Conserving biodiversity at Hermosa

That's the goal of a restoration project the Hermosa team are working on with the Tucson Bird Alliance (TBA), and it's the largest TBA has ever taken on.

It's one of two voluntary conservation projects near our Hermosa project. They build on a commitment we've made to design the project from the ground up to avoid, minimise and mitigate its impact, with more than 135 mitigation and protective measures in place to keep local biodiversity resilient.

The pollinator and restoration project

The five-acre site owned by South32, near where two creeks meet and easily accessible to the public, gave TBA room to think big. Planning began two years ago, when Hermosa Biodiversity and Permitting Principal Maggie Blais first approached it about what the land could become.

"When Maggie told us about the goals for the site, it was a really exciting project with a lot of potential, and we knew our skill set was a strong match," said Kari Hackney, Director of Habitat Stewardship at TBA.

“Here we’re able to dream big, dream of different things we could do to manipulate the rainwater, create different habitat zones, and put together a dream project.”

That work is now underway. It will bring back native vegetation like the sacaton grassland and mesquite bosque, restore the natural flow of water across the land, clear out invasive species, and build the kind of habitat that feeds and shelters bees, butterflies, monarchs, hummingbirds, bats and the other pollinators the Sonoran Desert depends on. Walking trails are planned too, that will give residents and visitors a chance to enjoy the renewed biodiversity first-hand.

Restoration activity is expected to continue through 2027, with further habitat enhancements, ongoing invasive species management and interpretive signage planned for the years after.

Upon completion, Hermosa plans to pursue third-party conservation certifications that recognise the project's restoration and habitat management outcomes.

The Paton Centre for Hummingbirds project

The pollinator and restoration project builds on an earlier partnership with the TBA at the Paton Centre for Hummingbirds, a globally recognised conservation and birding destination that attracts approximately 15,000 visitors each year.

The Centre is dedicated to conservation, education, and sustainable living, and serves as a model for pollinator-friendly habitat. Its grounds are now fully planted with native species, supporting 259 bird species and roughly 50 kinds of butterfly.

During construction of a new access route for the Hermosa project, more than 400 sacaton plants were carefully lifted and replanted along Sonoita Creek at the Centre, to support the ecosystem.