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January Meeting Summary
The AZTU-PPC meeting held on January 11, 2024, included a video from Dr. Caroline Nash, a principal with CK Blueshift, LLC, on the planning phase of the Thompson Meadow Restoration Project, a discussion of the strategy session to be held on Saturday, February 24, 2024 from 8:00 am to noon, a Rural Groundwater Working Group update from Tom Osterday, and a mention that Jeff Collins will be heading up the conservation committee on an interim basis.
Legislative Update
The state legislature is in full swing. Trout Unlimited participated in the fourth annual Camo at the Capitol on 1/17/24 that was organized by the Arizona Wildlife Federation. This event brings over a dozen sportsmen conservation organizations to our state capitol to meet with legislators, inform the public, and serve wild game dishes. Unfortunately, in lieu of a detailed recap, I’ve spent my day working on one of the bills, HB2376, that we discussed at the event as, just today, it was assigned to the House, Land Agriculture and Rural Affairs (LARA) and Rules Committees.
This legislation, sponsored by Rep Lupe Diaz and Co-Sponsor Laurin Hendrix, mandates approval by the State Legislature for any land sale to the U.S. Government. Outside of the obvious infringements on private property owners, this bill will have detrimental effects on sportsmen's access to our public lands.
I have two important requests for you.
1. If you are a leader of one of Arizona’s great conservation organizations or a business owner, please take a moment to draft a short personal email from your organization or business to the following LARA Committee members and ask them to vote against HB 2376. If you are an individual who lives in a district represented by any of these members, please do the same:
Representative Lupe Diaz, Chairman and sponsor of the bill, ldiaz@azleg.gov
Representative Michele Peña, Vice-Chairman, mpena@azleg.gov
Representative Michael Carbone, mcarbone@azleg.gov
Representative David L Cook, dcook@azleg.gov
Representative Gail Griffin, ggriffin@azleg.gov
Representative Consuelo Hernandez, chernandez@azleg.gov
Representative Lydia Hernandez, lhernandez@azleg.gov
Representative Mariana Sandoval, msandoval@azleg.gov
Representative Keith Seaman, kseaman@azleg.gov
2. For all of you who signed up on the Request to Speak (RTS) system and log on at azleg.gov, search HB2376, log in, and indicate your opposition to this bill. While this is a simple process that will take no more than five minutes of your time, it can sometimes be confusing on the first go around.
I realize that you all have busy lives and probably not a moment to spare but I also know how much you all value hunting and fishing on our public lands. Taking just a few moments to complete these tasks will have a giant impact on keeping access to our public lands secured for us and the sportsmen and women who follow us. See below for more information and talking points.
Key concerns regarding HB2376:
Opposition to Attacks on Public Lands: We strongly oppose any legislation attacking public lands, as it harms Arizona, private landowners, and the public.
Preservation of Federal Lands: Efforts to claim, take over, litigate, or sell federal public lands in Arizona should be rejected, unless allowed by existing federal statutes.
Lack of State Resources and Ineffective State Management: The State lacks the resources and budget to manage these lands as effectively as federal agencies, jeopardizing landscape-level strategies and emergency response.
Government Expansion: Expanding the responsibilities of the State Legislature as a reviewer and approver of private property transactions seems impractical and ill-advised.
Violations of Private Property Rights: HB2376 lowers land values, restricts potential buyers, and adds unnecessary bureaucracy, hindering private property rights.
Unconstitutional Implications: Potentially unconstitutional, the bill sets a dangerous precedent by allowing the state to dictate private property sales.
Foundation for State Takeover: HB2376 attempts to establish a foundation for the state to take over federal public lands, which is impractical and legally questionable.
National Ownership: Federal lands were set aside for all Americans, and any seizure is unpopular, economically irresponsible, and threatens access for outdoor activities.
Undermining Conservation Efforts: The bill undermines the Land and Water Conservation Fund's success, ignoring bipartisan support and public approval.
Economic Impact Ignored: HB2376 only evaluates the value of land by looking at municipal tax vs the additional economic benefits of public lands like the outdoor economy.
Local Examples of what would be lost if HB2376 passes:
ET Ranch--Safford: Loss of access to 32,000 acres of wilderness for hunting and camping. The 640 acre ET Ranch near Safford was purchased by the BLM in 2017. BLM made road improvements, installed a parking lot, and added signage and that property now provides a gateway of access to approximately 32,000 acres of Santa Theresa and North Santa Theresa Wilderness areas for hunting, hiking and camping. The property was purchased with LWCF funds and the project was completed in partnership with the Southeastern Arizona Sportsman’s Club, National Wild Turkey Federation, Arizona Game & Fish Department and the Trust for Public Lands with support from many other local residents and outdoor recreation non-profits. The total value of the lost revenue from property taxes on the ET Ranch is less than $100/year.
Doll Baby Ranch—Payson: Limits access to the Mazatzal Wilderness and Tonto National Forest. The Doll Baby Ranch was purchased and transferred to the Tonto National Forest in 2019. This purchase provides public access to the Mazatzal Wilderness and Tonto National Forest. There is now a public trailhead and parking lot providing access for hunting and hiking as well as access to Crackerjack Mine Road which is a very popular OHV destination.
Quigley-Achee Wilderness Area—Yuma: Hinders collaborative work in protecting wetlands and wildlife. Quigley Ponds was purchased by the state and is managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department in order to protect wetlands along the Gila River. It provides opportunities for wildlife watching and birding and small game hunting. In this example, HB2702 would get in the way of our own State Lands and AZGF Departments collaborative work.
Cross F Ranch—Aravaipa: Restricts hunting access to 40,000 acres, impacting sportsmen groups. This project opens up 40,000 acres of public lands for hunting access in an area just north of Aravaipa Creek. The project is supported by over 25 sportsmen groups including the Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, Arizona Game and Fish Department and Graham County, and makes strategic use of federal funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Groundwater News in Arizona
Groundwater continues to be a hot topic in Arizona! The Ad-hoc Committee in Arizona continues to promote the message that local control of groundwater in rural communities is critical to their livelihoods. Twenty percent of Arizona's groundwater became managed in 1980 with the "Groundwater Management of 1980". But the other 80% of groundwater in Arizona still has no protection. Landowners can pump as much water as they want, without measurement, reporting or limit. The group working with the Arizona Department of Water Resources is looking to find an executable protocol for managing water outside of the Active Management Areas of Phoenix, Prescott, Pinal County, Tucson, and Santa Cruz which were established by the legislation in 1980. The Douglas AMA was established in 2022. The draft legislation would empower local and rural communities to create Rural Groundwater Management Areas if the groundwater in their rural community became threatened.
Update: The Governor's Water Policy Committee has provided recommendations to the Governor. The key recommendations for Rural Groundwater Management are:
- Allow local communities to take action when the data shows that a basin is being over drafted (more water being taken out than going in)
- In the event that a basin is being over drafted, a Council, made up of local leaders would be formed to ascertain the specific needs of the community and to propose an action plan to address the issues.
- The Arizona Department of Water Resources would provide the science-based data to lead the corrective action.
- The designation of a Rural Groundwater Management Area periodically to determine if the need continued.
You can access the complete Report from the Council at: https://www.azwater.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/GWPC_Report_2024.pdf
The Committee is currently meeting with legislators, educating them on the challenges and advocating for Rural Groundwater Management Areas legislation.
We encourage you to be alert for calls to support the Rural Groundwater Stewardship Areas legislation in the upcoming legislative session!
Upcoming Events
There will be no AZTU-PPC Meeting on Thursday, February 8, 2024, as the AZTU-PPC will hold an in-person Strategic Planning Summit on Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 8:00 am to noon at the Audubon Southwest Offices located at 3131 South Central Avenue, Phoeniz, AZ. Trent Blomberg from the Arizona Department of Water Resources will give the key-note address.
The AZTU-Public Policy Committee (AZTU-PPC) hosts a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 until 8:00 PM. If you are interested, please contact Ron Stearns at PublicPolicyChair@az-tu.org.
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