Sky Island Alliance

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

WITH THE HELP OF OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE EXPANDED, AND DEEPENED OUR WORK TO SUSTAIN WILDLIFE AND WATER AND EMPOWER PEOPLE TO PROTECT THE SKY ISLANDS. OUR FOTOFAUNA VOLUNTEERS SUBMITTED MORE THAN 450 MONTHLY WILDLIFE CHECKLISTS AND PHOTOS IDENTIFYING WILDLIFE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE ACROSS THE REGION TO INFORM PROTECTION. THE NETWORK NOW INCLUDES 283 CAMERA SITES IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO. TO MAKE THE PROGRAM MORE ACCESSIBLE, WE LAUNCHED A FOTOFAUNA LENDING LIBRARY AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN BISBEE. WE LAUNCHED THE 1,000 CATS PROJECT AND INSPIRED VOLUNTEERS IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO TO DOCUMENT NEARLY 200 OBSERVATIONS OF FELINES, AND HELPED THE PUBLIC TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT WILD CATS. AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING FOR THE SOWLS-HATCH EROSION CONTROL PROJECT IN THE SOUTHERN GALIURO MOUNTAINS, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WORKED OVER 400 HOURS TO INSTALL 55 LOOSE-ROCK EROSION CONTROL STRUCTURES TO SLOW WATER AND SUSTAIN WETLAND HABITAT. IN THE SUMMER WE HOSTED SIX PATH OF THE JAGUAR INTERNS FOR EIGHT WEEKS OF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS AND FIELD WORK, AND DEEPENED OUR WORK IN SONORA BY HOSTING TWO OF THE STUDENTS IN MEXICO AS FELLOWS DURING THE FALL SEMESTER, REALIZING OUR EFFORTS TO INVEST IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS. WE SUPPORTED CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLANNING EFFORTS FOR THE BAVISPE PROTECTED AREA IN SONORA, AN AREA VITAL TO WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND JAGUAR RECOVERY. 2021 WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR PULLING VINCA MAJOR (PERIWINKLE), AN INVASIVE PLANT, FROM THE CREEK BEDS OF ARAVAIPA CANYON PRESERVE IN ARIZONA. WE HELD 10 TRIPS ACROSS SIX MONTHS WHERE 68 VOLUNTEERS DEVOTED 1,549 HOURS AND DROVE 17,287 MILES IN THEIR PERSONAL VEHICLES TO REMOVE VINCA FROM THE BANKS OF THREE MILES OF ARAVAIPA CREEK. WE HOSTED NUMEROUS WEBINARS TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN LEARNING ABOUT THE SKY ISLANDS INCLUDING A THREE-PART WEBINAR SERIES ON SKY ISLAND BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION. WE LAUNCHED SPANISH INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER ACCOUNTS TO REACH WIDER AUDIENCES.

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 60 CAMERAS. 2021 STARTED WITH ALL HANDS ON DECK TO DOCUMENT AND PUBLICIZE DESTRUCTIVE AND HEART-BREAKING RAPID BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION TEARING THROUGH THE SKY ISLANDS IN THE FINAL DAYS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. WE WORKED WITH BORDER COALITION PARTNERS AND THE PUBLIC TO SEND A STRONG MESSAGE TO THE INCOMING BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: NOT ANOTHER FOOT! WE LAUNCHED THE BORDER RESEARCH AND RECOVERY FUND TO ADVOCATE TO REINSTATE LAWS AT THE BORDER AND STOP WALL CONSTRUCTION, AND TO SUPPORT RESTORATION PLANNING TO HEAL PRIORITY AREAS AND KEEP OUR BORDER WILDLIFE STUDY GOING STRONG TO DOCUMENT WALL CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS. WE HIT THE ONE-YEAR MILESTONE FOR THE STUDY AND EXPANDED TO THE EASTERN HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. WORKING WITH ROUND RIVER CONSERVATION STUDIES STUDENTS, WE DOCUMENTED BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE AND HABITAT CONDITION IN OUR STUDY AREA. WE COLLECTED OVER THREE MILLION PHOTOS WITH OVER 60,000 CONTAINING SOME TYPE OF LIFE.

AS CLIMATE CHANGES AND WE SEE MORE HEAT WAVES, DROUGHTS, AND WILDFIRES, SPRINGS CAN ACT AS REFUGES WHERE PLANTS AND ANIMALS ARE PROTECTED. SINCE MID-2020, SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE HAS WORKED WITH VOLUNTEERS TO SURVEY CONDITIONS, THREATS, AND RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES AT SPRINGS. OUR SPRING SEEKER PROGRAM HAS NOW SURPASSED 600 SURVEYS OF SPRINGS AND OTHER WATER SOURCES THAT WILDLIFE RELY ON IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO.THE COLOSSAL BIGHORN FIRE BURNED 120,000 ACRES IN TUCSON'S SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS IN 2020. IN 2021, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS SURVEYED OVER 100 SPRINGS IN THE FOOTPRINT OF THE FIRE, AND STAFF WORKED WITH THE FOREST SERVICE TO DEVELOP RESTORATION PLANS TO KEEP WATER FLOWING. ALL SPRINGS ABOVE 7000 FEET ELEVATION IN THE CATALINAS WERE SURVEYED, HELPING US IDENTIFY WHICH SPRINGS NEED THE MOST RESTORATION. AN ADDITIONAL 156 SPRINGS WERE SURVEYED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST TO ADVANCE PROTECTION OF WATER AND ASSIST THE FOREST SERVICE WITH WATER RIGHTS VALIDATIONS. FINALLY, A FORMER SUMMER 2020 INTERN AND 2021 FELLOW LED SONORAN-BASED SPRING SEEKER WORK TO ENGAGE LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN THE USE OF SPRING SEEKER AND DEVELOPMENT OF WATER STEWARDSHIP PROJECTS WITH RANCHERS AND OTHER LANDOWNERS IN SONORA.