Sky Island Alliance

OUR MISSION IS TO PROTECT AND RESTORE THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE AND LANDS IN THE SKY ISLAND REGION.

CONSERVATION/COMMUNITY - WITH THE HELP OF OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS AND PARTNERS, SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE WORKED TO HEAL THE LAND IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO.OUR PATH OF THE JAGUAR INTERNSHIP EMBEDDED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITHIN SOME OF THE AGENCIES THEY COULD WORK FOR IN THE FUTURE INCLUDING SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK AND CORONADO NATIONAL MEMORIAL IN ARIZONA, AND BAVISPE FLORA AND FAUNA PROTECTION AREA IN SONORA. FOR FOUR YEARS, THE PATH OF THE JAGUAR INTERNSHIP HAS FOSTERED A NEW GENERATION OF CONSERVATIONISTS THAT WORK ACROSS BOUNDARIES AND REFLECT THE DIVERSE EXPERIENCES AND BACKGROUNDS OF THE PEOPLE LIVING HERE. WE SHED LIGHT ON SPECIAL PLACES IN THE SKY ISLANDS UNDER THREAT AND ENGAGED THE PUBLIC TO DEFEND THEM INCLUDING OPPOSING A MINE IN THE PATAGONIA MOUNTAINS, AND A DESTRUCTIVE TRAIN LINE CONSTRUCTION THROUGH VITAL HABITAT IN SONORA. WE COMPLETED YEAR ONE 0F A LONG-TERM PROJECT TO CONSERVE HABITAT ALONG THE RIO SONORA, WORKING WITH RANCHERS IN SONORA TO IMPLEMENT CONSERVATION STRATEGIES.IN 2023, VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED NEARLY 4,000 HOURS TO HEAL THE LAND AND REJUVENATE WATER SOURCES FOR WILDLIFE. WE BEGAN A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT TO SURVEY UNOFFICIAL ROADS IN THE CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST WITH SUPPORT FROM VOLUNTEERS AND RESTORE DAMAGED HABITAT. WE CONTINUED WORK AT ARAVAIPA CREEK, ONE OF THE MOST INTACT NATIVE FISHERIES IN ARIZONA, TO REMOVE INVASIVE VINCA AND REVIVE NATIVE PLANTS. AND, WE HOSTED NUMEROUS WEBINARS AND EVENTS TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN LEARNING ABOUT THE SKY ISLANDS, INCLUDING SUPPORTING THE SECOND ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF THE SKY ISLANDS IN MOCTEZUMA, SONORA.

WILDLIFE - OUR BORDER WILDLIFE STUDY IS DOCUMENTING THE REMARKABLE WILDLIFE COMMUNITY LIVING ALONG 30 MILES OF THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER WITH AN ARRAY OF MORE THAN 100 CAMERAS. IN 2023, THE STUDY INCLUDED THE SAN RAFAEL VALLEY, PATAGONIA AND HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, AND SAN PEDRO RIVER. THE STUDY IS NOW ALSO DOCUMENTING WILDLIFE'S INTERACTION WITH WALL INFRASTRUCTURE TO UNDERSTAND IMPACTS. OUR DATA AND ADVOCACY HELPED CONVINCE THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO INSTALL SMALL OPENINGS FOR WILDLIFE IN THE WALL AND PROVIDE FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION. THE STUDY HAS DOCUMENTED OVER FOUR YEARS OF NATURAL AND MANMADE CHANGE ACROSS THE SAN RAFAEL VALLEY AND THE PATAGONIA AND HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS.VOLUNTEERS AND ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATING IN OUR FOTOFAUNA PROGRAM SUBMITTED 924 CHECKLISTS FROM THEIR WILDLIFE CAMERAS IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO. THE PROGRAM IDENTIFIES WILDLIFE PRESENCE ACROSS THE REGION TO INFORM PROTECTION. WE NOW HAVE DATA SPANNING MORE THAN 370 MILES FROM NORTH OF PHOENIX TO HERMOSILLO.

SPRING SEEKER/SPRING RESCUE - AS CLIMATE CHANGES AND WE SEE MORE HEAT WAVES, DROUGHTS, AND WILDFIRES, SPRINGS CAN ACT AS REFUGES WHERE PLANTS AND ANIMALS ARE PROTECTED. SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE WORKS WITH VOLUNTEERS TO SURVEY CONDITIONS, THREATS, AND RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES AT THESE PRECIOUS WATER SOURCES. IN 2023, OVER 50 VOLUNTEERS, INTERNS, AND STAFF SET A NEW ANNUAL RECORD IN SURVEYING SPRINGS. IN TOTAL, SPRING SEEKERS LOCATED AND CATALOGUED 449 SPRINGS IN 2023 A 19% INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.WE ALSO CONTINUED WORK WITH VOLUNTEERS TO HEAL TUCSON'S SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS, WHICH HAD 120,000 ACRES BURN IN 2020'S BIGHORN FIRE. WE ARE RESCUING SEVEN PRIORITY SPRINGS AND CREATING 150 EROSION-CONTROL STRUCTURES TO KEEP WATER FLOWING FOR WILDLIFE.