Beginnings
The Tortolita Alliance (TA) was formed in the fall of 2019 in response to a proposal by the Town of Marana (Marana) and Arizona State Land Department to reconfigure and rezone the Tortolita Preserve (TP).
TA started with 5 Dove Mountain residents and quickly grew to over 350 supporters. We attended Planning Commission and Town Council meetings in force and were able to convince Marana that TP is one of its greatest assets and should be conserved. Accordingly, the Make Marana 2040 General Plan was adjusted and TP is protected.
Expansion
The founders of TA agreed that we could not let this happen again and we decided to continue our work as an official group. On January 31, 2020, TA obtained certification as an Arizona Non-Profit Corporation. Click here to see TA By-laws.
Although TA is an Arizona Non-Profit Corporation, TA has not applied for 501(3)(c) status in order to maintain the ability to support political candidates.
We now have 7 Board members with a wide variety of expertise including engineering, science, education, finance, law and communication. A future blog will give you a chance to meet the TA Board and its officers.
TA's Work
TA is actively monitoring activities in Marana and the region regarding issues that affect our Mission. The TA Website/Blog provides communication on critical events, background and education on a variety of topics, meeting notices/minutes, TP & Tortolita Mountain recreation, photography and more.
Here is a good example of TA's work. TA recently forged a partnership with Marana Parks & Recreation, Marana Police Department, Trail Riders of Southern Arizona and the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists to work collaboratively regarding illegal Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) access to TP and vandalism at the Moore Road-South and Mattamy-North trailheads. Stay tuned for more information on this great effort!
Budget
We are happy to volunteer our time for such a great cause. However, there are some expenditures that come with being a Non-Profit. The TA 5-year budget is shown below. The largest expense is insurance. Unfortunately, we live in a litigious society and we need to have liability insurance and protect the organization from potential lawsuits. Total yearly expenses are about $3,000/year. TA Board members have been self-funding expenses to date and soon we will need to undertake some fundraising to help cover these expenditures
TA Membership
Up to now, TA supporters simply subscribed to the TA Website. We currently have 353 subscribers. Effective today, all subscribers will automatically be converted to TA Members. There is no cost to be a TA Member.
If you have previously subscribed and do not want to be a TA Member, please send an email to info@tortolitaalliance.com and we will remove you from the list.
Going forward, the TA Website Subscription page will become the Membership page and anyone new wishing to join will fill out the information on the Membership page and become a TA Member.
Wrap-up
In a very short time, TA has been fairly successful. This could not have been achieved without the fabulous support of all TA Members. We hope you will continue as a TA Member.
There is plenty of work remaining as we advocate for the continued conservancy of the Tortolita Preserve and associated lands, ensuring protection of open space, wildlife habitat, watershed, and compatible recreational use.
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