Andrea Marafino, Ben Wilder, Ryan McGrath, Megan Chambers)
5. Miners
(David Kennedy, Juan Ivich, Emi Jones, Andrew Allen)
6. Panel to Report Recommendations to Pima Co. voters/ Pima County Board of Supervisors
(Ed Vasquez, Allison Ebner, Drew Kurtzman, Matt Kluvo)
You will have up to 8 minutes to present your point of view and argue for or against the SDCP. The
panel and other audience members can then ask you questions for 3 minutes. At the end the panel will
have a chance to ask a few more questions and then present their preliminary recommendations.
Written Assignment (a paragraph for each of the five questions is sufficient, please be concise but use
complete sentences and appropriate English. Due 21 Sept. in lecture)
1. Which interest group, if any, “won the debate”? Why? Which interest group fared poorly in your
eyes? Why?
2. What information was missing that you think the Advisory Panel would need to make a reasonable
recommendation to the citizens and government of Pima County?
3. What information would your specific group like to have had in order to make your case and represent
your point of view?
4. How is the ESA relevant (both positively and negatively) to the SDCP?
5. Please comment on the efficacy of this role-playing exercise.
Bonine and Gerst, ECOL406/506 07 September 2004
SDCP_RolePlay_2004.DOC
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Role Playing Exercise (in class 14 September 2004)
Background (see course website for links to more information for this assignment):
 In 1998 the Pima County Board of Supervisors initiated discussions on land use planning.
 Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan takes advantage of Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act
(refer to act at: http://endangered.fws.gov/esa.html), which allows the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service to provide regulatory relief from prohibitions of the Act if a local government creates a
habitat conservation plan (HCP) designed to protect endangered species.
 Strength of Plan is seen to be the use of science-based principles in conservation planning
 The area the Plan covers is 5.9 million acres located in Pima County, Arizona including the
Tucson metropolitan area. Also includes two major eco-regions: Sky Islands and Sonoran Desert.
 Elements of the Plan are:
• Critical Habitat and Biological Corridors
• Riparian Restoration
• Mountain Parks
• Historical and Cultural Preservation
• Ranch Conservation
Interest Groups for role-playing exercise: (If not listed here come see Kathy Gerst or Kevin Bonine)
1. Developers
(Ivan Parra-Salazar, Ryan Couch, Nicole Hallmark, Melissa Amarello)
2. Ranchers
(Ta-shana Taylor, Libby Landeen, Luis Loweree, Bob Seaman)
3. Center for Biological Diversity
(James Feldmann, Dan Post, Laura Marshall, John McNeice)
4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Andrea Marafino, Ben Wilder, Ryan McGrath, Megan Chambers)
5. Miners
(David Kennedy, Juan Ivich, Emi Jones, Andrew Allen)
6. Panel to Report Recommendations to Pima Co. voters/ Pima County Board of Supervisors
(Ed Vasquez, Allison Ebner, Drew Kurtzman, Matt Kluvo)
You will have up to 8 minutes to present your point of view and argue for or against the SDCP. The
panel and other audience members can then ask you questions for 3 minutes. At the end the panel will
have a chance to ask a few more questions and then present their preliminary recommendations.
Written Assignment (a paragraph for each of the five questions is sufficient, please be concise but use
complete sentences and appropriate English. Due 21 Sept. in lecture)
1. Which interest group, if any, “won the debate”? Why? Which interest group fared poorly in your
eyes? Why?
2. What information was missing that you think the Advisory Panel would need to make a reasonable
recommendation to the citizens and government of Pima County?
3. What information would your specific group like to have had in order to make your case and represent
your point of view?
4. How is the ESA relevant (both positively and negatively) to the SDCP?
5. Please comment on the efficacy of this role-playing exercise.