Quail Canyon/Pima Wash
Our earliest human ancestors lived in a Savannah – a grassy, brushy plain with scattered trees, often with mountains on the horizon. A landscape likely imprinted on our psyche. A place like Quail Canyon, one of Tucson's hidden treasures. It isn't actually hidden. Just east of Oracle Road and south Rudasill, this 53 acres of Pima Wash floodplain was made over back in the sixties into a nine hole golf course that closed four years ago. The primal views and big trees are still there. And it's still a diverse riparian habitat where critters find extra food, shelter, and safe migration routes in a harsh desert environment. Maybe not for long. A developer wants a pass on the current zoning of 1.2 houses per acre to squeeze in 120 two-story houses and 7 three-story apartments.
Quail Canyon with Catalina Mts.
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
Quail Canyon with Pusch Peak #4
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
Quail Canyon with Pusch Peak #2
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a desert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
Quail Canyon with Push Peak #3
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
There's an old golf course down there among the big trees, big trees for a dessert that is. Pima is a major wash. Much of the Catalina Mts and foothills funnel their rainwater runoff through here. That supports lots of biology. Someday there could be 1. 2 houses per acre among these trees as the zoning allows, mostly atop the golf course. Or there could be 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings as a developer wants. That would force wildlife using this vital corridor between the uplands and the Rillito River into a slimmer path than they already have.
During the last 10,000 years, Quail Canyon at the edge of Tucson has looked roughly the same. There are a few buildings down there now plus some non-native pines and eucalyptus, and back in '65 the undergrowth and fallen branches were scraped away to make a nine-hole golf course that closed four years ago. But the big mesquite trees still dominate. And wild critters still depend on this riparian woodland for food and shelter, and as part of a safe corridor to pass between the Mts and the Rillito river. Tragically, this narrow floodplain along Pima Wash could change soon in a very big way. A developer wants a pass on the current zoning to build 120 2-story houses and 7 3-story apartment buildings.
