Meeting regional water conservation goals starts at the top of our Sky Islands.
Did you know, for instance, that 2.5 times more precipitation falls on top of Mt. Lemmon than down in the Tucson basin’s Sonoran Desert? We can help promote natural recharge of groundwater and the aquifer by slowing down and sinking mountain snowmelt and rain with simple erosion-control techniques.
With this project, our goal over the coming years is to help Mt. Lemmon absorb as much water as possible to support groundwater and the people, plants, and wildlife that depend on it.
Since the Bighorn Fire in 2020, SIA staff and volunteers have worked across the Catalinas to measure the health of springs, map sites with erosion problems, and find good locations to stabilize slopes and help sink more rain and snowmelt into the ground. So far, we’ve built over 250 erosion-control structures in the Coronado National Forest to protect springs from landslides, stop soil loss, encourage regrowth of native plants, and slow runoff. With additional support from Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority, The Nature Conservancy, and Coronado National Forest, we’ll now build 150 more erosion-control structures in the Coronado and on private property to benefit our shared water supply.
This summer, Sky Island Alliance staff will meet with property owners to understand opportunities to recharge mountain groundwater in Summerhaven and other cabin communities in the Catalinas. We’ll select sites for erosion-control structures that show the most promise, focusing on drainages and erosion features that can be effectively improved with loose rock structures or, in some cases, wood structures using trees being cleared by “Firewise” activities around cabins and common areas. We’ll also continue to build erosion-control structures in drainages within the forest to aid Bighorn Fire recovery and slow runoff. Using these simple techniques, we can save the rain and help this area thrive.
How to Get Involved
- Join our next volunteer trip on Mt. Lemmon on July 18-20 where we’ll be building erosion-control structures, and keep an eye on our calendar for future events.
- Learn more about this project during our virtual Coffee Break on July 24 at 9:30 a.m.
- Help prioritize areas for treatment by completing this short Erosion Mappers survey when you see an area needing attention. This survey can be used anywhere in the Sky Islands.
- Make a donation to the Mt. Lemmon Conservation Fund to help protect springs, habitat, and groundwater in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
- Join Spring Seeker and submit info about springs on Mt. Lemmon or anywhere in the region.