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1,000 acres of Diamond C Ranch protected
By Diana Freshwater/for the Range News
Tucson, AZ - A 1,000-acre pasture on the Diamond C Ranch has been permanently protected with a conservation easement. Funding for the $1.5-million easement comes from the Arizona Military Installation Fund administered by the Arizona Department of Commerce. The property was identified by Fort Huachuca for acquisition of a conservation easement to ensure that lands surrounding the Fort remain undeveloped.
Arizona Land and Water Trust, a nonprofit land and water conservation organization, worked for two years with the Ranch owners, the Jelks Family, to find a way to permanently protect the portion of the Ranch in Cochise County. "The Diamond C Ranch augments a critical landscape connection for wildlife movement between the San Pedro River and the Huachuca Mountains," said Diana Freshwater, Executive Director of Arizona Land and Water Trust, which assisted the Jelks and the State of Arizona with the project.
In addition to protecting Fort Huachuca from encroachment, the 1,000-acre easement abuts the Coronado National Forest to the south, expanding a protected landscape. The easement also supports protection of the San Pedro River by securing two drainages that flow from the north side of the Huachuca Mountains into the Babocomari River, a key tributary to the Upper San Pedro River. The pasture is mapped as one of southern Arizona's few Class A native grasslands, provides habitat for a variety of protected species, and is part of a major north-south route for 350 species of migratory birds between the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.
"We are delighted that the Trust was able to partner with the Jelks Family and the State of Arizona to protect this historic and habitat-rich working ranch in Cochise County," said Freshwater. "The Trust would like to thank the Arizona Military Affairs Commission, Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, the Department of the Army, Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista, the Upper San Pedro Partnership, and the Cochise County Board of Supervisors for their help and support in protecting this valuable property."
About the Diamond C Ranch and the Jelks Family
J. Rukin Jelks, Sr. moved from northeast Arkansas to the Tucson area in 1919 to attend The University of Arizona. Jelks, Sr. received both a bachelors and a master's degree in animal husbandry and became a judge of champion cattle. He then began to develop the quarter horse racing industry on his ranch, the X9 Ranch, near Tucson. In 1972, J. Rukin Jelks, Sr.'s son, J. Rukin Jelks, Jr., began acquiring property in Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties that would become the Diamond C Ranch. A few years later, the Jelks Family started practicing the Holistic Resource Management method in order to preserve the environmental, economic, and social benefits of their Ranch. The family continues to manage the Diamond C Ranch using these principles to this day.
About Arizona Land
and Water Trust
Arizona Land and Water Trust is a nonprofit land and water conservation organization dedicated to protecting southern Arizona's vanishing western landscapes and wildlife habitat by acquiring and managing sensitive lands. In addition to its role as land steward, the Trust also engages in programs that support its mission, including appropriate legislation, public education, and outreach that encourages citizens to support protection of landscapes and ecosystems that are vital to the well-being of all residents, present and future. Founded in 1978 as Arizona Open Land Trust, the organization merged in 2008 with Southeast Arizona Land Trust to continue their shared mission of protecting working landscapes, riparian corridors, wildlife habitat and the vast open spaces cherished by southern Arizonans. For more information, contact the Trust at 520-577-8564 or visit www.alwt.org.
Arizona Land and Water Trust, a nonprofit land and water conservation organization, worked for two years with the Ranch owners, the Jelks Family, to find a way to permanently protect the portion of the Ranch in Cochise County. "The Diamond C Ranch augments a critical landscape connection for wildlife movement between the San Pedro River and the Huachuca Mountains," said Diana Freshwater, Executive Director of Arizona Land and Water Trust, which assisted the Jelks and the State of Arizona with the project.
In addition to protecting Fort Huachuca from encroachment, the 1,000-acre easement abuts the Coronado National Forest to the south, expanding a protected landscape. The easement also supports protection of the San Pedro River by securing two drainages that flow from the north side of the Huachuca Mountains into the Babocomari River, a key tributary to the Upper San Pedro River. The pasture is mapped as one of southern Arizona's few Class A native grasslands, provides habitat for a variety of protected species, and is part of a major north-south route for 350 species of migratory birds between the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.
"We are delighted that the Trust was able to partner with the Jelks Family and the State of Arizona to protect this historic and habitat-rich working ranch in Cochise County," said Freshwater. "The Trust would like to thank the Arizona Military Affairs Commission, Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, the Department of the Army, Fort Huachuca, the City of Sierra Vista, the Upper San Pedro Partnership, and the Cochise County Board of Supervisors for their help and support in protecting this valuable property."
About the Diamond C Ranch and the Jelks Family
J. Rukin Jelks, Sr. moved from northeast Arkansas to the Tucson area in 1919 to attend The University of Arizona. Jelks, Sr. received both a bachelors and a master's degree in animal husbandry and became a judge of champion cattle. He then began to develop the quarter horse racing industry on his ranch, the X9 Ranch, near Tucson. In 1972, J. Rukin Jelks, Sr.'s son, J. Rukin Jelks, Jr., began acquiring property in Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties that would become the Diamond C Ranch. A few years later, the Jelks Family started practicing the Holistic Resource Management method in order to preserve the environmental, economic, and social benefits of their Ranch. The family continues to manage the Diamond C Ranch using these principles to this day.
About Arizona Land
and Water Trust
Arizona Land and Water Trust is a nonprofit land and water conservation organization dedicated to protecting southern Arizona's vanishing western landscapes and wildlife habitat by acquiring and managing sensitive lands. In addition to its role as land steward, the Trust also engages in programs that support its mission, including appropriate legislation, public education, and outreach that encourages citizens to support protection of landscapes and ecosystems that are vital to the well-being of all residents, present and future. Founded in 1978 as Arizona Open Land Trust, the organization merged in 2008 with Southeast Arizona Land Trust to continue their shared mission of protecting working landscapes, riparian corridors, wildlife habitat and the vast open spaces cherished by southern Arizonans. For more information, contact the Trust at 520-577-8564 or visit www.alwt.org.
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