Yucca at Empire Ranch © 2014 Bo Mackison
The Cienegas National Conservation Area is a unique high desert habitat. It includes five of the rarest habitat types in the American Southwest: cienegas (marshes in an arid land), cottonwood and willow riparian areas, sacaton grasslands, mesquite bosques, and semi-desert grasslands.
Semi Desert Grassland in the Ciengas NCA © 2014 Bo Mackison
The land is in a transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert, and located about 50 miles south of Tucson. It is a mixed use area – conservation work are cattle ranching are done side by side. And yes, it works.
Mesquite Bosque along Empire Ranch Road © 2014 Bo Mackison
45,000 acres of land are now protected from what was once a future of housing developments and other commercial use. The ranchers work the ranch, the conservationists work to reclaim some of the grasslands that transitioned into a mesquite bosque. Hikers, horseback riders, campers all intermingle with the ranchers — not that too many people actually see each other in this spacious land.
Sacaton Grasslands at Empire Ranch © 2014 Bo Mackison
The not for profit Empire Ranch Foundation is dedicated to preserving the historic ranch buildings and surrounding landscape. (Ranch photos coming in next series.)
