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Two Gila Topminnows.

500 Gila Topminnows make a splash at The Mission Garden

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Author Kimi Eisele on "The Lightest Object in the Universe"; singer Natalie Douglas returns to Tucson with the songs of Nat King Cole; and "A Love Letter to the Library" about MegaMania.
Archie is a big brown bat, and has been taken care of by Bob & Debbie Beucher since being rescued more than sixteen years ago.

Bat night at the Mission Garden

Also: A new facility in Nogales, Sonora to help migrants following the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy; and strangers find common ground with "One Small Step".
Sara Plummer Lemmon, age 44, a few months before she climbed to the summit of the Santa Catalina Mountains. / Photo by Wynne Brown. Original at the University and Jepson Herbaria Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Walking in the footsteps of Sara Plummer Lemmon

The story of a botanist and artist who had a mountain named after her.
Radiant Gesture (2013) Joanna Frueh, photographed by Frances Murray, from "Unapologetic Beauty"

Discovering "Unapologetic Beauty"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: An artist finds her dream job in the wilderness; and, part 2 of a discussion on "The Insect Apocalypse".
Author, poet and regular NPR commentator Kwame Alexander.

Kwame Alexander's Love Affair with Words

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Charles J. Babbitt's new guide for birding in Arizona; and, what's happening to planet Earth's insects?
Volunteers work at the nonprofit-run Mission Garden with downtown Tucson's skyline in the background, November 2018.

Author Sees Food Systems as a Way to Unite People

Tucson resident says communities across the country are joining forces for the common good.
Sherri Williamson prepares to tag a hummingbird at San Pedro House in Cochise County. September 22, 2018

Playing Tag with Hummingbirds

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Luis Alberto Urrea on "The House of Broken Angels"; flutist Gary Stroutsos on playing music in sacred places; and Nancy Stanley on founding the stand-up comedy "Estrogen Hour".
Actor, comic, "Daily Show" reporter and former lawyer Ronny Chieng can even rock a shirt that might have once been a tablecloth.

The Ronny Chieng Explosion

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Why candidates may be changing messaging before the general election; kindness in action on the UA campus; and helping hands for nature.
Baboquivari Peak, the most sacred site for the Tohono O'odham people, can be seen from many parts of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

A Helping Hand for Nature

Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge volunteer time and effort.
One of the many young bobcats that Merry Lewis has witnessed being raised in her Tucson Foothills backyard since 1997.

Backyard Bobcats Delight Tucson Residents

The visiting native cats became a learning and teaching opportunity.
20 students from Nogales, Arizona and 20 from Nogales, Mexico take part in a unique program about listening at the border wall that runs through their city.

Listening Beyond the Wall

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Cleopatra - No Submissive Woman"; bobcats in the backyard; and how Film Tucson is bringing Hollywood back to The Old Pueblo.
Collaborative multi-media artists Bailey Hikawa and Scotty Wagner are Emotional.Store, performing as part of their "100 Year Plan".

Fight Your Fear of the Future with a "100 Year Plan"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Is Arizona ready for wildfires on the scale of those ravaging California?, how to help hummingbirds beat the peak summer heat, and stories of kindness in action.
The sand spider, Homalonychus selenopoides, takes a dust bath after each molt.

The Secret Life of Spiders

Also on Arizona Spotlight: a new dust detection system on I-10; cumbia rhythm energizes downtown Tucson; and a story about the perils of being a king.
Father and teenager daughter make dangerous trip from Guatemala to the Arizona border.

Separated & Reunited on the Border

Also on Arizona Spotlight: An update on the poaching of a male jaguar sighted in the Huachuca Mountains; meet Ciara Peterson, a Tucson girl who is a national champion at using braille.
A male elegant trogon displays some of the colors that have made it very attractive for birders.

Tropical Bird is Treating Admirers in Arizona

The elegant trogon, a prize for many birdwatchers, is breeding in various mountain ranges around the state.
Okanaga rubrovenosa is one of the most prominent cicada species found in the Southwest U.S.

Cicadas Tune Up for Long, Hot Summer

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How teens & seniors are working together to navigate the perils of the internet; Chris Dashiell looks back at a classic Arizona western called "Broken Arrow"; and why "shape note singing" has a loyal following.

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Animals, Environment, People and Places, Tucson
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