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Nature and Environment

A smoky sky glows ominously over eastern Arizona during the Wallow Fire.

Member of an Arizona tribe is accused of starting a wildfire that destroyed 21 homes on reservation

Jul 24, 2024 The wildfire forced the evacuation of more than 400 people.
ByBlocks, produced by ByFusion from non-recyclable plastic waste.

Changes to Tucson’s hard to recycle plastic program in effect

Jul 24, 2024 Plastic items must now be placed in Hefty Renew orange bags.
Arizona has long been a hotspot for golfers looking to keep up their game as weather elsewhere turns cold. But, for just as long, the state has been working to limit water use by golf courses. How much of a part does golf play in Arizona's water issues?

Dry but alive: Rethinking golf's green lawns

Jul 24, 2024 Golf is a commonly blamed culprit of Arizona's water woes. How much water goes to the state's courses?
A male elegant trogon displays some of the colors that have made it very attractive for birders.

Tucson Audubon Society Gets Closer to choosing a New Name

Jul 24, 2024 Organization wants a future without the controversial "Audubon" associations
<a href="https://map22.epa.gov/cimc/superfundZoom&params=0900684&15" target="_blank" style="font-weight:700;margin-right:6px">VIEW THIS MAP FULLSCREEN IN A NEW WINDOW</a>The ten square-mile Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site is depicted using orange diagonal lines. The site includes Tucson International Airport, Sections of the Tohono O'odham Nation (San Xavier District), Tucson and South Tucson residential areas, and Air Force Plant #44 Raytheon Missile Systems Company (AFP44). The site has contaminated groundwater and soil from former aircraft and electronics manufacturing and aircraft maintenance, fire drill trainings, and the leaking of chemicals from unlined landfills.

US Air Force challenges EPA’s emergency order on PFAS cleanup at Tucson Superfund Site

Jul 23, 2024 Military contests EPA’s jurisdiction and urgency of PFAS threats at Tucson site.
A monsoon storm drops localized, heavy rainfall over northwest Tucson, Marana, and Oro Valley. From August 2022.

AZPM’s Mini Severe Storm Guide

Jul 22, 2024 Fast-escalating storm causes widespread damage and power outages, prompting questions about monsoon season and climate change
The negotiators who wrote the Colorado River Compact pose for a photo in 1922. They were deliberate in choosing their words, which still shape a river that supplies 40 million people more than a century later.

These three words from 1922 are at the heart of the latest Colorado River clash

Jul 22, 2024 It’s all rooted in a document called the Colorado River Compact.
Monsoon rain over Tucson.

Arizona’s monsoon means danger for those with asthma. Here’s how to cope.

Jul 21, 2024 While some may look forward to the monsoon season, as the storms bring lower temperatures, those with asthma prepare for discomfort and distress.
The Parker Dam in Arizona looking towards California. The electric transmission lines from the dam are all on the California side and provide power to the Golden State. The construction of the dam formed Lake Havasu.

The Buzz: The damming of the lower Colorado River

Jul 19, 2024 We preview the new season of Tapped, AZPM's podcast about water in the southwest.
From left to right: Lydia Millet, Molly McCloy, and Gabrielle Pietrangelo.

Sharing lived experience with keen observation.

Jul 18, 2024 On this Arizona Spotlight, hear three women who are telling vibrant stories across different mediums.
The Parker Dam in Arizona looking towards California. The electric transmission lines from the dam are all on the California side and provide power to the Golden State. The construction of the dam formed Lake Havasu.

Taming the Colorado

Jul 17, 2024 The Colorado River is the most dammed waterway in the US, but what was it like before? We go back to the battle over Parker Canyon Dam and how it changed Arizona's rights to the river's water forever.
Saguaros flourish in the Sonoran Desert

Things to know about heat deaths as a dangerously hot summer shapes up in the western US

Jul 14, 2024 It is unknown exactly how many people died in the most recent heat wave beginning July 1, but early signs indicate it was an especially deadly two weeks.
Many Southern Arizona residents employ water-saving techniques, like rainwater harvest.

The Buzz: Re-using finite resources in Southern Arizona

Jul 12, 2024 People go to notable lengths to get as much as they can out of some of the area's limited resources
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero speaks with Federal Transit Regional Administrator Ray Tellis ahead of a press conference on the new investment in transit infrastructure.

Tucson receives $11M for bus stop shelters, trees and more

Jul 11, 2024 Tucson’s Sun Tran system is receiving more than $11 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The money is meant to fortify transit infrastructure and help protect vulnerable communities from the effects of climate change.
Monsoon rain over Tucson.

Monsoon storm activity picking up late in the week

Jul 10, 2024 Some areas in Southeastern Arizona could see wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour.
1975 Zoo Staff, Barry Ames, Joanna Gradillas, Marc Bruns, Angela Stewart, Alex Flores, Mike Flint, Ms. Boyle, Ann Dery, Sandra Hein, Gale Ferrick, Al Gallego, Shanda Martin, Kathy Kuehn, Garland Godbehere.

"Taking the camel to the drive-in?" Historian David Leighton's history of the Reid Park Zoo

Jul 10, 2024 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Visit the Word of Mouth Print Space; celebrate imagination at the Library's Megamania!! Festival; and meet the founder of the Naco Wellness Initiative.

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State & National Parks,
Water,
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