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a group of people in front of a bunch of arundo donax in the tanque verde
Restore Tanque Verde Creek: Join the Effort!Help us remove the invasive Arundo donax plant to restore natural water flows and native habitats in the Tanque Verde Creek. Arundo grows quickly and uses up to four times the water of native plants, threatening our desert ecosystem. By volunteering with WMG's River Run Network, you can make a difference in bringing back a healthier, greener riparian...
a group of bicyclists smiling at the camera
Why Sustainable Mobility?Combat Urban Heat: Tucson is now 11 degrees warmer on average than it was 100 years ago. Half of that is due to our built environmentCool Our City: By shifting to sustainable mobility, we can help reduce the city’s temperature by up to 5 degreesHealthy & Equitable: Sustainable transportation supports the well-being of the watershed and peopleUpcoming Events#1. Cool...
200 people gathered at WMG's Living Lab on September 24th for our 6th annual Beavers and Brews event. We shared updates on the health of beaver populations along the San Pedro, discussed the planned Cienega Creek beaver reintroduction, and shared an immersive beaver experience with the sights, smells, and sounds of Cienega Creek. Check out our photo gallery below. If you missed the event, you can...
Arundo removal group
WMG’s River Run Network is excited for another year of removing the invasive species Arundo donax (giant reed) from along Tanque Verde Creek and across Tucson to restore flow and riparian habitat in our creeks and rivers. We invite you to join us at our upcoming events to support this effort, read more about the effort below and see the full list of events here.What is Arundo?Arundo plants...
a photo of a real life beaver seemingly dancing in a river
 6th Annual Beavers & BrewsTuesday, Sept 24th, 2024 | 5:30pm to 8:30pmAt the Living Lab | 1137 North Dodge Blvd.Calling all beaver believers new and old! Join us at this year’s Beavers and Brews immersive experience. Gather at the Living Lab to eat, drink, dive into river restoration, and learn about the latest beaver projects.Our Learning Center will be transformed into a riparian...
rillito river walking and biking path with mural in tucson
River Run Network Clean Up & Arundo Removal: Rillito and Country Club RdWednesday, August 21 - 6:00pm to 7:30pmRegister HereOur Arundo Removal Efforts are expanding! We are so excited to start this new initiative, taking Arundo Removal to the next level across Tucson into many of our other creeks and rivers, not just the Tanque Verde Creek.We begin this effort by tackling areas...
a family at an event at the living lab and learning center
 Next Family Saturday | Próximo Sábado Familiar:Building Rain Gardens with Native Edibles / Haciendo Jardines de Lluvia con Plantas Comestibles NativasOctober 19th, 2024 | 9:00am-12:00pm Bring the whole family to learn about using native food plants to build rain gardens. Participate in a 1 hour workshop to learn about native edible trees, shrubs, and seasonal plants, and how they...
a person giving an outdoor presentation to a group of people
Join Our Team: Watershed Coordinator & Planning LeadWatershed Management Group (WMG) and the Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative (SCWC) are looking for a dynamic and passionate individual to become our first full-time Watershed Coordinator & Planning Lead. If you have a love for environmental conservation, experience in water resources, and a talent for building partnerships, this role is...
mesquite tree in bloom
 Native Edible Trees ProjectWith a grant from Arizona State Forestry, Watershed Management Group is working on a Native Edible Tree project through the end of 2024 exploring  the use of native edible trees and plants in our region through education and events on urban foraging, cultivating, harvesting, and processing these foods. From learning how to identify and use native edibles at...
a group of students learning about rainwater harvesting outdoors
Underrepresented identities in the environmental fields are encouraged to apply, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. WMG is thrilled to announce a new apprenticeship program, starting with five different apprenticeship positions this summer. Apprenticeships are part-time positions with WMG, lasting 4.5 - 9 months in length, and open to...
Family Saturday: What are native edible plants? Gracie Kayko, Environmental Journalism Intern - June 24, 2024  On the third Saturday of the month, Family Saturday is held at Watershed Management Group’s Living Lab. Family Saturday is a free, educational event that invites families to come learn about a variety of sustainability-focused topics around living respectfully with...
a group of people smiling after cleaning up a desert river
 RRN's last trash pickup of the springGracie Kayko, Environmental Journalism Intern - June 17, 2024The May 22nd Santa Cruz River clean up crew. Watershed Management Group’s River Run Network hosted its last trash pickup of the spring on May 22nd at Santa Cruz River at Irvington Road. A group of 10 volunteers, newcomers and returners, helped fill eight, construction grade,...
a group of people learning about harvesting rain water
On-site experience at the Spring 2024 Water Harvesting Certification Course (photo credit: Julius Schlosberg)Water Harvesting Design Certification Course: Fall 2024 SessionsEmbark on an educational journey unlike any other with Watershed Management Group’s Water Harvesting Design Certification. This comprehensive 45-hour program combines hands-on workshops with in-depth classroom learning,...
 Coder Dojo will be offering free week-long coding/gaming workshops at the Living Lab - drawing on WMG's work in water-awareness and 'hydrolocal' practices.Register through the CoderDojo community portal here!Through fun activities – such as exploring the rain gardens, food forest, and other water conservation practices, telling stories, making games, and collecting data - participants...
Join Watershed Management Group and City of Phoenix Water Services Department for free virtual classes on how to create a shady pollinator friendly landscape using rainwater.Register for classes here! Class descriptionsDesigning a Water Harvesting LandscapeTuesday, August 6, 2024 @ 6:00p.m. - 7:30pmLearn to assess your yard based on integrated design principles and find ways you can shape...
a group of people releasing origami boats into the tanque verde creek at a Watershed Management Group event
 A magical evening along a flowing creek in TucsonTanque Verde Flow & Feast 2024 Tanque Verde Flow & Feast 2024 (photo credit: Nicci Radhe) May 4th was a special night at Tanque Verde Creek.The River Run Network, a program of Watershed Management Group, held its 7th Annual Flow & Feast event on a beautiful spring evening. 138 people came and were able to walk along the...
a picture of the front gate of the wmg living lab and learning center in tucson az
 June Slow Down: Summer Siesta at the Living LabIn June, the Living Lab & Learning Center will be mostly closed as we take a well-deserved summer siesta. While we’ll have fewer classes and limited access during this month, it's the perfect time for us to recharge and prepare for an exciting lineup of events starting in July.What to Expect:Limited Access: The Living Lab will have reduced...
a group of kids looking at a person holding a bat at night
Next Family Saturday | Próximo Sábado Familiar:Monsoon Night | Noche Del MonzónJuly 20, 2024 | 6:00pm-9:00pmJoin us after hours to celebrate the monsoon season with our Family Saturday event! This free event offers something for the whole family.Monsoon Magic Activities: Explore the Living Lab at Night: Discover the wonders of the Living Lab under the night sky.Learn About...
Sustainable Mobility: Redefining the Way We MoveWelcome to our Sustainable Mobility Series, an innovative program designed to revolutionize how we think about and engage in daily transportation. This series is a great way to make real changes to your day-to-day life, both big and small!Why Join the Series?Explore Sustainable Travel Options: Learn about diverse, environmentally-friendly ways to...
Thank you to the River Run Network Members who wrote in on the One Water 2100 Plan and made restoring rivers and shallow groundwater areas one of the top issues in the public comment period. This caught the attention of long-time environmental reporter, Tony Davis. This article by Davis features WMG's perspective on the plan and what's missing: New Tucson plans lack measures to bring...
friends hugging and dancing
What does it mean to have rainwater on tap? Enjoy happy hour under the stars at WMG's Living Lab, where the featured drinks are made with Tucson rainwater, locally captured and filtered. Sip on rainwater cocktails, rainwater mocktails, and rainwater teas and experience what hydro-local living tastes like. This happy hour is on Giving Tuesday, a day of global giving following Thanksgiving. All...
Watershed Management Group is excited to announce this year’s Desert Living Home Tour on Saturday, November 4th from 10a.m. - 3p.m.! Now in its 12th year, we’re teaming up with community partners throughout Tucson to show off creative and sustainable yards, homes, and community spaces for all experience levels and budgets in Tucson. This year we're excited to have eight new homes on the tour...
From 2020-2022 the Educating Children Outdoors Teen Naturalists monitored the flow of the Santa Cruz River in Marana under the guidance of Kathy Balman. The Teen Naturalists not only monitored the flow of the river for Flow 365 they also identified local and invasive flora and fauna and submitted their data to iNaturlaist, monitored water quality for Earth Echo Water Challenge, collected litter...
beaver in pond
October 12, 2023WMG, with support from you, our River Run Network Members, has been advocating for the release of beavers along Cienega Creek since 2019. Now, the final Environmental Assessment (EA) was released for the proposed plan to release beavers along Cienega Creek! This Final EA supports what we were hoping for, Alternative A. This would re-establish beavers in Ciénega Creek, with the...

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