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Stakeholders confirm conservation-easement limits at Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve; dirt-bike access not permitted
Summary
At the stakeholder meeting, residents and stakeholders asked planners to fix draft language and stressed the 200‑acre preserve is protected by a conservation easement (held by Archaeology Southwest) that restricts new hard‑surface trails and prevents a dirt‑bike park unless the easement holder permits changes.
During the OV Trails Connect stakeholder meeting, Rosa Daly and other participants urged staff to correct draft wording about the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve and to make clear how the conservation easement limits future trail development.
"The proper way to ... say is that the property is protected by a conservation easement, not that it is overlaid," Rosa Daly said, asking the town to use precise legal terminology. She emphasized that Archaeology Southwest holds the easement and that the easement is "in perpetuity" and filed with the deed, which protects the property from development unless the easement holder agrees.
Why it matters: The easement and three Arizona State Museum site files cited by participants impose archaeological and cultural‑resource constraints. Staff said they will not install trails that the easement holder does not permit and that some disturbed areas (for example an ADA‑compliant path around the preserve pond) may be allowable where the easement permits limited disturbance and archaeological monitoring.
Meeting notes: Rosa stressed draft text should avoid saying the land is "controlled by a land trust" (she said Archaeology Southwest is not a land trust) and recommended language that accurately reflects easement ownership and holder responsibilities. Participants recounted past plan proposals that attempted to add miles of hard‑surface trails in the preserve and were rejected because of those protections.
What staff will do: Planners thanked Rosa for offering to draft corrected language and said they will update the plan to state clearly that no new trails will be added in the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve without easement‑holder approval and appropriate archaeological review.
Next steps: The revised language will be incorporated into the 90% draft before the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board review and the town’s public comment deadline on Jan. 19.
