Monarch Butterflies

ZUZI Theater 738 N. 5th Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

Biologists Mirna Manteca (Sky Island Alliance) and Sergio Avila (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) will speak about the biology and ecology of butterflies and other pollinators, with special emphasis on Monarch butterflies.

$10

Mythical River: Water in the Southwest

ZUZI Theater 738 N. 5th Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

2015 Ellen Meloy Desert Writers Award winner Melissa Sevigny will speak about her upcoming book Mythical River, which weaves together the geology, ecology, history and politics of the American Southwest into a narrative about water that considers what it means to make a home in a dry place.

$10

Wild Sky Islands Celebration

La Cocina 201 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ, United States

Join us under the stars for music, poetry, food, and fun, 6pm Tuesday September 15th at La Cocina and Old Town Artisans, downtown Tucson. Learn what we've been up to, and celebrate our community heroes and the biodiversity of the Sky Islands with us!

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

Reid Park 100 Country Club Road, Ramada 1, Tucson, United States

It's a picnic and a party... Come celebrate Sky Island Alliance's amazing volunteers!

Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing Dedication, Tour and Celebration

Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United States

Come join us for a celebration and very special opportunity to tour the new wildlife bridge and underpass crossings near Catalina State Park. Volunteers needed to help with the event, and all are welcome to attend.

Track the Jaguars at our Arizona Gives Day event

Sentinel Peak Brewing Co 4647 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ

Sky Island Alliance board member and local artist Pat Frederick created two beautiful, life-size metal sculptures of Macho B and Corazon to raise awareness for the plight of jaguars in Arizona and Northern Mexico. The Spirit of Macho B will be making an appearance at our special Arizona Gives Day happy hour. Don't miss this...
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Give a Little, Gift a Lot event at Summit Hut

Summit Hut - Speedway Blvd 5251 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, United States

Sky Island Alliance is honored to be a beneficiary of Patagonia's Give a Little, Gift a Lot campaign! Join us at Summit Hut's Speedway location for an evening with your favorite local nonprofits. There will beer, wine, and snacks on offer, and you can help us get a cut of $20,000 that Patagonia is giving...
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Noche del Espiritu Jaguar – Night of the Jaguar Spirits

Tap + Bottle North 7254 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States

Come celebrate the Spirit of the Jaguar with us! Join us for an evening of fun and community at Tap+Bottle North (NE corner of Ina and Oracle) for a Dia de los Muertos celebration. We want to celebrate you and the power of community to preserve the unique beauty and wild nature of our Sky...
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All Soul’s Procession – Procession of the Jaguars

806 N Grande Ave, Tucson, AZ 85745-2406, United States

Join the Sky Island Alliance, the Northern Jaguar Project, and the Center for Biological Diversity to remember our borderlands jaguars this year at the All Souls Procession. We'll be walking with a huge jaguar puppet, two jaguar statues, and a limited number of jaguar masks and signs to share. Come dressed ready to process in...
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Community Volunteer Fair

Sky Island Alliance is joining 70 other local Tucson groups representing social, political, and environmental activism and civic causes for the biggest community volunteer event of the year! Once again, we'll gather with tables full of literature, petitions, and passions at The Historic Y. The festive atmosphere will feature food, drink and music in the...
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Arizona Gives Day Happy Hour

Tap + Bottle North 7254 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ, United States

It takes many voices to protect the Path of the Jaguar. YOU can empower the next generation of conservation leaders and protect pathways for wildlife this Arizona Gives Day! Join us at Tap + Bottle North, 7254 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, for a special Arizona Gives Day happy hour celebration. Come raise a glass with...
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Rooted: public values and uses for Arizona streams and springs

Sky Island Alliance Office 3127 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, United States

What does water mean to you? View the recording of Julia's presentation on our YouTube channel. Is water really life, as reflected in public values and principles? Fresh water in an increasingly arid region like ours is important, but seeing or having access to surface water has many different meanings and uses to different people....
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Springs in our wildest places: results from 100+ springs surveys in Sky Island wilderness

Borderlands Brewing Co 119 E Toole Ave, Tucson, AZ, United States

Join us at Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 E Toole Ave, Tucson, for a pint and presentation on the interesting things we've been learning about springs in our Sky Island Wilderness areas. Ever wondered what springs in the wilderness look like—or how many are out there?! Sami will take you on a tour of springs surveyed...
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Snowfall and frogs: Connecting mountain and desert waters

Borderlands Brewing Co 119 E Toole Ave, Tucson, AZ, United States

Join us at Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 E Toole Ave, Tucson, for a pint and presentation on the importance of Sky Island streams to sustaining our lowland water sources. Desert waters are precious and essential for life—and in Tucson, much of it comes from the mountains that surround our city. An important water source in...
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Seeking springs in Sonora: New findings from spring surveys and the students working to study them

Exo Roast Coffee Co 403 N 6th Ave, Tucson

Join us at Exo Roast Coffee Co, 403 N 6th Ave, Tucson, for an evening presentation on the amazing work of students in Sonora seeking to protect their unique springs ecosystems. Lea Ibarra and Valeria Cañedo, two of the student leaders from Grupo de Exploración de Manantiales en Sonora, will be joining us too, so...
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Madrean Conference 2018

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tucson - Reid Park 445 South Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ, United States

Back by popular demand, this will be the fourth symposium on the biologically rich Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and adjacent Mexico. REGISTER ONLINE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT! The Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago Conference (known as the Madrean Conference), is the premier regional event for sharing science and building...
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Water Roots – Water Beats: Reflections in water and music

Public Brewhouse 209 N Hoff Ave, Tucson

Join us at Public Brewhouse, 209 N Hoff Ave, Tucson, for an evening of good brews, good words, and good tunes. Music and art have the power to both inspire and mirror—to motivate action and to show where we have traveled. This Water Roots presentation will be a fun evening of music and water combined....
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Border Lecture Series at Borderlands Brewing Co

Borderlands Brewing Co 119 E Toole Ave, Tucson, AZ, United States

Join our very own Emma Fajardo for a presentation on why Sky Islands Alliance's special brand of collaborative conservation is so effective, especially in our Sky Island Borderlands! Good brews, community, and conservation talk. What more could you ask for on a Thursday evening in downtown Tucson?! Hope to see you there.

Water Roots: Exclusive screening of Andy Goldsworthy’s Rivers & Tides

Loft Cinema 3233 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ, United States

Join us for a special screening and panel discussion, hosted by the Loft Cinema in partnership with Sky Island Alliance and University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides is a truly beautiful, Scottish-German 2001 documentary about artist Goldsworthy, a Scotsman whose medium is nature itself and whose preferred studio is the...
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Water Roots – River Walk: A sunset tour to illustrate a new vision for the Rillito

St Phillip's Plaza 4280 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ, United States

Water Roots is on the move with Watershed Management Group! Join us for a special sunset walking tour along the Rillito that will highlight river restoration opportunities and actions and the local flora and fauna, including Mexican free-tail bat viewing from the Campbell Street Bridge. Don’t forget your walking shoes. We will begin at St....
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Jefferson Carter’s Birkenstock Blues: Reading and Benefit

Hotel Congress 311 Congress St, Tucson, AZ, United States

Join Jefferson Carter for his release and reading of his new book Birkenstock Blues. With part of the sales benefiting Sky Island Alliance. September 29, 2019, 6-9 pm in the Hotel Congress Lobby. "Carter has long captured the subtleties of every person’s life with humor, irony, and a touch of charming cynicism that brings home...
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Coronado Memorial Borderlands Festival

Coronado National Memorial 4101 E Montezuma Canyon Rd, Hereford, United States

Help us celebrate the diversity of the region at this year’s Borderlands Festival Fronterizo! This outdoor fiesta will include music, dancing, and performers. We hope you can join us to celebrate the landscape and culture we share along the borderlands. Join Sky Island Alliance in our Celebration of Crossborder Cats, come learn about our wildlife...
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Free

Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival

Read about the Festival on their Website! Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival is taking place on Saturday, October 26, from 11 AM to 4 PM, in Armory Park, 221 S. 6th Avenue, in Downtown Tucson. Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival provides a popular annual event that brings together individuals, organizations, and companies in our community who are working to help...
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Border Wildlife Study Virtual Happy Hour

Join us for a virtual happy hour on Tuesday, April 7, at 5:30 PM to celebrate Arizona Gives Day. Emily Burns, Program Director and lead scientist, will share an inside look at our new Border Wildlife Study and the diverse wildlife community our cameras are detecting. Join us and toast the amazing diversity of life in the Sky...
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Sky Island Alliance Coffee Break: The Incredible Story of Jaguars in the Borderlands

Join us on World Jaguar Day to celebrate majestic northern jaguars. Hear the latest updates on who's been spotted lately. Learn what organizations in Sonora and the southwestern U.S. are doing to provide jaguars with the connected open space they need to recover and thrive. We'll be hosting Turtle Southern from the Northern Jaguar Project, and Randy Serraglio from...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Seeking Sky Island Springs

Register Here Join the next Coffee Break with Sky Island Alliance staff Emily Burns and Sami Hammer to learn about how springs bring life to the Sky Island region and what it will take to save springs for generations. We will virtually tour springs in the U.S. and Mexico and share stories of how we combine science and stewardship to protect vital Sky Island waters.

Sky Island Coffee Break: Be a Spring Seeker

Register for the Webinar Here Calling all Sky Island volunteers and hikers! During this webinar, learn how to collect valuable information on the health of springs across the Sky Island region independently. Our staff will introduce you to our new Spring Seeker survey for your smartphone and guide you through the simple steps to complete the survey during your...
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Wilderness Springs Training

Register Here Did you know that springs on U.S. Forest Service land might not be protected unless they are surveyed to validate the water rights? Come learn more about our new Spring Seeker survey and how you can help survey wilderness spring this summer in Coronado National Forest! We'll cover topics including which wilderness areas...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Border Wildlife Study 90-Day Report

Register for the Zoom Link Here Join us as we share new results from the first 90 days of our Border Wildlife Study documenting species in the path of the border wall. Since March 9, 2020, our 60-camera array along 34 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border recorded a huge diversity of mammals, birds, reptiles, and...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Introduction to Zooniverse

Are you an expert birder? Amateur mammal enthusiast? Excited to learn more about the diverse wildlife species of the Sky Islands?  Come join us to hear about our new community science projects on the Zooniverse platform where you can see photos from our wildlife cameras and help us with species identification. We’ll walk through the platform, include tips from...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Conservation in Mexico 101

Join a discussion with our new Conservation Director, Paulo Quadri Barba, as he tells the story of land tenure and conservation in Mexico and describes the conservation tools used to protect both public and private land. Hear the latest news on recent defunding of CONANP—Mexico’s equivalent to the National Park Service—and how reserves in the...
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Conservation in the Patagonia Mountains

Join a discussion with Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA)—one of Sky Island Alliance's Border Wildlife Study partners—to learn about wildlife conservation efforts in Arizona's Patagonia Mountains. For nearly a decade, PARA has collected camera data to document the incredible diversity of flora and fauna species that live within the mountains' canyons and corridors. However, many...
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Set Up Your Own Backyard Wildlife Camera

If you want to see animals roam through your own corner of the Sky Islands 24/7, learn how to set up a wildlife camera in your own backyard. Join us for this virtual Coffee Break to learn Sky Island Alliance tips and tricks for choosing the right camera for your interest and how to set...
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Signs of Life—Forest Recovery After Fire

Join us for this Coffee Break to find hope in the ashes after wildfire. Across the west, fires are burning in a multitude of forests this year. We will discuss how different forest types recover after burning, from the Sky Island pine forests of the Southwest to the coast redwood forests of California. We will...
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Evaluation of Water Sources in Sonora’s Sky Islands / Evaluación de fuentes de agua natural en las Islas del Cielo de Sonora

Register Here Join us on October 1, 2020 at 9:30am MST for a conversation with UNISIERRA undergraduate and Sky Island Alliance intern, Angel Octavio Garcia Godinez, about the results of his Spring Seeker survey project in Sonora, MX this summer. Angel surveyed more than 40 springs with his family, dramatically increasing our knowledge of springs in the area and came...
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Introduction to Sky Island FotoFauna

Register Here Do you have a backyard wildlife camera and want to contribute your photos to help monitor wildlife movement? Join us for this Coffee Break to learn all about our new volunteer wildlife monitoring network across the Sky Island region—FotoFauna. We’ll explain how to complete a monthly checklist of important indicator species from your...
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Binational Conservation in the Upper San Pedro River Watershed

Register for the Zoom link here Join this Coffee Break to hear from Profauna’s Mario Cirett and Antonio Esquer about binational collaborations investing in conservation and restoration of the Sonoran Sky Island since the early 2000s. Thanks to the Parks in Peril program from USAID, the San Pedro River watershed experienced one of its more important conservation moments towards the end of...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Border Wildlife Study 6 Month Update

Register for the Zoom Link Join us to learn the latest results from our Border Wildlife Study. With 84 species detected since March, you won’t want to miss seeing photographs of the new species we’ve seen including porcupine and the Virginia opossum. We’ll discuss which species appear most often at night and which species prefer...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Best FotoFauna Photographs of 2020

Register for the Zoom Link Join us to see the many candid and beautiful wildlife photos contributed to Sky Island FotoFauna in 2020 by volunteers and partners across the region. During this virtual Coffee Break you will cast votes for the best photos of the year! Help us select the winning photographs and wrap up...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Celebrating Three Decades of Sky Island Conservation

Register Here The new year marks a huge milestone for Sky Island Alliance—2021 is the organization’s 30th anniversary! Join SIA Executive Director Louise Misztal and Communications Manager Anna Sofia for the first coffee break of 2021 and embark on a trip down memory lane. You’ll learn about the long-spanning history of Sky Island Alliance, get...
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Coffee Break: Sky Island Situation Room—Stopping the Runaway Wall

Register Here Border wall construction is ramping up just days before the Biden administration takes office. In the Patagonia Mountains, wall contractors are bulldozing and grading for roads. In the Huachuca Mountains, construction continues, damaging springs and mountain habitat and increasing traffic, noise, and light pollution. This violence against the landscapes of the Sky Island...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Introduction to Aravaipa Canyon & Invasive Vinca

Register Here Join us Thursday, January 28 at 9:30 a.m. MST to learn about The Nature Conservancy’s Aravaipa Canyon Preserve and the work Sky Island Alliance is doing there on invasive periwinkle (Vinca major). First, TNC Preserve Steward Aaron Mrotek will give us an overview of the canyon, TNC’s role there, and the Vinca infestation...
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Exploring High Elevation Springs at Saguaro National Park 

Register Here The Rincon Mountains are amazing—so close to Tucson and yet part of a roadless wilderness that still holds many mysteries. Join Saguaro National Park (SNP) on Thursday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m. MST to dig into these mysteries and learn just a little bit more about SNP’s work in the region. Register to attend the Zoom meeting or...
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Painting Sky Island Landscapes with Mexican Artist Jorge Obregón

Register Here Join us Thursday, February 25 at 9:30 a.m. MST for an interview with Mexican artist Jorge Obregón about his landscapes of sky island mountain ranges in central Mexico and other regions of the world! During this discussion, you’ll see several of Jorge’s paintings up close and hear how Mexico’s mountain ranges inspired him...
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Sky Island Happy Hour: Getting Started with FotoFauna

Register Here Join us at 4:30 p.m. on March 11 for a Sky Island Happy Hour packed with backyard wildlife!  SIA Program Director Emily Burns will walk you through how to join our wildlife monitoring network, Sky Island FotoFauna. During the hour, you’ll learn why FotoFauna is so important for monitoring the regional movements of wildlife species for conservation and how you can help grow our binational FotoFauna network of many volunteers and partners. Then, we’ll walk...
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Best Sky Island FotoFauna Photographs of Winter 2021

Register Here Join this fun, interactive coffee break to view the season’s best Sky Island FotoFauna photographs and vote live for your favorites! Photograph categories will include Bath Time, Winter Wonderland, Best Dressed, and several more. All photos submitted to FotoFauna between December 12, 2020 and Wednesday, March 10, 2021 are eligible for the contest....
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Sky Island Coffee Break: A Semester with Round River Conservation Studies

Register Here Six university students from around the U.S. spent their spring semester studying the flora and fauna of the Sky Islands region as part of Round River Conservation Studies, an organization dedicated to teaching gap-year students about sustainable and community-friendly conservation strategies. Throughout the semester, these six students partnered with Sky Island Alliance staff...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: A Big Year on the Border—Year 1 Border Wildlife Study Results

Register Here Since March 2020, our Border Wildlife Study cameras have documented ecological and environmental change along 30 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. With our species count at 109 species, we now are seeing patterns emerge across the landscape, showing where mammals and birds are most active.   During this webinar, you’ll learn how the wildlife community is distributed across the San...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: How to Identify Wildlife on Your Trail Cameras

Register Here Do you have a wildlife camera at home? Want to learn how to better identify the species detected in your backyard? Species identification is a great skill to have, especially if you enjoy getting involved in citizen science projects like Sky Island FotoFauna or local BioBlitz events. In this online workshop, you’ll join...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Introducción a FotoFauna

Registrar Aquí ¡Únase a nosotros a las 9:30 a.m. PDT / Hora de Arizona para un Sky Island Coffee Break repleto de vida silvestre! El becario de SIA, Miguel Francisco Enríquez Galaz, le explicará cómo unirse a nuestra red de monitoreo de vida silvestre, Sky Island FotoFauna. Durante la hora, aprenderá por qué FotoFauna es tan...
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Conservation in Review: What We’re Working on in Sonora, Mexico

Register Here More than half of the Sky Islands are found in Mexico. It is a vast region of peaks, ridges, valleys, and canyons where tropical species such as coati, javelina, ocelot, and jaguar have their northern most stronghold. It is also a place of great historical and cultural richness that faces serious environmental and...
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Bobcats in Tucson—A Study of Cats Living in the Urban/Wildlands Interface of the Tucson Mountains

Register Here! Did you know there are bobcats in Tucson? There are—and we’re here to tell you all about them.  On June 24 at 9:30 a.m. PDT, join Sky Island Alliance and Bobcats in Tucson for a coffee break on large cats! Wildlife biologist Cheryl Mollohan will discuss the study Bobcats in Tucson is conducting on bobcats living along the urban and...
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Coffee Break: Seeking Springs in the Perimeter of the Bighorn Fire

Register Here! Calling all Sky Island volunteers and hikers: Join us to learn how to collect data on our local springs. During this coffee break, you will learn how to collect information on the health of springs affected by the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains (near Tucson, Arizona) using Sky Island Alliance’s Spring...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Introducción a Spring Seeker en Español

Register Here / Registrar Aquí ¡Únase a nosotros este jueves a las 9:30 a.m. Hora de Arizona / PDT para un Coffee Break de Sky Island en español sobre nuestro proyecto Spring Seeker! El asistente de SIA, Ángel García, le explicará cómo unirse a nosotros para aprender a recopilar datos de manantiales locales a través...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Watershed Management Group—How Local Communities Restore and Track Tucson’s Flowing Rivers

Register Here / Registrar Aquí Join us on Thursday, September 16 at 9:30 a.m. Arizona Time/PDT to learn about two local water conservation projects hosted by our friends at the Watershed Management Group (WMG)! Our coffee break presenter, Lauren Monheim. Lauren Monheim, Program Manager for WMG’s River Run Network, will join us to share how...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Introduction to FotoFauna

Register Here! Join us at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 14 for a morning webinar packed with backyard wildlife. SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel will walk you through how to join our wildlife monitoring network, Sky Island FotoFauna. During the hour, you’ll learn why FotoFauna is so important for monitoring the regional movements of wildlife...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Living Well and Coexisting with Urban Wildlife

Register Here! Our guest presenter, ecologist Zoë Rossman. Did you know that humans can coexist (and live happily) with the wildlife of the Sky Island region, including coyotes, javelina, and bobcats? For this Sky Island Coffee Break, we’ll meet online at 9:30 a.m. Arizona Time / PDT to hear Zoë Rossman (she/her), wildlife ecologist and...
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Community Talk: The Mammals Around Us & Wildlife throughout the Sky Islands

Pima County Historic Courthouse, Turquoise Room, 115 N. Church Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701 Pima County Historic Courthouse, Turquoise Room 115 N. Church Avenue, Tucson, AZ, United States

Register Here! This is a Sky Island Alliance talk hosted by the Pima County Historic Courthouse as part of their grand reopening. The talk will be led by Emily Burns, Program Director at Sky Island Alliance. Learn how communities throughout Pima County can get involved in protecting and monitoring wildlife by joining the Sky Island...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Border Changes in Southeastern Arizona—A Pilot’s Perspective

Register Here! How have the borderlands of southeastern Arizona changed in recent years?  From road blading, groundwater pumping, and border wall construction to extreme changes in weather and monsoon flooding, much has happened that has impacted not only people, wildlife, and water — but fragile desert landscapes too.  Join us on the one-year anniversary of...
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Coffee Break: Get to Know Your Slimy Neighbors—The Desert Snails of Arizona

Register Here! Did you know Arizona has over 200 native species of mollusks? Join us on February 17 for a special Sky Island Coffee Break with Arizona's “Snail Guy,” Jeff Sorensen. Jeff will introduce you to several families of snails (springsnails, talussnails, mountainsnails, and woodlandsnails) that are Species of Greatest Conservation Need across the state....
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Coffee Break: History of Springs in a Northern Sky Island

Register Here! Springs are natural features in the Sky Islands that provide life-saving water in a very dry place, which has always made them incredibly valuable to people...who have in turn altered springs in ways that are often invisible today. Join us on March 31st at 10 am (Arizona time) to hear Don Swann from...
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Sky Island Volunteer Celebration

On Saturday, April 23rd at 10am (Arizona Time) we are excited to honor and celebrate our volunteers! Via Zoom we will express our gratitude for our committed and hardworking volunteers who showed up even in a global pandemic! Over the past year alone, Sky Island Alliance had more than 300 volunteers, who worked almost 7000...
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“American Scar” Virtual Screening and Panel Discussion

Virtual

Sky Island Alliance, Wildlands Network, and Cuenca Los Ojos are leading conservation organizations working across the border in southern Arizona and northern Sonora. Together we invite you to a virtual screening of The New Yorker’s short film, "American Scar," on May 4 at 5 p.m. MST. After watching the 13-minute film, listen to a moderated...
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Free