Northern Arizona is celebrating Colorado River Days! Colorado River Days Flagstaff is a series of educational events to remind Flagstaff and surrounding communities about the importance of the Colorado River and all it has to offer
September 02, 2022
Recent Extension Conference Featured Engaging Keynote and Panel Discussion
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension System held its annual conference on August 10-12, the recordings of which are now available. The conference is an opportunity for Extension personnel, representing a wide range of programs from throughout the State, to gather to learn about others’ activities and the opportunities and challenges for extension work in Arizona. On the opening day, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal participated in the panel, “Arizona’s Water Resources: Progress, Politics, and Possibilities.” Following an engaging overview of the “Hydroclimate of the Colorado River Basin” from UArizona Climatologist and Extension Specialist Mike Crimmins, Megdal gave a two-part presentation coving the importance of context for understanding the three “Ps” in focus for the panel: progress, politics, and possibilities in Arizona's water resources. Megdal also added another “P” for water policy, further framing her presentation. Tom Davis, general manager of the Yuma County Water Users’ Association, then joined the panel to share some of the real challenges facing Yuma agriculture and the State in light of the developing Colorado River shortage. Following Davis’ comments, Sharon Megdal returned for the second part of her presentation, bringing some optimism to the discussion. She detailed some of the opportunities and pathways to solutions for addressing the water challenges we face and emphasized that we all have a role to play as water stakeholders.
On Day 2 of the conference, Dr. Karletta Chief, director of the UArizona Indigenous Resilience Center, gave an in-depth keynote presentation on “Creating Connections in Indigenous Communities through Extension.” Chief described the work and mission of the Indigenous Resilience Center and how efforts to support the resilience of Tribal communities are facing different types of environmental challenges. She illustrated Indigenous frameworks that “decolonize research methods,” centered on Tribal data sovereignty, collaboration, and training. Chief noted that the “Indigenous process of research is more than producing new knowledge, it’s also about community, healing, and capacity building.” The recordings of Dr. Chief’s keynote presentation and the water resources panel are available online.
Pictured above: Karletta Chief and Sharon B. Megdal
Water Resources Panel
Karletta Chief Keynote
Recent News
September 02, 2022
ADWR Provides Water Maps and Data
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has recently announced public information resources are now available on a section of its public website devoted to maps and data. Some are new, and others have been available for a while. Eight maps are interactive, which means that either clicking on the map or using the search function will bring up information on the map topic.
September 02, 2022
Recent Extension Conference Featured Engaging Keynote and Panel Discussion
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension System held its annual conference on August 10-12, the recordings of which are now available.
September 02, 2022
What’s Next? Upcoming WRRC Fall Events
The Fall 2022 semester is upon us, and the WRRC is preparing for another exciting season of Brown Bag Webinars and other events. We kicked off the new academic year with two Brown Bags, discussing the recently released Pima County Water Factsheet and the Rio Reimagined Initiative on the Salt-Gila River corridor.
August 26, 2022
Water Resources Information at the County Level Discussed at WRRC Brown Bag
The WRRC’s 2022 Fall Semester Brown Bag Webinar series kicked off on August 24 with a presentation on the Arizona Water Factsheet initiative, focusing on the recently published Pima County Water Factsheet. The presentation featured WRRC Program Manager Michael Seronde and Kathy Chavez, water policy manager at the Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation.
August 26, 2022
APW’s Coconino County Program Receives $13k Grant to Expand Outreach
The Arizona Project WET (APW) Flagstaff Water Festival Program has been awarded a generous grant from the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) of Flagstaff. The highly successful water festival event is held each September, and the City of Flagstaff has a long-term investment in this program. The additional sponsorship from ACF will allow APW to expand its reach and serve more students, including those in charter schools.