Tucson Chapter

Go to: Meetings & Events | Chapter Officers & Board Members | Chapter News

Meetings & Events

If you would like to present at a future chapter meeting, contact us at [email protected]. Note that we can no longer issue refunds for cancellations; in addition, you must pay in advance — we cannot take payments at the door or invoice you after an event.

May 2025

Date / Time: May 13, social half hour at 6pm, talk 6:30-7:30pm

Place: Montgomery & Associates, 1550 E Prince Rd 

Cost in-person attendance: $5 for members, $10 for nonmembers, free for student members — please register online in advance.

A Zoom option will also be provided to those who register and want to attend remotely. Zoom will be free for members, $5 for student nonmembers, and $10 for other nonmembers

Register

Luke will be speaking on The Santa Cruz River National Wildlife Refuge

This presentation outlines a regional initiative to establish a National Wildlife Refuge along the Santa Cruz River corridor, a critical ecological and cultural landscape extending from the U.S.–Mexico border through Santa Cruz and Pima Counties. The refuge would protect vital habitat in a major migratory flyway and wildlife corridor, home to endangered species like the Gila topminnow and ocelot.

The designation—an administrative action led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—requires community support and acquirable land, not congressional legislation. Over 8,000 acres, including 12+ miles of flowing river, are under consideration. The refuge would emphasize wildlife conservation, environmental education, and public access, without regulating upstream or downstream activity.

Backed by resolutions from local governments and tribal partners, and supported by funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the proposal builds on strong community momentum. It honors the Santa Cruz River’s Indigenous and cultural heritage and would establish lasting federal protection for one of the Southwest’s most iconic riparian ecosystems.

Speaker: Luke Cole, Sonoran Institute 

Dr. Luke Cole is the Director of the Santa Cruz River Program at the Sonoran Institute, where he leads collaborative efforts to revitalize one of the Southwest’s most iconic river systems. Based in Tucson, Luke brings deep experience in water resource planning, stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector environmental strategy. He is a passionate advocate for community-centered conservation and works to ensure that science, policy, and local voices come together to shape a sustainable future for the Santa Cruz River and the broader Colorado River Basin. Whether in the field or at the forum, Luke is known for connecting ideas, people, and possibilities to bring rivers back to life. Luke has a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia and a M.S. in Oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.

All attendees must register in advance. We will turn away walk-ins! This applies to professionals and to students who are attending for free. We need to know the number of attendees in advance so we can plan accordingly. Likewise, if you sign up but later find that you cannot attend, please let us know so we can open up your spot for someone else. Please respect these ground rules… and register early to ensure that you reserve your spot.

Chapter Officers & Board Members

Chapter News

• Tucson Chapter Holiday Bash to Be Held at the Botanical GardensSeptember 27, 2024
  This year’s annual holiday party will be held at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Join AHS Tucson for a special evening at the Tucson Botanical Gardens on Monday, December. Enjoy the festive atmosphere among garden paths and local desert flora, celebrating…
• Congratulations to Our 2024 Halpenny Intern Scholar, Samuel Booker!April 24, 2024
  The Tucson chapter is pleased to announce that it has selected the Leonard Halpenny Inter Scholar for 2024. Samuel Booker is a junior pursuing a degree in hydrology and water resources at the UA. He is looking forward to working…
• Order Your AHS Beer MugJuly 27, 2023
  Now’s your chance to grab one or more AHS mason jar beer mugs. If you order by September 4, you can pick your mug up at the 2023 AHS Symposium. If you’re not planning to attend the symposium, you can…
• 2023 Halpenny Scholar AnnouncedJuly 14, 2023
  The Tucson chapter has selected this year’s Halpenny Intern Scholar: Natalie Yurek. Natalie is a rising junior in the UA’s Hydrology and Atmospheric Science (HAS) program. She is interested in exploring the interplay between Earth, atmosphere, and water systems by…
• Mission Garden Tour RecapFebruary 24, 2023
  On February 18, a group of folks from the Tucson chapter joined Chuck Graf, our 2018 AHS Lifetime Achievement Award winner, for a tour of Mission Garden and surrounding areas. Mission Garden was originally part of, and served, the village…
• Purchase your AHS Mason Jar MugsJanuary 9, 2023
  Order now and pick your mug up at a Tucson chapter meeting. If you belong to the Flagstaff or Phoenix chapters, order by February 3rd and we’ll have them available for your chapter president to give you at your next…