The Difference Between a ‘Ghost River’ and a Living River

Elise Christmon leans in as if to tell a secret. “If you want to see something cool and unexpected, come see the Santa Cruz River. You think you have an idea of what… MORE ›

Coming to Understand Water in the Desert

“You feel like it’s a place that people have had deep meaningful connections to for a long time.” —Roger Dorr, chief of resource management and park archaeologist at Tumacácori National Historic Park Roger… MORE ›

When You and the River Meet

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 ›

Behind the Lens with Michael Bogan

Michael Bogan is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona using his camera lens to change the way we think about aquatic and riparian research. Michael Bogan has dedicated his career to… MORE ›

A Living River: Supplementary Data for Northwest Tucson to Marana 2013 to 2018 water years

This supplementary report summarizes data from the past six water years. The report provides details on the water context and data for 16 indicators of river health.

Our Filmmaker on Conservation, Good Stories and Tough Shots

Valuing the conservation of natural spaces benefits the people of the region as much as it does the plants and animals, and filmmaking is the perfect medium to digest the complex intricacies of… MORE ›

An Update From Our CEO

A Splash of Summer It’s summertime! That time of year, when we all like to get away and enjoy friends, family, or just some quiet time alone. It’s time to visit new places and favorite,… MORE ›

The Magic of Flowing Water

Sonoran Institute’s headquarters are right downtown, so I thought no problem, I’ll give myself 15-20 minutes and have plenty of time to jump on my bike and get there. In hindsight, I should… MORE ›

Just Add Water

A new flow for the Santa Cruz River in Downtown Tucson On June 24th Tucson Water will launch the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project with the release of highly treated recycled water into the… MORE ›

Día de San Juan Fiesta

4:30–10 PM Mercado san agustin annex 267 s. avenida del convento tucson, az 85745 Fiesta and Santa Cruz River Heritage Project Launch El Día de San Juan is a traditional, family-friendly event welcoming… MORE ›

A Border is not a Barrier: Shared strengths, goals and pride

Being a binational organization One thing that often surprises people when I describe Sonoran Institute is when I say that our office in Mexico is larger than our offices in the US combined—by… MORE ›

Conserve2Enhance: Harnessing the Power of Neighbors to Fix Flooding Problems

“For me, one of the coolest parts about the project is that we’re creating something beautiful.” —Allie Silber, teacher at Tucson’s Sky Islands High School Water is the Southwest’s most precious resource, but… MORE ›

6×6: Creative & Scientific Minds Come Together to Protect the Southwest

  Grace:  It is a rarity to find pretty much anything that combines the arts and sciences, so when we heard about the 6×6 exhibit, we had to check it out for ourselves.… MORE ›

Creating Flowing, Living Rivers with Aquifer Recharge Projects

Last week, Arizona’s legislature and Governor Ducey approved the state’s participation in a Drought Contingency Plan that enacts voluntary cutbacks in Colorado River water delivered through the Central Arizona Project canal. Prolonged drought… MORE ›

Luke Cole

Program Director, Santa Cruz River

An Update From Our CEO

I want to thank each and every one of you for the critical role you play in making our work possible. This past year demonstrated that with perseverance and dedication we will thrive.… MORE ›

Message from the CEO and Board Chair

Collaboration Leads to Benefits We Share Throughout the West Dear Friends, Thanks to you, this has been another year of exciting accomplishments. At the Sonoran Institute, we understand that people arrive at conservation… MORE ›

A Living River: Supplementary Data for 2013 to 2017

This supplementary Living River report summarizes data from the past five water years.

Living River Celebration and Report Release

8:00-10:00 am Come celebrate your living Santa Cruz River! Sonoran Institute and Pima County are excited to share our latest Living River annual report on October 14th. We’ll be gathering at the outfall… MORE ›

An Update From Our CEO

I recently returned from Denver, where the temperatures were soaring far above average. My flight from Tucson gave me a bird’s-eye view of the fires impacting the communities surrounding Durango—further evidence of climate… MORE ›