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Nature and Environment

One of the spring-fed ponds at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in October 2019, which sits up against the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border wall groundwater pumping threatens to push endangered species to 'brink of extinction'

Aug 11, 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials worry water pumping will deplete the San Bernardino Valley springs and aquifer.
The Rio Sonora flows through the town of Baviácora, Sonora, July 30, 2019.

6 years after Rio Sonora mining spill, contamination continues

Aug 6, 2020 Residents impacted by the spill say neither the mining company nor the government have followed through with promises.
Sonoran desert tortoise.

Tortoise regains some protections, as agency agrees to revisit endangered status

Aug 3, 2020 The action resulted from a lawsuit filed last year by conservation groups.
Jason Graham, director of wastewater plant operations with the city of Fort Collins, pulls a plastic jug from a sampling machine at the Drake Water Reclamation facility.

In Colorado, your stool is a tool in the fight against coronavirus

Jul 31, 2020 To track the next coronavirus outbreak, Western states look to the sewers.
Construction of 30-foot high steel bollard wall on or near the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge near Arivaca in July 2020.

Border wall construction heightens environmental concerns in sensitive habitats

Jul 31, 2020 Local residents, a sheriff and a wildlife expert weigh in on the impacts of physical barriers at the southern border.
Cracked mud flats appear on the surface of Quitobaquito pond on July 18, 2020.

Scientists: Border wall construction wreaking havoc at Quitobaquito Springs

Jul 30, 2020 More than two dozen ecologists, biologists and hydrologists say the desert oasis is in worse shape than ever.
In 1856, William Henry Perkin, an 18-year old chemistry student at the time, was trying to synthesize malaria drug, when accidentally developed a purple dye. This dye is believed to be one of the first steps of chemistry taking over the world.

What living in a world made from chemicals means for "The Sensitives".

Jul 29, 2020 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Jes Baker on making self-love a part of the pandemic; and a Summer 2020 insect update from "The King of Sting", Justin O. Schmidt.
Downtown Tucson, Oct, 23, 2019.

Daily news roundup: No new coronavirus deaths reported by state, impact of census strong in AZ

Jul 27, 2020 Recent coverage impacting Southern Arizona, July 25.
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge encompasses nearly 118,000 acres southwest of Tucson and includes a stretch of the border with Mexico.

Work starts on new section of border wall in national wildlife refuge

Jul 24, 2020 North-Dakota-based Fisher Sand and Gravel has broken ground on a $1.3 billion project in southeast Arizona.
Quitobaquito pond, July 18, 2020.

'A worst-case scenario': Leaks, dust, water pumping and drought plague Quitobaquito

Jul 23, 2020 Border-hugging spring and its pond are sacred to Hia C-ed O'odham and the Tohono O'odham communities
Canyon Mine is one of the few mines allowed to operate despite the moratorium.

House passes defense spending bill banning new uranium mines around Grand Canyon

Jul 23, 2020 The Senate version of the bill does not include the ban on new uranium mines.
Scientists have been studying the Colorado River, shown here from above Deer Creek Falls, for nearly four decades to understand the environmental impacts of the Glen Canyon Dam on a water source used by around 40 million people in seven states. The environment, climate change, tribal rights and those water users will all be considered in river-management talks expected to begin later this year.

Humpback chub 'alien abductions' help frame the future of the Colorado River

Jul 18, 2020 While not considered very "charismatic," this keystone fish plays an important role in water policy.
A drone photo shows construction work beginning in the San Pedro riverbed on June 30, 2020.

Border wall construction begins across San Pedro River

Jul 2, 2020 The controversial project across Arizona's last free-flowing river is underway.
Ryan Parker Knox (left) and Joseph McGrath performing "The Mark on the Wall" by Virginia Woolf in the AZPM radio studio.

Rogue Radio presents Virginia Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall"

Jul 2, 2020 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson Samaritans' 18 year mission continues; and how the border wall endangers the future of the Sonoyta mud turtle.
A construction worker works on installing 30-foot bollard fencing along Arizona's border with Mexico in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, February 2020.

Federal court rules president's use of military funds for border wall is illegal

Jun 26, 2020 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued their ruling Friday.
With residences in the foreground, the Bighorn Fire burns in the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 10, 2020.

Wildfires burn across Arizona

Jun 26, 2020 We discuss the year's fire outlook and what ecological changes result from such fires.

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