Stories - AZPM

Tortoise deserves endangered species protections, enviro groups say

Two conservation groups have filed suit over what they say is the failure of the federal government to protect the Sonoran desert tortoise.

A coyote at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Arizona bans hunting contests for killing coyotes

The ban doesn't apply to the lawful hunting of predators.

Quitobaquito pond is fed from the nearby Quitobaquito Springs.

New border wall could further deplete groundwater supplies

Some scientists and conservationists worry the water needs of the new border wall could put a valuable desert oasis at risk.

A statue stands in front of the Holocaust History Center.

"Never again, para nadie."

Also on Arizona Spotlight: New state law that may provide justice for greater numbers of Indigenous women and girls; A reaction to the Trump administration changing the Endangered Species Act; and a very short story from Aurelie Sheehan.

Rancher John Ladd opens a gate on his property where it meets the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

‘Build the wall’ across the San Pedro River? Many say ‘no’

Disparate groups agree that walling off Arizona's last free-flowing river is a bad idea.

Bollard-style fencing is staged near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, in New Mexico, April 2018.

Conservation groups look to block border wall construction

The groups have asked a federal judge for an injunction until a lawsuit challenging the project is decided.

Sonoran pronghorn are one of the federally endangered species USFWS says could be harmed by new border fencing.

Fish and Wildlife Service lays out concerns over border wall

The agency says wall construction through Pima and Cochise counties could harm many species.

A juvenile brown pelican is corralled by Marana Police officers before being taken to the Tucson Wildlife Center on July 26, 2019. Pelicans are sometimes blown off course into the desert by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lost pelican lands in Tucson

The seabird is being treated by wildlife specialists.

A Border Patrol vehicle drives along a section of fence at the Organ Pipe National Monument, west of Lukeville and south of Ajo, Arizona, Nov. 2, 2018.

Conservation, law enforcement and ranching: Weighing in on a proposed border fence

The majority of new bollard-style wall would run through protected areas in Pima and Cochise counties.

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

UNESCO designates vaquita porpoise habitat as ‘in danger’

There are estimated to be only 10 remaining vaquita porpoises in the Sea of Cortez.

500 Gila Topminnows make a splash at The Mission Garden

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Author Kimi Eisele on "The Lightest Object in the Universe"; singer Natalie Douglas returns to Tucson with the songs of Nat King Cole; and "A Love Letter to the Library" about MegaMania.

Archie is a big brown bat, and has been taken care of by Bob & Debbie Beucher since being rescued more than sixteen years ago.

Bat night at the Mission Garden

Also: A new facility in Nogales, Sonora to help migrants following the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy; and strangers find common ground with "One Small Step".