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A Voice for Volunteer Conservationists
A Voice for Volunteer Conservationists
The mission of the Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance is to protect the ecological integrity and associated indigenous cultural heritage of the lower San Pedro region of Arizona, primarily through voluntary and effective actions by local citizens.
Due to rapid growth in Arizona's Sun Corridor, the San Pedro River is the last remaining major natural and intact river ecosystem in southern Arizona. As a result of its rich biodiversity, the lower San Pedro watershed has become the default repository for the mitigation of adverse ecological impacts caused in other parts of the state by such rapid growth.
Gas Pipeline Update: Act Now!
Gas Pipeline Update: Act Now!
Concerned about the damage from a 48-inch Gas Line coming through the Lower San Pedro River Valley and crossing over nearby Oracle State Park, with an ominous 10-inch lateral line planned for San Manuel? You have two options to make your concerns known:
"Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)" event, Tuesday, July 21, 5 pm at Biosphere 2, where you can comment in one-on-one sessions with FERC staff to include your concerns as part of the public record. Information stations will, again, be set up, and staff available to answer questions.
Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance Info-Session and Comment-Writing Zoom workshop, Thursday, July 23, 6-7 pm. Local experts in the area’s cultural resources, hydrology, and biological diversity will discuss threats and share key talking points, while tri-state partners with pipeline experience will share sample scoping letters/how to submit online, and the pipeline’s tie to mining and data centers. Register here.
The most important thing is to get your comments on record, in whatever format is most comfortable to you. All comments are due to FERC by Aug. 5 before 2 pm.
The dramatic Aravaipa Canyon is a tributary of the San Pedro River, whose water flow is under threat by industrial development. Photo credit: EcoFlight, 3/31/26.
Mark Your Calendar: Aug. 25 Public Meeting
Mark Your Calendar: Aug. 25 Public Meeting
Our Valley, Our Water
Once It's Gone, It's Gone!
Our Valley, Our Water
Once It's Gone, It's Gone!
During our March 31 initial Our Valley, Our Water meeting co-sponsored with the Lower San Pedro Collaborative, community members signaled strong concerns about water resiliency in the Lower San Pedro. More than 30 participants who completed the community values/concerns survey requested a follow-up meeting. (You can still respond to the survey)
We will gather again, Tuesday, Aug. 25, as LSPWA independently hosts a follow-up workshop featuring regional hydrologist Laurel Lacher and water-planning specialist Garland Speight. In a straightforward presentation style designed for community audiences, Lacher will discuss the state-of-the-art MIKE SHE hydrological model she helped develop for the lower San Pedro Valley. With compelling, high-tech visuals, she will illustrate what the model says about current and potential future impacts from local large-scale water withdrawals.
Speight will share general water-use insights about the myriad industrial threats plaguing Southern Arizona and those in our own backyard: mining, pipeline projects, transmission lines, data centers.
Activism, policy and legal guests will be present and can address audience questions about “What can we do to protect our water resources?” The Attorney General’s Office will again be present as well.
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 ~ 6 – 7:30/8 p.m.
Mammoth Community Center
101 West 5th Street, Mammoth AZ 85618
In support of our community businesses, we will partner with a local restaurant to provide warm appetizers.
Mexican Spotted Owl, caught at night by a camera trap near Copper Creek.
LSPWA & Allies Propose Lawsuit to Protect the Mexican Spotted Owl
LSPWA & Allies Propose Lawsuit to Protect the Mexican Spotted Owl
The Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance is participating with the Center for Biological Diversity and the San Carlos Apache Tribe in issuing a Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue the US Bureau of Land Management and the US Fish & Wildlife Service, for their failure to protect of the imperiled Mexican Spotted Owl from the depredations of the Copper Creek Exploration Project in Mammoth, Arizona.
Join us for Purple Martin Perch Party 2.0!
Join us for Purple Martin Perch Party 2.0!
Friday, August 28 [Details to Follow Soon]
Our first Purple Martin Perch Party was so well received, we’re planning another on Friday, August 28. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for sign-up details, as spots fill up quickly. Hosted jointly by LSPWA and the Tucson Bird Alliance.
Join us as we work hand in hand with our key strategic partners and advisors to ensure that Arizona's last free-flowing river and most unique bio-habitat is preserved for current and future generations.
2026: Ramping up for Regional-Scale Groundwater Modeling
2026: Ramping up for Regional-Scale Groundwater Modeling
Members of LSPWA understand how incredibly unique the Lower San Pedro River is … and why, as the last free-flowing river in the southwest, it is worth protecting. Of deep concern has been the fact the watershed and surrounding hydrology of the adjacent Galiuro Mountains remain largely unstudied. That can all change—with your generous help.
LSPWA Takes Action
LSPWA Takes Action
Mining Regulatory Clarity Act. On Dec. 15, LSPWA, along with 181 other organizations, Tribes, companies and elected officials, signed on in strong opposition to this harmful legislation that would allow mining companies to claim indefinite numbers of millsites on public land, without meaningful limitations, where multinational mining companies can permanently dump toxic waste and construct infrastructure like pipelines and roads.
Participation with Watershed Leaders in Aravaipa – Klondyke. On Dec. 17, LSPWA members attended a fieldtrip to the eastern side of Aravaipa Canyon, hosted by the Aravaipa Watershed Conservation Alliance. We learned about AWCA’s water conservation efforts – Zuni bowls and one-rock dams – tools that could be used to improve the Lower San Pedro’s watershed health as well.
Follow Up as BLM Approves Expanding Copper Exploration on Copper Creek
Follow Up as BLM Approves Expanding Copper Exploration on Copper Creek
Despite heavy public opposition, on June 30, 2025 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved Redhawk/Faraday Copper’s mining-exploration project on Copper Creek, an uphill tributary of the San Pedro River located in the Galiuro Mountains near Mammoth, Arizona. Not only has BLM given the green light to round-the-clock industrial operations with no meaningful oversight, it has set the stage for a future large-scale mining operation that threatens to deplete local water sources and irreparably harm one of Arizona's last—and most unique—desert-river biohabitats.
Review our appeal letter to the Arizona State Director of the Bureau of Land Management regarding the recent approval of 67 exploration sites at Copper Creek by Redhawk/Faraday Copper.
Learn more about the joint appeal letter written by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Center for Biological Diversity that we, and other partner organizations, signed on to.
Find out how LSPWA is challenging industrial threats to the survival of the San Pedro River Valley, in the effort to conserve this crucial desert waterway.
A Significant, Singular Landscape
A Significant, Singular Landscape
The San Pedro corridor has become the most important north-south migratory bird flyway within Arizona. The lower San Pedro watershed also harbors one of the richest remaining fish, reptile, amphibian, and mammalian habitats in the nation, and is the key to protecting several threatened and endangered species.
A few of the many who call this place home...
A few of the many who call this place home...
Photos by Lon Brehmer
Imagine this spectacular watershed from the perspective of those who live here.
Imagine this spectacular watershed from the perspective of those who live here.
Because words are insufficient, please enjoy this short video. In it, you can clearly see that this stunning ecosystem—and the plants, animals, and landforms that comprise it—make a compelling case for conservation.
Of Interest
Of Interest
Documents Submitted
Documents Submitted
Canadian-owned Pattern Energy Corporation ignored the existence of low-impact alternatives and started building the haphazardly-planned SunZia Transmission Project through 33 miles of the most remote and ecologically sensitive portion of the San Pedro Valley. LSPWA stood against this travesty in the Arizona Courts.
Presentation by LSPWA
Presentation by LSPWA
Peter Else discusses issues facing the San Pedro River in this presentation to the Sustainable Water Network.
Our Programs
Our Programs
Collaborative Conservation
Collaborative Conservation
We collaborate with allied partners on actions to protect the ecology and cultural heritage of the San Pedro, at a landscape scale.
Conservation Advocacy
Conservation Advocacy
Our administrative, legal and outreach efforts are wholly focused on advocacy for the protection of the San Pedro's wild landscape.
Creating a Bright Future Together with You
Creating a Bright Future Together with You
We are made up of allies, experts, activists, naturalists, artists, archaeologists, and donors, but anyone with an interest in protecting this special place is welcome to call themselves our member.
LEARN MORE AND GET INVOLVED BY JOINING TODAY
Thank you and credit to author Ralph Waldt for use of his phrase, "An ecological treasure of international importance." Thank you and credit also to Lon Brehmer for use of his photos throughout the site.
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