Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection

CELEBRATION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT!
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival comes to Tucson

The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection will once again host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the Loft Cinema on Wednesday, August 17th, at 6:30pm.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY!!

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a collection of films from the annual festival held the third week of January in Nevada City, CA which is now in its 14th year! Wild & Scenic focuses on films which speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet. “Films featured at Wild & Scenic give people a sense of place,” says Tour Associate Director, Amelia Workman. “In today’s busy world, it is easy to disconnect from our role in the global ecosystem. When we realize that the change we need in this world begins with us, we start making a difference. Come get inspired!”

This event will inspire the people of Tucson to go out and make a difference in the community. This is the Coalition’s fifth year hosting the festival and past films have inspired local activism and raised awareness in a powerful way. This year, we will continue to show a series of motivating and entertaining films to bring strong and impactful messages to our community, including the Coalition’s first ever short film! Before the films begin, local conservation organizations will be on hand to share information about conservation efforts in our region. Music and food available at the Loft will round out a fun and inspiring evening!

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival was started by the watershed advocacy group, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in 2003. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of SYRCL’s landmark victory to receive “Wild & Scenic” status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. The 5-day event features over 150 award-winning films and welcomes over 100 guest speakers, celebrities, and activists who bring a human face to the environmental movement. The home festival kicks-off the international tour to over 150 communities around the globe, allowing SYRCL to share their success as an environmental group with other organizations. The festival is building a network of grassroots organizations connected by a common goal of using film to inspire activism. With the support of National Partners: Patagonia, CLIF Bar, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Orion Magazine, Klean Kanteen, Earthjustice, and Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, the festival can reach an even larger audience.

For more information about the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, go to www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org.

EVENT DETAILS:

When: Wednesday, August 17th – 6:30pm

Where: The Loft Cinema, 3233 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, Arizona

Tickets: $8.00 in advance, $10.00 at the door night of event. Purchase your tickets online now.

For more information contact Hannah Stitzer, sarah.whelan@sonorandesert.org or at 520-388-9925.

2016 Film Program (click the image to view larger)

A special thanks to our local sponsors!

We recently completed our first short film, Safe Passages: Protecting Our Sonoran Desert Wildlife Linkages. Check out all the work we are doing to protect ecologically important wildlife corridors and how you can get involved!

On May 10^th, over 200 people came to celebrate the completion of the Oracle Road wildlife crossings! The dedication included a press conference, a talk by our Director, Carolyn Campbell, and a guided walk and tour of the wildlife bridge. Following the wildlife bridge event, attendees made their way to Pusch Ridge Stables for a reception and a guided hike to the large wildlife underpass. We are so happy to have been able to celebrate this success with so many members of the community and those that made this work possible. We look forward to documenting wildlife using the crossings and celebrating connected habitat and a healthier Sonoran Desert for years to come.

Check out all the information below for news stories and photos from the wildlife crossing dedication and videos and photos of wildlife using the crossings.

News Articles

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2016/05/11/95-million-bridge-just-wildlife-opens-near-tucson/32600077/

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/31939498/pima-county-wildlife-bridge-underpass-opens

http://www.kvoa.com/clip/12426522/supervisor-bronson-supporters-deem-wildlife-crossing-a-success

Pima County’s E-Newsletter article about the event can be found here.

http://www.tucsonlocalmedia.com/news/article_c5e73a06-1c5e-11e6-9bad-579e43369b82.html

The Coalition’s Director, Carolyn Campbell, addresses the crowd near the wildlife bridge. Photo courtesy of Pima County

Community members take a tour of the wildlife bridge. Following this tour, humans are prohibited from walking on the wildlife bridge. Photo courtesy of PLP Imaging

A guided hike was led to the wildlife underpass. Photo courtesy of PLP Imaging.

Photo courtesy of PLP imaging.

Photo courtesy of PLP Imaging.

The wildlife bridge is already being frequented by wildlife! The photos and videos below are courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

About two weeks ago, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) installed video and still cameras on the Oracle Road wildlife bridge and wildlife underpass to document animals using the recently completed structures.

Almost immediately, the cameras began documenting wildlife using these safe passages to cross Oracle Road! This is incredibly encouraging news as habitat is being connected and wildlife can safely move to find resources for survival. It’s a big win for wildlife! We are proud of the partnership with Sky Island Alliance, Tucson Audubon Society, AGFD, Arizona Department of Transportation, and the Regional Transportation Authority that made this possible.

We can’t wait to see what other Sonoran Desert animals will use the wildlife bridge and wildlife underpass.

Watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLcfwGMF7Xk

Read a press release here.

A mule deer makes its way across over the Oracle Road wildlife bridge. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

A coyote enters the Oracle Road wildlife underpass. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

A javelina exiting the Oracle Road wildlife underpass. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Read the press release about a collaborative volunteer opportunity near the wildlife bridge on north Oracle Road.

CSDP_SIA_vegproject_PressRelease_FINAL

Pima County’s first vegetated wildlife bridge is under construction! Come volunteer and play an important role by helping provide a vegetated screen for wildlife.

Come be part of Pima County’s first vegetated wildlife bridge! We will be working with Tucson Audubon Society, Sky Island Alliance, and the Santa Catalina Catholic Church to create a vegetated screen between the parking lot of the church and the approach to the east side of the wildlife bridge. This project is very important to help mitigate human impacts to wildlife that will be utilizing the bridge.

When: October 7th and 13th-17th, 8am-3pm each day
Where: Santa Catalina Catholic Church (14380 N Oracle Rd.) Click here for a map.

We need help with irrigation prep work and planting. Please register through Sky Island Alliance by clicking the button below or visiting http://www.skyislandalliance.org/calendar/category/volunteer/2015-10/. There you will find detailed information on what to bring and expect for each of the days. Space is limited, so come be part of Pima County’s first wildlife bridge and sign-up today! We look forward to seeing you there.

Learn more about the Oracle Road wildlife crossings.

Get the latest news and updates from our member group, Friends of Ironwood Forest by reading their new newsletter.

http://sonorandesert.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IronwoodNews8-15.pdf

A section of the Santa Cruz River flows year round thanks to treated wastewater. Photo courtesy of Pima County.

Have you ever traveled along the Santa Cruz portion of The Loop and seen water flowing in the riverbed? Have you seen the lush riparian vegetation and wildlife that this section of the Santa Cruz supports, including 230 species of birds? For 23 miles, the Santa Cruz River enjoys year-round flow from treated wastewater, called effluent. This cleaned and treated water comes from two treatment facilities near Ina and Roger roads.

However, there is no formal agreement to ensure that this water is not used for other purposes. If we want to see the Santa Cruz River flowing for years to come, we need to act now and contact our elected officials. The Coalition has an active leadership role in the Community Water Coalition, and along with other groups we are asking City and County leadership to secure water for this stretch of the Santa Cruz River using the Conservation Effluent Pool (CEP). The CEP is 10,000 acre feet of treated wastewater that is set aside for special riparian habitat restoration projects each year. We want Pima County and the City of Tucson to set aside a portion of CEP water to maintain the riparian habitat that has been established while the Santa Cruz River has been flowing.

Please contact the Mayor, County Administrator, or your Council Member and let them know that you support the proposal by the Community Water Coalition to designate CEP water towards the Santa Cruz River. Let them know why having this riparian ecosystem is so important for both people and wildlife. We need places like this to keep the Sonoran Desert ecosystem thriving for years to come.

Find contact information for the Mayor and Council Members.

Contact the County Administrator.