News

New snowpack totals suggest the 20-year Western drought will persist, intensify

Lack of monsoon rainfall last summer and spotty snowfall this winter combined to worsen the Western drought dramatically in the past year, and spring snowmelt won’t bring much relief.

A century of federal indifference left generations of Navajo homes without running water

When Julie Badonie was growing up in the small Navajo community of Tohatchi in the 1940s, her father drove a horse-drawn wagon early each morning to a nearby spring. There, he filled wooden barrels with water the family would use that day to drink, cook, and wash. 

The Moms Who Are Battling Climate Change

A new initiative seeks to tap into mothers’ concern for the world their children are inheriting.

Updating the status for water from the Colorado River

The Colorado River is one of the most highly developed surface water systems in the world, but demand for the river’s water continues to exceed supply. University of Arizona geosciences professor Connie Woodhouse discusses the impact of a warming climate on the Colorado River. She is the featured speaker for the annual College of Science lecture series April 15.

Connie Woodhouse spoke with Leslie Tolbert, Regent’s professor emerita in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona.

Climate change is impacting weather patterns across the West, study reveals

Droughts are lasting longer and rainfall is becoming more erratic across the Western hemisphere, according to a new study published by the US Department of Agriculture. 

How drought and constant fire are impacting Arizona

Conditions in the Southwest are getting drier, but there is some possibility for hope later this year.

A Warmer Climate May Spell Doom For Western Butterflies

Wide open spaces, like much of Wyoming, are known to be strongholds for pollinators like butterflies. They often contain critical habitat and food resources, far away from the disturbance of human civilization. But it turns out even those areas are under threat.

Arizona sitting in rare territory for extreme drought conditions

After last summer’s poor monsoon followed by a weak winter, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 55% of Arizona is in the exceptional drought category, the worst level.

River advocacy group hosts annual meeting April 17

Friends of the Santa Cruz River (FOSCR) invites all community members who love the river to join its annual meeting on Saturday, April 17.

Local First Arizona’s SCALE UP Program Launches Dynamic New Sustainability Project

The mission of Local First Arizona (LFA) is to build equitable systems for Arizona’s local businesses and communities that create a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable Arizona economy by strengthening, supporting and celebrating entrepreneurship, rural and urban community development, racial equity, environmental action and food access.