Seeing the La Osa landscape firsthand
While maps and planning documents tell part of the story, they cannot fully capture the landscape’s scale, beauty, and ecological and cultural importance. Walking the site offered a clearer sense […]
The first Tortolita BioBlitz was a huge success!
On Saturday November 19th, 46 participants made almost 700 observations of over 135 species! The first Tortolita Preserve BioBlitz was a huge success! What a great way to share and […]
Reducing Roadkill: Safe Passages for Wildlife on Interstate-10 East
By Jessica Moreno, Conservation Science Director One of the best things about doing roadkill surveys is watching the sunrise. During the monsoons, the sun breaks across the eastern horizon and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Field Notes: a rare sighting of a clay-colored sparrow
By Ken Lamberton On day 218 of the Pandemic, my daughter Jessica and I hike in black masks south along Speeden Wash to her wildlife cameras under the I-10 culverts […]
Updates from the El Rio Riparian Preserve
By Janine Spencer-Glasson, Friends of El Rio Preserve The Santa Cruz River serves as an important resource for migrating birds in the southwestern United States. Migrating birds depend upon riparian […]
Monitoring results from the Tangerine Road wildlife crossings
Did you know that there are now five wildlife underpasses under Tangerine Road? As part of a larger project to improve Tangerine Road, five existing drainage structures were enhanced […]
Badger, badger! New badger photos and data from our wildlife cameras
For 10 years we have had wildlife cameras on the landscape monitoring important linkages. We first captured photos of badgers in 2012, and they have made consistent, if rare, appearances […]