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Environmental Groups – Arizona

Arizona Clean and Beautiful
www.arizonacleanandbeautiful.org

“Litter-free” is the byword for this organization and its 29 community-based affiliates. They have been working diligently since 1985 to preserve Arizona’s beauty, be it rural and urban, along highways, at sporting events, or in the desert. ACB was instrumental in promoting ADOT’s “Adopt-A-Highway Program” that was introduced in 1988 and has successfully helped keep hundreds of miles of highways clean of litter. They present in-depth workshops on illegal dumping, a definite pet-peeve of mine. Think of this group as a giant version of Keep Sedona Beautiful, a KSB for Arizona.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
www.azdeq.gov

Their mission is to protect public health and the environment. Go here to read about ADEQ compliance issues, laws, rules, and policies. You can file an environmental or public health-related complaint here as well.

Arizona Wildlife Federation
www.azwildlife.org

Arizona Wilderness Coalition
www.azwild.org

Copper Fist
www.dontwastearizona.org/copper.html

A homespun website that highlights health hazards related to mining and smelting in Arizona communities. Some of these problems affect areas even as far away as Sedona when winds carry harmful elements statewide and water sources are compromised. Every state has its own problems related to industrial pollution. One of Arizona’s oldest challenges is mining-related.

Don’t Waste Arizona
www.dontwastearizona.org

A grassroots organization consisting of several different groups of concerned citizens whose primary focus is the health hazard generated from specific Arizona toxic chemical spills as well as from the local mining industry, particularly their smelter operations.

Earth First
www.earthfirst.org

Ecosa Institute
212 S. Marina Street
Prescott, AZ 86303
928.541.1002
www.ecosainstitute.org

Inspiring and challenging... Ecosa is the brainchild of Antony Brown, a respected Arizona architect and teacher. Its mission is to restore health to the natural environment, and thus the human environment, through education in design. This website reveals the design concepts, theory, and execution utilized in this task from the perspective of the naturocentric ethic model that Antony teaches and uses in his work. The Ecosa Institute offered its first college-level curriculum for ecological design in 2000 and continues to make its mark in the world of environmental sustainability. Unique hands-on community projects balance the theoretical classroom studies making Ecosa one of a few national schools to offer such a comprehensive and practical approach. This site features an admirable collection of “Sustainable Future” links that will guide you through the world with new eyes.

Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition
P.O. Box 1892
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
928.525.6280

Flagstaff is the first “Dark Sky” city in these United States. What exactly does that mean? Flagstaff and a few other progressive-thinking cities have appropriate and enforceable city codes governing light pollution that cover all possible sources including homes, parks, streetlights, billboards, and commercial buildings. Flagstaff lead the way and established the early model for light awareness and design. Sedona? It’s close to qualifying and one of a handful of cities or towns in America that has no streetlights.

Institute for the Study of Plant Earth – University of Arizona
www.ispe.arizona.edu

Understanding and coping with environmental change through research and educational programs.

International Dark-Sky Association
www.darksky.org

Dedicated to preserving night skies from light pollution through quality night-time outdoor lighting. Another primary goal of this group is to save energy for the long-term protection of the environment. Surprise! Flagstaff is the first city in the world to be certified by the IDA’s standards. It’s the world’s first International Dark Sky City.

McDowell Sonoran Land Trust
http://mcdowellsonoran.org/

Saguaro Juniper Corporation
www.saguaro-juniper.com

A small group of dedicated land owners and volunteers working to protect the San Pedro River basin and its environs near Cascabel, Arizona. The Nature Conservancy has selected the San Pedro River as one of its highest priority regions for investment and protection. Cascabel is a sparsely-populated rural area along the San Pedro that is located approximately 30 miles north of Benson, Arizona. The Saguaro Juniper crew promotes a strong stewardship vision aimed at protecting this unique ecosystem.

Save The Peaks Coalition
http://savethepeaks.org

A local group founded in 2004 to protect Flagstaff’s San Francisco Peak area from further Ski development. This coalition seeks to stop the massive use of reclaimed wastewater for artificial snowmaking as well as the proposed expansion of the Arizona Snowbowl ski area, an area held sacred by over 13 Native American tribal nations. In their “Snowmaking Quiz”, the group points out that Flagstaff’s reclaimed waste water contains traces of organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and hormones. If millions of gallons of this snowmaking water is sprayed onto the Peaks for snow it will eventually become water runoff and enter the watershed of Flagstaff, not a prospect most environmentalists and many Flagstaff residents would applaud. The sacredness issue is an entirely separate debate that the Hopi Nation and several other tribes feel intensely about. It further demonstrates the need for more cooperation and discussion before decisions are made by the U.S. National Forest Service.

Save The Verde
www.SaveTheVerde.org

The Center for Biological Diversity has taken a lead stand against the proposed water transfer pipeline in the Big Chino aquifer area of central Arizona near Prescott. Their intention is to rally public support in defeating this project for a number of reasons; cost, environmental disturbance, and the potential to stop the Verde River's current level of flow, especially during dry season. Water will increasingly become a stand-out issue in the years to come in high-growth states like Arizona. The concerns affect everyone so take some time to study the issues and voice your opinion.

The Sierra Club – Arizona’s Grand Canyon Chapter
www.sierraclub.org/chapters/az

Sky Island Alliance
www.skyislandalliance.org

Sonoran Institute
www.Sonoran.org

I simply cannot understate the raw importance of this foundation's work. This is an incredible group of focused people. They truly care and walk the talk. "The Sonoran Institute's new strategic plan sharpens our focus on the goal of a West "both prosperous and healthy, with a civilization to match its scenery," as Western writer Wallace Stegner envisioned. The Institute is devoted to realizing this vision which embraces civil dialogue and collaboration as hallmarks of decision making." Get with the program and join the talk.

Take a special look at their "Sustainable Water Guide": (http://sonoran.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=174&Itemid=204) and think about your future if you live in the desert Southwest. It's an amazing compilation of years of riparian habitat and regionial study, especially in Arizona, affected by current growth trends and the adjunct water pumping that plagues our beautiful land. You might recognize the call now or merely realize that it's coming soon: in the Southwest, water is our destiny.

Southwest Forest Alliance
www.swfa.org