Fresh water is a critical resource for both ecosystems and humans. In arid regions, water withdrawals from rivers for urban and agricultural use have resulted in dramatic losses of riparian and aquatic habitats and their resident biota. As arid-land rivers dry, cultural connections to these water bodies are also negatively affected, including those of Indigenous peoples that have stewarded these rivers for millennia. However, recent advances in wastewater treatment plant technologies have resulted in high quality treated effluent that could be useful for restoring flow and ecological function in dewatered rivers. In this Research Experiences for Teachers Sites in Biological Sciences (BIORETS) program, three cohorts of teacher participants will collaborate with ecologists and municipal managers to address two primary place-based research questions. First, how does the release of effluent affect the biodiversity of aquatic and riparian species in and along the urban Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona? Second, how do ecological communities change over time in these newly flowing ecosystems as new species return to the system? Teachers will work with academic mentors at UA, as well as with members of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui Nations, to collect and analyze data. Teachers also will develop curricula for their K-12 students to participate in ecological studies, learn about water resource conservation, and reinvigorate community connections to the river.

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2143228

Aquatic Ecology lab members are active in our UA chapter of SACNAS, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos / Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, a national Diversity in STEM organization. Lab PI Michael Bogan also serves as the UA chapter faculty advisor. Please join us at a UA SACNAS meeting, workshop, or outreach event! For more information, check out our chapter Facebook page or website. Members of our lab also attend the annual national SACNAS meeting each year.

Our lab is studying the amazing diversity of dragonflies that you can find in our city's local effluent-dependent stream, the Santa Cruz River! The river had perennial flow 100 years ago, but overuse of water dried up the river and the groundwater that supported it. However, our local water utilities now treat our city's sewage and release that treated wastewater (i.e. effluent) into the dry river bed, and have created three stretches of flowing river in Tucson and Marana. Some of the most successful species to thrive in these re-born river reaches are dragonflies-- we've found over 50 species of dragonflies in the river to date. To help connect people in our city to the re-born river, we have co-organized a festival with Pima County, the Town of Marana, and the Sonoran Institute: Dragonfly Day on the Santa Cruz River! The first offering of this festival was on November 9th, 2019, and we have offered it each year every since.

• 2021 Santa Cruz River Dragonfly Day information

• 2019 Santa Cruz River Dragonfly Day information

Our lab is very interested in the intersections of science and art-- how art can be inspired by science and how can art can help convey scientific information to broader audiences. For example, our research on the urban ecology of the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona formed the basis for a fun collaboration with artist Kathleen Velo. Aquatic Ecology lab PI Michael Bogan and Kathleen Velo collaborated as part of the 6&6 project, an arts+science initiative organized by N-Gen Sonoran Desert. Michael and Kathleen investigated how biological communities, water quality, and the visual 'feel' of water changes as you move downstream from wastewater treatment plants that support flow in Santa Cruz River. Their exhibit ran at the UA Museum of Art from late 2018 to mid 2019.

• Bioscience article about our collaboration: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa076