Autumn is a season of change, and in some climates, the changes it brings can be dramatic–leaves changing color and falling, temperatures dipping, maybe even some snow flurries arriving. Here in Tucson, we experience subtler transitions in our weather and landscape, even as we chuckle wryly at catalogs trying to convince us it’s time to stock up on wool sweaters, flannel sheets, and pumpkin spice blends. Autumn still inspires us to think about change, though, and continuity, too.
Big changes are all around us: from extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change to Federal policy changes with sweeping impacts on our environment and our society as a whole.
Late summer and early fall of 2025 also felt different here in Southern Arizona and throughout our region in terms of our monsoon: we received far less rainfall than we had hoped for, and native mesquite trees and other species suffered as a result. Although rains in September and October brought much-needed water to our soils, plants, and aquifer, these rains were not enough to fully undo the harm caused by a lengthy drought that is still ongoing.
Nevertheless, even in the face of what seem like big and daunting changes, Watershed Management Group continues to do what we have always done: strive to live hydro-local and build resilience.
We continue to:
- collect and utilize rainwater through both passive and active rainwater harvesting systems. We offer guided tours of the Living Lab & Learning Center, where visitors can get inspiration for their own rainwater harvesting systems.
- offer free Tucson Water Rebate classes to help community members collect their own rainwater and to implement greywater systems to nourish low-water native plants that provide shade, cool landscapes, and produce food.
- through our Cool Tucson 5 Degrees initiative, teach people in our community about easy ways to help mitigate the urban heat island effect–like planting native trees and and watering veggie gardens with rainwater.
- contribute to the health and beauty of our watershed through our River Run Network’s clean-ups and arundo removal workshops and through our efforts to restore beavers to riparian habitats in the U.S. and Mexico.
- Tell the story of our creeks and rivers with the help of the Flow365 Monitoring Program. Volunteers throughout Tucson track the changes in our rivers and help us understand the dynamics that occur each water year.
- advance environmental equity and educate water stewards, from kids to adults, through our Community Conservation initiatives in Tucson, the Phoenix area, and the U.S./Mexico Borderlands.
- embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as we learn from diverse members of our community with long-standing, strong ties to our land and water, including those of Mexican and Indigenous heritage. We are and will continue to be one watershed.
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advocate for a locally relevant definition of drought that can inform responsible decision-making by residents, our city officials, our utilities, and other stakeholders.
We invite you to join us as we strive for continuity in our hydro-local habits. Together, we can acknowledge the things that are beyond our control but also make small, positive changes in our own lives that contribute to a sustainable future.