Use these resources to learn all you need to know to take action for Arizona's rivers! To learn even more, check out our WRAN Factsheets and Water In the News pages.

Monitoring our Rivers and Water:

• Arizona Drought Contingency Planning Website - Arizona Department of Water Resources
• Arizona Drought Contingency Plan Discussion - Central Arizona Project
  • Upcoming Meetings
  • DCP Steering Committee members
  • DCP STeering Committee slide show. Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project. July 26, 2018.
  • CAP & ADWR Joint Briefing: Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan. July, 2018.
  • Arizona Discussion on Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan. Commissioner Brenda Burman, U.S. Bureau of Recalamation. July, 2018. 
  • Drought Contingency Plan News Feed - Arizona Department of Water Resourcs
• Arizona Drought Conditions Map - United States Drought Monitor
• Colorado River Interactive Dashboard - Arizona Department of Water Resources
• Watershed Connection - Salt River Project
• Colorado Basin River Forecast Center - National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Water Supply Forecast Briefings
  • Monthly Precipitation Maps
  • Monthly Temperature maps
• Bureau of Reclamation
  • Lower Colorado River Operations
  • Colorado River System 5-Year Projected Future Conditions
• Colorado River Basin Hydrology Updates
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
• Guide to Colorado River Hydrology Sources
• Arizona WaterWatch Mobile App - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Audubon Water Blog:

• Climate Change is Driving Water Scarcity across the West.  January, 2021.
• Top Arizona Water Priorities for the Legislature this Year.  January, 2021
• A Colorado River Win for the Navajo Nation as Congress Passes Major Omnibus. December, 2020.
• Western Water Legislation Advances Conservation, Resilience, and Equity. December, 2020.
• Audubon Prepares Advocates for Upcoming Arizona Legislative Season.  November, 2020.
• Endangered Birds Were Dying Where They Shouldn't. Now Scientists Know Why.  October, 2020.
• Arizona’s Often-dry Streams Now under Threat Due to Clean Water Act Rollback.  October, 2020.
• Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo Remains Federally Protected after Delisting Threat Falls Flat. September, 2020.
• Sustaining Healthy Groundwater Levels is Critical to Habitat, Birds, and People. September, 2020.
• Audubon “Wingspan” Weighs in on Colorado River Lake Powell Pipeline.  September, 2020.
• Lake Mead and Lower Colorado River to Remain in Tier Zero Shortage for 2021. August, 2020.
• Arizona’s Rivers Could Face Irreparable Harm. August, 2020.
• New Senate Bill Threatens U.S.—Mexico Cooperation, Environment, and Birds of Lower Colorado River. July, 2020.
• Arizona: (UPDATE) International Infrastructure Issues Threaten Arizona’s Santa Cruz River. July, 2020.
• In Driest Year in Half Century, Audubon Releases Water into Rio Grande to Sustain Flows. July, 2020.
• U.S. Senate Introduces New Program to Assess and Monitor Saltwater Lake Ecosystems in the West. July 2020.
• U.S. Senate Votes to Protect Birds, Improve Parks, and Create Jobs. June, 2020.
• Connected by Water: Healthy rivers are key to our physical, emotional, and economic recovery. June, 2020.
• Gila River Diversion Stopped. June, 2020.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources and Audubon Agree to Funding Plan to Conserve Colorado River Water. May, 2020.
• Arizona Legislature Adjourns 2020 Session. May, 2020.
• Arizona Legislature on the Verge of Adjourning.  May, 2020.
• Restoring the Colorado River Delta. May, 2020.
• Water Policy Wins in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico before Coronavirus Closures. May, 2020.
• Native Plants Help Restore the Colorado River. May, 2020.
• Arizona Legislators, Western Rivers Action Network Discuss Water Security. February, 2020.
• Audubon Calls for More Resources and Attention (not Less) for Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. February, 2020.
• UPDATE: New Federal Rule Reduces Protections for Water in the West, Harming People and Birds. January, 2020.
• Five Audubon Chapters Awarded with Western Water Grants. January, 2020.
• Prioritizing Water Security for Arizona’s Birds and People. January, 2020.
• Building a Positive Water Future: Western Water Highlights in 2019.  December, 2019.
• Why Groundwater Matters for Arizona’s People and Birds. November, 2019.
• Climate Change Threatens Arizona’s Forest Birds.  October, 2019.
• Arizona Legislature Wraps up with Wins for Birds, Water, and Public Lands. June, 2019.
• In the Field—Western Rivers Bird Count. June, 2019.
• International Infrastructure Issues Threaten Arizona’s Santa Cruz River. May, 2019.
• Audubon’s Jennifer Pitt Honored with Leadership Award for Colorado River Work. May, 2019.
• Arizona Needs to Resolve Long-Running Lawsuit in Order to Protect Rivers. April, 2019.
• A Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Is in Place—Now What? April, 2019.
• Bipartisan Colorado River Drought Plan Signed into Law Averting Potentially Catastrophic Outcomes for People and Birds.  April, 2019.
• Outdoor Recreation Along Arizona’s Waterways is a $13.5 Billion Industry, Ranked Higher than Golf and Mining, New Report Says. April, 2019.
• Bipartisan Colorado River Drought Plan Overwhelmingly Passes in Congress. Audubon Says: “Win for People and Birds in the Arid West.” April, 2019.
• New Federal Rule Would Reduce Protections for Water in the West, Harming People and Birds. March, 2019.
• How Craft Beer Is Helping Save Water In the Colorado River Basin. March, 2019.
• The Drought Contingency Plan and How We Got Here. March, 2019.
• After Major Progress in Arizona Water Policy, Audubon Continues the Cause. February, 2019.
• Audubon Gives Testimony In Support of Funding to Remove Invasive Plants Along Arizona's Rivers. February, 2019.
• Historic Agreement Reached in Arizona to Avert Devastating Water Shortages in the West: Audubon says “critical step in protecting 36 million people and 400 species of birds”. January, 2019.
• Audubon: Pass the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan. January, 2019.
• What is Going on with Water Planning in Arizona? December, 2018.
• What happened in Vegas? When it comes to water, this doesn’t stay in Vegas. December, 2018.
• Eight Natural Resource Issues for the next U.S. Senator from Arizona.  November, 2018.
• 10 Things You Should Know About Arizona’s Groundwater Management Act.  October, 2018.
• Balancing the needs of rivers, riparian habitat, and housing while ensuring environmental protections and sustainability for Arizonans. August, 2018.
• Dense forests, encroached meadows, and devastating wildfires: How Audubon and the Arizona Elk Society work together to protect rivers in the West. August, 2018.
• Using less and paying more. A conundrum it seems, until you dig a little deeper.  July, 2018.
• Connecting the Dots: From DCP and Lake Mead to Protecting Flowing Rivers and Habitat: Why birders and wildlife advocates should care about Lake Mead.  June, 2018

(To see stories from across the Colorado River Basin, visit National Audubon's Western Water News page.)

Studies/Reports:

• The Urgency of Water. Walton Family Foundation. October, 2020.
• The Importance of Arizona’s Ephemeral Streams. Audubon Southwest. October, 2020.
• Reducing water scarcity by improving water productivity in the United State. Ben Ruddell and Richard Rushforth, Northern Arizona University. August, 2020.
• Arizona Water Blueprint. ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute. June, 2020.
• Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science (2020). Western Water Assessment, CIRES, and University of Colorado Boulder. April, 2020.
• America's Most Endangered Riversof 2020. American Rivers, April, 2020
• Poll: Arizonans Speak. Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. November, 2019.
• The Elusive Concept of an Assured Water Supply: A Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District Report. The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute. October, 2019.
  • Recorded webinar with Audubon Arizona Policy Manager Haley Paul
• The Economic Impact of Arizona's Rivers, Lakes, and Streams. Audubon Arizona and Southwick Associates. April, 2019.
• Economic Significance of Outdoor Recreation in the Gila and San Francisco River Watersheds. Pew Charitable Trusts and Southwick Associates. December, 2020.
• Minute 319 Colorado River Limitrophe and Delta Environmental Flows Monitoring Final Report. International Boundary and Water Commission. December, 2018.
• Bureau of Reclamation - August 24-Month Study for the Lower Colorado Region.
  • 2017
  • 2018
• Executive Summary - Water and Birds in the Arid West: Habitats in Decline. The National Audubon Society. July, 2017.
  • Read the full report here
  • Report FAQs
• Economic Contributions of Outdoor Recreation on the Colorado River & Its Tributaries. Prepared for Protect The Flows by Southwick Associates. May 3, 2012.
• Outdoor Industry Association Congressional-Level Outdoor Recreation Economy Reports for all 435 Congressional Districts.
• Audubon's Western Water Program - Birds and Water in the Arid West.
• 12 takeaways from new Water Foundation poll of 12 Western states, WaterPolls.org. November, 2017.
• 2018 Conservation in the West Poll. Collorado College State of the Rockies Prokect.
  • Arizona results
  • Topic Report: Water
• The Outdoor Recreation Economy. Outdoor Industry Association, 2017.
• State of the Trout - 2017. Trout Unlimited.  June, 2017.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources: An end-of-year report, of sorts: Why Water Resources is putting more resources into informing the public about what we do. Arizona Department of Water Resources. January, 2017.
• Study: Next US president must act fast on Colorado River. Ken Ritter, Associated Press.  October 2016
• LOOKING UPSTREAM: Analysis of low water levels in Lake Powell and the impacts on Water Supply, Hydropower, Recreation, and the Environment. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Western Water Policy Program. Spring 2016
• 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2011.
• Binational Study of the Transboundary San Pedro Aquifer. Callegary, J.B., Minjárez Sosa, I., Tapia Villaseñor, E.M., dos Santos, P., Monreal Saavedra, R., Grijalva Noriega, F.J., Huth, A.K., Gray, F., Scott, C.A., Megdal, S.B., Oroz Ramos, L.A., Rangel Medina, M., Leenhouts, J.M., 2016, San Pedro River Aquifer Bination al Report: International Boundary and Water Commission
• Building a 21st Century Colorado River Budget - Key Funding Programs in the Colorado River Basin
• Protect the Flows: 2015 ASU Study on the Economics of the River

Webinars:

• WRAN Webinar - Raise the River: Binational collaboration on the Colorado River, Presented by Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River Program Director for National Audubon Society.
• WRAN Webinar: The Latest from Arizona and the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan. Presented by: Ted Kowalski, Senior Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation and Kevin Moran, Senior Director, Western Water Program, Environmental Defense Fund.
  • PDF file of this webinar presentation.
• WRAN Webinar: System Conservation and Excess Water 101.  Presented by: Kevin Moran, Senior Director of the Environmental Defense Fund's Colorado River Program & Amy McCoy, Director of AMP Insights.
  • PDF file of this webinar presentation
• WRAN Webinar: The Ecosystem Response to Restoration: Birds in the Colorado River Delta. Presented by: Dr. Osvel Hinojosa Huerta, Director of Pronatura Noroeste’s Water and Wetlands Program. 
  • PDF file of this webinar presentation
• WRAN Webinar: Keeping Beer (and Rivers) Flowing – how craft breweries are taking action for Arizona’s rivers. Presented by: Danielle McPherson, WaterNow Alliance and AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge and Chase Saraiva, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company.
  • PDF file of Danielle's presentation
  • PDF file of Chris's presentation
• WRAN Webinar: Governor's Water Augmentation Council - Recycled Water Committee. Presented by: John Kmiec - Water Director, Marana Water.
  • PDF file of this webinar presentation
• WRAN Webinar: Santa Cruz River. Presented by Claire Zugmeyer - Lead Ecologist for the Sonoran Institute's Sun Corridor Legacy Program. 
  • PDF flie of this webinar presentation
• WRAN Webinar: Tres Rios Wetlands. Presented by: Cynthia Campbell - Water Resources Manager and Policy Advisor, City of Phoenix.
  • PDF file of this webinar presentation
• WRAN Webinar: A 21st Century Colorado River Budget. Presented by: Karen Hyun, Director of Water and Coastal Policy - National Audubon Society.
  • 21 Century Colorado River Budget: Recommendations for the Colorado River Basin in FY18
  • PDF file of this webinar presentation
• Talking Water: An AZ WRAN Summer Webinar Series
  • Arizona Contributions to Address Lake Mead's Structural Deficit. Amy McCoy. AZ WRAN "Talking Water" Series. July 20, 2016
  • Groundwater Management and Adjudication in Arizona. Sarah Porter and Kathleen Ferris. AZ WRAN "Talking Water" Series. August 3, 2016
  • Arizona's Native Trout Program: Julie Carter and Brad Powell. AZ WRAN "Talking Water" Series. September 7, 2016 (View Julie's PowerPoint here and Brad's here)
  • River Funding and Restoration Efforts: Jennifer Pitt and Scott Deeny., AZ WRAN "Talking Water" Series. Seotember 21, 2016
• Colorado River Shortage Briefing Webinar - Clint Chandler, Daniel Bunk, Ted Cooke, Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project, May 2016
• Shift Happens: A Brown Bag Seminar. Learn about Audubon's Climate Report and what it means for western rivers and other critical habitats.  Presented by Audubon Arizona's Tice Supplee and facilitated by the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center. April, 2015.

Statewide Water Planning:

• Arizona Department of Water Resources Planning Area Meetings and Information
  • Storymap: Upper San Pedro River Planning Area
  • Storymap: Lower San Pedro River Planning Area
  • Storymap: Cochise Planning Area
  • Storymap: Verde River Planning Area
  • Storymap: Central Plateau Planning Area
  • Storymap: Colorado Main Stem South Planning Area
  • Governor's Water Augmentation Council Meetings and Information
  • Governor Doug Ducey's Arizona Water Initiative

Advocacy Materials:

• "How to be an Effective Advocate in Less Than Five Minutes". The National Audubon Society
• "Tips for Meeting With Elected Officials". The National Audubon Society
• "Tips for Successful Advocacy Meetings". SP Consultants
• "The Right to Write: Sending Paper Mail in an Internet World". The National Audubon Society
• "Capitol Hill Terms and Definitions". Audubon Arizona, adapted from www.Congress.org
• "Policy Options for Water Management in the Verde Valley". The Nature Conservancy

Miscellaneous Resources:

• Arizona House Committee on Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Comittee Meeting Testimony
  • Camp Verde
• Storymap: Tracing the Path of the Colorado River. The Arizona Republic, AZ Central. June 2017.
• A Global water map: new resource for scientific studies. Marc Montgomery, Radio Canada International. January, 2017.
• 2016 Winter Webinars
  • Agua Dulce - Tucson Water's plan to return flow to the Santa Cruz:  Presented by Presented by Timothy M. Thomure, PE, ENV SP, Director of Tucson Water.  Facilitated by Audubon Arizona Education Director Cathy Wise.  View Timothy's presentation here.
  • Introducing the Verde River Exchange Water Offset Program: Presented by: Jocelyn Gibbon, J.D.--Principal, Freshwater Policy Consulting, LLC. Jocelyn coordinates the Exchange on behalf of Friends of Verde River Greenway. View Jocelyn's presentation here.
• Colorado River Policy: Opportunities for Tangible Progress
• The Colorado River: A Roadmap for the Secretary of the Interior
• Community Discussion Summary Statements: From Community Outreach Programs Following the 107th Arizona Town Hall - Keeping Arizona's Glass Half Full. Arizona Town Hall, June 2016.
• Lower Basin Drought Contingency Proposal Fact Sheet - Arizona Department of Water Resources, May 2016
• Colorado River Shortage Briefing Presentation Slides - Clint Chandler, Daniel Bunk, Ted Cooke, Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project, May 2016
• AZ Town Hall - Keeping Arizona's Glass Half Full - Highlights of the 107th Arizona Town Hall
• Tucson Audubon Society comments to the Benson Planning and Zoning Commission re: Villages at Vigneto. December 2015
• Tucson Audubon Society letter to the Army Corps of Engineers re: Villages at Vigneto.  July 2015
• Video: Business of Water.  Protect the Flows, 2015
• Poll: Education and Water should be Arizona's top priorities.  Arizona State University, February 24, 2015.