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Water in the Rillito River following a monsoon storm. July 23, 2020

After Clean Water Act change, uncertainty reigns over water protections

The Trump administration's revision of which waterways are protected creates regulatory uncertainty, especially in arid places.
Demonstrators struggle as National Park Service officers and Border Patrol agents try to pull people from a fallen human chain during a demonstration at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 21, 2020.

Stand off with Border Patrol, National Park Service ends in scuffle with Indigenous-led demonstrators

O'odham organizers and their supporters stopped construction for over five hours at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
The Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado, on Sept. 15, 2018.

Climate change likely to keep hammering Colorado River's biggest reservoirs, model shows

Projections show an increasing likelihood of official shortage declaration before 2026.
A Hia-Ced O'odham protester sits inside a vehicle to block construction on a stretch of border wall going up in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Sept. 9, 2020.

Indigenous activists arrested in demonstration against border wall construction near Quitobaquito Springs

Two O'odham protesters were arrested for impeding construction in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
Kim Beach-Moschetti, an area resident and Arizona House of Representatives candidate, speaks at a border wall protest at the San Pedro River on Aug. 14, 2020.

'Hands tied behind our back': Protesters decry border wall construction at San Pedro River

A few dozen people gathered Friday to protest new border wall going up along Arizona's last free-flowing river.
One of the spring-fed ponds at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in October 2019, which sits up against the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border wall groundwater pumping threatens to push endangered species to 'brink of extinction'

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials worry water pumping will deplete the San Bernardino Valley springs and aquifer.
The Rio Sonora flows through the town of Baviácora, Sonora, July 30, 2019.

6 years after Rio Sonora mining spill, contamination continues

Residents impacted by the spill say neither the mining company nor the government have followed through with promises.
Sonoran desert tortoise.

Tortoise regains some protections, as agency agrees to revisit endangered status

The action resulted from a lawsuit filed last year by conservation groups.
Construction of 30-foot high steel bollard wall on or near the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge near Arivaca in July 2020.

Border wall construction heightens environmental concerns in sensitive habitats

Local residents, a sheriff and a wildlife expert weigh in on the impacts of physical barriers at the southern border.
Cracked mud flats appear on the surface of Quitobaquito pond on July 18, 2020.

Scientists: Border wall construction wreaking havoc at Quitobaquito Springs

More than two dozen ecologists, biologists and hydrologists say the desert oasis is in worse shape than ever.
In 1856, William Henry Perkin, an 18-year old chemistry student at the time, was trying to synthesize malaria drug, when accidentally developed a purple dye. This dye is believed to be one of the first steps of chemistry taking over the world.

What living in a world made from chemicals means for "The Sensitives".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Jes Baker on making self-love a part of the pandemic; and a Summer 2020 insect update from "The King of Sting", Justin O. Schmidt.
Downtown Tucson, Oct, 23, 2019.

Daily news roundup: No new coronavirus deaths reported by state, impact of census strong in AZ

Recent coverage impacting Southern Arizona, July 25.
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge encompasses nearly 118,000 acres southwest of Tucson and includes a stretch of the border with Mexico.

Work starts on new section of border wall in national wildlife refuge

North-Dakota-based Fisher Sand and Gravel has broken ground on a $1.3 billion project in southeast Arizona.
Quitobaquito pond, July 18, 2020.

'A worst-case scenario': Leaks, dust, water pumping and drought plague Quitobaquito

Border-hugging spring and its pond are sacred to Hia C-ed O'odham and the Tohono O'odham communities
Canyon Mine is one of the few mines allowed to operate despite the moratorium.

House passes defense spending bill banning new uranium mines around Grand Canyon

The Senate version of the bill does not include the ban on new uranium mines.
Scientists have been studying the Colorado River, shown here from above Deer Creek Falls, for nearly four decades to understand the environmental impacts of the Glen Canyon Dam on a water source used by around 40 million people in seven states. The environment, climate change, tribal rights and those water users will all be considered in river-management talks expected to begin later this year.

Humpback chub 'alien abductions' help frame the future of the Colorado River

While not considered very "charismatic," this keystone fish plays an important role in water policy.

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