SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK – Saguaro National Park is growing by nearly 50 acres.
The Arizona park is split into two different regions—Saguaro West and Saguaro East—with the city of Tucson dividing them. The newly added land will become part of Saguaro West.
“This acquisition not only shields threatened Sonoran Desert habitat but also strengthens the connection between Saguaro NP and Pima County’s 880-acre Sweetwater Preserve,” said the Trust for Public Land, which purchased the land. Sweetwater Preserve is another open landscape filled with hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails.
Two properties were bought, equalling 47 acres in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains. No word on the price tag but it was paid for through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal source of funding that comes from offshore oil and natural gas revenues. Since 1993, the Trust for Public Land has protected more than 2,300 acres in and around Saguaro National Park.
Saguaro is famous for its namesake, the saguaro cactus, which can grow up to 60 feet tall and live for 200 years. It’s also a habitat for desert tortoises, mountain lions, and various bird species.
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