Help Save One of our "Last Great Places"

The San Pedro River is the last free flowing river in south central Arizona and it's in big trouble. Ground water is being pumped from the aquifer beneath the San Pedro to supply the Army's bedroom community, Sierra Vista. The Army has been held responsible by a federal judge for the fate of endangered species that rely on the river but a move is afoot in the Congress to exempt the Army from this responsibility. Please ask your senators to reject any such move and save the last free flowing river in southern Arizona.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Oppose Ft. Huachuca amendment to Supplemental Interior Appropriations bill

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing today to ask you to reject any effort to amend the Supplemental Interior Appropriations bill that exempts Ft. Huachuca from responsibility for ground water pumping that is killing the San Pedro River in Arizona. Such an exemption is contained in the version of the Supplemental Interior Appropriations bill approved by the House (HR 4546).

The San Pedro River is the last free flowing river in south central Arizona. Ground water is being pumped from the aquifer beneath the San Pedro River to supply the sprawling community of Sierra Vista, an extension of the Ft. Huachuca army base. The pumping is drawing down the ground water table, causing the river to disappear into the desert. The Ft. Huachuca army base is actively engaged in an effort give away federal military land to the town of Sierra Vista, which will fuel its growth and water appetite. The Fort is also expanding its operations in ways that result in additional population growth in the region. While the river disappears into the desert, golf courses are irrigated daily for area residents.

An exemption saying the Army is not responsible for ground water pumping done off base by Sierra Vista was added to the House version of the bill even though no one disputes that Ft. Huachuca's operations directly result in an overdraft of the ground water supply. The Army is engaged in efforts to address the environmental threats created by the ground water pumping and should be allowed to proceed with these efforts.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
May 31, 2002

Background Information

The San Pedro, and the habitat it nurtures, is an oasis in the desert. Flowing north from Mexico into the Gila River in southeast Arizona, the San Pedro is home to one of the Earth's the most biologically diverse and important ecosystems. It supports 400 species of birds (nearly half of the U.S. total), 100 species of butterflies, 83 species of mammals, and 47 species of amphibians and reptiles. It has the second highest diversity of land-mammals in the world. Millions of migratory birds traveling from their wintering grounds in South and Central America to their northern breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada depend on the Southwest's one surviving reliable passage, the San Pedro. It was designated the first "globally important bird area" by the American Bird Conservancy and one of the northern hemisphere's eight "last great places" by The Nature Conservancy.

Yet all this is jeopardized by the Army's activities and a proposed amendment to the Supplemental Interior Appropriations bill. The Army is encouraging growth at its Fort Huachuca and in nearby Sierra Vista, increasing demands on ground water in the area - ground water that also supplies the San Pedro River. Because of unsustainable sprawl and agribusiness, base flows in the river have declined 67% since the 1940s and will eventually disappear if aggressive water conservation actions are not taken soon. The continuous expansion in the Fort Huachuca / Sierra Vista area is the single biggest contributor to the deadly overdraft of the river.

In 1988, Congress recognized the unparalleled value of the San Pedro, designating 45 miles of it as the nation's first Riparian National Conservation Area. Congress has also recognized a growing number of threatened and endangered species dependent upon the river, including the Southwest Willow Flycatcher and the Huachuca Water Umbel, a semi-aquatic plant. And, thanks to Earthjustice, the Army is under court orders to study the problems caused in the river by excessive water use at the Fort (read about our success at: http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=354). Now, Congress is endangering that same river and those same species by considering the Army exempt from any responsibility for water demands not supplying the Fort, even though that water supplies the Fort's bedroom community of Sierra Vista. An amendment codifying that exemption passed the House attached to the Supplemental Interior Appropriations bill (HR 4546). Now, the Senate is looking at a similar amendment to its version of the bill.