In this issue…

_Howdy
Local news and events
_{Land News}
Under Fire
Supervising El Lobo
Rural vs. Industrial
_{Builder News}
Opt-out Updates
Building with “Living Concrete”
Local Videos
_{Builder Inspo}
Farm to Tables
_{Ground Party Pulse}
Douglas’ Art Car World

Howdy, from the editor

Welcome to another edition of the Ground Party Papers.

We’ve got a nice local news update to start things off with. The Cochise College women’s rodeo team just clinched the Grand Canyon Region Championship for the second year in a row, securing their spot at the national college rodeo finals next month. Coach Lynn Smith’s squad went hard up in Prescott the first weekend of May, and six local cowgirls are headed to Casper for the College National Finals Rodeo.

Meanwhile, a bit of local drama is coming to a head in Ramsey Canyon. The historic Ramsey Canyon Inn is in hot water with county officials over alleged zoning and permit violations. The Cochise County Attorney filed an injunction in April to halt activities like hosting big weddings, using an extra house for staff housing, and overflowing guest parking onto a nearby lot without permits after neighbors complained about the noise, traffic, and fire risks. The Inn’s owners have pushed back and are trying to get the case thrown out.

That’s just how it goes sometimes — but hopefully these neighbors can make amends eventually.

Also — two paid supporters of the Papers have reached out about some local events. Always feel free to let me know if there’s a happening you want me to share with readers.

And a message to subscriber Daniel K.: you’ve won a king snake hat. Congrats, and thanks for filling out the survey! Check your iCloud email inbox tomorrow and we’ll figure out how to get you the loot.

Under fire

It’s only May, and wildfire season is already rearing its head. The Stronghold Fire at the Dragoon Mountains and Ironwood Road ignited April 28 and scorched about 2,100 acres before firefighters contained it last week. At its height, some rural residents south of Ironwood Rd. had to evacuate under “GO” orders, but thanks to hard work from local firefighters and some backup from Tucson, the fire has been fully contained and all evacuation orders have been lifted. Only one outbuilding was destroyed by the blaze.

Over by Bisbee, the Mason Fire gave folks a scare on May 1 — it was small, roughly 9 acres, but flared up fast near Old Bisbee, prompting a brief “SET” (get ready) evacuation alert for Tombstone Canyon. Fortunately, crews contained that blaze by nightfall with no damage to homes.

These early fires are a sharp reminder to clear brush, have an evacuation plan, and stay alert. Check this back edition of the Papers for some tips on how to landscape your property for fire protection: click here.

And folks over in Los Angeles are considering rebuilding their homes with superadobe after the recent wildfire that destroyed wide swaths of residential areas. Cheap, fire resistant, energy efficient — what’s not to love about earthen building?

Supervising El Lobo

I’ve been writing about our native Gray Wolves this year, and now, the county is looking into the issue. At a May 8 work session (watch recording), county supervisors heard ranchers testify that the growing wolf population — now nearly 300 in Arizona/New Mexico — is preying on cattle and hurting their bottom lines. Mike Wear, who runs a ranch south of Willcox, said he’s lost a couple cows and spends a lot more time checking his herd for wolf kills. He and others want the feds to possibly down-list the wolves’ Endangered Species status or give more leeway to protect livestock.

Conservationists at the meeting had a different take. They reminded everyone that wolves lived here long before we did — until they were wiped out 70+ years ago — and belong on the landscape. They also noted two wolves have been hanging around the Dragoon/Willcox area since 2022 without issues until recently, and that ranchers can already put down a wolf caught in the act of attacking animals under current rules.

It’s a thorny issue, and the county is giving the public a voice at a town hall this Tuesday, May 13 at 5:30 PM in Bisbee. If you’ve got opinions on el lobo, that meeting’s the place to be.

Rural vs. Industrial

We’ve been keeping up with the long-promised new commercial Port of Entry 4.5 miles west of Douglas near James Ranch Road. The planned connector road linking it to Highway 80 just cleared its environmental review and ADOT plans to start building it in 2026 — initially one lane each way instead of a full four-lane highway due to funding limits — and hopes to finish by 2028 when the port is set to open.

But not all the development news is being celebrated — a private outfit called Ardent Arizona LLC owns about 368 acres next to the planned port and has applied to rezone it from rural to industrial so it can be developed into an industrial storage park for the semis coming through the port.

Nearby residents have raised concerns about traffic, noise, and pollution. One resident said she’s not thrilled about having a bunch of warehouses 40 feet from her property, but said the plans to develop on the other side of James Ranch Rd., where there’s less residential development to be impacted, is fine.

The company pitches the development as a future job engine and even notes the site is in an Opportunity Zone — meaning tax breaks. The county will be reviewing the zoning change request and taking public comments. We’ll keep you posted, but expect a classic showdown between economic development and neighborhood interests.

Opt-Out Updates

I got word from a county official that they’ll be scheduling an item for the supervisors to declare October as Cochise County Opt-Out Month. That’s thanks to all of you and your neighbors on facebook who overwhelmingly voted for that month. I’ll keep you updated.

And county officials will also be giving a presentation on the idea to update SR-174 zoning so that it has more of the perks of RU-4 zoning. I’m told some folks aren’t keen on the idea of creating a whole new zoning class called OB-4 (Owner Builder 4 acres or more) which is optimized for opt-out builders, but I’ll keep pushing for it and, of course, will keep y’all updated.

Building with “Living Concrete”

Concrete and lumber, make way for mushrooms and microbes. Cutting-edge research is showing that tomorrow’s buildings might literally be grown from living materials. In late April, scientists unveiled a new “living concrete” made from fungal mycelium and bacteria. Essentially, they grew a tough web of mycelium — the thread-like root structure of mushrooms — and then introduced a soil bacteria (Sporosarcina pasteurii) which turns the mycelium into a strong carbonate which is load-bearing.

Across the Atlantic, researchers have used that same bacteria to turn urea — yes, the stuff in urine — and calcium into a carbonate building material as well. One wonders what can’t be turned into building materials at this point?

Local Videos

What have our local youtubers been up to recently? They’re talking about do’s and dont’s, taking breaks, money-saving site plans, and finding affordable parcels. See for yourself.

Builder Inspo

Can we turn agricultural plants into furniture? Mexican designer Fernando Laposse says Yup.

Laposse has dedicated himself to transforming cheap, discarded natural materials into fancy home decor design. Source materials include the husks of local heirloom maize that comes in a rainbow of natural colors — deep purple, red, yellow, cream — which he inlays as patterns on furniture.

Another Laposse innovation is his “avocado leather.” He developed a process to press and treat avocado skins into a glossy brown sheet that looks and feels like leather. The result has been used as marquetry (decorative inlay) on furniture and accessories. He also uses the fibers from agave to make decorative tassels for his pieces.

We’ve got lots of corn growing here in Cochise County. And maybe there are some yet undiscovered applications of recycling agricultural leftovers into furniture.

I’ve got a little something extra for our paid subscribers today. I recently went to a wedding in Douglas at the Art Car World museum and got to see what was inside for the first time. I had no idea how many vehicles were in there and how wildly elaborate they are. And I snapped a few photos for the curious.

(For the next Pulse feature, I might share some photos of my favorite homes and buildings in Douglas. There are some unique ones!)

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And…

Thanks for reading!