120 ACRES IN ARIZONA’S SWANSEA AND WABAYUMA PEAK WILDERNESSES PRESERVED
On September 29, 2006, the Trust purchased and protected 40 acres of land within the Swansea Wilderness Area, located in western Arizona near Lake Havasu City. The property is located at the top of a drainage running to the Bill Williams River on the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert and is an important component of the Buckskin Mountains. The Swansea Wilderness contains six miles of the Bill Williams River, which is a vital riparian corridor for a variety of song birds, raptors, and shorebirds, including bald eagles, Swainson’s hawks, and white-faced ibis. The property contains shrub, chaparral, and pinyon-juniper habitat. The Trust is currently in the process of transferring this property to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its inclusion in the surrounding wilderness, which will allow for the permanent protection of these resources and remove the threat of any private development on the property.
Arizona's Wabayuma Peak
On October 26, 2006, the Trust secured the protection of 80 acres in the Wabayuma Peak Wilderness in western Arizona near Kingman. This property is located just upslope from Willow Creek. Willow Creek is a year-round stream draining the west side of the wilderness area, and its valley provides trail access into the heart of the wilderness. The property is on a slope reaching upward to one of the many ridges extending off Wabayuma Peak. The Wabayuma Peak Wilderness Area is a unique combination of the Sonoran and Mohave Desert ecosystems and contains the northernmost stand of saguaro cactus. Once this property is transferred to the BLM, it will become part of the surrounding wilderness area, allowing for its protection in perpetuity.
This acquisition is part of a larger effort
recently launched by the Trust to protect Arizona’s
designated wilderness by purchasing private land from willing
owners. Arizona has more than 4,000 acres of private land
within the boundaries of its BLM Wilderness Areas. The Trust
is currently working on more than 1,000 acres of projects
in the state.
