Preserving Open Space Is Par for the Course in Oro Valley

When the Vistoso Golf Course ceased operations in 2018, it left behind a little over 200 acres of Sonoran Desert teeming with potential. While some parties saw the future of the Vistoso property as filled with more homes and development tracts, many Oro Valley residents envisioned it becoming a nature preserve with trails open to the community. These residents soon organized and rallied around the town’s motto, “It’s in our nature,” to bring their vision to reality.

That’s when The Conservation Fund got involved. We were first contacted by local leader Rosa Dailey in April 2020, who told us about the property and the groundswell of community support to see this open space preserved and not developed.

Along with Rosa, we won the support of local community group Preserve Vistoso, which is a 501(c)(3) with over 1,900 members, as well as the local blogs Take Back Oro Valley and Let Oro Valley Excel (LOVE), which feature issues of importance to a community that values the preservation of Oro Valley’s unique desert landscape. Additionally, we’ve been grateful for the support of town leadership, including Mayor Joe Winfield and Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett. Mayor Winfield took to this project with particular interest as a landscape architect who served with the National Park Service for 32 years, including time with the Conservation Assistance Program.

The Vistoso property already has many features that will be immediately useful in its new life as a recreational space and nature preserve. Just over six miles of wide, uninterrupted concrete paths wind through the native landscape, providing visitors with easy access to stroll, bike, or run and connect with nature. There is also a pond that could be restored as a scenic viewpoint and a place for wildlife and birds. You might even say that future visitors to Vistoso will be trading birdies for majestic Harris’s Hawks, Great Horned Owls and an array of other unique desert avians.

Once the fundraising is complete and the 202-acre former Vistoso Golf Course is officially purchased, The Conservation Fund will protect the property with a conservation easement, which will legally protect this land for conservation indefinitely. After that, the property will be transferred to the Town of Oro Valley, and a qualified land trust will be named as the long-term property steward who will ensure it adheres to the terms of the conservation easement.

We are proud that the 202-acre Vistoso property will join the nearly 1 million acres of land The Conservation Fund has protected across the state of Arizona. The Vistoso project would not have been possible without unwavering local support. While we ran into challenges and roadblocks, our strategic partnership approach was able to bring us to the finish line. Our success in protecting the invaluable cultural, recreational, and environmental benefits of this property forever is thanks to the continued support from the entire community.