FULL LENGTH NEWSLETTER
Twice a year we produce a full length newsletter for our friends and donors for a deeper dive into all things Borderlands.
Spring 2020 Issue
Fall 2020 Issue
Spring 2020 Issue
Fall 2020 Issue
Boosting Bats by Restoring Mexico's Agaves
Volunteers Install Rainwater Harvesting at Huachuca Community Garden
Volunteers Install Rainwater Harvesting at Huachuca Community Garden
US Forest Service Office Awards BRN $55K for Youth Programming
For the sixth straight year, BRN is proud to work alongside the US Forest Service to inspire borderland youth to become the conservation leaders of tomorrow.
Through the Borderlands Earth Care Youth Institute - also known as BECY - high schoolers from Douglas and Patagonia will work as teams to restore arid land watersheds in the mountains of Southeastern Arizona. With rock, wood, seeds, hands, and hearts youth will work together to return flowing waters and riverside ecosystems to the arid borderlands.
This summer, the US Forest Service regional office has awarded BRN $55,000 to lead a series of educational and habitat restoration activities in and around Douglas and Patagonia. During the summer of 2020, the two 12-person BECY crews will restore streams, arroyos, and springs in the Santa Rita Mountains, Dragoon Mountains, and the Chiricahua Mountains. Restoration projects are likely to include: building erosion control structures out of sticks and rocks, removing invasive species, and planting native pollinator-attracting plants. We'll be posting youth blogs on the BRN website and social media this upcoming summer.
Throughout 2020, BRN will also collaborate with Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center to celebrate both the public lands and our non-human friends: International Migratory Bird Day (May 9), Bat Appreciation Day (April 17), National Public Lands Day (Sept 26), and National Pollinator Week (June 22-28). Keep an eye on our website to learn more.
We believe that by playing and working in the great outdoors, youth develop life-long passion and skills to make positive change in their home communities – supporting the people, plants, and animals that call the borderlands home.
Through the Borderlands Earth Care Youth Institute - also known as BECY - high schoolers from Douglas and Patagonia will work as teams to restore arid land watersheds in the mountains of Southeastern Arizona. With rock, wood, seeds, hands, and hearts youth will work together to return flowing waters and riverside ecosystems to the arid borderlands.
This summer, the US Forest Service regional office has awarded BRN $55,000 to lead a series of educational and habitat restoration activities in and around Douglas and Patagonia. During the summer of 2020, the two 12-person BECY crews will restore streams, arroyos, and springs in the Santa Rita Mountains, Dragoon Mountains, and the Chiricahua Mountains. Restoration projects are likely to include: building erosion control structures out of sticks and rocks, removing invasive species, and planting native pollinator-attracting plants. We'll be posting youth blogs on the BRN website and social media this upcoming summer.
Throughout 2020, BRN will also collaborate with Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center to celebrate both the public lands and our non-human friends: International Migratory Bird Day (May 9), Bat Appreciation Day (April 17), National Public Lands Day (Sept 26), and National Pollinator Week (June 22-28). Keep an eye on our website to learn more.
We believe that by playing and working in the great outdoors, youth develop life-long passion and skills to make positive change in their home communities – supporting the people, plants, and animals that call the borderlands home.
10/28/19: Journal of the Southwest Podcast with David Seibert, BRN Watershed Restoration Project Manager
The JSW Radio Hour brings the voices of researchers, educators, activists and community members working to better understand the region’s past and envision possible new futures. It continues to highlight the special consciousness of place that has been the focus of the Journal of the Southwest for the last three decades.
Listen to podcast
Listen to podcast
10/25/19: 1 Million Agave: Ambitious Binational Restoration Plan To Plant Agave, Protect Bats
Shovels in hand, dozens of volunteers peeled back layers of bright green undergrowth and drying grasses at Parque La Colorada in Álamos, Sonora. Dripping with sweat on this humid, October afternoon, they carefully planted small agave seedlings one-by-one along the park’s main trail. It’s part of Bat Conservation International's ambition plan to plant 1 million agave in the U.S and Mexico in the next 10 years.
Read the full article and learn about BRN's involvement.
Read the full article and learn about BRN's involvement.
09/25/19: BRN Received #GRANTS4PLANTS Grant for Bilingual Agave Restoration Book
This Spring, Mountain Rose Herbs (MRH) launched its second annual Grants 4 Plants project, offering the herbalism community five $4,000 grants to fund plant-powered projects that build community and better the planet. BRN won a $4K grant to develop, translate, print, and distribute a bilingual booklet about agave restoration for land managers in the U.S. and Mexico.
It will focus on seed collection, curation, propagation, and out-planting agaves into natural and farmed landscapes. It will also provide information about the importance of genetic diversity for the survival of agave populations, which have become threatened as production of agave spirits in Mexico has increased and brought about ecological and cultural complications. These educational tools have the power to plant seeds of environmental stewardship, protecting native plants that see no borders.
Meet all the winners and watch our entry video.
Learn more about our Bats & Agave work.
It will focus on seed collection, curation, propagation, and out-planting agaves into natural and farmed landscapes. It will also provide information about the importance of genetic diversity for the survival of agave populations, which have become threatened as production of agave spirits in Mexico has increased and brought about ecological and cultural complications. These educational tools have the power to plant seeds of environmental stewardship, protecting native plants that see no borders.
Meet all the winners and watch our entry video.
Learn more about our Bats & Agave work.
09/17/19: BRN Field School part of episode of Arizona Illustrated
Wildlife biologist Debbie Buecher has been studying bats for decades, and she enjoys sharing her expertise about these frequently maligned mammals. There are more than a thousand bat species around the world and Buecher says they are a vital part of our environment. Debbie was a featured speaker at the 2019 Field School.
Watch the episode.
07/01/19: BRN receives $20K grant in support of Field School from Arizona Community Foundation of Cochise
BRN recently received a generous $20K grant in support of our annual Field School. The Borderlands Restoration Network Field School is a comprehensive, intensive and immersive practical training course that focuses on the social and ecological issues of the southern Arizona and northern Mexico borderlands region.
The curriculum includes a series of integrated lectures, workshops, field trips and hands-on learning opportunities in active projects that cover a wide breadth of topics from technical skills in plant propagation to the foundational principles of a restoration economy. Our Field School is guided by a diverse set of leading experts from across the spectrum of agencies, non-profits and partner organizations. The 2019 Field School will involve travel in both Arizona and northern Mexico during the course.
The Arizona Community Foundation of Cochise is a growing and permanent collection of funds created by local residents for the benefit of Cochise-area communities. This family of charitable funds is guided by a local Board of Advisors and benefits from cost-efficient, centralized professional services provided by ACF.
Established in 1978, the Arizona Community Foundation is a statewide family of charitable funds supported by thousands of Arizonans. With five regional offices serving communities across Arizona, ACF is among the top 25 community foundations in the nation with more than $938 million in trust and endowment assets, and is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. Since inception, ACF and its affiliates have awarded more than $719 million in grants, scholarships and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies. More information is available at azfoundation.org.
The curriculum includes a series of integrated lectures, workshops, field trips and hands-on learning opportunities in active projects that cover a wide breadth of topics from technical skills in plant propagation to the foundational principles of a restoration economy. Our Field School is guided by a diverse set of leading experts from across the spectrum of agencies, non-profits and partner organizations. The 2019 Field School will involve travel in both Arizona and northern Mexico during the course.
The Arizona Community Foundation of Cochise is a growing and permanent collection of funds created by local residents for the benefit of Cochise-area communities. This family of charitable funds is guided by a local Board of Advisors and benefits from cost-efficient, centralized professional services provided by ACF.
Established in 1978, the Arizona Community Foundation is a statewide family of charitable funds supported by thousands of Arizonans. With five regional offices serving communities across Arizona, ACF is among the top 25 community foundations in the nation with more than $938 million in trust and endowment assets, and is certified under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations. Since inception, ACF and its affiliates have awarded more than $719 million in grants, scholarships and loans to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies. More information is available at azfoundation.org.