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Nature and Environment

White "bathtub rings" show dropping levels on Lake Mead. The reservoir's stores have been dipping steadily, setting records for new all-time lows.

Federal officials plan to announce 2024 cuts along the Colorado River. Here's what to expect

Aug 15, 2023 The river provides water for seven U.S. states, 29 Native American tribes and two states in Mexico.
This August 2022 photo provided by the National Park Service shows a double rainbow from the ranger station porch at Indian Garden, which is now called Havasupai Gardens, in Grand Canyon National Park. The Indian Garden name assigned to a popular Grand Canyon campground has been changed out of respect for a Native American tribe that was displaced by the national park. The Havasupai Tribe and Grand Canyon National Park announced Monday, Nov. 21, that Indian Garden will be renamed Havasupai Gardens.

Department of the Interior announces $44 million towards conservation projects

Aug 14, 2023 The funding is part of the Investing in America agenda
Lightning flashes over the Tucson mountains as seen from Windy Point in the Santa Catalina mountains.

The Buzz: Lightning and Southern Arizona

Aug 11, 2023 As the monsoon hits our area, we look at why lightning is such a big part of those storms.
Apache Trout

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes delisting Arizona state fish

Aug 10, 2023 The Apache Trout has been federally protected for five decades.
President Biden signed an Executive Order designating a new Grand Canyon National Monument. August 8, 2023

Biden creates new national monument near Grand Canyon

Aug 8, 2023 Tribes in Arizona have been pushing the president to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to create the new national monument.
A farm in Central Arizona.

Center for Biological Diversity and others call on Congress to take federal action against the climate-driven heat emergency

Aug 2, 2023 Organizations want to ban utility shut-offs amid extreme heat.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality approved a permit to allow A.A. Sydcol to handle and store hazardous waste in Yuma County. The proposed space is shown here. The county also must approve a special use permit.

‘We’re not the place’: Yuma County residents fight hazardous waste permit

Jul 30, 2023 Many Yuma residents want to stop the county from approving the proposal, saying they’re worried about toxic chemicals potentially contaminating their air, land and water.

The extreme heat wave that blasted the Southwest is abating with late arriving monsoon rains

Jul 29, 2023 Forecasters expect that by Monday at the latest, people in metro Phoenix will begin seeing high temperatures under 110 degrees.
The Peralta Regional Park in Pinal County was funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund and completed in February. Situated in the Superstition Mountains, the park has multi-use motorized trails, ramadas and campsites.

Arizona State Parks & Trails awarded over $6 million

Jul 27, 2023 The funding is available for outdoor recreation, conservation projects.
The summer of 2023 will be remembered for this unusual pairing of films.

The "Barbenheimer" Experience Arrives in Tucson

Jul 25, 2023 Also on Arizona Spotlight: Using a natural desert resource in a new way; and ""Chasing the Ghost Bear: On the Trail of America’s Lost Super Beast".
Hot weather shut-ins are susceptible to summer Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Historic heat wave can impact mental health

Jul 25, 2023 Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder grips shut-ins with symptoms including depression and insomnia.
Old Main on the campus of the University of Arizona.

New UA environmental justice center slated to receive $10 million from EPA, DOE

Jul 22, 2023 The technical assistance center looks to serve as an environmental justice hub.
The seal of Cochise County.

Ballot question to remove Douglas AMA is thrown out

Jul 20, 2023 Cochise County officials said a lawsuit brought by the EDF forced the decision.
Looking through the rusted-steel border wall into Mexico, at the San Pedro River bed.

DHS agrees to stop border wall construction, fund environmental remediation projects

Jul 18, 2023 A settlement agreement estimates $1.62 billion in funding and nearly $430 million returned to DOD projects.

Phoenix scorches at 110 for 19th straight day, breaking big US city records in global heat wave

Jul 18, 2023 The city's record streak of 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or more stood out even amid sweltering temperatures across the globe.
Stacks of hay bales sit beside an irrigation canal in Imperial Valley on June 20, 2023. Critics have called for reductions to the amount of alfalfa grown with Colorado River water. The particularly thirsty crop is mostly used for cattle feed.

Freeing up Colorado River water from California farms will take more than just money, just ask the farmers

Jul 18, 2023 The Imperial Valley is the largest Colorado River water user.

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