I am just floored that your article “Arizona land
swap dogged by questions” does not mention ANY of the positive
aspects of the proposed Yavapai Ranch land exchange (HCN, 3/1/04:
Arizona land swap dogged by questions).
At present,
116,351 acres of land within the boundary of the Prescott National
Forest exists in checkerboard ownership with the Yavapai Ranch.
Under the current pattern of ownership, mini subdivisions of homes
could occur on every other section of land. This would seriously
fragment this piñon/juniper/grassland ecosystem.
The
land exchange would consolidate this block into entirely national
forest ownership. The benefits of this action would be:
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Land exchange has a bright side, too.
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