Southwest Environment Service records

The records contain a comprehensive view of one of the most important environmental advocacy groups in Arizona from 1974 until 1988. The director's monthly reports and correspondence document the interests and direction of the agency, its' position on issues in Arizona, its' relationship to other state and national environmental groups, and to a lesser extent, public reaction to its proposals and activities. The correspondence and testimonies provide insight into the daily communications between SES and public officials and private citizens. As a speaker for concerned citizens, SES provided an alternative viewpoint on the environmental impact and assessment of issues involving land-use planning, water and air quality, and pollution from industrial sources.

The publications of SES in this collection contain a representative sample of the flyers, brochures, and updates prepared and distributed by the staff. Substantial reports, often prepared as a final product of a grant, are present; selected titles include , 1977; , 1977; , 1980; , 1980; and a draft of , 1984.

Three photographs portray Priscillia Robinson at work on the Governor's Water Quality Task Force, at the signing of the Environmental Quality Act of 1986 by Governor Bruce Babbitt, and with fellow activists Dick Kamp and Bob Yuhnke.

The bulk of the records relate to short-term workshops given by SES and in-depth projects of local and state concern, especially advocacy directed at protecting the people and resources of Arizona and the West from air and water pollution by land development and copper smelting. One of their earliest projects concerned the establishment and stewardship of the Catalina State Park, located on the northwestern slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains outside of Tucson. Working with local groups like the Catalina State Park Coalition, county supervisors, legislators, and developers, SES helped secure the lands for the park from the possibility of subdivision and development. After years of negotiations, state budgetary uncertainties, and a series of complicated land exchanges and lease agreements with Pima County and Arizona State Parks the park was finally dedicated on May 25, 1983. Extensive clippings and printed materials highlight the history of the creation of the park.

Together with the Southern Arizona Environmental Council, and funded by a grant from the U.S. Office of Education, SES offered workshops to facilitate discussions and to increase public understanding of the Tortolita Mountain Area and Pima County Planning Department's proposed land-use plan for that over 200 square mile area located northwest of Tucson. These files contain correspondence, reports, and printed materials relative to the planning, contents, and results of meetings held in October 1975 to project the future of a rapidly growing area of a sunbelt city.

In June 1976, SES received a grant from the U.S. Office of Education to conduct a series of public workshops in 1977 on Tucson's water supply. SES contracted to gather demographic information on participants, to evaluate the effectiveness of process-oriented methods used, and to manage a follow-up survey after the workshops were completed. A final report contains survey, description, and analysis of the grant. The used in the meetings is present in the Publications series.

There are several folders on the Sabino Creek issue which required Pima County to bring its' Mt. Lemon Wastewater Treatment Plant into compliance with federal regulations. Represented by David S. Baron of Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, SES initiated a lawsuit to force the county to abide by standards established for the treatment of existing and prospective wastes which were targeted for discharge into the creek. This case was one of several in this collection in which SES and Center for Law in the Public Interest worked together in common cause.

To encourage citizen participation in the planning process for state implementation plans for the federal Clean Air Act, SES, in conjunction with several other interested groups, presented a Clean Air Workshop in 1978. Sponsored by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant, the workshop provided overviews of the existing laws, presentations on selected areas of interest by experts, and meetings of action planning groups. A publication, , is present in the Publication series.

Another significant issue in these records is the water quality legislation which resulted in the landmark Environmental Quality Act, signed into law by Arizona governor Bruce Babbitt in 1986. Ms. Robinson was a contributing member of the Water Quality Task Force, a panel appointed by the governor to resolve conflicting opinions on the bill as it was being drafted. The act, heralded as a model for protecting water resources in the West, appointed agencies to protect surface and ground water supplies, set provisions for enforcing the statutes, established a Superfund to clean up hazardous waste sites, and changed the system of regulating pesticide use in Arizona.

In 1980 and 1981, SES presented another community information program to help citizens examine local flood plain management policies. Consisting of a published sourcebook, five workshops, audiovisual presentations, and other outreach methods, this project raised local awareness of flood and erosion hazards in southern Arizona. A final report to the sponsoring agency, National Science Foundation, provided written and visual summations of the grant. A final draft of Barbara Tellman's are is in the Publication series.

The remainder of the records relate to the most important issues addressed by SES - copper industry in Arizona and Mexico, smelter advocacy, and related air quality and acid rain concerns. SES was actively involved in monitoring the non-ferrous smelter orders (NSOs) for Phelps Dodge's Douglas smelter and Magma Copper Company's San Manuel smelter, and in formulating positions on international agreements to protect environmental elements in the so-called "Grey Triangle" - an area bounded by the Douglas smelter and two large Mexican-owned smelters in Cananea and Nacozari, Sonora.

Of note also are files relating to SES's efforts to force the federal government to bring Phelps Dodge and Magma facilities into compliance with the Clean Air Act. Through petitions, hearings, and lawsuits involving SES, Environmental Defense Fund, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Arizona Department of Health Services, and other agencies, the Douglas smelter was closed, and Magma built a new, cleaner furnace.

The shift from advocacy of land-use planning and water quality to issues of urban and rural air quality and smelter emission control is documented in these records. The use of the legislative and legal process to create and enforce state and federal standards is evident in the Sabino Creek, Environmental Quality Act, and smelter advocacy files. Due to a lack of prospective large projects, a lessening of grant support, and a decision by SES's director to direct her professional attentions to other fields, SES ceased operation on 31 March 1988, thus ending 14 years of responsible leadership and informed commentary of many environmental issues facing Tucson, Arizona, and the West.