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Nature and Environment

Black-footed ferrets born at the Phoenix Zoo.

5 litters of endangered black-footed ferrets born at Phoenix Zoo

Aug 7, 2022 The ferrets are some of the most endangered animals in North America.
Charcoal drawing by Michael Moore: Creek Oregon 30x40 1974

Artist Michael Moore and the natural world in charcoal.

Aug 4, 2022 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Visit a nearly century-old bowling alley in a Mexican mining town; find out why an open mic night in Sierra Vista has a dedicated audience; and Nichelle Nichols remembered.
Bogan monitors the plant and animal life along the river.

The water came back

Aug 1, 2022 Poor water practices made the Santa Cruz River practically disappear, but new efforts have some water flowing again. And when there’s water in the desert, life follows quickly.
Statue of the short-faced bear at Lubbock Lake Landmark, a natural history museum in Lubbock, Texas.

"Chasing the Ghost Bear: On the Trail of America’s Lost Super Beast" with author Mike Stark.

Jul 28, 2022 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Rodeo champion Sherry Cervi honored with Marana street names; and actor Jon Proudstar talks about "Reservation Dogs" as season 2 arrives.
A measurement gage at Lees Ferry in Arizona is the location where Colorado River water deliveries from the Upper Basin are legally accounted.

Upper Colorado River leaders push back against federal ask for conservation

Jul 27, 2022 Mounting pressure to find solutions has Upper Basin leaders saying the savings should come from elsewhere
The seal of Cochise County.

Water projects in Cochise County get financial approval.

Jul 27, 2022 The Board of Supervisors vote to approve grant funds for Bisbee Effluent Recharge project and the Coyote Wash Stormwater Management Project.
An area burned by the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina mountains.

National forests with wildfire damage to get Infrastructure Act funds

Jul 26, 2022 The money will go towards reforestation
Bats emerge from beneath Tucson bridges at sunset.

Bats take flight during Tucson's monsoon

Jul 25, 2022 The nocturnal creatures eat mosquitoes and defy old myths about attacking people.
Rabin's house sits just down the road from a border checkpoint, in a corner of Arizona where water is drying up so quickly that many of her neighbors have spent tens of thousands of dollars to deepen their wells, or dig new ones altogether.

“Not here for some agrarian fantasy”

Jul 25, 2022 Arizona plays a big role in providing Americans with fresh greens year-round, and its farmers are feeling the pressure to keep that going while cutting down on water. It’s also not an easy place to start farming from scratch.
Sabino Canyon visitors 2017.

Pima County tourism saw strong rebound in 2021

Jul 23, 2022 Report commissioned by local tourism bureau says visitor spending up 77 percent
Lake Mead and the rest of the Colorado River system are shrinking rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has called for new conservation measures, asking states to conserve a tremendously large amount of water, and giving them a 60-day timeline to formulate a plan for those reductions.

What will Arizona do as its share of Colorado River water diminishes?

Jul 22, 2022 We hear about efforts to reassess state allocations and what may come of a billion-dollar fund established this summer.
Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, is projected to decline as 2022 progresses, triggering responses from both state and federal officials.

On the Colorado River the feds carry a big stick. Will the states get hit?

Jul 22, 2022 A summer deadline approaches for state leaders to agree on how to cut their water use.
Glen Canyon Dam holds back Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir on the Colorado River. The lake is currently at 28% of its capacity.

Responding to federal pressure, Upper Colorado River states seek to bring back conservation program

Jul 21, 2022 Colorado River states are facing a deadline to cut their water use.
San Xavier del Bac Mission, which was founded by Father Kino in 1700.

Wa:k–where the water goes in

Jul 18, 2022 The Tohono O’odham Nation and its predecessors, the Huhugam, have used canals to move water around Southern Arizona for millenia. Today, the Tohono O’odham Nation is looking into those older practices around water and bringing some back into the fold.
A reservoir sits high in the hills of Bisbee. The water here goes to fighting fires in town, and city officials are looking to replace it with a more up-to-date system.

When you touch it, it gets worse

Jul 18, 2022 The City of Bisbee's antiquated water systems are slowing down the fire department in the face of longer and more dangerous wildfire seasons. Town leaders are looking to solve the problem while improving their water infrastructure on the whole.
A U.S. flag on the uniform of a member of the National Guard.

Arizona National Guard fills sandbags to help prevent floods

Jul 17, 2022 Officials are worried about flooding in areas recently burned by wildfire.

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