Protecting and Stewarding Arizona’s Lands

Hart Prairie Preserve is home to uncommon wildflowers, cool mixed-conifer and aspen forests, a rare grove of Bebb willows, herds of elk and deer, porcupine, badgers, 120 species of birds, and over 280 plant species. The 245-acre preserve was donated to TNC in 1994 by a local family.

Aravaipa Canyon Preserve boasts 9,000 acres owned by The Nature Conservancy since 1971 and managed in conjunction with about 44,000 acres of federal lands. Restoration activities here include prescribed fire and fish monitoring to fortify desert streams, as Aravaipa Creek flows perennially through the full length of the preserve’s scenic canyon.

 The 56,000-acre Muleshoe Ranch CMA was purchased by TNC in 1982 as part of a Cooperative Management Agreement with Bureau of Land Management and Coronado National Forest. Muleshoe Ranch encompasses most of the watershed area for seven permanently flowing streams, and 80% of the region's wildlife species depend upon these streamside communities at some time in their lives—including seven species of native fish.

Purchased by TNC in 2002, the Middle San Pedro River Preserve is an important wildlife corridor linking habitat along the main stem of the San Pedro River for endangered avian species such as the southwestern willow flycatcher and yellow-billed cuckoo.

TNC purchased the 865-acre Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve in 1966, which protects 3 miles of Sonoita Creek in southern Arizona and is open to the public.

The Sonoita Creek watershed supports a variety of ecosystems, including deciduous and juniper forests, semidesert and grasslands and groundwater-fed wetlands called ciénegas, all of which are critical wildlife safe havens. 

In 2024, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve was formally designated by the Old-Growth Forest Network for its intact cottonwood-willow riparian forest.

TNC acquired the 380-acre Ramsey Canyon Preserve in 1974 and has since protected its cool, damp habitats that harbor water-loving plants like sycamore that grow alongside cactus and agave. Amazing southwestern animals such as the ridge-nosed rattlesnake, lesser long-nosed bat, elegant trogon and Rivoli’s and Anna’s hummingbirds can be found here.

Open to the public, the preserve is globally renowned for birdwatching and is famous for its spectacular fall colors.

The San Pedro River is a vital corridor for migratory animals and is home to over 100 species of breeding birds, 84 mammal species, and 41 reptile and amphibian species. Every year since 1998, we've conducted wet-dry mapping of the river’s health at the hottest and driest time of the year to better understand how we can maintain its ecological balance and support its wildlife.

In 2014, TNC and partners built a first-of-its-kind system to funnel stormwater underground to replenish the aquifer and the San Pedro River.

The Verde River is a biodiversity hotspot, hosting 13 native fish species, 94 mammal species and over 200 bird species. Our work with agricultural partners ensures this critical habitat remains healthy and vibrant for those who call it home. 

In 2014, TNC and partners developed the Verde River Exchange Water Offset Program that allows a surface water user to be compensated for using less water in a given year without giving up the rights to that water in following years.

Canelo Hills Ciénega Preserve, owned by TNC and managed by Friends of Canelo, is nestled in a long, low ridge of rounded hills and features a rare ciénega wetland, an evergreen-oak forest and plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.