In what is being called the largest addition to the Coronado National Forest in 20 years, the federal government has acquired almost 700 acres of rolling grasslands and oak trees once proposed for residential development on the north side of the Catalina Mountains.
The property at the southern edge of Oracle represented one of the largest remaining private inholdings within the 1.78 million-acre national forest in the sky islands of Arizona and New Mexico.
The U.S. Forest Service purchased it with the help of several partners, including Pinal County and the Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that brokers deals to preserve conservation-worthy properties.
“This acquisition represents a major win for public access and conservation in Southern Arizona,” said trust project manager Starr Woods. “By protecting this land, we are ensuring that future generations can experience the natural beauty, wildlife, and recreational opportunities that make the Santa Catalina Mountains so special.”
People are also reading…
The roughly $2 million purchase was made with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a 60-year-old federal program that uses royalties from offshore oil and natural gas production to pay for preservation work.
As a result of the acquisition, the public will continue to have access to the northern end of National Forest System Road 736, also known as Charouleau Gap Road or simply “the gap” to off-road vehicle enthusiasts skilled enough to navigate the rugged, 18-mile backcountry 4x4 trail.
The trust bought the land from its private owner in April and sold it to the Forest Service for the same price in a transaction completed on July 1, said Michael Patrick, senior project manager for the conservation group.
The deal has been in the works for about three years, he said.
In the early 2000s, plans for the 695 acres included as many as 260 homes and the construction of a new road to the property from Arizona Highway 77, Patrick said. “Then the market crashed, and those plans – like a lot of plans around the state – were shelved, thankfully.”
When the property was put up for sale in 2022, the trust negotiated with the seller as part of its mission to expand access to nature and protect important landscapes across the country. The organization has now completed 81 projects covering more than 300,000 acres across Arizona, including the roughly 2,300 acres it has secured in and around Saguaro National Park in Tucson since 1993.
The snow-covered Catalina Mountains as seen from Charouleau Gap Road, just south of Oracle, in a photo from February of 2023.
By the trust’s calculations, the Charouleau Gap acquisition will increase public access to roughly 12,000 acres of forest land between Oracle and SaddleBrooke for hunting, birding, hiking and other activities.
The purchase drew a wide range of support from outdoor and environmental groups, as well as from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Pinal County, Gov. Katie Hobbs and Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.
In a photo from February 2023, snow blankets once-private land in the Catalina Mountains that was recently purchased and added to Coronado National Forest just south of Oracle.
“Arizonans deserve access to the outdoors, and this project helps ensure that more people can explore, recreate and connect with nature in the Santa Catalina Mountains,” said Gallego. “By securing access to key routes and preserving this landscape, we’re creating more opportunities for outdoor recreation while protecting the natural spaces that make Arizona special. This is a great example of how we can expand access and invest in our public lands at the same time.”
