Documentary: Lost Rivers

Thursday, October 6th @ 6pm, Montoya Community Center

“Once upon a time, in almost every industrial city, countless rivers flowed. We built houses along their banks. Our roads hugged their curves. And their currents fed our mills and factories. But as cities grew, we polluted rivers so much that they became conduits for deadly waterborne diseases like cholera, which was 19th century’s version of the Black Plague. Our solution two centuries ago was to bury rivers underground and merge them with sewer networks.

Today, under the city, they still flow, out of sight and out of mind… until now. That’s because urban dwellers are on a quest to reconnect with this denigrated natural world. Lost Rivers takes us on an adventure down below and across the globe, retracing the history of these lost urban rivers by plunging into archival maps and going underground with clandestine urban explorers.” – IMDb online film description

Join us at the Montoya Community Center on Thursday, October 6th at 6pm for a showing of this incredible documentary.

We look forward to having you! Popcorn will be provided (please bring a cup or bowl to enjoy a serving!).

Arizona Business Daily• September 20, 2016

The U.S, Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act on Sept. 15 that reauthorizes the Rio de Flag Flood Control Project, authorizes funds for tribal wastewater certification, speeds up removal of invasive salt cedar trees, reduces Nogales’ financial burden for a sewage pipeline and speeds up reimbursements to tribes for water quality monitoring after a Gold King Mine spill.

“I am pleased that after eight years, we are finally on track to provide the federal funding needed for the Army Corps of Engineers to complete the Rio de Flag flood control project,” U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said. “This project, which has languished due to bureaucratic delays, is critical for the city of Flagstaff to mitigate potentially disastrous flood damage that could destroy land and infrastructure and directly impact the local and regional economy. I will continue to monitor the progress of this important project, and look forward to the completion of the Rio de Flag flood control project.” (read more…)

Walk and Talk to Frances Short Pond

Saturday, September 24th at Wheeler Park

10:30am-11:30am

Frances Short Pond on a beautiful September day. Photo courteous of Tom Bean

This year, the Festival of Science theme is “Change”. Join Board Member and Vice President Deb Noel for a walk and talk from Wheeler Park to Frances Short Pond at 10:30am during Science in the Park. Deb will lead participants in a discussion of the changes we see in the Rio de Flag throughout the year, and how we can document those changes through photography and other forms of technology.

Meet Deb in Wheeler Park during Science in the Park at 10:30am on Saturday, September 24th for a walk to Frances Short Pond. We look forward to kicking off the Festival of Science by focusing on the theme of “Change” within the Rio de Flag watershed. Click here to share this event on Facebook.

Collecting water quality data at Frances Short Pond. Photo courteous of Tom Bean

In celebration of the Flagstaff Festival of Science, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, and the Friends of the Rio de Flag will be organizing a BioBlitz at Frances Short Pond.

A BioBlitz is an opportunity for students, teachers, and the general public to work in collaboration with biologists, naturalists, and scientists to complete a formal survey or a biological inventory of the plants, animals, and other organisms that live in a particular place within a 24 hour time frame.

Between 3pm-6pm community members will be invited to collect important scientific information about water quality, insects, birds, plants, fish, invertebrates and mammals at established stations. Between 6-7pm guest experts will be giving short presentations and providing opportunities for the public to ask questions about the pond, its history, wildlife, and plans for the future.

Click on the poster icon to view full size.

The event is made possible through a generous grant from the National Geographic Education Foundation and is free and open to the public.

See Willow Bend’s event post for location and contact information regarding the event.