CONSERVATION PROPERTIES REALTY OPENS TO SELL HOME SITES
Three Canyons Is New Green Development East of Patagonia

Sept. 11, 2006 – PATAGONIA, AZ – After two years of research, planning and community collaboration, Conservation Properties Realty is open for business and ready to sell land at Three Canyons, a new green development just northeast of Patagonia, Arizona.

The Three Canyons project is as much about planting oak trees and harvesting water as it is about constructing adobe walls and living rooms. Conservation Properties developers David Parsons and Denny Hubbell envision regenerating this 1,760 acre site to the lush savanna grassland and cienega wetland it was 150 years ago–before the impact of the railroad, woodcutting and overgrazing.

Over the past year, local contractors have been busy laying underground utilities, building roads designed to harvest storm runoff, repairing existing ponds, reseeding native plant species and building brush weirs to slow water flow and increase absorption. Individual home sites have been platted to ensure optimum privacy and minimize environmental impact. The project opens with tours, nature walks, food and live music for brokers, agents and builders on Sept. 30 and for the general public on Oct. 1, 2006.

“We’re ready for the next phase of Three Canyon’s development,” says David Parsons, co-founder of Three Canyons and President of Conservation Properties. “The infrastructure is in place and the individual home sites are now available for purchase. We are looking for homeowners who are interested in Patagonia’s vibrant community and want to share our vision and commitment to the land, the wildlife and environment. We believe the steps we have taken to preserve open space and ensure actual regeneration of the land sets a new standard for green living in the Southwest,” he added. Three Canyons has a total of 198 homes sites.

These new standards include:

• Protecting the land and its wildlife corridors forever. Ninety-five percent of the land at Three Canyons is permanently preserved as open space.
• Creating a land management plan that is designed to replenish the environment through human activity, not despite it.
• Collaborating and investing in the surrounding community through local initiatives, such as an organic farm and providing funds for the community foundation’s endowment.
• Establishing a non-profit Conservation Stewardship Organization, La Semilla, to oversee land restoration and preservation and providing funding through a transfer fee each time a lot or home in Three Canyons is sold.
• Investing $3 million in the Three Canyons Water Improvement District, the first of its kind in Santa Cruz County – unlike many rural “ranchette” developments where each home site has its own well with no oversight.

“Particularly in the arid West, responsible use of water is essential for the survival of the ecosystem,” Hubbell said. “That’s why we researched and developed a responsible water use plan that includes water harvesting and reclamation.” The Three Canyons Water Improvement District is an integrated water system that anticipates an annual usage of 44.5 acre feet per year. This is lower than the permitted consumption for a single unregulated well which can use up to 48.3 acre feet per year. This efficiency is possible by the development of an integrated water supply and storage system that has distinct advantages over traditional, individual domestic wells, he said.

To ensure that prospective buyers understand the vision and benefits of living at Three Canyon, Conservation Properties created an in-house, full service realty office, Conservation Properties Realty, staffed with agents who are as versed in the environment as they are in real estate. “The goal is to provide our clients with knowledgeable, experienced agents who understand the vision and are well informed about the local community, its history and remarkable ecology,” says Gary Retherford, General Manager of Conservation Properties Reality. “We want to fully define the unique character and benefits of rural life at Three Canyons and the community of Patagonia for our future residents,” he said.

A Patagonia resident, Retherford and his wife also own La Frontera Guest Rooms. He worked for 20 years as a marketing manager in ocean transportation. He had a global client base and cultivated relationships with industry professionals throughout the inland and ocean shipping communities. Retherford also is an accomplished sculptor and commercial photographer who has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and media from the Art Institute of Chicago. He said his artistic eye helped him see how conventional development would drastically impact this sensitive environment and appreciate the ecological care that’s part of the Three Canyons development.

Conservation Properties Realty’s office manager is Linda Meek, a bi-lingual Santa Cruz native who has five years of experience in retail management.

The Three Canyon developers have deep connections to the land. Originally from Zimbabwe, South Africa, David Parsons is a second-generation rancher who believes that when people honor the earth’s natural cycles, the potential of almost any land can be achieved. His father was one of the pioneers of rotational grazing. Hubbell is a sixth-generation New Mexican whose ancestors founded the historic Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. The two met while working for the Heritage Ranch Group, a leading ranch preservation subdivision in New Mexico. They selected naturalist Jeffrey Cooper to head the non-profit stewardship organization that is integral to Three Canyons. A longtime Patagonia resident, Cooper worked with The Nature Conservancy in Arizona for 13 years at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, the Muleshoe Ranch in Willcox and Hassayampa Preserve in Wickenberg.

The office is located at 307 McKeown Avenue in the center of Patagonia. Conservation Properties Realty is open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information about Three Canyons, visit www.threecanyons.com or contact Gary Retherford or Jane Bowling at 520-394-2030.

Conservation Properties, Inc.
Conservation Properties identifies and regenerates ecologically vital land in beautiful settings and protects it forever. The company develops areas large enough, and with enough biodiversity, to be of significant conservation value.

ADDITIONAL MEDIA INFORMATION
For a complete media kit, photos, interviews or to schedule a site tour, contact Paula Schaper at WestWordVision: 888 394-2575 or paula@westwordvision.com.

Photos available upon request. View the complete Three Canyon press kit.

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