1. Radio
  2. Arizona Environment

More Arizona Environment Stories

Jessie Dwyer, biodiversity manager at McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, demonstrates how a transmitter and GPS tracker are affixed to the wild tortoises in the study. Photo taken Sept. 30, 2022, in Scottsdale.

Slow, steady and high tech: Study using GPS to track Sonoran desert tortoises

Sonoran desert tortoises can hold water for up to a year, Rubke said. That matters given that Arizona is in a megadrought.
Strong Arm, a well-known saguaro cactus in the Tortolita Preserve near Marana, was estimated to be 150 to 200 years old and 40 feet tall when it toppled during an August storm. But the actual cause of death was Erwinia cacticida, a bacteria that causes saguaros to rot and ooze a thick, black liquid.

Iconic Strong Arm was one of many saguaros killed by climate change, deadly bacteria

For close to two centuries, Strong Arm stood sentinel over the Tortolita Preserve near Marana.
Fencing and signs like these near Dragoon, Arizona, aim to keep people away from some of the state’s estimated 100,000 abandoned mines. Minerals from such mines, many abandoned decades before environmental laws imposed clean-up requirements on mine owners, can leach out and pose a threat to nearby waterways. (File photo by Nicole Neri/ Cronkite News)

‘Good Samaritan’ bill aims to allow cleanup of abandoned, leaking mines

A bill in Congress could help Arizona clean up old mines.
The Central Tucson Groundwater Treatment System, located near Davis Monthan Air Force Base, removes PFAS contaminates from the aquifer below the area.

The Buzz: Dealing with Arizona's PFAS problem

Why are the chemical class also known as forever chemicals so dangerous, and what's being done to fix the problem?
The Milky Way seen from Reddington Pass east of Tucson. May 2022

First-ever 'Oracle Dark Sky Cultural Festival' is this week

Residents embrace the economic boost to the town.
John de Lancie appeared for the final time (?) as "Q" in Star Trek: Picard, season 2.

True Concord Voices & Orchestra premieres "Helios", and welcomes a friend from the final frontier - actor John de Lancie.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Patrick Robles, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Student, urges the City of Tucson to keep public transit free; and The Tucson Orchid Society celebrates 50 years of shared fascination.
An ore cart, encrusted in invasive mussel shells, rests on a ledge above a receding Lake Powell.

‘It’s getting close’: As the megadrought grinds on, Arizona working to meet water demands

Satellite photos show a dramatic change.
A diamondback rattlesnake flicks its tongue.

Rattlesnakes and toads out during monsoon season

Herpatologists get plenty of rattlesnake calls in August.
Treated wastewater, like this sample in Carson, California, could soon become a bigger part of the West's water portfolio. Cities in the drought-stricken Colorado River basin are putting big money behind project

Water managers see promise in recycling sewage

It could be a solution for the shrinking Colorado River
A vacant lot is used as a place to stack and assemble sandbags for use by residents whose properties are at risk of flooding.

The Buzz: A strong monsoon brings road closures and floods

Why does some infrastructure get overwhelmed by above-average summer rain?
Desert Morning by Joe Orr displayed at the "Painting In, Painting Out" exhibit. The exhibit will be on display through October 12.

"Painting In, Painting Out": The world as seen by the Sonoran Plein Air Painters.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Hey Y'all", Fortune Feimster is coming to the Fox Tucson Theatre; and a new book for young readers tells the story of a female pioneer in molecular science.

Aerial spraying to combat buffelgrass coming to Saguaro NP Wednesday

Aerial spray will target areas of high spread, while other treatments continue to be used in less affected areas.
A rafting outfitter motors through Lake Powell's delta.

As Lake Powell's water level declines, what is emerging in Glen Canyon?

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "The King of Sting" talks monsoons and insects; Author and illustrator Adam Rex on being "Writer in Residence" at the library; and a Medieval marital dispute -- over a video game -- from "Stories That Soar!".
Lake Mead’s light-colored “bathtub ring” of mineral deposits towers above a speeding boat on June 29, 2022, near Hoover Dam.

No firm new deadline for Colorado River basin states’ conservation plans

The seven states that rely on the river blew past an August 16 deadline without a plan to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water.
Glen Canyon Dam holds back Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir on the Colorado River. The lake is currently at 28% of its capacity.

Tucson Water plans for future

The utility held a town hall after Colorado River cuts announced.

Oil spill stopped from reaching tributary on Navajo Nation

Up to 80 barrels of brine water were released.

Selected Archive Filters

Arizona, Environment
Back to Top
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona