“You made this happen,” said Gayle Mateer, president of Preserve Vistoso. “We stood united as a community to let the Town know that we wanted the Vistoso property to remain open space. We supported the efforts of Mike Ford and The Conservation Fund in the negotiations to purchase the property. And, you generously donated $1.8 million for TCF to secure the purchase.”

We also wish to thank Mike Ford and TCF, and Mayor Winfield, Vice Mayor Barrett, the Town Council members, and the Town Manager and Town Attorney, Mary Jacobs and Jonathan Rothschild, for listening to our voices and working together with the sellers to complete this very complicated transaction. Because of them this beautiful and special property will be preserved in perpetuity for the enjoyment of all of Oro Valley’s residents.

One of the first priorities will be to work with TCF and the Town of Oro Valley to finalize a conservation easement to protect our new nature preserve in perpetuity. Another priority will be cleaning up the property after more than three years of neglect.

“We will work with TCF and the Town to get some basic cleanup work done in the near term to clear the trails and remove hazards to make it a better and safer experience for all of us. Longer term we’ll be working with both TCF and the Town to put together a management and improvement plan for the property, ”Mateer said.

TCF will eventually donate the property to the Town of Oro Valley to add this natural desert treasure to the Town’s portfolio of community parks.

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Please see the TCF News Release and the Town of Oro Valley Announcement for more information.