Note from the Chief Executive Officer
Connecting the Water Drops
At the Sonoran Institute, we know that many of the West's biggest challenges result when people and communities are disconnected from the natural world we depend on. When they do not consider, value, or respect critical natural resources, the results can be ruinous.
One looming challenge is the scarcity of water. Always arid, the region is in the grips of a prolonged - some say semi-permanent - drought. The groundwater reserves that we depend on are increasingly stressed as our population grows. More development brings more paved surfaces, and less opportunity for rainwater to filter back into the soil to recharge underground reserves.
In Arizona, the Santa Cruz River watershed provides drinking water for over 1 million people on both sides of the U.S. - Mexico border, including for the city of Tucson. But the dry river beds of the Santa Cruz serve as a stark reminder of the water plight and the importance of proper water management. Under several future scenarios, Tucson's water utility estimates that we will need additional water supplies by 2035. That's 22 years. Less than one generation.
How can we draw attention to the critical need to protect a river that barely flows and to conserve ground water supplies that people can't see? Making connections like these is the essence of the Sonoran Institute's work.
Through two projects, Living River and Conserve to Enhance, we are helping "connect the water dots" for people in the Santa Cruz River watershed. Click here to read the full story, or on the tabs below to find out how we're making a difference - drop by drop, dot by dot.
Thank you for supporting us and for being a partner in the vital work we do.
Maria Baier
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