December 13, 2023: Gathering Santa Cruz River Data
Middle school students from Safford K-8 took part in a field experience on the Santa Cruz River at the downtown Tucson Heritage Project. Students gathered river data, identifying macroinvertebrates in water samples as well as measuring water temperature and pH. Students also learned about riparian plants and birds, and recorded weather data. The students are excited to return to a different part of the Santa Cruz in the spring, and compare their data sets.
November 29, 2023: Bugs, Turtles, Birds oh my!
November is a beautiful time to be on the Santa Cruz River, and even more so if you are a 4th or 5th grader from Flowing Wells School District. 35 students spent the morning studying aquatic macroinvertebrates, taking weather observations, and recording data to review back in their classroom. One student shared that they keep a list of the most beautiful places they have visited, and the Santa Cruz River has made the list!
November 1, 2023: Outdoor Classroom
If you happened to be at Crossroads at Silverbell Park on a cool Wednesday in November, you would have seen 60 students from Flowing Wells School District studying the riparian habitat of the Santa Cruz River. From finding insect larvae in the river to sketching leaves and birds, the students were deeply engaged in their outdoor classroom.
October 9, 2023: Living Laboratory
What do 80 6th graders from Douglas Elementary School have in common? They spent a day at the Santa Cruz River! Students performed plant surveys, studied dragonfly larvae, counted bird species, and even held a dragonfly. The Santa Cruz River was their living laboratory for a day focused on aquatic ecosystems in the desert.
September, 2023: Dragonfly Month!
Dragonflies were celebrated all month starting with a Bugs & Brews night, and continuing with dragonfly kits, Santa Cruz River Dragonfly Bioblitz, and guided river tours. You can still participate in our bioblitz! And consider lending a hand at a river a clean-up on October 21st and see more dragonflies.
September 9, 2023: Goodbye Tires!
Thanks to Tucson Clean and Beautiful for connecting UArizona's Michael Bogan with a big group of LDS volunteers to help clean up the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project on September 9, 2023. Michael reported a literal TON of trash was removed, including a huge pile of tires. Thank you volunteers and TCB!
August 27, 2023: Fast & Efficient Volunteers
Huge thanks to everyone who come out for Tucson Water's Santa Cruz River Heritage Project to pick up trash that was washed in with the monsoons. With an energetic crew of 20, a ton of trash was picked up in just 90 minutes! Thank you volunteers and Tucson Water.
