The Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) Program, the Ecosystem Conservation and Resilience Initiative (ECRI) and other organizations formed the Conservation Alliance to research how to preserve Phoenix’s mountain parks.
Led by the Desert Botanical Garden, this is the first time multiple environmental organizations from Arizona have focused on mountain preserve parks, said Marcia Nation, CAP LTER project manager.
Nation said her role is to get ASU scientists and students involved in the project.
“I will work with our director, Dan Childers, to involve ASU scientists and students with the Conservation Alliance’s efforts.” Nation said.
The Conservation Alliance, despite being in the early stages of its research, is already working directly with the McDowell Sonoran Preserve to conduct research on the park’s insect population in order to better understand the species in the ecosystem and learn how to preserve the species if it is necessary, Nation said.
Braden Allenby, an environmental engineering professor, has been keeping up with the Conservation Alliance’s progress and believes the work, from both an economic and ecological perspective, is critical.
“I think the most important thing to realize is that one of the main attractions for Arizona is the physical environment, so maintaining the biodiversity is critical to keeping Arizona a nice place to live,”
The goal is to eventually shed light on how Arizona, the state with the most nature preserves in a metropolitan area, can become a more sustainable society, Nation said.
Helen Rowe, the ECRI director in ASU’s School of Life Sciences, stated that one goal of the initiative is to expand ecological research and natural resource management.
“I hope that through this project we will be able to pair citizen science with natural resource protection and education,” Rowe said.
Nation believes the mountain preserves around Phoenix need to be better promoted to the public so it has a better understanding of the preserves to keep them alive and thriving for future generations to experience.
The Conservation Alliance is connecting with nature in the midst of a major metropolis, said Stevan Earl, site manager of the CAP LTER program.
“Our preserves provide an invaluable resource where residents can enjoy and explore the beauty of the Sonoran Desert,” Earl said.
Reach the reporter at jasmine.barta@asu.edu
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