Sky Island Alliance

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Sky Island Alliance We protect and restore the wildlife, water, and lands of the U.S. & Mexico Sky Island region. The Sky Islands are world-renowned hotspot for wildlife diversity.

In this unique place, mountain islands meet a sea of grasslands and deserts, creating habitat for a mosaic of native plants and animals – from the magnificent jaguar and white-nosed coati to the elegant trogon. However, the Sky Islands and the life they support are threatened on many fronts – disappearing habitat, a hotter and drier climate, increasing border infrastructure, off-road vehicle abuse and more. The Sky Islands are the only place in the world where black bear and jaguar share the same spring-fed canyons alongside plants such as wild grape and the purple-leaved chiltepin pepper, a place where half the bird species in North America are found. On a larger scale, the Sky Islands are a biological bridge for animals of the temperate north and tropical south moving along the Spine of the Continent, a wildlife pathway connecting central Mexico to Canada. We work to explore, protect, connect and restore the native plants, animals and natural landscapes of this region for people and for wildlife. We do this work though science, exploration, education, and advocacy – bringing people together to learn and appreciate more about the place in which we live, to encourage collaborative successes, and to create and celebrate real conservation in action. We invite you to join, and become a part of our growing community. Read Our Community Guidelines: https://skyislandalliance.org/community-guidelines/

Want to join our team and work in some of the Sky Islands’ coolest places, from the Pajaritos to the Chiricahuas and Pin...
10/12/2026

Want to join our team and work in some of the Sky Islands’ coolest places, from the Pajaritos to the Chiricahuas and Pinaleños? We’re hiring a restoration manager with five or more years of field experience to set priorities, design restoration projects, build partnerships, write funding proposals, and help lead staff and volunteers in the field.

It’s a full-time job with regular travel throughout southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, including field weekends and multi-day trips during the week, as often as two to three times per month, with occasional camping for up to eight days.

To learn more and apply, visit: https://ow.ly/6Zzf50ZWt6j. We’ll start reviewing applications on Oct. 26.

Next weekend, Oct. 15-17, is the 5th annual Festival of the Sky Islands in Moctezuma, Sonora — so check out the just-fin...
10/09/2026

Next weekend, Oct. 15-17, is the 5th annual Festival of the Sky Islands in Moctezuma, Sonora — so check out the just-finalized program of activities and plan your trip! On the event page you can find details on hotels and camping, as well as the daily schedule. Activities include workshops on folklórico dance and regenerative ranching, a visit to the Cruz del Diablo lookout, hikes and birdwatching along the Río Moctezuma, yoga, a film screening, dancing, good food, good people, and more: https://ow.ly/XiAy50ZWpjY

Photos from last year’s festival courtesy SIA.

This Oct. 30-Nov. 1, we’re hosting a volunteer camping trip just upstream from Aravaipa Canyon to put up wildlife-friend...
10/09/2026

This Oct. 30-Nov. 1, we’re hosting a volunteer camping trip just upstream from Aravaipa Canyon to put up wildlife-friendly fencing around the beautiful Stowe Spring, which feeds Aravaipa Creek. Join us! We’ll be staying overnight in Aravaipa Canyon at The Nature Conservancy’s guest house, then heading out each day for our work and adventures. This is a great chance to learn a new skill (or teach others), meet people, and spend a weekend in one of the Sky Islands’ wildest canyons.

To learn more and sign up, visit: https://ow.ly/4gWr50ZVFWr

Photos from Aravaipa Canyon courtesy SIA.

This past month, La Red de las Islas del Cielo, a cross-border coalition of conservationists, including Sky Island Allia...
10/08/2026

This past month, La Red de las Islas del Cielo, a cross-border coalition of conservationists, including Sky Island Alliance, launched a new website. Check it out! Together, we and our partners will focus on ensuring wildlife have healthy habitat, especially on Sonoran ranches, to help counter the effects of the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Partners include Borderlands Restoration Network, Cuenca Los Ojos, Naturalia, A.C., PROFAUNA, A. C., Northern Jaguar Project , La Tierra del Jaguar, Wildlands Network, Rewilding Institute, Sonoran Joint Venture, Watershed Management Group, and Sky Island Alliance. We are excited to continue to coordinate our collective work for greater impact within the Sky Island region.

Learn more at: reddelasislasdelcielo.net

Stay tuned for more good things from this group, including a master plan charting their vision for the next five years.

Over the past several months, the Trump administration has made it clear it won’t stop until our entire border is milita...
10/07/2026

Over the past several months, the Trump administration has made it clear it won’t stop until our entire border is militarized and double walled — no matter the cost and destruction. This week, contractors felled a fourth old-growth cottonwood in Lochiel, Arizona, in the peaceful San Rafael Valley, then dragged it off with bulldozers.

As difficult as it may be, we must continue to speak out against this ongoing travesty and create the record we’ll need when political winds shift.

Right now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is holding a comment period for the Tucson Sector — a last chance to weigh in on plans for walls with 30-foot-high steel bollards and stadium lighting (action link below).

The administration is proposing 19 miles of new primary border wall near Sasabe, the Pajaritos’ Sycamore Canyon, Atascosa Highlands, western Patagonias, and Peloncillos. What’s more, 42 miles of “double wall” will be built, along with lighting, sensors, and roads.

The proposed border wall projects will sever the remaining corridors for endangered jaguars and ocelots. A single bollard-style wall is predicted to decrease all wildlife crossings by 86%; double wall is expected to stop all large animals completely.

Wall construction will also draw down precious groundwater, degrade habitat, and destroy cultural sites. And we stand to lose access to dark skies for miles beyond the border itself.

Send a letter to CBP today urging them to reconsider plans and uphold environmental protections: https://ow.ly/JxaM50ZVckH

Photo of old-growth cottonwood in La Noria, Sonora, across from Lochiel, courtesy SIA.

This past week, Sky Island Alliance joined Saguaro National Park, APFF Bavispe, and other conservation allies from the U...
10/05/2026

This past week, Sky Island Alliance joined Saguaro National Park, APFF Bavispe, and other conservation allies from the U.S. and Mexico at a binational Sister Parks gathering, hosted by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The summit gave folks working on both sides of the border a chance to visit, share visions, and coordinate on projects over the next year. It also provided a space to address shared challenges, since what happens on one side of the border often influences the other.

Learn more in this blog by SIA’s Ángel García and Minette Peralta: https://ow.ly/FsWl50ZU6Qo

And check out the bilingual brochure and kids’ activity book they created for this event to raise awareness about these protected areas in our shared region.

Photos from Sister Parks summit courtesy SIA.

/ Saguaro National Park / Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Bavispe

We are living in an era of significant environmental change and loss. In recognizing that these times are challenging to...
10/02/2026

We are living in an era of significant environmental change and loss. In recognizing that these times are challenging to live in, adapt to, and cope with, it’s essential that we come together as a community to process our experiences. Supporting ourselves and one another is just as important as stewarding the land and waters.

Join Sky Island Alliance and Maria Renée on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 9:30 a.m. for a dedicated time to understand the terrain of environmental grief, work through our emotions, celebrate this beautiful region, and practice building resilience together. This free webinar kicks off a series of opportunities to contribute your creative responses to a changing region, whether they come from grief, hope, or anything in between. A follow-up webinar on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 9:30 a.m. will give participants a chance to share their reflections and experiences in response to a series of prompts.

To register, visit: https://ow.ly/44pc50ZTbll

Photo of cottonwood at Lochiel by Maria Renée.

What would you say in a love letter to the Sky Islands? Maybe you’d thank them for the wildlife, wild places, and flowin...
09/30/2026

What would you say in a love letter to the Sky Islands? Maybe you’d thank them for the wildlife, wild places, and flowing springs — or the feeling of being part of something bigger. Your gift today can help ensure they’re here for generations to come! This fall, share your love for the Sky Islands and you can double your impact through our $35,000 match: https://ow.ly/IGYb50ZPSBS

Twenty-two years ago, SIA Executive Director Louise Misztal fell in love with the Sky Islands in college during a volunteer weekend. Today, she’s still inspired by what we can accomplish together — and by what your support makes possible.

For 35 years, people like you have helped turn grassroots conservation into lasting change. Today, your generosity can help carry that legacy forward and turn it into more wins for wildlife and the region: https://ow.ly/IGYb50ZPSBS

Photo of Chiricahua wildflowers and Executive Director Louise Misztal courtesy SIA; Chiricahua basin and range by A.J. Schneller; an ocelot in the Whetstones in 2009 courtesy SIA; an ocelot kitten in 2011 (c) Sky Island Alliance and Rancho El Aribabi; the ocelot Himdam in July 2025 courtesy SIA.

09/29/2026

FotoFauna highlights are in from this past month! And with Hurricane Polo bringing rain today, we can’t help but wonder how these Sky Island creatures are faring. No doubt, they’re fully equipped, hunkered down, and eager to step out again into the sun and a refreshed landscape. Check out this video from SIA’s Wildlife Specialist Miguel Enríquez — and if you live where the wild things are, consider joining our community science project: https://ow.ly/5C3o50TTLT7

FotoFauna is a growing network of 321 individuals and organizations in the Sky Islands, with wildlife cameras set up in the U.S. or Mexico. It’s easy to get started. Just set up a wildlife camera in your backyard and submit an online monthly checklist of species you observe. In addition to being fun and another way to form community, the data will help us study when and where wildlife is present so we can better protect their habitats.

Our work in Mexico continues to grow, and today we’re excited to share that Anays Blanco has joined us as our new Sonora...
09/28/2026

Our work in Mexico continues to grow, and today we’re excited to share that Anays Blanco has joined us as our new Sonora Projects Manager. Anays is from Hermosillo, with roots in Cananea — so she’s at home in the region. She’s looking forward to helping advance our programs, from Ranchos Regenerativos to springs monitoring.

Anays has been part of the Sky Island Alliance community for years, taking part in spring monitoring workshops, wildlife tracking, and a Parques Hermanos tour. And before joining SIA, she worked at Cuenca Los Ojos ranch and interned at Borderlands Restoration Network. Her background is in Business Management, with a master's in Biosciences.

Learn more about Anays, her favorite sky island, and passions outside of work — and stay tuned for more good things to come: https://ow.ly/p9g050ZRAH8

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3127 N Cherry Avenue
Tucson, AZ
85719

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+15206247080

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