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Nature and Environment

International scientists, Alexander Werth, from left, professor Joy Reidenberg and Michael Denk study a male spade-toothed whale ahead of a dissection at Invermay Agricultural Centre, Mosgiel, near Dunedin, New Zealand, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.

Scientists gather to decode puzzle of the world's rarest whale in 'extraordinary' New Zealand study

Dec 2, 2024 The creature, which washed up dead on a beach on New Zealand's South Island in July, is only the seventh specimen ever found.
The city of Tucson is adding a four-block long protected bicycle lane to Stone Avenue that also includes pedestrian crosswalks and planted swales to harvest rainwater.

New protected bicycle lanes opening in downtown Tucson

Nov 28, 2024 Project on Stone Avenue also adds pedestrian crosswalks and landscaping
Kids from the cast of "Cinderella" from Spotlight Community Theater. "Cinderella" plays December 5th through the 8th at the theater.

Spotlight Community Theater's production of "Cinderella".

Nov 28, 2024 Also on Arizona Spotlight: A tale of true love that started in Tucson in 1943 that continues today; and historian David Leighton shares the history of the Reid Park Zoo..
Mountain lions can be cornered by hounds in crags and at the edge of rocky cliffs.

Conservation groups petition Arizona Game and Fish Commission to ban hound hunting practices

Nov 25, 2024 The Center for Biological Diversity and others, call for a statewide ban on using dog packs to hunt wildlife, citing threats to endangered species and fair chase ethics.
The San Pedro River post-Monsoon rain. September 14, 2023.

The Buzz: Arizona's 100-year water supply rule

Nov 22, 2024 Adequate water supply is more commonly becoming a concern for new housing developments.
Officials from local and federal agencies sign the Santa Cruz River Wildlife Partnership Memo of Understanding at the Historic Canoa Ranch in Green Valley, Ariz., on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. From left to right: Kevin Dahl, City of Tucson council member for Ward 3, Martha Williams, Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Amy Lueders, Southwest Regional Director for the USFWS, Bruce Bracker, Santa Cruz County Vice-Chair and Supervisor for District 3 and Adelita Grijalva, Pima County Chair and Supervisor for District 5.

Santa Cruz River Partnership could create Arizona’s first urban wildlife refuge

Nov 22, 2024 US Fish and Wildlife Service, City of Tucson, Pima County and Santa Cruz County join forces to safeguard natural and cultural resources.
A canal carries Colorado River water to farmland near Poston, Arizona, owned and operated by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, a key player in Arizona's Drought Contingency Plan.

Hobbs signs largest tribal water rights agreement in US history

Nov 20, 2024 The settlement is contingent on Congressional approval.
Arizona Corporation Commission building in downtown Phoenix.

Commissioner Kevin Thompson advocates for Arizona ratepayers in BlackRock dispute

Nov 19, 2024 ACC joins multi-state effort to hold investment companies accountable for federal commitments.
Tourists visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on November 1, 2022.

Colorado River states are separated by a ‘giant chasm’ in negotiations

Nov 19, 2024 Arizona’s top water official outlined major differences between the states’ ideas about how to cut back on water use.
A Mexican gray wolf at the Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility in New Mexico in 2011.

Environmentalists concerned after protected Mexican wolf dies in Arizona

Nov 16, 2024 Up to $103,500 in reward money from state and federal agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations and private individuals, had been pledged for information “that leads to successful prosecution in the case.”
An electric school bus parked outside of John B. Wright Elementary School on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. The Tucson Unified School District received $4 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to retire 10 diesel school buses, with ten electric school buses as an effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

TUSD gets $4 million EPA grant to replace diesel buses with electric fleet

Nov 15, 2024 Ten diesel buses are being replaced with electric models, reducing emissions and cutting costs.
The entry sign to Kartchner Caverns State park.

The Buzz: Take a trip into Kartchner Caverns

Nov 15, 2024 We mark 50 years since the cave's discovery and 25 years since it opened to the public with a tour.
Bo Yang, UA professor of landscape architecture and urban planning at the Campus Agricultural Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2014. Yang is a faculty advisor for the Smart Tree Watering project.

UA tree watering project aims to conserve water and reduce urban heat

Nov 14, 2024 From rainwater harvesting to mulching, researchers find ways to grow resilient trees.
Aspen trees atop Mt. Lemmon.

Autumn among the aspens.

Nov 14, 2024 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent for the BBC, receives the 2024 Zenger Award for Press Freedom from the UA School of Journalism; and Richard Cachor Taylor's talks about his book "Birds of Arizona".
Supporters say a new Santa Cruz River Urban National Wildlife Refuge would enhance the Tucson metropolitan area and beyond. Currently, paths along the river are popular for pedestrians, bicyclists and other users.

Pima County advances plans for Santa Cruz River conservation and wildlife refuge

Nov 12, 2024 New partnership aims to protect the Santa Cruz River’s riparian habitat and promote environmental education.
Baby Haggis, a pygmy hippo, was born to parents Otto and Gloria at Edinburgh Zoo on Oct. 30.

Baby Haggis is the new Moo Deng

Nov 7, 2024 A pygmy hippo is born in Edinburgh.

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