I have been a resident of the Rincon Valley for over 4 years and during that time the changes have been fast and furious - in no small part due to the continued build-out of the Rocking K.

At this point it seems obvious that the right question to ask is when and where more development will be attempted, not so much if more development will be attempted.

To me it also seems obvious that when we use land to add homes, people and businesses to an area we should also add opportunities for them to hike, hunt, bike and enjoy open, natural, spaces.

The Rincon Valley Conservancy's letter is very convincing and worth reading. But to some extent it is included here for Pima County's informative response, also worth reading, and in particular this rather important (harsh, sad) reminder about Arizona State Trust Land:

There is no process that allows an entity to acquire ASTL for conservation purposes, or any other purpose, outside of an auction process. ASLD chooses when to sell land for private development and the sale is by public auction. Through the public auction process, the County is unlikely to be the successful bidder since the ASLD chooses to sell land when a developer is interested in acquiring it, which forces Pima County to compete with private developers.

Source: Memoranda and Correspondence to the Board of Supervisors | Pima County, AZ - this understated page often has very interesting details concerning land and conservation in Pima County. Even if you have already seen a particular issue on social media or in the news there is a chance this page has a document with more detail/background/information.

It seemed like an endless summer straight into a late winter, nothing in-between. I can't actually be sure if 'we' didn't really have a fall season, or maybe it was just me? It was an unusual year - I spent the imagined fall looking looking for a new job, my 23 year career at the Summit Hut in Tucson ended, suddenly, with the business closing. Looking back it is mostly a hectic blur in my mind, more devoted artists might have charted the process with images, I didn't. In December a plan for 2026 emerged and the changing leaves caught my eye - I picked up my camera again. I'm glad I did - looking forward to new adventures in 2026.

Road Trip - Reno to Tucson, by truck + an overnight ride on the California Zephyr. I'm a fan, a super-fan maybe, of road trips in the American West so you might expect a trip report and helpful links, but for this post I'm just leaving a wall of photos. As I spend more time in nature, on protected lands, in open space, it is becoming less important 'where' and more important just to be outside.

Blooms from 2025 and 2024 from a beautiful desert survivor...