wildlife
Wildlife Tracking & Camera Monitoring
Survey window open for wildlife monitoring teams. Training required.
Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing – Irrigation Day!
Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United StatesThere is a new wildlife bridge just north of Tucson that crosses Oracle Road to connect the Tortolita Mountains with the Santa Catalina Mountains. We are working with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Tucson Audubon Society to install native plants on the southeast side of the wildlife crossing at the Santa Catalina Catholic Church.
Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing – Irrigation Day!
Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United StatesThere is a new wildlife bridge just north of Tucson that crosses Oracle Road to connect the Tortolita Mountains with the Santa Catalina Mountains. We are working with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Tucson Audubon Society to install native plants on the southeast side of the wildlife crossing at the Santa Catalina Catholic Church.
Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing – Irrigation Day!
Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United StatesThere is a new wildlife bridge just north of Tucson that crosses Oracle Road to connect the Tortolita Mountains with the Santa Catalina Mountains. We are working with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Tucson Audubon Society to install native plants on the southeast side of the wildlife crossing at the Santa Catalina Catholic Church.
Wildlife Tracking & Camera Monitoring
Survey window for wildlife monitoring teams. Training required.
Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing – Planting Day!
Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United StatesThere is a new wildlife bridge just north of Tucson that crosses Oracle Road to connect the Tortolita Mountains with the Santa Catalina Mountains. We are working with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Tucson Audubon Society to install native plants on the southeast side of the wildlife crossing at the Santa Catalina Catholic Church.
Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing – Planting Day!
Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United StatesThere is a new wildlife bridge just north of Tucson that crosses Oracle Road to connect the Tortolita Mountains with the Santa Catalina Mountains. We are working with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Tucson Audubon Society to install native plants on the southeast side of the wildlife crossing at the Santa Catalina Catholic Church.
Wildlife Tracking & Camera Monitoring
Survey window open for wildlife monitoring teams. Training required.
Oracle Road Wildlife Crossing Dedication, Tour and Celebration
Santa Catalina Catholic Church 14380 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, United StatesCome join us for a celebration and very special opportunity to tour the new wildlife bridge and underpass crossings near Catalina State Park. Volunteers needed to help with the event, and all are welcome to attend.
Sky Island Coffee Break: Border Wildlife Study 90-Day Report
Register for the Zoom Link Here Join us as we share new results from the first 90 days of our Border Wildlife Study documenting species in the path of the border wall. Since March 9, 2020, our 60-camera array along 34 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border recorded a huge diversity of mammals, birds, reptiles, and...
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Set Up Your Own Backyard Wildlife Camera
If you want to see animals roam through your own corner of the Sky Islands 24/7, learn how to set up a wildlife camera in your own backyard. Join us for this virtual Coffee Break to learn Sky Island Alliance tips and tricks for choosing the right camera for your interest and how to set...
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Sky Island Coffee Break: Border Wildlife Study 6 Month Update
Register for the Zoom Link Join us to learn the latest results from our Border Wildlife Study. With 84 species detected since March, you won’t want to miss seeing photographs of the new species we’ve seen including porcupine and the Virginia opossum. We’ll discuss which species appear most often at night and which species prefer...
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Coffee Break: Sky Island Fireflies
VirtualDid you know there are more than 20 different species of fireflies in Arizona? Or that fireflies in the Sky Islands synchronize their flashes, lighting up the night in unison? Join us for our next Coffee Break to learn more from firefly expert Joe Cicero.
Critter Night at Tucson’s Mission Garden
Mission Garden 946 W Mission Lane, Tucson, AZEvery year in August, Tucson's Mission Garden invites experts from wildlife agencies, local nonprofits, and the University of Arizona to come teach about wildlife in our area. Some groups bring live animals. Join us for this fun, family-friendly night. Free with $5 suggested donation.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZWant to do something fun and meaningful this Labor Day weekend? Come join us in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Chiricahua-Peloncillo Heritage Days
Geronimo Event Center 4 Rattlesnake Canyon Road, Rodeo, NMJoin us for this two-day festival full of food, music, and fun in the heart of the Sky Islands. Highlights include a keynote speech from local poet-storyteller Petey Mesquitey, live music, regional field trips, farmer's market, a film screening, and more.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve this fall for a fun and meaningful weekend with other volunteers. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve this fall for a fun and meaningful weekend with other volunteers. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Join the Challenge: Help Document Our Dark Skies
VirtualJoin us for this special event in appreciation of the spectacular dark skies of the Sky Islands. We'll explain how artificial lighting threatens the nocturnal environment that wildlife need to thrive. We’ll also explain how you can step outside after the webinar and collect a simple measurement of how dark the sky is above you.
Arizona Border Briefing
VirtualJoin us for a briefing on the state of Arizona's illegal plan to barricade more of the U.S.-Mexico border with shipping containers on federal land. The newest container drop site is on Coronado National Forest land in the southern Huachuca Mountains and right in the heart of our Border Wildlife Study. Our Program Director Emily...
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Arizona Border Update
VirtualRing in the new year with us as we discuss the evolving situation with the state of Arizona's illegal shipping-container wall on the Coronado National Forest. Our Program Director Emily Burns and Dinah Bear, legal expert and co-founder of the Border Coalition, will host the virtual talk, followed by a Q&A. We’ll be celebrating the...
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Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve this February for a fun and meaningful weekend with other volunteers. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Coffee Break: Spring Into Stewardship
VirtualReady to get your hands dirty and make a difference in the Sky Islands this spring? Then join us on Feb. 9 to learn more about our work to heal the Sky Islands in Arizona. Our conservation team will share an overview of upcoming projects in the Santa Catalina Mountains, at Aravaipa Canyon, and along...
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Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, and exploration of remote park areas! Part one of three in this spring series.
Coffee Break: Sky Island Alliance and Conservation Culture in Sonora
VirtualWant to learn more about our projects in Sonora in 2023 and ways you can get involved as a volunteer? Join us for this virtual Coffee Break that will be presented in English and Spanish.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, and exploration of remote park areas! Part two of three in this spring series.
Border BioBlitz Virtual Talk
VirtualJoin us for a virtual talk hosted by the San Diego Natural History Museum. Our Program Director Emily Burns will be presenting as part of a panel of speakers from both sides of the border. And you can learn more about how to participate in this April's binational Border BioBlitz.
Wildlife-Friendly Fence Installation in Huachucas
Mesa Tank (Southwestern Huachuca Foothills)Help us put up new wildlife-friendly fencing around an old cattle tank to protect water for wildlife at the edge of the beautiful San Rafael Valley. We'll be camping too, so this is a great chance to meet other volunteers and have some outdoor fun.
Border BioBlitz: San Pedro Cleanup
San Pedro RiverJoin us for a day on the beautiful San Pedro River, helping clean up this important wildlife corridor near the border. This event is cohosted by the Sierra Club, and BLM representatives will also be on hand. Participants will meet up in Palominas and then carpool to the cleanup site.
Coffee Break: Border Wildlife Study 3rd Anniversary
VirtualJoin us for a Border Wildlife Study update on the last three years of wildlife activity along 30 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border in southeast Arizona. Our team will share their favorite photos from the study, trends observed during this three-year span, and how these data are applied to guide border policy.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, and exploration of remote park areas! Part three of three in this spring series.
Border BioBlitz: San Rafael Valley
San Rafael Valley 277 McKeown Ave., Patagonia, AZCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts to join us for a Borderlands BioBlitz!
Sky Island FotoFauna Gathering
La Posada Center 780 South Park Centre Avenue, Green Valley, AZ, United StatesA fun FotoFauna gathering for all who are interested. We'll gather and discuss the program and how it helped recent wins at the border.
Border BioBlitz: Parker Canyon Area
Parker Canyon Lake 3200 S Sonoita Hwy, Sonoita, AZ, United StatesCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts to join us for a Borderlands BioBlitz!
Border BioBlitz Weekend: Patagonia
Borderlands Campsite (TBD) Duquesne Road, Patagonia, AZCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts to join us for a Borderlands BioBlitz!
Border BioBlitz: Huachuca Mountains
Huachuca Mountains 4101 E Montezuma Canyon Road, Hereford, AZCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts to join us for a Borderlands BioBlitz!
Border BioBlitz: San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge
San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, ArizonaCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts to join us for a Borderlands BioBlitz!
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZJoin us over Memorial Day weekend for another volunteer camping trip in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Webinar: FotoFauna in New Mexico
VirtualDo you live in New Mexico or have friends who do? Then check out this webinar to learn more about joining Sky Island FotoFauna, our community wildlife-monitoring project. Since 2020, our volunteers have established more than 300 camera points, mostly in Arizona and Sonora, to monitor our region's iconic mammals such as pronghorn, mountain lions,...
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Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZJoin us for another volunteer camping trip in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Critter Night at Tucson’s Mission Garden
Mission Garden 946 W Mission Lane, Tucson, AZEvery year in August, Tucson's Mission Garden invites experts from wildlife agencies, local nonprofits, and the University of Arizona to come teach about wildlife in our area. Some groups bring live animals. Join us for this fun, family-friendly night. Free with $5 suggested donation.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZJoin us Labor Day weekend for another volunteer camping trip in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Chiricahua-Peloncillo Heritage Days
Geronimo Event Center 4 Rattlesnake Canyon Road, Rodeo, NMJoin us for this two-day festival full of food, music, and fun in the heart of the Sky Islands. Highlights include professional presentations, live music, a farmer's market, regional field trips, and more.
Art in the Park
Valencia Library 202 W. Valencia Road, Tucson, AZJoin us for this free, family-friendly event — the first in a series hosted by Saguaro National Park. Each event will feature a different aspect of our Sonoran desert and include hands-on art activities. There will be two sessions: 10:30 a.m. and noon. For the first talk, SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel will present on...
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Wildlife-Friendly Fence Installation in Huachucas
Scotia Canyon Campground Elgin, AZHelp us complete new wildlife-friendly fencing around an old cattle tank to protect water for wildlife at the edge of the beautiful San Rafael Valley. We'll be camping in Scotia Canyon, so this is also a great chance to meet other volunteers and have some outdoor fun.
Coffee Break: Skunks of the Sky Islands
VirtualDid you know that the Sky Island region has four different skunk species? Come learn all about this family of stinkin’ cute creatures during our next virtual Coffee Break, hosted by SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZJoin us for another volunteer camping trip in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of activities including invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, fencing removal, and reseeding. Part one of six in this volunteer series.
Sky Island Alliance Gathering in Albuquerque
Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. 608 McKnight Ave. NW, Albuquerque, NMJoin us for an afternoon and come meet other SIA supporters in New Mexico. We'll give a short presentation on our work and the broader implications for our region's wildlife.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZJoin us for another volunteer camping trip in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Survey Springs in the Pajarita Wilderness
Ruby Ruby, AZ, United StatesJoin us for a weekend of surveying springs in the Atascosa Mountains' Pajarita Wilderness. We'll be car camping each night in the old mining town of Ruby, Arizona.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of activities including invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, fencing removal, and reseeding. Part two of six in this volunteer series.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZJoin us for another volunteer camping trip in the beautiful Aravaipa Canyon Preserve. We'll be continuing work to remove invasive vinca along the banks of the creek.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of activities including invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, fencing removal, and reseeding. Part three of six in this volunteer series.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of activities including invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, fencing removal, and reseeding. Part four of six in this volunteer series.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us for one of our last volunteer camping weekends in Aravaipa Canyon Preserve as we finish this round in our fight against invasive vinca!
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park East 3693 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park for a day of activities including invasive species removal, plant and animal ID, fencing removal, and reseeding. Part five of six in this volunteer series.
Saguaro Stewardship Experience
Saguaro National Park West - Red Hills Visitor Center 2700 North Kinney Road, Tucson, AZJoin us at Saguaro National Park West for a day of fencing removal to improve wildlife connectivity and benefit species like mule deer and bighorn sheep. Part six of six in this volunteer series.
Coffee Break: Mediating Wildlife-Human Relationships Through Behavioral Ecology
VirtualJoin us for our next virtual Coffee Break to learn more about some of the latest research being done to understand wildlife-human relationships and reduce conflict. Our presenter is Allie Burnett, Ph.D. candidate within the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. For her research, she has focused specifically on the dynamics at play in Tucson.
Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us for one of our last volunteer camping weekends in Aravaipa Canyon Preserve as we finish this round in our fight against invasive vinca!
Road Decommissioning in the Huachucas
Montezuma Pass Cochise County, ArizonaJoin SIA as we physically decommission closed roads in the southern foothills of the Huachuca Mountains. We'll be camouflaging roads with rocks and woody debris, reseeding native plants, building erosion-control structures, and installing signs to notify the public about closures. We'll be camping overnight, but day-trippers are also welcome.
Binational Border BioBlitz 2024 — Arizona
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 at San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona and at Cuenca Los Ojos ranch in Sonora. Groups will be surveying on both sides and will eventually meet at the wall.
Binational Border BioBlitz 2024 — Sonora
Cuenca Los Ojos, SonoraCalling birders, botanists, bug lovers, trackers, herpers, fungi folk, and naturalists of all sorts! Join SIA and partners for a special binational event at San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona and at Cuenca Los Ojos ranch in Sonora. Groups will be surveying on both sides and will eventually meet at the wall.
FotoFauna Lending Library Kickoff in Bisbee
Copper Queen Library 6 Main Street, Bisbee, AZDuring this presentation, participants will learn about SIA's FotoFauna program and how they can participate in this community science project through the Copper Queen Library. Patrons can check out a wildlife camera kit from the library and submit an online monthly checklist of species they observe. This data will help SIA and partners study when...
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Bisbee Talk on Binational Conservation
Copper Queen Library 6 Main Street, Bisbee, AZWe're deeply committed to protecting the Sky Islands. But what does it truly mean to live and operate in a binational landscape that differs culturally/politically and is divided by physical barriers? Join us for a special talk at Bisbee’s Copper Queen Library to learn more. Our Mexico Program Director Zach Palma will present, and it’s a chance to learn more about efforts to build ecological resilience in our region.
Coffee Break: Porcupines in the Sky Island Borderlands
VirtualNorth American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) are found across Arizona, but little is known about their distribution in the Sky Island region, and public perception is that porcupines do not live in the borderlands at all. Join SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel for our next virtual Coffee Break to learn more about these fascinating creatures, surprising detections on our Border Wildlife Study cameras, and their documented crossing of the U.S.-Mexico border.
FotoFauna Lending Library Kickoff in Douglas
Douglas Public Library 560 E 10th Street, Douglas, AZDuring this presentation, participants will learn about SIA's FotoFauna program and how they can participate in this community science project through the Douglas Public Library. Patrons can check out a wildlife camera kit from the library and submit an online monthly checklist of species they observe. This data will help SIA and partners study when and where wildlife is present so we can better protect their habitats and pathways.
Coffee Break: Searching for the Southwest Spring Firefly
VirtualJoin us for our next virtual Coffee Break to learn more about the Southwest spring firefly, a nocturnal species associated with permanent streams and marshy areas in the Sky Islands and surrounding foothills of southern Arizona and New Mexico. This rare and imperiled firefly is currently under review for Endangered Species Act listing. For this talk, we’ll be joined by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Rachel Laura and Xerces Society biologist Candace Fallon. They’ll discuss this firefly's life history and the threats it faces, efforts to map its distribution, current research and conservation needs, and the ESA listing process.
The Sonoran Desert: A Bee Diversity Hotspot
VirtualDid you know that the Sonoran Desert is a hotspot of bee diversity, home to more than 1,000 species!? How many of these can you name? Join us for our next virtual Coffee Break to learn more from Kim Franklin, associate director of conservation at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. She’ll take us on a tour of this incredible bee diversity, from the tiny Perdita species that pollinate our tiniest flowers to our gentle giants, the carpenter bees, which are both critical pollinators and pollen "thieves."
Road Rewilding in the Huachucas
Montezuma Pass Cochise County, ArizonaJoin SIA as we physically decommission closed roads in the southern foothills of the Huachuca Mountains. We'll be camouflaging roads with rocks and woody debris, reseeding native plants, building erosion-control structures, and installing signs to notify the public about closures. We'll be camping overnight, but day-trippers are also welcome.
Chiricahua-Peloncillo Heritage Days
Geronimo Event Center 4 Rattlesnake Canyon Road, Rodeo, NMJoin us for this two-day festival full of food, music, and fun in the heart of the Sky Islands. Highlights include professional presentations, live music, a farmer's market, regional field trips, and more.
Coffee Break: Updates From Our Border Wildlife Study
Through our Border Wildlife Study, we have monitored wildlife along nearly 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border for 4.5 years, and we are excited to share some of the insights we’ve learned along the way. We will present on our favorite photos, species trends in the San Rafael Valley, what’s happening with certain species of...
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Border Wildlife Study Talk at Phoenix Zoo
Phoenix Zoo Stone House Pavilion 455 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, ArizonaSince 2020, Sky Island Alliance has used wildlife cameras to investigate the impacts of border walls on wildlife movement. For this talk, SIA Wildlife Program Manager Eamon Harrity and Program Director Emily Burns will present on our study findings and how we're using the data for conservation in the borderlands.
Road Rewilding in the Huachucas
Montezuma Pass Cochise County, AZ, United StatesJoin SIA as we physically decommission closed roads in the southern foothills of the Huachuca Mountains. We'll be camouflaging roads with rocks and woody debris, reseeding native plants, building erosion-control structures, and installing signs to notify the public about closures. We'll be camping overnight, but day-trippers are also welcome.