Friends of the Sonoran Desert

08/21/2026

Participate in opposing. It is what will help make it stop.

08/21/2026

Gary Paul Nabhan, author of the forthcoming SONORAN DESERT BESTIARY (Robert J. Long, illustrator) wrote about conservation efforts in light of the border wall, see comments below.

About the book:
The Sonoran Desert has many marvelous and well-known creatures such as the javelina and the coyote, often found on postcards and lawn ornaments. But what about the lesser-known creatures—the ones that are underfoot yet unseen, that lurk only in the shadows and in our imaginations? In this collection of essays, prose poems, and illustrations, naturalist Gary Paul Nabhan and artist Robert J. Long team up to celebrate these unsung beings of the Sonoran Desert.

This desert bestiary includes creatures whose existence lies largely in traditional story and belief, as well as creatures whose life cycles are so cryptic they seem mythic, such as the walking catfish and the carbunco. Positioned at the dynamic intersection of folklore and natural history, the book reflects on the reasons why human imaginations over the ages have reached into this realm of seldom seen but often intuited animals. Focusing on small animals and charismatic mini-fauna, Nabhan expands our understanding of the natural world by delightfully describing the interactions between animals and plants.

08/21/2026

There are many ways to make things better, this is one of them.

08/20/2026

Pay attention; be ready to participate. And, do. Citizens can make a difference.

The latest on I-11. 🌵

The Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation's reevaluation of the Environmental Impact Statement for Interstate 11 (I-11) is still moving forward. However, CSDP has learned that the next public comment period is now expected in spring 2027, rather than fall 2026 as we had previously anticipated.

We will continue to provide updates as we learn more, including when the public comment period is announced and how you can participate!

Thank you to our trusted partners in this work:
Friends of Ironwood Forest , Tucson Bird Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity

📸: A unique saguaro south of Sinagua Road and west of the Tucson Mountains that could be lost if I-11 is built along ADOT's proposed west option. Photo credit Frank Staub.

08/20/2026

08/18/2026

Very good news.

08/18/2026

Greater protection for our native plants is needed. The future won't be the same without them.

The Sonoran Desert just got legal teeth sharp enough to make poachers think twice, and the fines are finally matching the crime.
Arizona passed the Desert Native Plant Protection Act, and illegal harvesting of saguaro cactus and ocotillo now carries $10,000 fines per plant. Not per incident. Per plant. If you dig up three saguaros to "landscape" your Phoenix subdivision without permits, you're looking at $30,000 in penalties plus potential felony charges. The desert finally has bodyguards with badges.
I took this photo at sunset outside Tucson when the monsoon clouds were building and the ocotillo blooms were glowing like candles. Saguaro cacti are the slowest-growing giants on earth—an inch per year for the first decade, not reaching arms until age 75. When someone digs one up to plant in a shopping mall parking lot, they're stealing centuries of growth that can't be replaced in a human lifetime.
Poaching has been epidemic. A mature saguaro sells for $2,000 on the black market to landscapers who want "instant desert aesthetic." Ocotillo get hacked down and sold as living fences, most dying within months of transplant because they're root-sensitive and stress-shocked. The new law requires GPS tagging of all legally salvaged plants and creates a felony category for theft from public lands.
The enforcement mechanism matters. Game and Fish officers can now stop trucks carrying suspicious plant material and demand provenance documentation. No papers means immediate seizure and investigation. For years, poachers operated with impunity because penalties were misdemeanor slaps. Ten thousand dollars changes the risk calculation.
Ecologically, this matters beyond the individual plants. Saguaros are apartment buildings—Gila woodpeckers nest in them, elf owls roost in abandoned holes, Harris's hawks nest in their arms. Ocotillo bloom in April when hummingbirds are migrating north and desperate for nectar. Removing these species is structural demolition in an ecosystem where every piece holds up others.
Would you report a neighbor if you saw them digging up native cacti at night? Does $10,000 per plant seem excessive, or does it finally match the temporal value of a century-old organism?

08/18/2026

The latest on I-11. 🌵

The Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation's reevaluation of the Environmental Impact Statement for Interstate 11 (I-11) is still moving forward. However, CSDP has learned that the next public comment period is now expected in spring 2027, rather than fall 2026 as we had previously anticipated.

We will continue to provide updates as we learn more, including when the public comment period is announced and how you can participate!

Thank you to our trusted partners in this work:
Friends of Ironwood Forest , Tucson Bird Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity

📸: A unique saguaro south of Sinagua Road and west of the Tucson Mountains that could be lost if I-11 is built along ADOT's proposed west option. Photo credit Frank Staub.