Join us in removing old fencing and improving wildlife connectivity in Avra Valley!
Join us this week to remove old fencing and improve wildlife connectivity between the Tucson Mountains and the Tohono O’odham Nation! Background This past December, over 65 volunteers came together […]
SR86 Wildlife Bridges move to siting and design phase
In January 2022, a group of people from Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona Department of Transportation, the Tohono O’odham Nation, and the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection conducted a […]
Avra Valley Fence Removal Volunteer Day a Big Success!
On December 11, 2021, a group of local organizations and state/federal agencies came together to celebrate National Public Lands Day by holding a Fence Removal Volunteer Day in Avra Valley. […]
2021 Wildlife Camera Program Snapshot
In 2021, 84 active volunteers logged 1,027 hours of volunteer time towards our Wildlife Camera Program. Here is a snapshot of where we are at with our projects: Oro Valley […]
Fish and Wildlife Service propose listing the pygmy owl as a threatened species
The small but mighty cactus ferruginous pygmy owl was in the news once again recently after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed re-listing the species, this time as a […]
2020 Annual Gratitude Report
We recently sent out our 2020 Annual Gratitude Report with our Fall 2021 Friends of the Desert Newsletter. Please check it out today and feel good about everything we accomplished […]
Friends of the Desert Newsletter #60
We hope our Fall 2021 newsletter brings some hope, joy, and positivity into your mailboxes and inboxes. Check out the following articles in the newsletter: New project will collect wildlife data […]
Diary of a Desert Identifier: Welcome to the Neighborhood or the Saga of the Clever Rodent
By Gay Russell Being a Desert Identifier means going through large files of photos captured on a disc from the desert cameras. The photos have usually been taken over several […]
Updated COVID-19 Response Plan
Pima County is currently under a high rate of transmission as the Delta variant spreads (data here). The situation continues to evolve. Here is CSDP’s response plan to help slow […]
Public comment period now open on I-11 Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement
On July 16, 2021, the Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highways Administration released the Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS now identifies TWO possible Preferred Alternatives, […]
Field Notes: a nest of great horned owls
By Gay Russell During the over twenty years I have lived in Sun City Oro Valley, we have had several sets of Great Horned Owls nest within our area. In […]
Crossing Through Your Neighborhood: A Presentation
Want to learn more about what’s happening around the Oracle Road wildlife crossings? Check out this recent presentation given by our Conservation Science Director Jessica Moreno: You can […]
Friends of the Desert Newsletter #59
We hope our Spring 2021 newsletter brings some hope, joy, and positivity into your mailboxes and inboxes. Check out the following articles in the newsletter: Increasing our impact through community science […]
Amor from the Desert by Mely Bohlman
This piece was written on the stolen lands and waters of the Tohono O’odham and Yaqui/Yoeme. Imagine yourself standing in the Sonoran Desert on a caliente summer day. Let’s paint […]
Support the 30×30 campaign
Have you heard of the 30×30 campaign? While this campaign has circulated for a while, it hit the national news recently when President Biden pledged in an Executive Order to […]
Closing the Gap: Fencing gaps near the SR77 wildlife crossings are coming to a close
by Jessica Moreno, Conservation Science Director The last time I took a stroll down Big Wash, which runs along the west side of Oracle Road, the chill air pressed against […]
Remembering Bob Cratty
by Terry Minks Bob was a dear friend to all his acquaintances in Sun City, Oro Valley and to my wife and me ever since we came to live in […]
We Stand Against the Seditious Attack on Democracy
We want to acknowledge the seditious attack on democracy at the U.S. Capitol that occurred on January 6th, and the events that continue to unfold as a result of actions […]