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Nature and Environment

Arizona Department of Safety officers surround and handcuff an Indigenous demonstrator during an O'odham-led blockade at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 85 on October 12, 2020.

Indigenous Peoples' Day border demonstration ends with tear gas, arrests

Oct 12, 2020 11 demonstrators taken into DPS custody during a Border Patrol checkpoint blockade in Pima County.
With residences in the foreground, the Bighorn Fire burns in the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 10, 2020.

Homes complicate Arizona wildfire response

Oct 10, 2020 Development in Arizona's wildlands is making fires more expensive, and in some cases, more difficult to prevent.
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Cochise County, Arizona.

Latest lawsuit against Fort Huachuca over San Pedro water use seeks documents

Oct 8, 2020 A conservation group has again sued over what it says is a failure to protect the river and its dependent species.
Singed trees on the road up Mount Lemmon in early October, months after the Bighorn Fire.

Bighorn Fire marks familiar cycle of renewal amid new chapter of bigger burns

Oct 8, 2020 Fire is a natural process, but it will take decades for some areas to recover or regrow habitat that burned this year.
An O'odham demonstrator stands in front of a pickup truck trying to break through a highway blockade the morning of Oct. 5, 2020.

O'odham-led demonstration blocks highway north of Arizona-Sonora border crossing

Oct 5, 2020 Demonstrations against border wall construction on ancestral Indigenous land continue despite Quitobaquito closure.
The sun sets over Tucson in July 2020, which was the hottest July on record.

Much of US Southwest left parched after monsoon season

Oct 2, 2020 Weather forecasters say the upcoming winter likely won't make up for the precipitation deficit.
The bright sun sets behind some trees near Soleng Tom Elementary School on Tucson's east side.

News roundup: Quitobaquito road access closed, Pima County breaks early ballot record

Sep 30, 2020 Recent coverage impacting Southern Arizona, Sept. 30.
Tribal members and supporters gather in front of the construction line to wave down O'odham runners coming from Sonora ahead of a cross-border ceremony at Quitobaquito Springs on Sept. 27, 2020.

NPS closes route to Quitobaquito Springs

Sep 29, 2020 Closure comes a day after O'odham leaders held a cross-border ceremony at the spring.
Water in the Rillito River following a monsoon storm. July 23, 2020

After Clean Water Act change, uncertainty reigns over water protections

Sep 28, 2020 The Trump administration's revision of which waterways are protected creates regulatory uncertainty, especially in arid places.
Demonstrators struggle as National Park Service officers and Border Patrol agents try to pull people from a fallen human chain during a demonstration at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 21, 2020.

Stand off with Border Patrol, National Park Service ends in scuffle with Indigenous-led demonstrators

Sep 22, 2020 O'odham organizers and their supporters stopped construction for over five hours at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
The Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado, on Sept. 15, 2018.

Climate change likely to keep hammering Colorado River's biggest reservoirs, model shows

Sep 17, 2020 Projections show an increasing likelihood of official shortage declaration before 2026.
A Hia-Ced O'odham protester sits inside a vehicle to block construction on a stretch of border wall going up in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 9, 2020.

Indigenous activists arrested in demonstration against border wall construction near Quitobaquito Springs

Sep 10, 2020 Two O'odham protesters were arrested for impeding construction in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
The sun shines harshly behind a saguaro cactus.

The risks of severe heat

Sep 4, 2020 The hottest summer in the city’s history came during a global health crisis, leaving many residents at risk for heat-related issues.
Barbara Tobiasson pictured at her home at the Swan Lake Estates mobile home park on Aug. 31, 2020.

'Feels like the end of the world': Tucson grapples with record heat during pandemic

Sep 3, 2020 The desert community has faced both soaring temperatures and life under the coronavirus, as some work to mitigate the impact of a warmer future.
Rain clouds near Tubac, July 2019.

Lots of heat, little rain in Tucson

Aug 18, 2020 Less than an inch of rain when we usually have nearly four inches.
Kim Beach-Moschetti, an area resident and Arizona House of Representatives candidate, speaks at a border wall protest at the San Pedro River on Aug. 14, 2020.

'Hands tied behind our back': Protesters decry border wall construction at San Pedro River

Aug 15, 2020 A few dozen people gathered Friday to protest new border wall going up along Arizona's last free-flowing river.

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