Defend Endangered Wild Cats and the Santa Rita Mountains

Urge Governor Hobbs to stop land auction!

The Center for Biological Diversity has issued an urgent action alert: Next month the Arizona State Land Department plans to auction off 160 acres of state trust land that Hudbay Minerals wants for expanding its proposed Copper World mine. This land sits at the base of the Santa Rita Mountains, a beloved Sky Island landscape and critical habitat for endangered wildlife.

The Santa Ritas are home to jaguars and ocelots — including the famed jaguar El Jefe (photo above)— along with black bears, mountain lions, and countless other species that rely on connected, undisturbed habitat.

If Hudbay acquires this parcel, it will link two of its properties and pave the way for expanded tailings disposal and mining infrastructure. Mining here would fragment wildlife corridors, drain groundwater, and threaten riparian ecosystems like Davidson Canyon and Cienega Creek.

You can help!

Click here to send a message to Gov. Hobbs asking her to withdraw this land from auction, stop the sale, and protect the Santa Rita Mountains.

We'll See You at Marana Founders' Day Parade!

Saturday, March 21st

10:00AM-3:00PM Ed Honea Marana Municipal Complex

11555 W Civic Center Dr

Join the fun at Marana's annual Founder's Day Parade. Kickoff begins with a parade at 10:00 am, followed by family-friendly activities nearby at the Ed Honea Marana Municipal Complex Courtyard until 3:00 p.m. Make sure to stop by the Living Desert Alliance booth for a visit. We'd love to meet you.

Founders’ Day 2026 Performance Schedule

Spring Plant Sale & Pop‑Up Shop

Saturday, March 14

9am – 1pm

Native Seeds/SEARCH Conservation Center

3584 E River Rd, Tucson, AZ

For more than 40 years, Native Seeds/SEARCH (NS/S) has safeguarded the seeds of the desert Southwest and northern Mexico. Founded in 1983 in response to the alarming loss of seed diversity, NS/S now conserves more than 1,800 regional varieties in its climate‑controlled seed bank. Its mission goes beyond preservation — NS/S actively distributes seeds today, prioritizing Indigenous and desert communities that have stewarded them for generations.

Join them this Saturday for their Spring Plant Sale and Pop‑Up Shop:

• Wildflowers, landscape plants, and veggie/herb starts.
• Pop‑Up Shop featuring jewelry, art, beans, spices, teas, hats, T‑shirts, and more
• Browse the collection here.
• Can’t attend? Shop seeds online here.
• Members shop early from 8 to 9 a.m.
• Not a member? Sign up today.

Reminder!

River Run Network Creek Walk and

Sunset Stroll

Tomorrow, March 13, 2026

5:00pm to 6:30pm

Join the Watershed Managements Group's River Run Network Creek Walk: Sunset Stroll from the Tanque Verde Creek & Rillito Confluence to the Elderberry Forest on Friday, March 13, from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm.

Start your weekend with a Friday sunset creek walk with WMG founder Lisa Shipek. She and her team will be hiking along Tanque Verde Creek and its floodplain, starting at the confluence with the Rillito River, and exploring a rare Mexican elderberry forest. Join a discussion about the future potential of a riparian preserve in this location and efforts to restore groundwater-supported flows and riparian forests. 

You will be walking 2 miles, returning around sunset, so they suggest bringing a headlamp or flashlight.

Volunteers Still Needed to Remove Buffelgrass

The following pulls are scheduled in the Tucson Mountains. Invite your family and friends to join you. Click here to register

• Tucson Mountain Park - Saturday, March 21, 7 am - 11 am (organized by the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers)
• Tucson Mountain Park - Wednesday, March 25, 7 am - 11 am (organized by the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers)