The tucson audubon society will develop a watershed group and create a watershed restoration plan for the sonoita creek watershed in southern arizona

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded Tucson Audubon Society $297,182 under the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CFDA 15.554) on November 28, 2025, to develop a watershed group and create a comprehensive restoration plan for the Sonoita Creek Watershed in southern Arizona. The project extends through September 30, 2028, and builds upon a 2020 watershed conservation plan developed jointly with the Town of Patagonia. The newly formed watershed group will establish a steering committee, conduct stakeholder engagement through public input sessions and workshops, and produce a watershed restoration plan identifying data gaps and future habitat restoration projects.

The deliverables include organizational development of a multi-sector watershed group representing local government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions, along with a strategic restoration plan addressing pressures on the region's biodiversity hotspot caused by mining, agricultural irrigation, ranching, and municipal development activities. This project represents Tucson Audubon Society's continued participation in collaborative watershed management, consistent with the Cooperative Watershed Management Program's focus on establishing grassroots partnerships to develop locally-driven solutions to water management and environmental restoration needs.

The watershed is a hotspot of regional biodiversity, but increases in activities such as mining, agricultural irrigation, ranching, and municipal development have put pressure on the unique habitats and species of the area. In 2020, the society, in partnership with the town of patagonia, began developing a watershed conservation plan that identified gaps in data and in stakeholder engagement. The newly developed watershed group will use the 2020 plan to inform the watershed restoration plan developed through this grant. The group will create a steering committee, solicit public input, organize stakeholder workshops, and write a new watershed plan that will identify gaps in data and future projects for habitat restoration. The watershed group will represent local government agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions.