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Nature and Environment

The Verde River near the site of a dam that was removed in 2022.

The Buzz takes a trip down the Verde River

Dec 9, 2022 Meet a man who has made saving this unique waterway his life's work
A crew from Verde Earth Technologies chips arundo in Cornville, Ariz.

Crews remove invasive plants from Arizona waterways to conserve water, better ecosystem

Dec 9, 2022 Efforts along the Verde River and its tributaries to remove introduced plants can prevent monocultures while also getting water to a Phoenix-area reservoir.
This yard in Mesa was converted to desert landscaping under the city’s Grass-to-Xeriscape incentive program. September 2022.

As the drought grinds on, Maricopa County homeowners take advantage of xeriscape incentives

Dec 5, 2022 Megadrought and low runoff conditions accelerated by climate change have resulted in record low water levels in Lakes Powell and Mead
Cattle on Date Creek Ranch are grass-fed and sustainably raised on irrigated pastures.

How one Wickenburg cattle ranch puts sustainability at its core

Dec 4, 2022 Regenerative agriculture means leaving the land better than it was found.
A Mount Graham Red Squirrel.

Population increase for endangered red squirrels in Arizona

Dec 3, 2022 State Game and Fish Department officials said that the annual survey estimates that there currently are 156 of the rare squirrels, up from 109 last year.
Crews with the Arizona Dept. of Forestry load a tree for the Capitol building.

AZ Capitol Christmas tree keeps forest healthy

Dec 2, 2022 The state used a tree that was part of a thinning project.
Shipping containers are put in place along the U.S.-Mexico border in Cochise County.

Forest Service warns about dangers of shipping container wall

Dec 1, 2022 The state is placing the barriers in the Coronado National Forest.
Lee's Ferry, pictured here, serves as the point where negotiators of the Colorado River Compact divided the river into two basins.

The Colorado River Compact turns 100 years old

Nov 28, 2022 The question is, is it still working?
John Farley, director of fire test operations at the Naval Research Laboratory, tests the effectiveness of aqueous film-forming foam by spraying it on a gasoline fire. The test took place at the laboratory in Chesapeake Beach, Md. Oct. 25, 2019.

UArizona Health Sciences receives grant to study PFAS mitigation in firefighters' blood

Nov 28, 2022 Arizona Board of Regents grant will further an Australian study that could minimize forever chemicals' impact on health.
A pond at Reid Park.

Tucson Parks and Recreation looks for feedback on Reid Park remodel

Nov 22, 2022 The Reid Park Master Plan Concept reveals a design centered on biodiversity expansion.
A Mexican gray wolf at the Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility in New Mexico in 2011.

Updated recovery plan for Mexican wolves aims to reduce human-caused deaths

Nov 20, 2022 The plan aims to further protect the endangered wolves through increased law enforcement, education and outreach to communities near where the wolves live.
White Mountain Apache Chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatewood, left, and Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores testify in a March hearing where they urged members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to back water legislation critical to their tribes. The committee gave preliminary approval to the bills Wednesday.

After long fight, tribal water bills get primary OK; still far from final

Nov 19, 2022 Tribal leaders welcomed the votes, which they called the culmination of hard-fought struggles by their tribes.
Since the 1980s Tucsonans have replaced their green lawns with decomposed granite and opted for plants like palo verde trees and cacti, which can endure long periods of drought and extreme heat.

Phoenix and Las Vegas agree to get rid of decorative grass

Nov 18, 2022 The worsening drought brought the agreement from 30 western water agencies.
Protests against the Resolution Copper mine near Oak Flat have been going for years, as shown in this 2015 file photo from a rally at the Capitol.

Tribe continues fight against proposed Arizona copper mine

Nov 17, 2022 The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the state Department of Environmental Quality illegally issued a Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Resolution Copper Mine.
Two Sandhill cranes fly above their wintering grounds in Cochise County. Experts from the Arizona Game and Fish Department estimated more than 27,000 individuals were in the area in January 2020.

Sandhill cranes return to wintering grounds in southeastern Arizona

Nov 11, 2022 People can watch from home on AZ Game and Fish live stream.
The revived "heritage" stretch of the Santa Cruz River now flows north of Starr Pass/22nd Street all the way to Congress Street.

Insects find a new home on Santa Cruz River

Nov 10, 2022 It has been two years since a new species has moved to the area.

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