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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 insights we’ve learned along the way.

The Arizona We Want: The Decade Ahead

The Arizona We Want: The Decade Ahead

In this virtual Coffee Break, we're joined by Dr. Sybil Francis and Ian Dowdy from Center for the Future of Arizona. Our guest speakers review the results of their groundbreaking Gallup Arizona Project and share more on Arizonans' shared values when it comes to our air, land, water, and wildlife.  

Sonoran Desert bee

The Sonoran Desert: A Bee Diversity Hotspot

In this virtual Coffee Break, we're joined by Dr. Kim Franklin, associate director of conservation at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. She takes us on a tour of our region’s incredible bee diversity and shares some of the threats to their survival and small things each of us can do to help them thrive.    

Southwest spring fireflies

Coffee Break: Searching for the Southwest Spring Firefly

In this virtual Coffee Break, our featured topic is 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.    

Porcupine

Coffee Break: Porcupines in the Sky Island Borderlands

In this virtual Coffee Break, SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel presents on an often overlooked species in the Sky Islands: porcupines.    

Hermosa Mine coffee break

Coffee Break: Protecting the Patagonia Mountains From Destructive Mining

In this virtual Coffee Break, SIA staff share latest updates on our work to protect southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains from South32's Hermosa project.

Bobcat

Coffee Break: Mediating Wildlife-Human Relationships Through Behavioral Ecology

In this virtual Coffee Break, we were joined by Allie Burnett, Ph.D. candidate within the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, to learn more about wildlife-human relationships and ways to reduce conflict.

Jaguar Coffee Break

Coffee Break: Unwinding the Regulatory Story of the Jaguar

In this virtual Coffee Break, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service jaguar expert Marit Alanen discusses the regulatory history of jaguars in the U.S., recovery planning, critical habitat designations, and more.

Coffee Break on Invasive Plants

Invasive Plants: The Biggest Local Threats and What We Can Do

In this virtual Coffee Break, Saguaro National Park botanist Dan Beckman presents on some of the most concerning invasive plants in the region, including buffelgrass, stinknet, tamarisk, and more.

Sky Island talk with Sarah J. Love

Coffee Break: Using Sky Islands to Study Climate Change Across the Globe

In this virtual Coffee Break our presenter, PhD candidate Sarah J. Love, dives into how sky islands across the world are being used to study ecological and evolutionary impacts of global climate change.

Tanque Verde Falls

Protegiendo los origenes de agua en las Islas del Cielo

En este Coffee Break virtual, Joaquín Murrieta analiza los orígenes del agua en las Islas del Cielo y el trabajo que realiza un grupo binacional de organizaciones para proteger este preciado recurso.

Hog-nosed skunk

Skunks of the Sky Islands

In this virtual Coffee Break, SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel presents on the four kinds of skunks found in the Sky Islands. The talk includes ID tips, info on species' ranges, and fun photos.

Aravaipa Creek

Arizona Water Law 101

In this virtual Coffee Break, Tucson lawyer and SIA board co-chair Michael Van Alsburg dives into one of the most important topics in our region: water.

Black bear

Sky Island FotoFauna in New Mexico

In this webinar Sky Island Alliance staff were joined by residents from New Mexico interested in joining our FotoFauna network.

Gila topminnows

The Future of Arizona's Smallest Native Fish

In this virtual Coffee Break, biologist Betsy Grube with the Arizona Fish and Game Department discusses the biology, history, and recovery of a number of the state's endangered species.

Black River

How Is Surface Water Quality Protected in Arizona?

In this virtual Coffee Break, Dr. Erin Jordan from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality shares how surface waters are protected and what you can do to help safeguard them.

White-tailed deer and fawn

Border Wildlife Study 3rd Anniversary

In this virtual Coffee Break, Sky Island Alliance staff share an update on our Border Wildlife Study and the last three years of wildlife activity along 30 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border in southeast Arizona.

Mexico interns

Sky Island Alliance y la cultura de conservación en Sonora

In this virtual Coffee Break, Sky Island Alliance program staff share more about the range of upcoming projects we have planned for 2023 in Sonora and ways supporters can volunteer.

Aravaipa

Spring Into Stewardship

In this virtual Coffee Break, Sky Island Alliance program staff share more about the range of upcoming projects we have planned for 2023 in Arizona and ways supporters can volunteer.

Shipping container removal

Arizona Border Update

A panel discussion on the evolving situation with the state of Arizona's illegal shipping-container wall on the Coronado National Forest now that protesters effectively stopped wall construction and former Gov. Ducey has left office.

White-tailed deer

Highlights From Our 3rd Annual FotoFauna Contest

On Dec. 15, 2022, we hosted our 3rd annual FotoFauna Contest, in which Sky Island Alliance supporters voted on best photos captured by our volunteers’ remote cameras. Watch the recording and see all the winners in our various categories.

Shipping containers

Arizona Border Briefing

A panel discussion 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 the Coronado National Forest in the southern Huachuca Mountains — right in the heart of our Border Wildlife Study.

Dark Skies Webinar

Help Document Dark Skies in the Sky Islands, Oct. 17-26

In this short talk, we discuss how artificial lighting threatens the region's spectacular dark skies, as well as its wildlife. We also explain how you can step outside after the webinar and collect a simple measurement of how dark the sky is above you.

FotoFauna Training

Training: Intro to Sky Island FotoFauna

Do you love wildlife in the Sky Islands and have a place where you could place a backyard trail camera? Then this training is for you. In this talk we walk you through the steps of joining Sky Island Alliance's FotoFauna network.

The Forgotten Botanist

Coffee Break: "The Forgotten Botanist"

Check out this recording to learn more about a fascinating but unsung figure in the Sky Islands' history. In September 2022 we hosted a conversation with independent scholar, editor, poet, and author Wynne Brown, who shared details from Sara Plummer Lemmon’s life and work, with an emphasis on Sky Island plants.

Fireflies

Coffee Break: Fireflies of Arizona and the Sky Islands

Did you know there are more than 20 different species of fireflies in Arizona? Or that fireflies in our Sky Islands synchronize their flashes, lighting up the night in unison? Check out this virtual Coffee Break with Arizona firefly expert Joe Cicero to learn more about the cool fireflies and glowworms living in the region.

Sky Island geomorphology

Coffee Break: Sky Island Geology & Geomorphology

Have you ever wondered how the Sky Islands were created? How rivers became oriented in certain directions? How vegetation and soils play off each other to create the geographic diversity we see in Sky Islands? Check out this fascinating webinar to learn more.

American Scar

"American Scar" — Virtual Screening + Q&A

In May 2022 we hosted a virtual screening of the border wall documentary "American Scar," produced by The New Yorker. Following the short film was a Q&A with the director, producer, photographer, and local conservationists.

History of Springs in a Northern Sky Island

Did you know Arizona has over 200 native species of mollusks? Learn about several families of snails (springsnails, talussnails, mountainsnails, and woodlandsnails) that are Species of Greatest Conservation Need across the state.

Snail

Get to Know Your Slimy Neighbors — Desert Snails

Did you know Arizona has over 200 native species of mollusks? Learn about several families of snails (springsnails, talussnails, mountainsnails, and woodlandsnails) that are Species of Greatest Conservation Need across the state.

Border Changes in Arizona — A Pilot’s Perspective

Join us on the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration and proclamation to pause wall construction for a real bird’s-eye view of the state of the borderlands. In this Sky Island Coffee Break, our Program Director Emily Burns hosts Greg Bedinger, a volunteer LightHawk pilot and photographer who has flown along the border many times in recent years.

Partnering With Nature Can Heal the Land of the Jaguar

Watch this webinar to hear from La Tierra del Jaguar, a conservation nonprofit that “saves jaguars by teaching skills and empowering people to partner with nature and heal the land.” Founder and Director Randy Young will discuss how partnering with nature can boost resiliency, increase diversity, and strengthen the communities that live in the land of the jaguar.

Living Well and Coexisting with Urban Wildlife

Join wildlife ecologist Zoë Rossman during this hour-long coffee break to learn how to live well and coexist with the urban wildlife that visit communities throughout the southwest.

Getting Started With Sky Island FotoFauna

In this webinar, our Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel will walk you through how to join FotoFauna! With almost 200 volunteer cameras operating in the Sky Island region, you'll become a part of a large community science project that strives to better understand our regional and migratory wildlife.

Key Messages and Comment Writing on the Border Barrier Remediation Plan

Come learn how to write comments to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about their Remediation Plan for the Tucson Sector! Submit your comments by Feb 3, 2022 and make your voice heard for the wildlife and landscapes of the Sky Island borderlands.

Sky Island FotoFauna: First Year Results from a Growing Wildlife Monitoring Network

Come celebrate one year of Sky Island FotoFauna with us! After 12 months of data and over 1,000 checklists submitted, we are excited to share what the growing FotoFauna community of wildlife cameras in Sonora and Arizona is showing us about the distribution of Sky Island mammals.

Introducción a Spring Seeker en Español

¡Únase a nosotros para un Coffee Break de Sky Island en español sobre nuestro proyecto Spring Seeker! El asistente de SIA, Ángel García, le explicará cómo unirse a nosotros para aprender a recopilar datos de manantiales locales a través de nuestro proyecto Spring Seeker.

Virga

Coffee Break: Exploring Monsoon Season and Current Weather Conditions With CLIMAS

How much do you know about the summer rains we get in the Southwest U.S.? If you have questions about how monsoons work, including how to make sense of the recent weather conditions and rain events we've received across the Sky Islands, you won’t want to miss this coffee break!

Introducción a FotoFauna en Español

¡Únase a nosotros para un Sky Island Coffee Break repleto de vida silvestre! El becario de SIA, Miguel Francisco Enríquez Galaz, le explicará cómo unirse a nuestra red de monitoreo de vida silvestre, Sky Island FotoFauna.

How to Identify Wildlife on Your Trail Cameras

Do you have a wildlife camera at home? Want to learn how to better identify the species detected in your backyard? This workshop covers how to identify common species seen on cameras in the Sky Island region—with a special emphasis on similar-looking species like deer, skunks, squirrels, and jackrabbits.

A Semester with Round River Conservation Studies

Six students with Round River Conservation Studies partnered with SIA staff for a semester to learn about the natural history of this region and help us collect data for various ecology research projects, including Spring Seeker, Sky Island FotoFauna, and the Border Wildlife Study.

Introduction to Tracking Large Cat Species in the Sky Islands

Are you interested in learning how to help us document where these four cat species are present in the Sky Island region? Watch this training to learn how to identify cat tracks and sign, how to differentiate cat tracks and scat from other species, and when and where you’re most likely to find cat tracks and other sign.

Learn to Measure the Darkness of Our Night Skies

Join Globe at Night leader Connie Walker to learn how to measure night sky darkness around you by counting the number of stars visible to the unaided eye in easily recognizable constellations!

Exploring High Elevation Springs at Saguaro National Park

This discussion focuses on Saguaro National Park's efforts to learn more about high elevation springs: finding previously undocumented springs and rare plants, assessments, history, and where the water comes from.

Signs of Life - Forest Recovery After Fire

Join us for this Coffee Break to find hope in the ashes after wildfire. Across the west, fires are burning in a multitude of forests this year. We will discuss how different forest types recover after burning, from the Sky Island pine forests of the Southwest to the coast redwood forests of California. We will take inspiration from nature’s resilience to recharge ourselves so that we can rise and meet the challenge of stewarding the lands we love through climate change.

Setting 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 it up for success. Spoiler alert, we are also going to show a lot of our favorite wildlife videos!

Conservation in the Patagonia Mountains

Join a discussion with Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA)—one of Sky Island Alliance's Border Wildlife Study partners—to learn about wildlife conservation efforts in Arizona's Patagonia Mountains.

Conservation in Mexico 101

Join a discussion with our new Conservation Director, Paulo Quadri Barba, as he tells the story of land tenure and conservation in Mexico and describes the conservation tools used to protect both public and private land.

A Stroll on the San Pedro River

Executive Director, Louise, immersed us in an enchanting virtual tour of the San Pedro River during our first Coffee Break with Sky Island Alliance. During the webinar, we walked alongside Louise listening to soothing running water, birds singing in the riparian canopy overhead, saw a lively troop of coati, a swimming Sonoran mud turtle, and a host of other amazing creatures inhabiting this important river habitat at the U.S.-Mexico border

The Next Generation of Sky Island Leaders

During this Coffee Break, we share how our Sister Parks Project in collaboration with the National Park Service led to the creation of a binational internship program for undergraduate students and hear from Universidad de la Sierra students as they explain how our program inspired them to take action in their local Sonoran communities! This Coffee Break is presented bilingually in English and Spanish.