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Plans for Arroyo Grande, the proposed development north of Oro Valley, have environmentalists pushing for protection of what they describe as a significant wildlife habitat.

"I hope we can do a really good job to not lose that," said Carolyn Campbell, executive director of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.

She made the statement last week in a presentation to the Oro Valley Town Council, which is interested in annexing the 9,100-acre area.

If precautions aren't taken to ensure preservation of the land, development could mean erosion of critical habitat for wildlife, Campbell said.

Bobcats, mountain lions, javelina, mule deer, kit foxes and Sonoran Desert tortoises are among the wildlife identified as roaming the land between the Tortolita Mountains west of Arroyo Grande and the Santa Catalina Mountains, Campbell said.

Arroyo Grande's vulnerable species include the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl and various species of bats.

The State Land Department's proposal is a 15,900-home development that would make way for about 38,000 residents next to unincorporated Catalina. Preliminary plans include a resort and a village center for residential and commercial uses.

Since state officials publicly announced the development in January, area residents have expressed worries about Arroyo Grande's possible impact on water, wildlife corridors and infrastructure.

Oro Valley Town Councilman Barry Gillaspie wondered how conservation plans could best be implemented. Campbell suggested one way would be for the town to adopt the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and zoning policies into its general-plan amendment.

Two weeks ago, the council began the process of amending its general plan and accommodating Arroyo Grande, a move toward potential annexation.

The town's existing general plan already covers the area now known as Arroyo Grande; an amendment would allow new land uses.

Campbell, in response to a question from Vice Mayor Al Kunisch, said that conservation easements in developed areas would be better off in the hands of a public entity rather than neighborhood associations to avoid pitting neighbor against neighbor if problems arise.

The preliminary plan development sets aside as open space 68 percent of Arroyo Grande, or about 6,100 acres.

But the designation doesn't necessarily mean encroachment won't happen in sensitive areas, Campbell said.

"Depending on how that open space is configured, that 68 percent could mean nothing," Campbell said later.

Earlier, she told the Town Council that development can result in habitat fragmentation and pose a threat to species diversity.

She urged the council to put in place mechanisms "to ensure conservation perpetuity" of wildlife corridors and riparian areas.

"There's been a longtime effort to preserve the land in this area," she noted.

Janice Przybyl, wildlife linkages program director for the Sky Island Alliance, said preserving open space is vital for animal survival, especially for large mammals.

Her group is working to collect data on animal movement around the proposed development for further study, she said.

"The last time we were out there, we found bobcat tracks," she said.

Przybyl said she thinks Arroyo Grande can coexist with existing wildlife if the development is designed with preservation in mind.

"It can be done," she said, "if it's done along the guidelines of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan."

The plan, which is nationally recognized, aims to preserve habitat and threatened species while accommodating growth in Pima County.

Przybyl's group will join the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection this evening in a free public forum on wildlife protection efforts at the Oro Valley Public Library. The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona Department of Transportation also will participate in the 6 p.m. gathering.