WRRC Summer Wave
July 11, 2014 
Volume 2, Issue 24

In This Issue:
  • WRRC Turns 50 on July 17
  • C2E Program Launches Facebook Page
  • Online Registration for BSMAR Conference Closes July 17 

... And much more!


Upcoming Events
July 24
July 30 - Aug. 1
Aug. 5-8
Sept. 3
14th Annual Biennial Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (BSMAR)Antibiotic Resistance in Agroecosystems: State of the Science (Biosphere 2)
July 17 Marks WRRC's 50th Anniversary

The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) will officially turn 50 on Thursday, July 17 -- fifty years to the day after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) of 1964 into federal law.

The WRRA authorized annual funding to support an institute for water resources research in each U.S. state at its land grant college or other designated university.

The
 WRRC recently updated its website to include an in-depth, interactive timeline of the Center's 50-plus-year history. From the 1957 formation of the UA's Institute of Water Utilization -- the WRRC in its earliest form -- to the WRRC's 12th Annual Conference in 2014 ("Closing the Gap Between Water Supply and Demand") and everything in between, website visitors can explore the people and events that comprise the history of the UA Water Resources Research Center.

  

Explore the timeline here.

Wednesday, Sept. 3
Robert H. Webb

Presentation: Requiem for the Santa Cruz: An Environmental History of an Arizona River
Speaker: Robert H. Webb, co-author of "Requiem for the Santa Cruz," and UA Adjuct Prof. in Hydrology and Water Resources
Time/Location: 12 - 1:30 p.m. (WRRC Sol Resnick Conference Room, 350 N. Campbell) 

Robert H. Webb will discuss his recently published co-authored book, "Requiem for the Santa Cruz: An Environmental History of an Arizona River." For thousands of years, the Santa Cruz River has been a focal point in Southern Arizona. The book includes a detailed reconstruction of river changes in Tucson, revealing the interrelationships among riparian ecosystems, water supply, flood control and land use. The largest known U.S. mesquite bosque once developed south of Martinez Hill on the Tohono O'odham reservation, but was destroyed by the early 1970s. Today, managers in the Tucson Basin seek the potentially mutually exclusive goals of maintenance of riparian ecosystems, continued use of groundwater, and flood control. Restoration of an extensive bosque like the Great Mesquite Forest would be improbable. Note: This presentation will also be webcast live via GoToMeeting.


"Like" C2E on Facebook! Conserve 2 Enhance Launches Facebook Page

The WRRC's Conserve 2 Enhance (C2E) program -- which connects water conservation to community action -- launched its brand-new Facebook page last week.

C2E's page includes photos of ongoing and completed community enhancement projects, events, news appearances, volunteer opportunities and much more. Click here to like C2E on Facebook.

C2E also launched the first of a series of ads in the July/August issue of Edible Baja Arizona magazine. Pick up a free copy and turn to pg. 95 to learn more about this innovative water conservation program!  


Online Registration for BSMAR Conference Closes July 17

Online registration for the 14th Biennial Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (BSMAR) conference in Orange, Calif., closes at midnight on Thursday, July 17. Late registrants will need to sign up in person at the start of the conference. 

BSMAR announced last week that Lester Snow of the California Water Foundation will be the keynote speaker at its Herman Bouwer Award Lunch. Learn more and register here.

WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal will be a presenter at BSMAR 14 on July 31. She will give the talk, "Water Banks: Using Managed Aquifer Recharge to Meet Water Policy Objectives."

Arizona Project WET's Alexander Prescott Helps Lead ASDM Earth Camp
 

Arizona Project WET's (APW) Alexander Prescott helped lead Middle School Earth Camp at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM) in Tucson last month. Earth Camp is a partnership between APW, the UA College of Science and the Planetary Science Institute. Twelve middle school-aged campers took part in this year's camp. They learned about hydrology, geology and dendrochronology on Mt. Lemmon, marine biology at ASDM, and surveyed hermit crabs at Biosphere 2. At the end of camp, each camper committed to reduce their community's impact on the environment, from composting neighborhood food waste, to recycling used cardboard and organizing a neighborhood biking day.  


 
Arizona Project WET Hosts Summer STEM Academies in Phoenix

Arizona Project WET (APW) hosted two 14-hour STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) academies for 35 teachers in Phoenix and Gilbert in May and June. The academies focused on Arizona's water infrastructure, including its sources and human uses, and recycling of used water back into the environment. The teachers developed skills to connect Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards to classroom STEM education through the relevant subject of water. Learn more about Teacher Academies here.
 
Keep up with WRRC News and Events on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

 

Keep the WRRC in your news feed by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter! Get easy access to WRRC news, event notices, videos, photos, awards, volunteer opportunities, and much more.  

 

Past WRRC seminars, lectures and events can be viewed on our YouTube page.

 

Like us on Facebook to keep us in your news feed at facebook.com/AZWRRC.

 

Find and follow us on Twitter at @AZWRRC.

 

Camp Audubon Adventurers Learn About Water in Arizona

 

Arizona Project WET's Pamela Justice spoke with 5th and 6th grade students at Camp Audubon Adventures last month on the topic of water in Arizona. Campers learned about local and greater Arizona watersheds and the importance of riparian areas to the plants and animals of the Southwest.

Justice taught 10 to 13-year-old campers about the Salt River and the Colorado River at the Nina Mason-Pulliam Audubon Center in downtown Phoenix. Learn more about Arizona Project WET here.

 
2014 WRRC Photo Contest Offers Cash Prizes to "Catch the Rain"

 

The WRRC 2014 Summer Photo Contest, "Catch the Rain," is under way now through Sept. 26! Photographers are asked to submit Arizona-specific photos this monsoon season in two categories: "Water in Nature" and "Catch and Reuse."

Submitted photos should tell the story of Arizona's uncommon connection with (and use of) the rain through interesting photo perspectives, unique detail shots, fascinating vistas, and people in action. Learn more, see photo examples, and submit photos here.


The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) - a unit within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) - promotes understanding of critical state and regional water management and policy issues through research, education and outreach. The WRRC works closely with Arizona Cooperative Extension, a CALS outreach organization that  provides a statewide network of knowledgeable faculty and staff that provides lifelong educational programs for all Arizonans. For more information, visit us at wrrc.arizona.edu.