Stories - AZPM

Mated pair of Great Plains toads (Anaxyrus cognatus) in the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River.

The Desert Blooms in a Bountiful Monsoon.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Why the music of the rock group Fanny is rocking a whole new generation!

Mecaphesa dubia female, photographed by Jillian Cowles.

Jillian Cowles: A Keen Eye for Spiders!

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Tucson Juneteenth Festival returns with renewed energy; and the current Tucson Museum of Art exhibition "4 x 4" celebrates Alejandro Macias.

Red fire retardant is visible on parts of the Santa Catalina Mountains as a result of firefighting efforts against the Bighorn Fire. June 2020.

One year after Bighorn Fire, Coronado National Forest fire risk remains high

Drought conditions have worsened over the last year.

Grape vines at a vineyard in Willcox, Arizona, 2018.

No movement on groundwater protection bills

This year's efforts to bring more regulation to Arizona's groundwater use have failed in the state legislature.

"The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy" - Are there universal laws of biology?

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The City of Tucson changes policy on recycling glass; taking a nature hike along Cienega Creek; and a reminder of the positive difference you can make in your own backyard.

Gila topminnows wait to be introduced to new habitat in the acequia at Mission Garden.

Gila topminnow repopulate native waters

A tiny, endangered native fish is making a comeback in the Santa Cruz River.

Border wall construction near Walker Canyon, east of Nogales.

Conservation group: Border wall construction continues

The Center for Biological Diversity says construction is continuing in spite of the President's order to stop it.

Jelani Cobb: "Whose Vote Counts?"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Chris Dashiell recommends standout shorts from the "What's Up Docs?" online film festival; and the uncertain future of the Chiricahua Leopard Frog.

Aerial view of the border wall at the Tinajas Altas Mountains near Yuma, AZ.

Biden halted border wall construction. Now what?

Environmental and human rights advocates hope to steer the administration toward a new vision at the border.

The Bureau of Land Management used prescribed burns across many of its properties for habitat improvement and to reduce the risk of severe wildfires.

BLM plans prescribed burn in San Pedro conservation area

The agency is planning to conduct a prescribed burn in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area sometime this month.

Border wall construction at Guadalupe Canyon in southeastern Arizona.

After months of border wall construction, a look at the damage done

As President Biden takes the helm, conservation groups take stock of the border wall’s environmental impacts.

Guadalupe Canyon is a remote, rugged area in the Southwest where the Trump administration is currently racing to complete construction of a border wall.

In Arizona, building a wall — and destroying a canyon

In a mountain range too steep to cross, the Department of Homeland Security is spending millions of dollars on five miles of border wall.

Construction nears the end on the wall section across the San Pedro River in October 2020.

DHS marks milestone as wall construction severs wildlife corridors

New border wall construction is nearly done in some of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Arizona.

Fishing boats float on the Sea of Cortez outside the little town of San Felipe, Baja California, in October 2018.

Mexico fishermen scoff at governor's suggestion to switch to taxi driving

The suggestion comes as fishermen in the Sea of Cortez struggle with increasing restrictions meant to protect a highly endangered porpoise.

Tortoise regains some protections, as agency agrees to revisit endangered status

The action resulted from a lawsuit filed last year by conservation groups.

In 1856, William Henry Perkin, an 18-year old chemistry student at the time, was trying to synthesize malaria drug, when accidentally developed a purple dye. This dye is believed to be one of the first steps of chemistry taking over the world.

What living in a world made from chemicals means for "The Sensitives".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Jes Baker on making self-love a part of the pandemic; and a Summer 2020 insect update from "The King of Sting", Justin O. Schmidt.

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