Revitalizing El Rio Preserve
Published on December 16, 2024
MARANA-The Town of Marana Parks and Recreation Department is working with the Tucson Audubon Society to revitalize El Rio Preserve by removing invasive plants and reintroducing native vegetation.
The project is being funded by a $155,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM). The Town of Marana was awarded the grant in March 2024 and the project will be funded through January 2027.
The grant is a part of the DFFM’s Healthy Forest initiative.
The Town of Marana has contracted the Tucson Audubon Society to remove invasive species such as buffelgrass, johnsongrass, giant reed and tamarisk trees also known as salt cedar. These species are abundant in the El Rio Preserve and throughout the entire Santa Cruz River Watershed.
The Tucson Audubon Society’s invasive plant removal and treatment team won a competitive bidding process to perform most of the invasive plant removal work.
“Tucson Audubon Society's part in the Borrow Pit to Birding Bliss project touches on all aspects of the organization's mission to inspire people to enjoy and protect birds through recreation, education, conservation, and restoration of the environment upon which we all depend,” said Jay Snowdon, ISA Certified Arborist and Community Forestry Program Manager with the Tucson Audubon Society. “As the contractor in charge of non-native invasive plant removal, this project is one of many patchwork projects stretching from the Preserve to the confluence of the Santa Cruz River, Rillito River, and Cañada de Oro, where Tucson Audubon Society field crews have completed a variety of invasive plant management projects and is part of a much larger landscape-scale effort to manage and restore as much of the incredibly special and unique Sonoran Desert ecosystem that we all call home.”
The Marana Parks and Recreation Natural Resources and Parks Maintenance team will then remove some of the invasive plants closest to El Rio Lake as well as take lead in the revegetation of the preserve.
“The revegetation is going to help bring back a lot of wildlife. It will be good for birds and other native species,” said Natural Resources Supervisor Jason Grodman with the Marana Parks & Recreation Department. “It’s 100 acres so we are really excited to be able to bring back a lot of native species and make this entire preserve a great amenity for the town and a great open space for the natural environment.”
Grodman said the goal is to replace non-native species with drought-tolerant native plants, enhancing the fire resilience of the El Rio Preserve while creating vital habitat for native wildlife.
The project is scheduled to continue through January 2027.
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