Santa Cruz River Research Days Recap 2023
“I know that a great deal of collaboration that went onto include so many entities – solutions to our environmental problems will only be solved through such collaborative actions. I like facts and… MORE ›
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WRRC Seminar Series: A Living River – The Santa Cruz River from Mexico to Marana
In February 2023, Sonoran Institute presented at the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center’s Seminar Series. The Santa Cruz River has long been the backbone of the region’s natural and cultural heritage.… MORE ›
A Journey Along the Santa Cruz River Continues
This is part two of a series – read part one here. Here, the journey continues of water along the Santa Cruz River’s course, taken up by a distant cousin by union to… MORE ›
A Journey Along the Santa Cruz River
For many of its miles, the Santa Cruz River is a dry sandy bed inhabited by tough desert creatures and vegetation. From headwaters in the Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona to its confluence… MORE ›
Santa Cruz River Research Days Recap 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 Ask Me Anything
Last month our Santa Cruz River team was invited to do an Ask Me Anything on the Tucson subreddit. The online group is focused on Tucson-specific issues and news and has more than… MORE ›
Women in Resilience Spotlight: Blue Baldwin
Baldwin pilots new program that saves water, improves parks, and addresses climate inequities The woman-led team at the Green Stormwater Infrastructure program at City of Tucson – Tucson Water is getting ready to tackle some big sustainability issues.… MORE ›
Water for the Santa Cruz River Ecosystem
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 ›
Capturing our Annual Fish Survey
On November 13, Sonoran Institute coordinated the annual fish survey at four locations along the Santa Cruz to determine which species are currently in the river. This multi-partner effort included staff from Arizona… MORE ›
Helping Gila Topminnow Swim Home
In 2015, we found about a dozen endangered Gila topminnow in the Santa Cruz River near Tubac. If you had told me then, that in 2020 I would help catch hundreds of the… MORE ›
Celebrating the Santa Cruz River: What Makes Tucson Extraordinary
“This is what happens when a stretch of river comes back to life. There are many benefits. We should aspire to more wet stretches.” -Lauri Kaye, Tucson artist Nature has inspired human creativity… MORE ›
With Careful Planning, the Gila Topminnow Could Move Downtown
The diminutive Gila topminnow is a big indicator of change. This endangered fish, no bigger than your thumb, is native to the region but disappeared from the Santa Cruz River near Tucson decades… MORE ›
Sonoran Institute takes on the Sublime: A field trip to the Tucson Museum of Art
Four of us from the Tucson office visited a recent exhibition at Tucson Museum of Art: The Western Sublime: Majestic Landscapes of the American West. Here are some takeaways from Elise Christmon, Luke… 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 ›
Topminnow Returns: An artist, our ecologist and a sustainability expert collaborate
In December 2017, I was fortunate to attend the kick-off workshop of the 2017 Catalyst Initiative teams. Organized by the Center for Performance and Civic Practice (CPCP), this program funds pairs of artists… MORE ›
Living River Project Receives Award
2018 National Environmental Achievement Award The Pima County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to recognize the Pima County Living River Project Steering Committee and its partners, Sonoran Institute and the United States Environmental… MORE ›
Rain Garden to Address Flooding with Desert Plants on Tucson’s South Side
Sonoran Institute and Watershed Management Group to host a public celebration at new demonstration site TUCSON, Arizona (Jan. 30, 2018) – The newly built rain garden demonstration site at New Hope/Nueva Esperanza United… MORE ›
What Does Water Taste Like?
Do you remember what water tasted like as a kid? For me, it’s a very vivid taste; and, I’m surprised about how many memories of drinking water I have! There were rules, of… MORE ›
From Ghost River to Living River
The Tucson All Souls Procession is moving this year and I couldn’t be happier. This year’s route will parallel a stretch of our Santa Cruz River. In my mind, there is no better… MORE ›