The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tucson Field Office is developing a new Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) in southeastern Arizona.  The planning area includes the entire conservation area, an expanse covering nearly 57,000 acres (approximately 90 square miles).  The area was given formal protection in 1988 when it was designated by the United States Congress as the nation’s first Riparian National Conservation Area.  It is now a key component of BLM’s National Conservation Lands, a system of conserved public lands spanning 30 million acres nationwide. The RMP will guide management of the SPRNCA for the next 15 to 20 years. As the comprehensive guiding document for all management activities within the conservation area, the RMP is a crucial component of BLM’s land stewardship program. This ePlanning site is the clearinghouse for all SPRNCA RMP reference materials, documents, meeting information and project updates.

The SPRNCA was created to “conserve, protect and enhance the riparian area and the aquatic, wildlife, archaeological, paleontological, scientific, cultural, educational, and recreational resources of the conservation area.” It is now part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System or National Conservation Lands. The San Pedro RNCA is located in Cochise County, with 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River flowing north from the U.S.-Mexico border near Palominas to St. David near Benson. Management has been guided by the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Plan since it was approved in 1989, as well as the Safford District Resource Management Plan.
  
Planning Area

The planning area encompasses all public lands within the SPRNCA.

An important riparian area, the San Pedro River flows through the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts. This ribbon of green, composed of riparian habitat and surrounding grasslands, provides an important migratory bird corridor.  More than100 species of breeding birds and 250 species of migrant and wintering birds depend on this invaluable habitat. The San Pedro RNCA was formally designated as the nation’s first Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy in 1995 and Arizona Audubon reaffirmed that designation in 2013.

The river’s stretch is also home to 84 species of mammals, 14 species of fish, and 41 species of reptiles and amphibians.  This diversity of wildlife presents an incredible watchable wildlife viewing area.

The San Pedro River nourishes this ribbon of life in the RNCA. Numerous threats to the health of the river include urban development, drought, and contaminants from upstream in Mexico. The National Riparian Service Team concluded in their 2012 report that “Pumping of groundwater that serves as the lifeblood for the San Pedro River and its tributaries poses significant threats to its long-term function and sustainability.”