As an alliance, we work together with a wide range of land managers and partners to protect the Sky Islands. The last few weeks have been a real gut punch to our coalition, public lands conservation, cross-border collaboration, and the science that sustains it.
For years, we’ve played a key role in connecting resource managers from Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) and the U.S. National Park Service to develop collaborative solutions for our shared natural resources and to strengthen capacity for vital activities like wildlands fire management, native plant restoration, and sustaining spring ecosystems.
This week, Sky Island Alliance was set to convene parks staff from both the U.S. and Mexico in person for the first time in 10 years to reinvigorate and reaffirm cross-border collaboration in federal protected areas through the Sister Parks program. But the rug was pulled out from under us and our partners by the Trump administration, and we were forced to cancel the meeting after months of planning — disrupting and demoralizing dozens of high-level professionals who are committed to this work.
This is just one story out of many instances of political interference that has halted work on public lands and decimated staff needed for fighting wildfires, keeping parks running, and other important responsibilities. Many of our colleagues have lost their jobs. Their lives have been disrupted. Amidst all of this, many federal funding sources that were granted to us to do conservation work are still effectively frozen, creating significant financial and planning challenges.
Sky Island Alliance is nimble and creative, and we can do a lot to sustain the cross-border collaboration we deeply believe is necessary, even in the face of government dysfunction. But we need our National Park Service and CONANP partners present, fully funded, and allowed to do their jobs without fear of retribution. The same is true for our partners at the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other U.S. federal agencies.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been hard at work raising our voice alongside partners to protect public lands, our colleagues’ jobs, and federal funding for conservation. Our supporters and staff have spoken out to encourage Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ work to counteract the illegal freezing of federal grants, and to urge Congress to do more to fight back against reckless efforts to decimate the federal workforce. And with an eye to the future, we are urging Congress to do everything in its power to preserve environmental funding in federal appropriation bills.
I knew our work would become much harder this year, but it’s become even harder than I imagined. I know you share our dedication to protect the amazing animals, plants, springs, creeks, and mountains that aren’t able to speak for themselves. I need you to continue to stand with us and fight these attacks on all we hold dear and help us sustain this work into the future.
You can make a difference and stand for our shared values in several ways:
- Share your story — Do you have a favorite memory in one of the Sky Island region’s parks that’s special to you? Or have you connected with or been inspired by park staff? Raise your voice and share a picture or note of gratitude. We’ll pass them along to our Sister Parks partners and tell the story of what’s at stake.
- Join us in community — New to Sky Island Alliance and want to meet us? Want to discuss the current situation and path forward? Join us March 19 from 5-7 p.m. at Tucson’s MotoSonora for our volunteer appreciation night and to chat with other volunteers, staff, and board.
- Join us in the work — we have several volunteer events coming up in the Sky Islands. Find a date that works for you and bring a friend.
- Speak out — join likeminded folks across Arizona for a public lands rally on March 27 at the Arizona capitol in Phoenix, and continue to communicate your concerns to your congressional representatives.
- Become a monthly supporter — monthly gifts provide steady income and give us the nimbleness to respond to emerging threats and opportunities.
I’m proud to be a part of Sky Island Alliance as we bring people together, connect them with nature, and build unity across borders to conserve our natural treasures. I know you are too. Thank you for standing with us to make this world a place we want to live in and to make space in this world for the diversity of life that so enriches our existence.