Past Events

December 4th, 2025

Fall Forum and Drought Planning Workshop in Rincon Valley 

At SCWC’s 2025 Fall Forum and Drought Planning Workshop, more than 70 participants, including long-standing SCWC partners and new collaborators, gathered in the Rincon Valley for a day of learning, reflection, and hands-on engagement.

The day opened with a blessing from Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District. During that time we had a moment to pause in silence with presence to this region, the water, and all the people that came before us. Opening remarks were offered by Lisa Shipek, Executive Director of Watershed Management Group and SCWC Treasurer, who introduced participants to the landscape and the quasi-perennial Rincon Creek that flows through it. 

Participants then split into three groups and traveled to different sites across the Rincon Valley watershed for morning field sessions. Those groups went to A) Rincon Creek accessed by the Wyss Property to conduct a Riparian Health Assessment; B) Chimenea Creek at the Madrona Ranger’s Station for a Bioblitz focused on macroinvertebrates; and C) Rincon Creek Roadside for some talks and an art activity.

After participants met back at Academy Village, the afternoon shifted indoors for presentations and focus groups centered on local drought. First, we heard from Dr. Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan of the Tohono O’odham Nation on “Understanding the Past, Present and Future: An O’odham Perspective on Environmental Issues”. Dr. Ramon-Sauberan opened her talk by speaking about how the Santa Cruz River is a vital part of who she is as a Wa:k O’odham. She then tied drought into her presentation by sharing words and quotes from respected O’odham elder and educator Danny Lopez.

Next, Maria Renée, Watershed Coordinator and Planning Lead of the Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative and Catlow Shipek, Senior Program Director of Watershed Management Group, presented a one-year update about the Local Drought Planning Initiative.

The forum concluded when attendees participated in one of four focus groups about local drought response planning centered on policy, management, communication, and community-based approaches. Within each group, participants selected a proposed idea toward drought resilience and discussed who would be responsible for moving this idea forward, the tangible steps needed for implementation, and strategies to navigate potential roadblocks.

As the forum day came to a close, we reflected on the richness of the day’s experience and said our goodbyes for now – knowing that more seeds were planted toward collaborative processes and collective stewardship of the watershed.

Read the full summary here. 

April 2nd, 2025

Spring Forum and Drought Planning Workshop on Tanque Verde Creek 

At SCWC’s 2025 Spring Forum and Drought Planning Workshop, around 70 participants, including long-standing SCWC partners and new collaborators, came together to share knowledge, connect, and explore the Tanque Verde Creek.

We began the day with a blessing from Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District. Opening remarks were made by Lisa Shipek, Executive Director of Watershed Management Group and SCWC Treasurer, who encouraged participants to move beyond the often-cited “tragedy of the commons” narrative. Instead, she invited us to adopt a “care for the commons” mindset, one that centers community well-being over self-interest to protect shared spaces for future generations.

Participants then connected with the creek in one of two ways, by collecting vegetation data for our Riparian Health Assessment or by creating ephemeral land art from natural materials guided by artist Kimi Eisele. During lunch, we enjoyed Yaqui storytelling from Pascua Yaqui Artist and Pima Country Public Health Department Tribal Liaison Marcelino Clemente Flores, who also created plein air artwork throughout the day.

We also heard a presentation from Tucson Water Director John Kmiec, who shared updates on innovative Tucson Water projects, emphasizing that Tucson Water has recently received a large Federal grant to help further diversify Tucson’s water portfolio by constructing an advanced water purification plant. The treatment facility will provide safe, purified drinking water that will be small portion of water that will be blended into other water deliveries in parts of Tucson that have been impacted by declining aquifers and PFAS. 

The day concluded with drought planning focus groups, where participants discussed topics such as drought messaging, management, policy, and community resilience, helping shape the future of SCWC’s drought response recommendations. A recurring theme in these discussions was the importance of effective and inclusive drought communication and the need to center people, culture, and place in drought planning.

Through art, science, and storytelling, the Spring 2025 SCWC Forum fostered meaningful connections and collaborations between people, place, and water along the Tanque Verde Creek. Read the full summary here. 

December 5th, 2024

Fall Forum on Lower Sabino Creek

Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative partners gathered on lower Sabino Creek to spend a day connecting, sharing ideas, and participating in activities around the theme, "Creating Resilience in Times of Local Drought: Protecting our Local Aquifers, Rivers, and Forests". Over 40 people participated from over twenty partner organizations and agencies.

We collectively grounded in place hearing about the history of lower Sabino Creek, having previously flowed perennially while being an area of great significance to many cultures and peoples over time. Now, groundwater sits about 5-10 feet below the creekbed. Though the area has been impacted significantly and has the added stress of a current drought, what we all came to see throughout the course of the day was just how resilient this ecosystem is, too. Bennett Encinas from the Tohono O’odham Nation graciously gave a blessing for the day, setting a tone of connectedness.

For the remainder of the morning, four groups conducted a riparian health assessment, cataloging 440 observations, nearly half of which were riparian trees. That afternoon, we heard talks from four presenters about their work related to lower Sabino Creek, connecting the dots in many ways to drought. Eleanora Demaria, Chief Hydrologist with Pima County Regional Flood Control District, spoke on Post fire and flood impacts to Lower Sabino Creek. Edgar Martinez, the Watershed Program Manager with US Forest Service, presented Hydrologic data from the Sabino Creek Watershed. Michael Stanley, Retired Manager of Mount Lemmon Water District, spoke about the Mount Lemmon drought status change and response. And Catlow Shipek, the Senior Program Director at Watershed Management Group spoke on the Results of well monitoring data on lower Sabino Creek. 

The day concluded with a focus group centered on discussions about drought triggers and drought communications. We wrapped up the day with some exciting partner updates and celebrated the rain that began to fall just as we wrapped up the forum. Read the full summary report here.