Southwest Environment Service records, 1975-1988

Southwest Environmental Service (SES) was a non-profit organization working for the protection of the environment, including air quality, water quality, and land planning. It was incorporated on 4 November 1974, and funded by the Wilson Foundation to "help the public share in finding solutions to environmental problems." In 1984, it became a "public charity" and was now eligible to devote 20% of its resources to lobbying.

Through public education, mailings, lobbying, workshops, publications, and legal actions, the SES worked with public and government agencies to maximize its goals of a more desirable environment for Arizona and of citizen input into governmental processes. Major projects in which the SES was involved included the establishment of Catalina State Park (1975-1981), Aviation Corridor Highway (1985), groundwater and wastewater regulations (1976-1983), and smelter advocacy (1979-1987).

SES's first director was David Hoyt. Priscilla Robinson became the second director on 1 April 1975, and continued in that position until the agency closed in March 1988. The records of SES were culled by Ms. Robinson and donated to the University of Arizona Library. Original folder headings were retained in the inventory where possible.

Scope and Content Note

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 Water Workshops Workbook, 1977; Water Resources of the Tortolita Area, 1977; Blue Skies: An Arizonan's Guide to Clean Air, 1980; Flood and Erosion Hazards in Tucson, 1980; and a draft of Chemicals Used in the Mining Process: Their Potential Threats to Ground Water, 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 Water Workshops Workbook 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, Blue Skies, 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 Flood and Erosion Hazards in Tucson 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.

Organization

Restrictions

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Access Terms

Personal Name(s)

Yuhnke, Robert E.

Babbitt, Bruce E.

Baron, David S.

Kamp, Richard

Tellman, Barbara

Corporate Name(s)

Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest

Environmental Defense Fund

Groups Against Smelter Pollution

Magma Copper Company

Phelps Dodge Corporation

Pima County (Ariz.) -- Wastewater Management Dept.

Smelter Crisis Education Project

United States -- Environmental Protection Agency

Geographic Name(s)

Arizona -- Politics and government

Catalina State Park (Ariz.)

Grey Triangle Region (Ariz.-Mexico)

Tortolita Mountains Region (Ariz.)

Subject(s)

Acid rain -- Arizona

Air - Pollution -- Arizona

Copper mines and mining -- Arizona

Environmental policy -- Arizona

Environmental protection -- Arizona -- Citizen participation

Flood control -- Arizona -- Tucson

Land use -- Arizona -- Planning -- Citizen participation

Public interest law -- Arizona

Smelting -- Environmental aspects -- Arizona

Water quality -- Arizona

Water-supply -- Arizona

Genre Form(s)

Correspondence

Minutes

Photographs

Records

Testimonials

Administrative Information

Credit Line

Southwest Environment Service records(MS 269).Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.


Collection Summary
Creator:	Southwest Environmental Service
Collection Name:	Southwest Environment Service records,
Inclusive Dates:	1975-1988
Physical Description:	5.8 linear feet
Abstract:	The records contain a comprehensive view of one of the most important environmental advocacy groups in Arizona from 1974 until 1988.
Collection Number:	MS 269
Repository:	University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections University of Arizona PO Box 210055 Tucson, AZ 85721-0055 Phone: 520-621-6423 Fax: 520-621-9733 URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/


Series I: Director's Reports and Board of Director's Meetings Minutes, 1975-1988
	Contains monthly director's reports outlining the current activities, including workshops planned, hearings attended, and new issues to the Board of Directors; agendas of meetings; and minutes of meetings.

box	folder
1	1	Board of Directors roster. , 1979-1984
1	2-9	Director's reports and Board minutes. , 1975-1987


Series II: Correspondence and Testimonies, 1977-1987
	Contains incoming letters, and photocopies of outgoing office replies, on a wide variety of issues and information requests. The bulk of the correspondence is between government officials and the director and research assistants at SES. Also includes typescripts and drafts of testimony given by the director and staff at public hearings in Tucson, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. Correspondents include Arizona politicians Dennis DeConcini, Morris Udall, Jim Kolbe, and Bruce Babbitt. Additional correspondence is found in the Workshops and Projects series.

box	folder
1	10	Correspondence and testimonies. , 1977-1980
box	folder
2	1-6	Correspondence and testimonies. , 1981-1987


Series III: Publications, 1977-1988
	Contains flyers, newsletters, and grant publications produced by the office relating to public meetings, hearings, legislation, and current activities.

box	folder
3	1-2	Publications. , 1977-1988


Series IV: Photographs, 1986
	One photograph of Priscillia Robinson in a working session with members of the Water Quality Task Force; one of her at the signing of the Environmental Quality Act of 1986, with Governor Babbitt and others; and one of her with Dick Kamp and Bob Yuhnke standing beside an airplane.

box	folder
3	3	Photographs. , 1986