Calendar

Venture into the wilds with Sky Island Alliance as we go in search of seeps and springs throughout the landscape. Spring assessments often require miles of off-trail hiking every day. Prior training is not required, but experienced volunteers and those with skills in tracking, plant identification, and invertebrate or vertebrate identification are always desired.

Sky Island Alliance is partnering with the National Forest Service and Borderlands Restoration to create a diverse pollinator plant palette of native understory plants in Parker Canyon! The seeds we collect will be grown out to be re-planted after we rid the canyon of invasive species.

We need you for a fun day of walnut planting in Spencer Canyon. We will be continuing our project to create more resources for the Santa Catalina gray squirrel by planting more of their very favorite foods! Join us in this cool, high elevation canyon, for a respite from the summer heat.

The ponds at Audubon's Research Ranch offer important habitant for a number of rare species including Chiricahua leopard frogs and Mexican gartersnake. However, some of these ponds are in need of a little re-vamping. Join us as we partner with the National Audubon Society, and Tom Biebighauser of Wetland Restoration and Training LLC and work to bring new life to these water sources.

Our seed collection work continues... Join us for a day as we explore Parker and other nearby canyons in our search for perfect plant materials for our restoration project. What could be better than a day of hiking and playing with plants?

Join us for a special four day trip to spectacular Aravaipa Canyon as we continue our work to clear invasive vinca from around The Nature Conservancy's guesthouse. This project is part of our long term goal of removing vinca from throughout the canyon!

Help us put some finishing touches on our recent pond building project out at the Audubon Society's Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch! We will be installing native plants that were grown from seed collected right on the ranch.

Join us for a weekend of planting native grasses on the Bar Boot Ranch, Southwest of the Chiricahua Mountains. We will be staying at a ranch building with utterly amazing views, but you will need camping gear as there are no beds available.

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa wilderness areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Galiuro Wilderness area.

We'll be heading back to Gila Cliff dwellings National Monument to continue planting native, pollinator-friendly plants. Join us for a long weekend in this spectacular National Monument!

Celebrate National Public Lands Day for 2017 with Sky Island Alliance, and take your pick! We've got two different options for making a difference for your public lands!

Help us restore native plants for wildlife and pollinators in Parker Canyon! BACKGROUND Sky Island Alliance is partnering with the Coronado National Forest and Borderlands Restoration to restore a diverse riparian understory of native plants for wildlife and pollinators in Parker Canyon! This weekend we will work to remove invasive species and collect seeds that...
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join us in beautiful Bear Canyon as we celebrate United Way's Days of Caring. We will be working in the canyon to remove invasive grasses both Friday and Saturday, so please join us for whichever day(s) work for you.

Join us for a day, or come out for the whole project! There will be plenty of work to do as we team up with Tom Biebighauser again to create ponds for wildlife!

Join us as we check in on walnut trees we planted to improve habitat for the Santa Catalina gray squirrel in gorgeous riparian canyons right in our own backyard! 

We are heading out to our newly built ponds in the Southern Galiuros to install native plants for the benefit of pollinators and other wildlife. Join us in a beautiful setting for a day of good work for wildlife!

Join us in Bear Canyon as we kick off not a day, not a week, but a whole month of beating back buffelgrass and fountain grass! We have been working to eradicate fountain grass and buffelgrass from this beautiful area for several years now; steadily working our way up the canyon. We have been doing a great job, but the canyon is long, and we have a lot of ground to cover in our fight against these invasive grasses.

Join us as we continue Beat Back Buffelgrass Month with a day trip in Bear Canyon! We have been working to eradicate fountain grass and buffelgrass from this beautiful area for several years now; steadily working our way up the canyon. We have been doing a great job, but the canyon is long, and we have a lot of ground to cover in our fight against these invasive grasses.

Join us on our last trip for Beat Back Buffelgrass Month with a day trip in Bear Canyon! Although this officially ends our Beat Back Buffelgrass Month efforts, we will be back to continue the fight against these invasive grasses.

Join SIA staff in Bear Canyon for a day of habitat restoration! Our work will focus on watering native plants that we've recently installed - helping them to get established until the relief of the monsoon rains come!

If you've been working in Bear Canyon with us recently, you know that we have been working hard to remove invasive grasses from the allong the creek, and planting native plants that will benefit wildlife in our wake. Now we need to make sure our new additions to the canyon are able to get established! Come out and help us hold the space we've cleared of invasive fountain grass! 

Have you been wanting to take your involvement in our Wildlife Linkage Program a step further and help us determine different ways of presenting and analyzing your wildlife tracking and camera data? We heard this interest at our March 1st Wildlife Stewards Meet-Up, so now is your chance!

If you've been working in Bear Canyon with us recently, you know that we have been working hard to remove invasive grasses from the allong the creek, and planting native plants that will benefit wildlife in our wake. Now we need to make sure our new additions to the canyon are able to get established! Come out and help us hold the spaces we've cleared of invasive fountain grass and Bermuda grass! 

If you've been working in Bear Canyon with us recently, you know that we have been working hard to remove invasive grasses from the allong the creek, and planting native plants that will benefit wildlife in our wake. Now we need to make sure our new additions to the canyon are able to get established! Come out and help us hold the space we've cleared of invasive fountain grass! 

If you've been working in Bear Canyon with us recently, you know that we have been working hard to remove invasive grasses from the allong the creek, and planting native plants that will benefit wildlife in our wake. Now we need to make sure our new additions to the canyon are able to get established! Come out and help us hold the space we've cleared of invasive fountain grass! 

Come with us to check up on some native pond plantings and remove invasive cattails! SIA has partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Tom Biebighauser of Wetland Restoration and Training LLC to install ponds near the Muleshoe Ranch in the southern Galiuros to provide habitat for lowland leopard frogs, and potentially endangered...
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Join SIA staff in Bear Canyon for a day of habitat restoration! Our work will focus on watering native plants that we've recently installed - helping them to get established until the relief of the monsoon rains come!

The weather is hot and dry. and this job will entail carrying water for some distance to our waiting plants, so volunteers should be in good physical condition, and comfortable hiking over uneven terrain.

Our Tracking Tuesday volunteer get-together is a chance for our current wildlife trackers to get questions answered, to review best practices for gathering data in the field, and to learn how they can use iNaturalist to improve our data set.

Help us repopulate a burned hillside at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument with native plant species! Sky Island Alliance is teaming up with the National Park Service and Borderlands Restoration to restore a recently-burned slope near the main ruin loop at the Monument. Volunteers will be removing invasive plants that have moved into the site,...
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Sky Island Alliance is putting together a team, or teams, to help out during The Nature Conservancy's annual wet-dry mapping of the San Pedro river. TNC coordinates this mapping annually, every 3rd Saturday of June with their local, industry, state and federal agency partners throughout the watershed. This year’s mapping is scheduled for Saturday, June 16th.

Join SIA staff in Bear Canyon for a day of habitat restoration! Our work will focus on watering native plants that we've recently installed - helping them to get established until the relief of the monsoon rains come!

The weather is hot and dry. and this job will entail carrying water for some distance to our waiting plants, so volunteers should be in good physical condition, and comfortable hiking over uneven terrain.

Sky Island Alliance has been helping TNC and the BLM in Aravaipa Canyon for several years on a variety of projects to increase watershed health along this perennial riparian area. During this trip we are continuing our work to remove the invasive plant vinca (or periwinkle) from the understory of the creek banks. This work is part of our long-term goal of eradicating vinca from the entire canyon!

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa Wilderness Areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Chiricahua Wilderness.

Sky Island Alliance has been helping TNC and the BLM in Aravaipa Canyon for several years on a variety of projects to increase watershed health along this perennial riparian area. During this trip we are continuing our work to remove the invasive plant vinca (or periwinkle) from the understory of the creek banks. This work is part of our long-term goal of eradicating vinca from the entire canyon!

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa Wilderness Areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Chiricahua Wilderness.

We are running out to Aravaipa Canyon for a quick trip to install soil moisture monitors and to plant more native plants! We could really use the help of a couple more volunteers to get this work (especially the planting) done.

SIA is partnering with The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve to install native plants around some newly created ponds. Many native animals are sure to benefit from this new habitat, and we want to jump start the revegetation process with some plants that will be beneficial to as many species as possible.

Join us for a weekend of restoration work at Kartchner Caverns State Park! Recently the park has re-routed some trails, and we will be working to manage erosion and to re-plant these sections with native species. This trip is free of charge and no experience is necessary.

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa Wilderness Areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Chiricahua Wilderness.

Sky Island Alliance has been helping TNC and the BLM in Aravaipa Canyon for several years on a variety of projects to increase watershed health along this perennial riparian area. During this trip we are continuing our work to remove the invasive plant vinca (or periwinkle) from the understory of the creek banks. This work is part of our long-term goal of eradicating vinca from the entire canyon!

Join us for a day of collecting walnuts in Bear Canyon! Walnuts are especially important because they provide food for the Santa Catalina gray squirrel, a sub-species of the Arizona gray squirrel that seems to be less common than it used to be due to habitat changes and competition with the introduced Abert's squirrel. The seeds we collect will be grown out to be re-planted in Bear Canyon, and other nearby canyons.

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa Wilderness Areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Chiricahua Wilderness.

Spend a day with us in beautiful Bear Canyon. We have been working to create a healthier habitat for pollinators and other wildlife in Bear Canyon by removing fountain grass to make way for native plants. Today will be all about planting beautiful flowering plants in areas that we have cleared!

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa Wilderness Areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Chiricahua Wilderness.

SIA has taken on a project to help the Coronado National Forest inventory and assess water resources in the Galiuro, Miller Peak, Rincon, Chiricahua, Mt. Wrightson, Pajarita, and Santa Teresa Wilderness Areas. This weekend, we will be working to assess springs and other water resources in the Turkey creek area of the Chiricahua Wilderness.

For these assessments, no special skills are necessary, but we are looking for strong hikers, and tracking skills, plant identification skills, invertebrate identification skills can be helpful. Prior spring assessment training or experience is preferred, but not required.

Join us for a day of removing invasive grasses from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area!

We will be meeting at the South end of the Safeway parking lot on the NE corner of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon Rds. Access to our work area on the National Forest is restricted, so we will need to carpool into the canyon in as few vehicles as possible.

Come join us for a daytrip somewhere on the Coronado National Forest in the San Pedro watershed. Exact location TBD. We'll be spending just a short amount of time at each site, and trying to get to as many springs and tanks as possible. Spring assessments experience is preferred, but not required. Hiking will vary - it could be on or off trail, for various distances. 4WD vehicles a plus.

Sky Island Alliance has been helping TNC and the BLM in Aravaipa Canyon for several years on a variety of projects to increase watershed health along this perennial riparian area. During this trip we are continuing our work to remove the invasive plant vinca (or periwinkle) from the understory of the creek banks and we will plant islands of native vegetation as well. This work is part of our long-term goal of eradicating vinca from the entire canyon!

Come join us for a daytrip somewhere on the Coronado National Forest in the San Pedro watershed. Exact location TBD. We'll be spending just a short amount of time at each site, and trying to get to as many springs and tanks as possible. Spring assessments experience is preferred, but not required. Hiking will vary - it could be on or off trail, for various distances. 4WD vehicles a plus.

This will be a backpacking trip to assess some springs in the Chiricahua Wilderness.
For these assessments, no special skills are necessary, but we are looking for strong hikers, and tracking skills, plant identification skills, invertebrate identification skills can be helpful. Prior spring assessment training or experience is preferred, but not required.

Join us for National Public Lands Day as we remove invasive grasses from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area!

We will be meeting at the South end of the Safeway parking lot on the NE corner of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon Rds. Access to our work area on the National Forest is restricted, so we will need to carpool into the canyon in as few vehicles as possible.

Sky Island Alliance has been helping TNC and the BLM in Aravaipa Canyon for several years on a variety of projects to increase watershed health along this perennial riparian area. This trip will mark the first restoration project we have done on the West end of the canyon! Join us as we plant islands of pollen and nectar bearing plants to increase the diversity and availability of resources for our pollinator friends.

Sky Island Alliance is teaming up with the National Park Service and Borderlands Restoration to restore a recently-burned slope near the main ruin loop at the Monument. Volunteers will be removing invasive plants that have moved into the site, and collecting new seed that can be grown out for future plantings in the park. The slope sits just above the riparian zone of the scenic Gila River and our efforts are essential to make sure these fragile soils are not lost via erosion.

Join us for a day of removing invasive grasses from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area!

We will be meeting at the South end of the Safeway parking lot on the NE corner of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon Rds. Access to our work area on the National Forest is restricted, so we will need to carpool into the canyon in as few vehicles as possible.

Join us for a day of removing invasive grasses from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area!

We will be meeting at the South end of the Safeway parking lot on the NE corner of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon Rds. Access to our work area on the National Forest is restricted, so we will need to carpool into the canyon in as few vehicles as possible.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wilderness-waters-powers-garden-backpack-registration-50879867052 DESCRIPTION IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE A BACKPACK WITH SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE PREVIOUSLY, PLEASE CHECK WITH SAMI (CONTACT INFO BELOW) BEFORE REGISTERING!!! That said, the Galiuros are really beautiful to get out in, so come join us! As part of Sky Island Alliance's work to collect water rights validations for the Forest, we...
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Come join us for a daytrip somewhere on the Coronado National Forest in the San Pedro watershed. We'll be spending just a short amount of time at each site, and trying to get to as many springs and tanks as possible. Spring assessments experience is preferred, but not required. Hiking will vary - it could be on or off trail, for various distances. 4WD vehicles a plus.

During this trip we are continuing our work to eradicate invasive plant vinca (or periwinkle) from the riparian understory of the creek banks. This will require digging and fastidious removal of vegetative material and roots with tools provided by Sky Island Alliance.

As part of Sky Island Alliance's work to collect water rights validations for the Forest, we are doing a weekend dayhike to reach an old dam. We tried this in December, but changed our plans due to the weather. Let's hope this time works out!

Join us for a day of removing invasive grasses from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area as we take part in Tucson's annual Save Our Saguaros event!

For several years Sky Island Alliance has been working to document springs and their surrounding ecosystems in the Sky Islands. We are planning a backpacking expedition into the Galiuro Mountains, one of the least documented of the Arizona Sky Islands, from March 2-8 to continue our springs assessments and water rights validations for the Forest Service. Due to the current government shutdown, there are still some particulars that need to be determined before everything is entirely nailed down (for instance the dates could shift a day or two), but we want to start getting interested folks in the loop.

We had to reschedule our February vinca pulling trip due to sloppy wet roads in the canyon, so you get another chance to go out to this amazingly beautiful place. Join us as we work to clear vinca right along the banks of Aravaipa Creek! We will be wading in and out of the water throughout each day; getting dirty and getting wet. This work is part of our long-term goal of removing vinca from the entire canyon!

Join us for a long weekend in beautiful Aravaipa Canyon. During this trip we are continuing our work to eradicate the invasive plant vinca (or periwinkle) from the riparian understory of the creek banks. This will require digging and fastidious removal of vegetative material and roots with tools provided by Sky Island Alliance.

Celebrate National Public Lands Day with Sky Island Alliance as we remove invasive grasses from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area!

Sky Island Alliance has been helping The Nature Conservancy in Aravaipa Canyon for several years on a variety of projects to increase watershed health along this perennial riparian area. Join us as we work to ramp up our efforts to address the threat of invasive periwinkle (Vinca major) throughout the canyon.