Empire-Fagan Coalition December Newsletter
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to everyone!

1. Meeting Update: What was I thinking? An annual meeting and elections during the holidays? EFC’s annual meeting and officer elections will be in February 2011. Further details forthcoming!

2. Organization fundraising and donation request. The exciting news is that we made it through the past year with a budget of less than $3000.00. EFC was involved in multiple outreach events, partnerships with like-minded organizations, continued wildlife tracking, and continued dialog with various governmental organizations involved with the Henderson Quarry (now renamed the “Lamb Wentworth Pit”), the proposed Cal-Portland operation straddling Davidson Canyon east of Old Sonoita Highway and the proposed Charles Seel project further east of that project in the Empire Mountains. EFC has also kept its finger on the pulse of possible cumulative impacts on Davidson Canyon associated with the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine.

Please consider keeping this organization sustainable throughout 2011 by making a donation in someone’s name as a Christmas gift or just making a small donation. Every donation is appreciated, no matter how small.

Our mailing address is:

Empire-Fagan Coalition

PO Box 812

Vail, AZ

85641

3. Charitable Holiday Giving in the Empire-Fagan Valley! My sources tell me the shelves are bare at the Littletown Food Bank. This Food Bank serves the Empire-Fagan Valley.

Ways to help the less fortunate members of our community over the holidays:

Items for distribution to the Food Bank: Canned goods, cooking oil, pasta, dried packaged dinners, sugar, flour, spices, diapers, blankets, unused toiletries (travel size, hotel/motel etc.)

 

Toys for Empire-Fagan Valley schoolchildren who would otherwise go without. Ages kindergarten to eighth grade, boys and girls, unwrapped.

All items can be dropped at either Corona de Tucson Fire Station any time of day or night and items will be distributed appropriately.

Station 181: 99 Tallahassee Station Phone (520) 762-5007

Station 182: 17411 S Rustling Leaf Trail

4. Information regarding the former Henderson Quarry aka Lamb Wentworth Pit south of the Sahuarita/Wentworth intersection will be available at the February 2011 meeting. An invitation to speak will be sent to Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, the Arizona State Mine Inspector’s Office and Lamb Rock and we hope to see representatives from all in attendance.

5. Upcoming Events and Information for the Area

• Saturday, December 18^th 2010 SSSR Adopt a Highway Clean-Up: Please plan to meet at the overlook on SR 83 near MP 44 at 9am on Saturday to get instructions and sign the volunteer sheet…..vests, bags and treats provided.

   

  If you plan to help out on Saturday, please RSVP to Quentin Lewton by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or calling 520-604-6288 (cell) or 520-455-5845 (home).

• Tracking in the Davidson: Charlotte is working on upcoming dates for Dec/January. Please contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to take a hike with EFC’s volunteer trackers.

• State of the Watershed: CWP, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other partners, is holding a series of meetings in December with four technical teams that work within the watershed: upland, riparian, landscape, and heritage teams. For more information on the CWP please visit www.cienega.org

• FROGS! The CWP has a 3-year grant for frog conservation. This project seeks to identify populations, breed native populations, and eliminate invaders. Details may be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/frogspotsprogram/

• Community Interpretative Signage Task Force-Vail Preservation Society is currently developing a task force to craft a template for the first of many community interpretive signs, the first set sponsored by Southwest Transmission Cooperative in New Tucson within the Empire-Fagan Valley. To be a part of this diverse group, please submit a letter of interest to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Installation of the first set of interpretive signage is planned for June or July of 2011.

• SOLAR: As an Arizona home or business owner, you can take advantage of our state's abundant sunshine, today’s advanced solar technology and incentives and rebates to save on the purchase and installation of a new solar system. Arizona Goes Solar is a collaborative effort led by the Arizona Corporation Commission and implemented by the electric utilities in Arizona. http://www.arizonagoessolar.org/Home.aspx

6. EFC News!

• Elizabeth was one of the five new appointments or re-appointments announced by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to Arizona’s 15 citizen-based Resource Advisory Councils (RACs), which advise the Bureau of Land Management on public land issues. The RACs are composed of members with diverse interests and backgrounds. http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/newsroom/2010/november/new-rac.html

• Empire-Fagan Coalition has joined the Cienega Watershed Partnership with a new membership. For more information on the CWP please visit www.cienega.org

• EFC is working to complete its paperwork after being accepted for membership into the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection. To schedule a presentation on Pima County’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan from 10 minutes to an hour or more-please visit http://www.sonorandesert.org/

• Updates on the Army Corps of Engineers permitting process:

  At this time there are no new updates for the Army Corps of Engineers permitting process for Cal Portlandand no new updates on the proposed Seel limestone mine on a 240 acre lease east of the DavidsonCanyon. We will keep you updated as more news becomes available.

   

  Thanks again to all of you and a happy new year!