Tracking Your Living River’s Health
Posted July 12, 2016

by Claire Zugmeyer If you live in Tucson, Arizona, the Santa Cruz is your Living River. Though many locals are familiar with the dry stretch visible from downtown, residents are often surprised to… MORE ›

Living River - Charting Wetland Conditions of the Lower Santa Cruz River 2015 Water Year
Living River 2016 Report Release Event

What’s Happening? Hey Tucson! Do you know the Living River in our community? The Santa Cruz River is Tucson’s Living River! And, we’re celebrating the river on July 21 with the release of our newest report… MORE ›

The Living River of Your Community
Posted April 25, 2016

What is a river to a desert? A source of life, a safe haven for plants and animals, perhaps a place to have your next weekend picnic? How about all of those things.… MORE ›

Living River Celebration

What’s the “Living River” The Living River project, a joint initiative of the Sonoran Institute and Pima County, is a special series on the Santa Cruz River, which aims to assess the wetland… MORE ›

Living River Presentation

What We Do in the Santa Cruz The Santa Cruz River Initiative is focused on restoration of watershed health with an aim to improve local water supplies. Our overall goals are to: secure… MORE ›

Santa Cruz River Case Statement

Read our case statement for more information on challenges facing the Santa Cruz River and how we plan to achieve our vision.

Santa Cruz River Research Days Recap 2022
Posted April 28, 2022

“The cultural history of the Santa Cruz is a rich, complex, and fascinating one. For starters, the Santa Cruz is the reason we can call Tucson home. And its waters have supported people… MORE ›

Santa Cruz River Research Days 2022

virtual presentations and in-person tour This FREE event is a venue for learning about research and conservation efforts while exploring the Santa Cruz River’s natural and cultural resources. Through presentations, panels, and open discussion, we… MORE ›

Water for the Santa Cruz River Ecosystem
Posted October 18, 2021

Bringing water from the Conservation Effluent Pool into action. Good news broke last March at Santa Cruz River Research Days: Pima County received approval to permanently allocate water to sustain river flows benefiting… MORE ›

Dragonfly Day on the Santa Cruz River

Virtual and in-person sessions FREE Celebrate the colorful dragonflies living along the Santa Cruz River! October 1 Dragonfly Talk 7–8 P.M. Learn about dragonfly ecology with local dragonfly expert, Jeff Babson, in this… MORE ›

Dragonfly Day on the Santa Cruz River

9 – 11:30 AM Virtual event FREE Celebrate the colorful dragonflies living along the Santa Cruz River! Event schedule: 9 to 10 a.m. Meet the Santa Cruz River! Learn about dragonflies and river ecology… MORE ›

Santa Cruz River

The Santa Cruz River has provided life-sustaining water for more than 12,000 years. Climate aridification and a century of overuse has negatively impacted the river, however we can continue to restore its vitality.

When You and the River Meet
Posted November 20, 2019

Numbers and dots on a map do not say everything about the river’s value. The community’s experiences and stories are equally important. —Amanda Smith, Program Coordinator Over the course of several months, I… MORE ›

Dragonfly Day on the Santa Cruz River

9 AM–2 PM Crossroads at Silverbell Park 7548 N Silverbell Rd. • Tucson, AZ 85743 (Ramada #2 near baseball diamonds) Celebrate the colorful dragonflies living along the Santa Cruz River! Event schedule: 9am… MORE ›