Our work in natural resource conservation is closely tied to our community engagement work. At Sky Island Alliance we work to inspire people to feel deeply connected to the region and to one another. Through our volunteer trips we train participants to become citizen scientists who can study, understand and conserve the Sky Island region. Through our coordination work we help land managers and conservation professionals in Mexico and the US connect with one another to address regional threats and design creative solutions together. Through our stewardship work we create spaces for communities and students from both countries to learn from one another and together help save the region for generations to come.
Programa de Personas
Nuestro trabajo en la conservación de los recursos naturales está estrechamente relacionado con nuestro trabajo de participación comunitaria. En Sky Island Alliance trabajamos para inspirar a las personas a sentirse profundamente conectadas con la región y entre sí. A través de nuestros viajes de voluntariado, capacitamos a los participantes para que se conviertan en científicos ciudadanos que puedan estudiar, comprender y conservar la región de las Islas del Cielo. A través de nuestro trabajo de coordinación, ayudamos a los administradores de áreas protegidas y profesionales de la conservación en México y los Estados Unidos a conectarse entre sí para abordar las amenazas regionales y diseñar soluciones creativas en conjunto. A través de nuestro trabajo de administración, creamos espacios para que las comunidades y los estudiantes universitarios de ambos países aprendan unos de otros y juntos ayuden a conservar la región para las generaciones futuras.
Path of the Jaguar Internship
We bring together undergraduate students from Mexico and the U.S. through our paid Path of the Jaguar Internship summer program. With mentorship from past interns, Sky Island Alliance staff, and conservation partners in the region, each intern experiences how wildlife and water science helps protect the Path of the Jaguar – the landscape and community where jaguars once roamed freely between Sonora and Arizona and can again. Our interns share their own cultures and perceptions of the borderlands with one another, gain firsthand experience setting wildlife cameras and surveying springs in the field, and build community connections that will support them as they forge new career paths in conservation.
Partnerships for Sustainable Ranches in Sonora
Sky Island Alliance supports local ranchers in Sonora through partnerships with conservation nonprofits in Mexico. These partnerships allow us to invest in ranch lands and protect important Sky Island habitat in northern Sonora. We work together with our partners to understand the needs and interests of local landowners, study the health of water and wildlife on ranch lands, and enhance both the conservation and economic values of places where iconic species like jaguar roam.