Events
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Trail Building in the Sierra San José
Ejido Naco, SonoraJoin us for a volunteer day trip just south of Bisbee in Naco, Sonora. We'll be helping build a trail in the Sierra San José, an area that's part of Ejido Naco and soon to be voluntarily designated for conservation.
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FotoFauna Two-Part Class in Tucson
Tucson Botanical Garden 2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson, ArizonaThis April 11 and May 2, Sky Island Alliance is hosting a two-part class at the Tucson Botanical Garden for folks interested in joining FotoFauna and learning how to set up a wildlife camera in their yard as part of our community science project. We’d love for you to join us!
Course fee: $60 ($48 for Tucson Botanical Garden members)
Optional fee: $100 for a camera kit -
Rattlesnakes Are Awesome Moms!
VirtualReady to explore the surprising world of rattlesnake families and learn how these remarkable reptiles care for and protect their young? Join us for our next virtual Coffee Break. Our guest speaker is Melissa Amarello, co-founder and executive director of Advocates for Snake Preservation. For her talk, she’ll draw on more than two decades of studying and living with reptiles to show us what snakes are really like through stories and videos.
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Trail Building in the Sierra San José
Ejido Naco, SonoraJoin us for a volunteer day trip just south of Bisbee in Naco, Sonora. We'll be helping build a trail in the Sierra San José, an area that's part of Ejido Naco and soon to be voluntarily designated for conservation.
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Springs Restoration in the Whetstones
Kartchner Caverns State Park 2980 AZ-90, Benson, AZ, United StatesJoin us for a day of removing invasive species at McGrew Spring in southern Arizona's beautiful Whetstone Mountains. Closed to the public, the spring is more than two miles from any other water source and is a favorite haunt of coatis, black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and birds.
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Binational Border BioBlitz
Cuenca Los Ojos Ranch Agua Prieta, Sonora, MexicoCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts! Join SIA and partners for a special binational event, starting at Cuenca Los Ojos ranch in Sonora. Groups will be surveying on both sides and will eventually meet at the wall. If you'd like to join from Arizona instead, see the event on April 25.
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Workshop: Springs Trip Planning and Navigation
Sky Island Alliance Office 3127 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, United StatesJoin SIA staff for an evening at our Tucson office getting ready for upcoming volunteer trips to visit springs within the Sky Islands. Topics covered will include: reading maps and satellite images, navigation aids on desktop computers and smartphones, making tracks and reading elevations and contours on maps, planning backcountry vs. trail walks, etc. With these skills, you’ll be ready to volunteer with confidence.
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Wildlife-Friendly Fencing in the Mule Mountains
Part 2: Over the course of two weekends, SIA will be completing a new wildlife-friendly fence around Abbot Spring to help it recover from overuse by cattle. This is a great chance to see a new corner of the Sky Islands, meet people and camp, and either learn a new skill or share your expertise with others.
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Binational Border BioBlitz
San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, ArizonaCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts! Join SIA and partners for a special binational event, starting at San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. Groups will be surveying on both sides and will eventually meet at the wall. If you'd like to join from Sonora instead, see the event on April 23-26.
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Celebrate the San Pedro
San Pedro House 9800 AZ-90, Sierra Vista, ArizonaThe Friends of the San Pedro River spring festival explores the cultural and natural history of the beloved Upper San Pedro River Valley. The event is free and will feature activities for adults and kids, a series of talks, and informational displays.
The event this year will emphasize history — you will be able to throw an atlatl, make an adobe brick, learn about the Clovis mammoth hunters and other native cultures, find out about the Amerind Foundation, and much more. SIA's Ranchos Regenerativos tech Karen Aglaee Lopez Roman will also be there tabling, so stop by and say hello.
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Grassland Restoration at Rancho Agua de Enmedio
Rancho Agua de Enmedio Cananea, SonoraJoin us for a volunteer camping weekend at the beautiful Rancho Agua de Enmedio near Cananea, Sonora. As part of our larger Ranchos Regenerativos program, we will be working with the landowners on restoration activities including erosion control, work in the tree nursery, and making seed bombs.
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Coffee Break: Himdam, the Remarkable Ocelot That Traversed 4 Sky Islands
VirtualJoin us for this virtual Coffee Break to learn more about the remarkable journey of a male ocelot across four mountain ranges in the Sky Islands of Arizona, the longest-known trek by a single member of the species. This ocelot covered at least 111 miles and crossed I-19, AZ-82, and AZ-83 (at least twice) as it moved among the Atascosa Highlands, Whetstone Mountains, Patagonia Mountains, and Santa Rita Mountains. One of the more fascinating aspects of this story is that the ocelot was detected in four separate ranges by four organizations, who then collaborated to tell the story. We'll be joined by several partners for the talk to discuss this intrepid cat and what's next for ocelot conservation.
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Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us for a Memorial Day weekend in Aravaipa Canyon Preserve as we resume the fight against invasive vinca!
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Workshop: Springs Trip Planning and Navigation
Sky Island Alliance Office 3127 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, United StatesJoin SIA staff for an evening at our Tucson office getting ready for upcoming volunteer trips to visit springs within the Sky Islands. Topics covered will include: reading maps and satellite images, navigation aids on desktop computers and smartphones, making tracks and reading elevations and contours on maps, planning backcountry vs. trail walks, etc. With these skills, you’ll be ready to volunteer with confidence.
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Spring Restoration in Bear Canyon
Rancho Fundoshi Spring Northeast Tucson, ArizonaHelp us restore a wildlife oasis by removing invasive grasses and oleander along the Bear Canyon drainage around Rancho Fundoshi Spring. We'll be working in the soil, bending, kneeling, and using hand tools, picks, and lots of elbow grease.
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Festival for the Grasslands
Cananea, SonoraJoin us in Cananea for a community weekend celebrating the grassland ecosystem of northeastern Sonora. Cananea lies in the heart of the Sky Islands region — a place where rivers are born, and where biodiversity and culture abound. We look forward to a couple days full of community, learning, celebration, culture, hiking, and camping! This gathering is part of the celebration of the United Nations’ International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, which seeks to recognize the importance of grasslands, biodiversity conservation, and the livelihoods of rural communities.
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Erosion Control in the Catalinas
Join us in the Santa Catalina Mountains for a weekend building erosion-control structures in areas burned by the 2020 Bighorn Fire. Together, we can protect springs from landslides and ensure the mountain absorbs even more rain and snowmelt, recharging the aquifer that plants, wildlife, and people like us depend on. Note: Carpooling from Tucson is available, and day-trippers are most welcome. We'll be camping at Spencer Campground on Mt. Lemmon.
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Monsoon-Themed Open Mic
Hotel Congress - Century Room 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, ArizonaIn partnership with the University of Arizona's Poetry Center, join us at Hotel Congress' Century Room to celebrate and call in the 2026 monsoon season! Participants can share their own work or a rain-themed poem that they love. Spots in the lineup will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Up to 30 people can read, with one poem per person. Learn more and sign up for a spot.
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Leaping Lagomorphs: A Deep Dive on Rabbits and Hares of the Sky Islands
VirtualJoin us for this virtual Coffee Break with SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel, who will take us on a deep dive into the different cottontail and jackrabbit species that make their home in the Sky Islands and bring so much joy with their every hop and step. Together, we’ll learn how to identify each species in the field and on camera. Meagan will also share their life history and distribution across the region using data from our FotoFauna and Border Wildlife Study cameras.