640 Acre Inholding:
Hells Canyon Wilderness Area, Arizona

The Wilderness Land Trust’s ongoing effort to complete the wilderness legacy for Arizona envisioned by Representative Mo Udall has taken a major step forward with the acquisition of one of the state's highest priority wilderness inholdings, a 640-acre property within the Hells Canyon Wilderness. Created by Congress in 1990, the 9,900-acre Hells Canyon Wilderness sits 25 northwest of Phoenix near Lake Pleasant. There is only one piece of private property within this small wilderness area: the 640-acre Hells Canyon parcel. The Wilderness Land Trust plans to transfer the property to the Bureau of Land Management as soon as the BLM is able to receive final approval for the purchase. The BLM has sought to purchase the property, which is the largest privately-owned parcel in any Arizona wilderness area, since the early 1990s.

“We appreciate The Wilderness Land Trust’s diligent efforts to acquire the private property within the Hells Canyon Wilderness Area,” said Elaine Zielinski, BLM Arizona State Director. “Funding for BLM’s acquisition of the private property from The Wilderness Land Trust will be derived from revenues generated in a separate BLM public land sale conducted last year in the Goodyear area. Under the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA), BLM is authorized to conduct competitive sales on public land identified for disposal in its land use plans. BLM’s decision to add this private property into public ownership has taken some time, but will be well worth the time and effort to consolidate this scenic and diverse wilderness area for the public’s future enjoyment,” Zielinski said.

Hells Canyon Wilderness Area receives a high volume of day use from Phoenix and is surrounded by encroaching rural residential development. “It is amazing to finally purchase this critical property,” Reid Haughey, President of the Trust said. “We are very pleased the Bureau of Land Management was able to raise funds through its FLTFA program, and we thank all their staff for the perseverance to make this happen.”

The Wilderness Land Trust Inventory and Prioritization of Arizona BLM Wilderness Inholdings, completed in October 2005, ranks this property as the second highest scoring property among all of Arizona’s wilderness inholdings. The property, which had been a ranch and was potentially threatened by development, will be available for hiking and horseback trips once the BLM adds it to public ownership. Visitors will be able to enjoy the Sonoran desert habitat, springs, canyon, and mountain peaks. Visitors willing to look closely may also find remnants of the cattle operations from the early 20th century and prehistoric pictographic art.

The Wilderness Land Trust purchased the property and received a partial donation from a partnership organized by Ben Brooks & Associates, Inc. The partnership purchased the 640 acres three years ago from a family that had owned the property since the 1920’s shortly after it was homesteaded. “This was a great opportunity to work with Ben Brooks & Associates, Inc., whose persistence helped to complete the preservation of this stunning wilderness,” said David Kirk, Senior Land Specialist for the Trust. “I’m glad we have all the details of the transaction completed, and soon people will just be able to enjoy the solitude of the wilderness!”

“It gave us a feeling of great satisfaction to participate in a transaction which contributed a spectacular property to the Hells Canyon Wilderness area. We are excited that this property will soon be available for the entire community to experience and enjoy,” said Michael P. Sawhill, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ben Brooks & Associates, Inc. “Ben Brooks & Associates, Inc. is a comprehensive real estate development, consulting and marketing firm skilled in creating and developing outstanding residential, recreational, resort and investment properties in the Southwest, while being sensitive to preserving the natural environment.”

The Wilderness Land Trust is a publicly supported non-profit organization created in 1992 to address the problem of private land in designated and proposed wilderness areas by purchasing it and conveying it to public ownership. The Trust responds quickly, fairly, and confidentially to wilderness landowners who wish to sell, adding thousands of acres to the treasury of land that belongs to all Americans.

Since 1995, the Trust has protected more than 1,100 acres in 47 different parcels throughout Arizona’s Wilderness Areas, including Mount Tipton, Muggins Mountains, Swansea and Wabayuma Peak. In total the Trust has preserved more than 270 parcels of private land in 69 proposed and designated Wilderness Areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Washington.

< Back to What's New