Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection

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Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection Our mission is to protect the biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. Find out more at www.sonorandesert.org.

The Coalition is a strong voice for people and wildlife in Pima County, Arizona.

Check out our latest newsletter! 🌵In this issue, learn about recent findings from the Oracle Road wildlife crossings, an...
10/16/2026

Check out our latest newsletter! 🌵

In this issue, learn about recent findings from the Oracle Road wildlife crossings, an update on our work monitoring industrial developments in the desert, and how we continue to connect our community to the desert.

Thank you for reading and for your continued support for our work protecting and connecting the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona! 🌵

To read the full-res version, click the link in the comments.

Graphic design by Danielle Foti. Thank you!

Help us close old mines in Tucson Mountain Park! ⛏️🌵Historic mining exploration in Tucson Mountain Park left behind doze...
10/01/2026

Help us close old mines in Tucson Mountain Park! ⛏️🌵

Historic mining exploration in Tucson Mountain Park left behind dozens of open pits. These holes trap and kill wildlife—reptiles, mammals, birds—and they create serious hazards for people hiking and recreating in the park. Over the 2024-25 season, volunteers closed 15 of these features by hand. We’re doing it again this year!

Come out for a fun morning of exercise in a beautiful place, working to eliminate pits that can trap desert tortoises and other wild creatures. 🐢🐾

WHERE: Tucson Mountain Park

WHEN: Saturday, October 17, 7:30 – 11:30 AM

(More dates and locations coming soon!)

Contact Brian Powell for more information and to RSVP: mailto:[email protected]

This project is a coordinated effort between the Pima County Conservation Lands and Resources Department, the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, and the Tucson Herpetological Society. Thank you for your partnership! 🌵

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Last week, the Tucson Mayor and Council revisited their Large Quantity Water User Ordinance and voted 4-3 to lower the t...
09/30/2026

Last week, the Tucson Mayor and Council revisited their Large Quantity Water User Ordinance and voted 4-3 to lower the threshold for new large quantity water users from 10,000 CCF to 8,500 CCF per month.

CSDP urged the City to lower the threshold to 2,500 CCF per month in our comment letter.

We appreciate their decision to lower the threshold, though the adopted changes fall short of the stronger safeguards that community members and CSDP requested. The Coalition will remain engaged as the City considers further changes and will continue advocating for protections for local water supplies, groundwater, and the Santa Cruz River.

Read more in our latest blog post, linked in the comments.

📸: A Great Blue Heron on the bank of the Santa Cruz River.

It’s here! Our final report for our 13 year long community science project in Oro Valley.We spent 13 years learning abou...
09/25/2026

It’s here! Our final report for our 13 year long community science project in Oro Valley.

We spent 13 years learning about wildlife movement around Oracle Road north of Catalina State Park, including what changed after the wildlife crossings were built in 2016. Looking at years of collected data, we set out to explore whether these crossings are working to help local wildlife.

Our conclusion: Yes, they do! 🦌🐗🦨🐢🐾⭐️

Here are some quick take aways:

🌵In total, these crossings see about 3,500 animals every year.

🌵We documented over 65 species, meaning species diversity was high!

🌵We saw very few mesocarnivores (such as badgers) — a sign that development is affecting this ecosystem.

🌵Rare cameos included Gila monster, desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, white-nosed coati, mountain lion, black bear, ringtail, spotted skunk, and striped skunk.

🌵Coyotes appear to play an important role as the area’s top predator. Overall, urban adapted species like coyotes and bobcats are doing well.

This project wouldn’t have been possible without our community. Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers who made this possible!

And huge thanks to Danielle Foti for the graphic design of this report and to the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area for helping us fund its creation.

Santa Cruz Valley NHA

Read the full report on our website! Link in bio. 🔗🌵

The Coalition continues to work with local governments to establish enforceable guardrails for proposed data centers. Th...
09/24/2026

The Coalition continues to work with local governments to establish enforceable guardrails for proposed data centers. This work is underway in Pima County - now's your chance to participate!

Pima County is seeking input on proposed changes to their Zoning Code that would establish new standards for data centers, including requirements for water and energy use, compliance with local conservation policies, and more.

How to participate:

🌵 Take the online survey
🌵 Attend the open house: Monday Sept 28, 10am - 3pm
(Public Works Building, 201 N Stone Ave., Tucson)
🌵 Email your comments to: [email protected]
🌵 Join the County’s online forum in October (date & time TBD)

Links to the above and more can be found in our latest blog! (Linked in the comments) 🌵

📸: The views from the proposed Project Blue data center site, which was unanimously rejected by the Tucson City Council in August 2025, but did ultimately move forward under Pima County's purview. Photo credit: Frank Staub.

09/23/2026

Turn up the sound for this one! Here's an update from the windrows at the Oracle Road wildlife underpass. 🐍🌾

We visited the underpass earlier this week and watched a rattlesnake use the windrow we built just over a year ago with our volunteers. These brush piles provide cover for small critters using the underpass, and they're working great. We've seen tracks from rodents and lizards and we've seen more skunks on our wildlife cameras here since they were added. Now we can add rattlesnake to the list too!

Thanks again to our amazing volunteers who helped us build this windrow for the local wildlife.

Video credit: Colin Beach, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Check out our new brochure!🌵This gives a great introduction to CSDP's work protecting local wildlife linkages and the la...
09/23/2026

Check out our new brochure!🌵

This gives a great introduction to CSDP's work protecting local wildlife linkages and the latest updates on habitat connectivity projects across the region. You can read the full digital version on our website now or pick up a physical copy the next time you see us at an event. 🌵

A huge thank you to the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area for funding this project, to Martha Gomez Sapiens and Myles Traphagen for the Spanish translation, to Danielle Foti for the graphic design, and to everyone who supports this work. It takes a village!

Check out our 2025 roadkill survey report! This research helps inform our recommendations for future connectivity and wi...
09/11/2026

Check out our 2025 roadkill survey report! This research helps inform our recommendations for future connectivity and wildlife crossing projects. We learned a LOT and are looking forward to sharing our findings.

Here's some key takeaways:

🔍We made around 340 total observations during the surveys.
32% were dead animals (112), and the rest were alive animals seen on the roadway.

🐍We saw a lot of seasonal trends — including two waves of baby snakes and a seasonal spike in Carolina wolf spiders.

🌧️We saw 70% of animals during monsoon season, as expected.

🌵We saw the least roadkill, and wildlife overall, on the most rural route.

What roadkill we did see is a mere fraction of what is actually killed: the majority are quickly removed from the road by other species, including humans, and it's more difficult to collect data on a driving survey (such as this one) than a walking survey.

You can read the full report on our website; we'll link it in the comments. This report was funded by the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area. Thank you! 🌵

Pima County and the Town of Marana have now both officially designated the wildlife connections between the Avra Valley,...
09/02/2026

Pima County and the Town of Marana have now both officially designated the wildlife connections between the Avra Valley, Tucson Mountains, and Tortolita Mountains as the William Shaw Corridor in honor of Dr. William Shaw, an esteemed ecologist and longtime champion of wildlife connectivity in southern Arizona. 🌵

Learn more about it in our latest blog! Congratulations and a huge thank you to Dr. Shaw for his contributions to local conservation efforts!

📸: The CSDP team with Dr. William Shaw celebrating the newly named William Shaw Corridor with Pima County and partners in March 2026. The Town of Marana officially renamed the segment in their jurisdiction last night!

We're thrilled to welcome Allie Burnett and Mariah Peters to the CSDP team! 💐 🌵Allie Burnett is a conservation researche...
09/01/2026

We're thrilled to welcome Allie Burnett and Mariah Peters to the CSDP team! 💐 🌵

Allie Burnett is a conservation researcher and a behavioral ecologist. As our Wildlife Biologist, she will be leading our community science programs and helping us turn the data we gather together into the knowledge that guides our landscape connectivity work. When she’s not doing science, Allie is usually found outside gardening, hiking, rock climbing, or paddle boarding!

Mariah Peters has a background in operations, horticulture, and community-focused work. As our Operations Coordinator, she will be supporting the day-to-day systems and behind-the-scenes work that keeps our organization running smoothly! Outside of work, you can usually find her gardening, creating something in the kitchen, working on a home project, or spending time with the people and animals she loves.

We are lucky to have you both! 🌵 Welcome to the team.

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738 N. 5th Avenue, #205
Tucson, AZ
85705

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