Articles
Tucson, like many Western communities, historically over pumped our groundwater supplies and dried up our rivers. Yet in the last few decades some creek flow has returned in the Sabino and Tanque Verde Creeks, and some groundwater areas have stabilized thanks to conservation, restoration, and reclaimed water projects. WMG’s 50-year vision is to restore our heritage of flowing creeks and rivers in...
River Run Network Clean Up: Along Pantano Creek near Fort Lowell ParkWednesday, May 17th @ 6pm - 7:30pmRegisterGather together to care for and explore the Pantano Creek, right off The Loop. The Pantano Creek is an important riparian area in Tucson, fed by the perennial Ciénega Creek. While historically the Pantano would have flowed seasonally, it now primarily flows after rainfall and during...
Hi, my name is Julia and I am the River Run Network intern for Fall 2022 - Spring 2023. I started my internship with Watershed Management Group in August 2022 and my first Arundo pull was a warm September day. I remember seeing this invasive plant all around the Tanque Verde Creek, taking up so much space in the creek. It seemed like removing all of the Arundo from the creek would be impossible...
This year we’re celebrating WMG’s 20-year anniversary and working to build the infrastructure to launch us successfully into the next twenty years. Our goal is to raise $125,000 this spring in support of our hydro-local education, restoration, and policy work. We have just $22,000 left to reach our goal! Your donations are our largest source of revenue to fund programs like the River Run Network...
The Emerald Circle is our new giving group in recognition of donors who give $5,000 or more annually to Watershed Management Group (WMG). This is a growing group of donors, and we wanted to formally recognize these donors as well as invite new donors to this giving circle in honor of WMG's 20-year anniversary. Our goal is to welcome 20 donors into our Emerald Circle this year and grow this giving...
This year’s data tells us we had less days of flow throughout most of the city compared to 2021, due to less than average rainfall during both our monsoons and winter rainy season. However, some of the sites highlighted in the report had increased flow through our rainy seasons, and the city has added another effluent release site to the Santa Cruz river, upping flow days near South Tucson....
WMG’s Living Lab is demonstrating what a sustainable water future could look like – for homes and businesses across the West. Instead of depending on imported water, energy, and resources, we are harvesting nature’s abundance and wisely stewarding these resources. And now you have an opportunity to invest in that future, by supporting our Learning Center project. The Learning Center is...
My name is Andrea Troyer and I am the River Run Network Program Coordinator at Watershed Management Group. I moved to Tucson in August 2022 through a year-long volunteer program after graudating from college. I am from the East Coast in Virginia, and so many people asked me prior to leaving, “Why are you moving to Tucson to work with water? There’s no water there.” My knowledge of rivers and...
River Run Network Bike Ride: PFAS in the Santa Cruz River When: Thursday, March 28, 2024 | 4:00pm - 6:00pmWhere: From Tucson Heritage Santa Cruz Site to PFAS Treatment PlantRegister hereDive into the heart of Tucson's environmental stewardship on a bike ride that brings our community together for a cause that touches us all – the health of our waters. Join Watershed Management Group's...
Join us outside to learn how to plant your own rain garden at home on Saturday, September 16 from 8:00am - 11:00am. Rain gardens help capture rainwater, conserve city water used for irrigation, cool down sidewalks, reduce flooding, and provide habitat for bees, birds, and butterflies. After you attend a hands-on workshop, you can take home a complimentary rain garden kit which...
At the Living Lab we maintain our CTs on a weekly basis. All staff, interns and docents get a chance to learn about this important part of doing away with flush toilets.
A few days ago, WMG's Program Manager and Educator, Charlie Alcorn and Candice Rupprecht, Water Conservation Manager of Tucson Water, were interviewed by KGUN9, a Tucson's local news channel. They mentioned Tucson Water's Rebate Program and the monthly classes WMG offers for the community interested in conserving water and applying for a rebate.“Here you’ll see examples of all the...
WMG is one of three winners of the Colorado River Basin Water Scarcity Challenge, offered by The Gates and Walton Family Foundations. The selected organizations will work with Quantified Ventures (QV) – at no charge, thanks to grant funding – to design, finance, and scale investible, cost-effective solutions that deliver beneficial outcomes for Colorado River Basin ecosystems and communities.WMG...
The Learning Center will ensure WMG's experiential education programs can be expanded to accommodate regular school groups, family activities, professional collaborations, and the unique needs of today's in-person and virtual classes. The final major buildout of the Living Lab and Learning Center is currently underway, with the addition of the Learning Center, a multi-purpose space...
(Español abajo)My name is Matthew Jensen. I’m the River Run Network Intern with Watershed Management Group here in Tucson. Every day, I wake up, I go to class, go to work, and live my life. Every day, I drink lots of water because everyone needs water to live. When I was younger, it was easy to think that water was almost infinite, all I had to do was turn on the sink and there it was. Even now,...
Western communities face massive water cuts in the coming years, making WMG’s work more relevant than ever. Your donation today ensures we can scale-up our conservation solutions and watershed restoration efforts. Together, we can take water conservation to the next level, shifting people from water consumers to water stewards: recharging our aquifer, restoring our rivers, and caring for our...
Our fall newsletter is hot off the press! Is it time to pack our bags and leave Tucson? What can be done at the policy level to respond to the Colorado River shortage? How many days of flow were there in Tanque Verde Creek last year, how can you go hydro-local at home, and what opportunities is WMG offering to get involved and learn more?Read about all of this and more in our fall 2022 newsletter...
Right now, the massive Colorado River water storage system is in crisis and facing the potential of total failure — a “dead pool” scenario where Lake Mead water levels drop so low they are unable to deliver water to Tucson and people across the West. In August, Tucson moved up from a Tier 1 to a Tier 2 Colorado River shortage, triggering additional drought response measures. But have these...
Giving TuesdayRainwater on Tap Happy HourTuesday, November 29th5:30p.m. – 8:30p.m.Living Lab, 1137 N Dodge BlvdOnline registration closes at 4pm 11/29. Tickets available at the door.Get Your Tickets Here Enjoy rainwater refreshments at our 7th annual Rainwater on Tap Happy Hour on Giving Tuesday! You'll be in great company with live music and dancing from The Out of Kilters, innovative...
The River Run Network has a recurring monthly initiative to help remove trash and continue to care for our creeks and rivers. Join us along the Rillito River, Pantano Creek, Santa Cruz River throughout the year as we clean up along the river and share more of this beauty with others.As tributaries to the Santa Cruz River, it is important to keep trash and invasive species out of these creeks! The...
Thank you very much for sharing your stories with us. The time to send more stories is over and now we are working on editing, translating and printing the book Guees That Arroyo: Tucson. We will be in touch with everyone who shared their stories and the River Run Network community with the date and time of the book's release.~Muchas gracias por compartir tus historias con nosotros. Se acabó el...
The 2024 Binational Beaver Survey Methods & Results...Part 1!Read the full report hereBeavers once thrived in the rivers of southeastern Arizona but were extirpated over 100 years ago due to extensive trapping. To restore this keystone species and their crucial ecosystem services, the Bureau of Land Management reintroduced beavers to the San Pedro River. Since then, Watershed Management Group...
The Tanque Verde Challenge Continues ~ Help Us Remove Invasive Arundo and Restore the Flow!Join WMG’s River Run Network in continuing our effort to completely remove invasive Arundo from Tanque Verde Creek!Since winter 2021, we’ve been hosting volunteer work days to remove Arundo donax, a thirsty invasive plant that drinks up to 3-4 times as much water as native plants and crowds out native...
(Español abajo)The Tanque Verde Bosque in East Tucson is a shallow groundwater area, meaning there is groundwater flowing within 50 feet below the ground. The groundwater is in a small aquifer constrained by bedrock, which helps push the water towards the surface and allows for quick recharge and more surface flow. The creek is fed by rainfall and snowmelt that flows down the Catalina and Rincon...