Three Canyons sits in a valley at the heart of Arizona’s Sky Islands. Sky Island ecosystems are known for the diversity of their wildlife and plant life, and this valley is no exception. The underlying bedrock holds on to the water and fertile soil that wash down from the Patagonia and Santa Rita Mountains, turning the valley below into lush grassland dotted with oaks. You’ll find a number of different oaks, cottonwoods and willows as well as dryland plants—yucca, prickly pear, and agave, to name a few. And the grasses, bear, sacaton, and grama, among them, grow tall. Hundreds of bird species roost here, including goshawks, vermillion flycatchers, and Montezuma quail.

Having created La Semilla, a community stewardship organization, to manage the land, Three Canyons is increasing the health of the land by replenishing the grasslands. La Semilla and Three Canyons are harvesting water, stabilizing the soil, and reseeding native species. They’re going beyond conservation, and over the next 15 to 20 years, this rich land will become even richer, meeting its highest biotic potential. Native flora and fauna thrive in this new green development, and so does the human spirit. One of the more unusual undertakings at Three Canyons is a beyond organic farm, Sonoita Creek Farms. Good for the land and good for people, the farm supplies the community with homegrown herbs and produce.

As a built place, Three Canyons harmonizes with the natural elements—terrain, wind, sun, water, climate, wildlife, and plant life. Water, normally wasted after everyday activities, is biologically purified and recycled to support more tree plantings and recharge the aquifer. Roads and driveways intersect with land contours, contributing to the water-holding capacity of the soils and redirecting water to roadside infiltration zones where trees can grow. Where trees grow, life flourishes.