Natural Resource Parks & Preserves

The 4,000 acre Cienega Creek Natural Preserve was acquired by Pima County to protect one of the last perennial streams and cottonwood gallery forests in southern Arizona. The preserve supports a wide range of plants and wildlife including several threatened or endangered species. The area is a centerpiece of the County’s Conservation Land System.

McGann & Associates was selected by Pima County to prepare a Management Plan for this important natural resource area. Working with botanists, wildlife specialists, archaeologists, hydrologists, and other professionals the firm conducted detailed studies of the site’s resources. This information was used to develop a Management Plan that is being used to manage and protect the natural resources of the Preserve.

Tortolita Mountain Park is a partially developed natural resources park that will ultimately encompass nearly 70 square miles in Pima and Pinal Counties, Arizona. McGann & Associates has played a key role in the planning and development of this natural resource area.

The firm’s initial involvement in the project was the preparation of a Master Plan for the 28 square mile Pima County portion of the park. It has subsequently collaborated with both Pima and Pinal Counties on updates to the master plan as well as on the planning and design of an extensive non-motorized, multiple-use trail system.

The mountain park encompasses the entirety of the Tortolita Mountain Range. It is in close proximity to the communities of Oro Valley and Marana and will provide a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities for the residents and visitors to these communities.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, located near Las Vegas, Nevada, is visited by over one million visitors each year. The area showcases the dramatic visual resources and the unique and diverse biological resources of the Mohave Desert. To accommodate this level of visitation and to provide high quality interpretive and educational programs, the Bureau of Land Management recently constructed a new Visitor Center on the site. McGann & Associates served as landscape architects on the project design team which was lead by Line and Space Architects.​

The new visitor center includes outdoor exhibits with interactive interpretive displays related to the biological, cultural, and geologic resources of the site. Also showcased are water and energy conservation features that contributed to the LEED Certification of the facility.

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