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Nature and Environment

Downtown Tucson seen from afar. The skyline of downtown Tucson was ominous during a heat wave last summer. 2023 was one of the hottest years ever recorded in Arizona.

Ozone goes over EPA standard in Pima County for first time this year

Jul 30, 2019 The county has breached the federal levels 22 times since 2013. Maricopa County has exceeded the standard 20 times this year.
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Cochise County, Arizona.

BLM: Border wall across San Pedro River would be 'engineering challenge'

Jul 29, 2019 A fence blocking the flows during monsoon could damage habitat and erode the San Pedro's channel and banks, the agency said.
The Green and Colorado Rivers meet at Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

As Southwest water managers grapple with climate change, can a 'Grand Bargain' work?

Jul 29, 2019 The approach aims to rebalance some of the bad math that came from promising water to too many people.
Palm trees blow in the wind during monsoon in Tucson.

Challenges with predicting the monsoon

Jul 26, 2019 A discussion with UA climatologist Michael Crimmins.
A juvenile brown pelican is corralled by Marana Police officers before being taken to the Tucson Wildlife Center on July 26, 2019. Pelicans are sometimes blown off course into the desert by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lost pelican lands in Tucson

Jul 26, 2019 The seabird is being treated by wildlife specialists.
A Border Patrol vehicle drives along a section of fence at the Organ Pipe National Monument, west of Lukeville and south of Ajo, Arizona, Nov. 2, 2018.

Conservation, law enforcement and ranching: Weighing in on a proposed border fence

Jul 25, 2019 The majority of new bollard-style wall would run through protected areas in Pima and Cochise counties.
A heavy monsoon storm over the city of Tucson, 2017.

Monsoon finally settling in, with more rains to come

Jul 25, 2019 The next couple weeks could hold even more promise for summer moisture.
Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, is photographed collecting lunar samples at Station no. 1 during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity at the Descartes landing site. This picture, looking eastward, was taken by Astronaut John W. Young, commander. Duke is standing at the rim of Plum crater, which is 40 meters in diameter and 10 meters deep. The parked Lunar Roving Vehicle can be seen in the left background.

Geoff Notkin on the past - and future - of space exploration.

Jul 24, 2019 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Mexican rock stars sing out about immigration; and a party to celebrate the "The Queen of the Night" at Tohono Chul.
The proposed site of the Rosemont Copper mining project is in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona.

Judge to rule next week on whether to halt Rosemont Mine

Jul 24, 2019 Tribes and environmental groups who oppose the project are seeking a preliminary injunction.
Rain clouds near Tubac, July 2019.

Weather patterns lining up for late-coming monsoon

Jul 17, 2019 The Weather Service has forecast thunder and rain storms each day this week.
A United States Geological Survey photo of the lower Little Colorado River, July 2013.

Lawsuit challenges northern Arizona fracking leases

Jul 16, 2019 Conservation groups say the BLM violated laws by not conducting environmental reviews or consulting tribes.
The sun rises over the Rincon Mountains in this view from Mt. Bigelow

More deadly temperatures in Arizona's future

Jul 16, 2019 Climate change will bring more extreme heat in the coming decades.
The Port of Guaymas, Mexico.

Sulfuric acid leak in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez a ‘wake-up call’

Jul 12, 2019 A researcher says the impact was minimal, but that it shows the need to consider the potential for a spill on a much larger scale.
The International Outfall Interceptor, or IOI, runs under this concrete-lined wash through the city of Nogales, Ariz.

A new effort to deal with a leaky cross-border sewage pipe

Jul 11, 2019 For years, Nogales residents have suffered from water contamination that stems from the wastewater line.
The sign outside of Sahuarita Town Hall.

Sahuarita residents urged to boil water

Jul 11, 2019 E. coli bacteria were detected in some samples of the drinking water.
Water creeps along the Santa Cruz riverbed on the release day of a project aiming to create a perennial flow in a section of the river near downtown, June 24, 2019.

Santa Cruz River project means coordination between water infrastructure managers

Jul 8, 2019 New water released into the Santa Cruz River means the city and county are working together on issues like flooding and wastewater.

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