Field Notes
Supporting Pollinator Restoration in the Sky Islands
September 10, 2020The Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora are home to a diverse range of pollinator species, including insects (like bees and butterflies), hummingbirds, and bats. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refers to the Southwest as a hotspot for pollinators due to the various ecosystems that converge here, with the Sierra Madre, the Rocky…
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Rescuing Springs at the Border
July 15, 2020Rancho Los Fresnos is vital protected Mexican land directly south of Coronado Memorial and Coronado National Forest in the southern Huachuca Mountains. Managed by our partners, Naturalia, this ranch is part of our binational Border Wildlife Study and a focus of our Sky Island stewardship work this year. Los Fresnos means “the ash trees” in Spanish. Ash trees (Fraxinus spp) are in the Oleaceae…
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Responding to the extinction crisis in the Sky Islands
May 15, 2019It’s been a tough month of bad news for wildlife, water, and all of us that call the Sky Island region home. Amidst a raft of destructive proposals, the UN released a new definitive report on the state of our natural world. The report details the destruction we humans have wreaked on Earth’s web of…
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Melissa’s intern photo essay: canyons, cliffs, and grasslands
July 19, 2018by Melissa Galindo, 2018 Doris Duke Conservation Scholar Halfway through my internship with Sky Island Alliance, and I’ve seen so much already! Is it hot out here? My attempt to stay cool in the Arizona heat. The only water source was a spigot roughly a third of a mile from the field site. We carried…
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Tasia’s intern photo essay: 4 weeks, 2 countries, countless memories
by Tasia North, 2018 Doris Duke Conservation Scholar Four weeks in, four weeks to go, in my internship with Sky Island Alliance. The sun sets on a hard day’s work This was taken at Sowls Pond out in the Galiuro Mountains. Last year Sky Island Alliance built several ponds and planted a whole bunch of…
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Pollinator Planting in Bear Canyon
April 3, 2016Join us in Bear Canyon for a lovely day of planting natives for pollinators! We have cleared a huge area of fountain grass, and there are several areas ready for transformation.
Beat Back Buffelgrass Day – Bear Canyon
January 23, 2016Celebrate Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 2016 with Sky Island Alliance, making a difference in your local wild lands! Help us in our battle against fountain grass, buffelgrass and other invasives in the beautifully riparian, Bear Canyon.
Monday Morning at Madera!
November 9, 2015We are bringing back nature! After two bridges were replaced earlier this summer, there were no plants and lots of potential erosion. Help us continue our work to bring back the natives and pollinators at this phenomenal birding spot with Sky Island Alliance just an hour south of Tucson. We start with a bird/nature walk, then do some restoration work.
Oracle Road Wildlife Bridge
October 23, 2015Join us as we put the finishing touches on the new native plant buffer between the Santa Catalina Catholic Church and the new wildlife bridge! We will be installing a few more plants, spreading seeds, and moving rocks around to maximize water harvesting opportunities.
Monday Morning at Madera!
October 19, 2015We are bringing back nature! After two bridges were replaced earlier this summer, there were no plants and lots of potential erosion. Help us continue our work to bring back the natives and pollinators at this phenomenal birding spot with Sky Island Alliance just an hour south of Tucson. We start with a bird/nature walk, then do some restoration work.