Ciénega Creek, located in Southern Arizona, has stretches which flow seasonally as well as year round. It has some of the most intact riparian areas in the state of Arizona. The creek is an important source of groundwater for the Tucson area as it flows northwest into Tucson where it becomes the Pantano Creek, and eventually joins the Rillito River..
We have projects both along the downstream reaches of Ciénega Creek and also up watershed in the Bureau of Land Management’s Las Ciénegas National Conservation Area, near Empire Ranch, with the goals of recharging groundwater, restoring the creeks' connections to the floodplain and reducing erosion to improve water quality. This work will also improve essential habitat for critical riparian species like the Chiricahua leopard frog, the Mexican garter snake, and the yellow billed cuckoo.
