The Alliance Insider
In this Issue: Heat Safety, CAZCA Working Group Updates, Conservation Award Deadline
Extreme Heat and Heat Safety
As summer progresses, it's important to remember heat safety is still extremely important while outdoors. All across the region, extreme heat endangers both residents and visitors alike if they are not prepared when outdoors.

Last month, the City of Phoenix enacted a pilot program running until Sept. 30. It will close down Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain on days under Extreme Heat Watch. Although not without its challenges, this program hopes to alleviate the strain on first responders and Park staff, decreasing the amount of rescues.

When recreating remember: plan ahead, bring lots of water, wear a hat and sunscreen, and avoiding hottest parts of the day. How else can you be prepared?
Progress and Updates
Desert Botanical Garden Conservation Award

Nominations close on Aug. 27 for Desert Botanical Garden’s Conservation Award. 

We want to hear from you about who should be honored this year for their conservation work in Arizona. You can select an exceptional individual or organization. Submit yours today.
White Tanks Mountain Conservancy Flora

The White Tank Mountains west of Metro Phoenix are truly a local treasure. How has the local native flora changed over the decades? Check out the talk with volunteer Cass Blodgett as he explores the changes, surprises and evolution of the plant life of these mountains.
Flora Finder Training

Join the Metro Phoenix Ecoflora for Flora Finder trainings to explore the basics of the online database SEINet.

SEINet is an amazing tool documenting the flora of the Southwest with images, maps and data. Test your plant ID skills and discover all the different species recorded over time.
2022 Learning Lab Poll

Events and workshops are great way to network and grow professionally. In 2022, we would like to host Learning Labs to service the CAZCA partnership.

What would you like to learn? Share your input about topic ideas for the learning labs. Please complete our brief poll.
CAZCA Project Updates
Invasive Species Working Group Update

The Invasive Plant Species Management working group, led by Mary Fastiggi of McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and Willie Sommers of Department of Forestry and Fire Management, is currently working on building out a collaborative management plan for invasive plant species.

Additionally, CAZCA presented the initial results of the 2020-2021 research on HOA collaboration around invasive plant management in the Phoenix-metro area. You can view that presentation here. The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 31 at 10 a.m., if you would like to attend or are interested in learning more contact Mary Fastiggi.
Education and Outreach Working Group

The Education and Outreach working group continues to make great progress and are working to develop educational frameworks, processes and resources that will eventually support of the creation of an environmental literacy plan for Arizona. The group is led by Annia Quiroz and John Bello, of Desert Botanical Garden.

The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. If you would like to attend or learn more, contact Annia Quiroz.
Sonoran Seed Collaborative: 2022 Seed Summit

The Sonoran Seed Collaborative has began the initial stage of planning a Seed Summit event for April 2022.

The event will bring together experts to find solutions to the challenge of supplying native plant materials in our region. Stay tuned for more information later in the year.
August EcoQuest: Look Out for Lovebirds

This month's EcoQuest is all about the cute and colorful lovebirds! Rosy-faced lovebirds can be seen all over the Valley and are adored by many. Observations from this EcoQuest can help us learn more about how these colorful birds have adapted to life in metro Phoenix.
EcoQuestions with Greg Clark

In this EcoQuestions on August 25, we hear from Greg Clark, Burrowing Owl habitat coordinator at Wild At Heart. He has mapped Rosy-faced lovebird population information in metro Phoenix since 1999.


Thanks to Greg, we have amazing lovebird images, sounds and information. Join us to hear about his data and experiences!
Share Your Events

We know there are many wonderful events and opportunities happening in the area. As we have adapted to virtual gatherings, we invite you to share your upcoming events with us.

Fill out the simple form below and we will share your events and opportunities through our website and on social media.