Watershed Management Group Intern

Abby Denton
RISE Sustainable Built Environments Intern

Abby is a student at the University of Arizona and has lived in Tucson her entire life. As she first entered college, she originally intended to study nutrition. One particular class she took allowed her to tour farms and gardens located all around the city, and she fell in love with plants and the way they grow. Abby switched her major to study Sustainable Plant  Systems, with an emphasis in Urban Horticulture. She hopes that after earning her degree, she will be able to teach others about the environment, plant cultivation, and plant care in the desert. In her free time, she enjoys working in her garden, reading mysteries, and cooking.

Language fluency: English
Pronouns: she/her

Carmina Diamente
Community Engagement and River Restoration Apprentice

Drawn to the natural world and the man-made impact on it from a young age, Carmina found her passion in environmentalism and later, social justice. She went on to the University of Arizona to obtain a B.S. in Environmental Science. During her education, she completed projects and independent studies related to adaptation strategies and environmental justice movements. Carmina is driven to learn more about and contribute to restoration efforts particularly in her Sonoran desert childhood home. In her spare time, she pursues learning French and the electric bass, while trying out new baking recipes, attending the occasional boxing or yoga class, and being an avid movie-theater-goer. 

Language fluency: English
Pronouns: She/They

Henry Schon
Restoration and Outreach Intern

Henry is a high schooler at BASIS Tucson North. Having lived in Tucson since he was a baby, Henry grew up in and around the watersheds of Southern Arizona, and developed a serious appreciation for them when he began to volunteer with WMG as a 12 year old. He is an avid hiker, and can likely be found wandering the trails of the Santa Catalina Mountains in the cooler months of the year. As an intern, Henry hopes to engage the Tucson community with the Arundo removal initiative and spread awareness about the value of our creeks and rivers.

Language fluency: English
Pronouns: He/Him

Issa Mena-Garcia
Non-Profit & Community Engagement Apprentice

I was born in Sonora, Mexico and am a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation. Growing up in Tucson next to Santa Cruz River I developed a deep love and appreciation for the Sonoran Desert. It is my goal to help bring my community together with the common goal to conserve water and restore our ecosystem. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my 3 dogs, Puppy, Chulo, & Boots, working in my garden and cooking. 

Language fluency: English, Español
Pronouns: She/Her/Ella

Lizbeth Perez
River Restoration Apprentice

Having lived in every type of desert in the U.S., the Sonoran Desert was the one to capture Lizbeth's heart. Spending time enjoying and teaching others to enjoy the Sonoran Desert has been a passion of hers since undergrad. Her foray into this field began with an environmental education outreach internship, and she went on to earn her degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management in 2022. She started working at Saguaro National Park's Visitor Center the very next day. However, more adventures were to be found outside the visitor center walls, and she began doing fieldwork such as tearing down old ranch fencing, backpacking to survey rare plants, measuring saguaro arms, filling in historic mines, and researching Sonoran Desert Tortoises. Appreciating the creatures that all rely on water (including us) guided her to WMG, where she hopes to work with the community to restore our rivers. While she is busy wrapping up the third and final year of tortoise research, Lizbeth can still find time to enjoy playing soccer, baking, taking advantage of local public libraries, and singing karaoke.

Language fluency: English, Español
Pronouns: She/Her

Manuel Barcelo
Native Edible Tree Intern

Manuel is a Sustainable-Built Environments and Urban Planning student at the University of Arizona. As a Tucson native, Manuel has a great appreciation for the Sonoran Desert region. Manuel's career goals include bringing more density, transit-oriented development, and green stormwater infrastructure to Tucson to make it a more resilient city. Manuel likes going to the movies, hiking, and playing basketball in his free time.

Language fluency: English
Pronouns: He/Him