Tamarisks
Tamarisks and Trails
By Donna Stevens For six years, UGWA has been working to eradicate invasive tamarisks (salt cedar) along the Gila River, mostly in the Gila Wilderness, but also downstream. We were fortunate to receive three grants to accomplish this work in 2021. Tamarisks can outcompete native riparian trees and shrubs, create […]
Wild and Scenic Rivers,
The Gila: America’s First Wilderness River
By Donna Stevens The Gila River is America’s First Wilderness River, with its headwaters deep in the Gila Wilderness – the nation’s first wilderness. At last, it’s one step closer to being designated a Wild and Scenic River. Both of New Mexico’s federal Senators, Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, […]
Read, Watch & Listen
Listen to Our Radio Show Watch Our Videos on YouTube E-newsletters Subscribe to our e-newsletter for interactive content, briefings and upcoming events! Recent Issues: May 2024 – Give Grandly, New Earth Kids, Citizen Science, Moths, Ring of Fire, Wolves April 2024 – Citizen Science, New Earth Project, Earth Day, Give […]
Restoration
Tamarisk Eradication To further our mission of protecting the Gila River and Gila National Forest, UGWA has been working on tamarisk eradication since 2016. Invasive species such as tamarisk often outcompete willows, cottonwoods, and other native riparian vegetation that wildlife depend on for food, cover, and nesting sites. Tamarisks dominate […]
Education
Children’s Water Festival Gets Kids In the River! The Children’s Water Festival is a unique educational event that allows the 5th graders of Grant, Hidalgo, and Luna Counties to visit and explore the Gila River and learn about the ecology of the watershed. The Upper Gila Watershed Alliance (UGWA) collaborates […]
Advocacy
Gila River Diversion: Dead In the Water At last, Gila River lovers can rest easy, knowing that the river in New Mexico is protected from an ecologically harmful and ridiculously expensive diversion. Since the passage of the Arizona Water Settlements Act in 2004, the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, with its […]
About Us
Our Staff Carol Ann Fugagli Executive Director Carol Ann has lived in the Silver City area with her family for over 20 years. She’s worked for UGWA since 2013 and is an ornithologist. She trained with former Vice President Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader and has a passion […]
50-Year Water Plan
Gila River Update
The ecologically devastating, technically infeasible, and prohibitively expensive Gila River diversion is dead. So now what? Can we just rest easy or move on to another adventure? Well, not just yet. After wasting more than $15 million to study the diversion, there is still roughly $90 million of Arizona Water […]