Las Cienegas National Conservation Area preserves more than 45,000 acres in southeastern Arizona where rolling grasslands, woodlands, oak-studded hills, and riparian habitat meet between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Protected as housing and commercial development pressures grew, it brought the Empire and Cienega ranches and parts of the Rose Tree and Vera Earl ranches under Bureau of Land Management care. Ciénega Creek’s perennial flow and lush corridor support a notably diverse community of plants and animals. The area remains significant both for its wildlife and scenery and for the way its historic ranching landscape and Arizona grassland ecology continue together.