Considering a winter lawn? Consider the benefits of forgoing a winter lawn this season instead. Not only do winter lawns use more water than dormant Bermuda (warm season) grass, they cost more, take more maintenance, and can weaken the Bermuda lawn. Each year, more people are embracing the monetary, time, and environmental savings of forgoing a winter lawn. A recent …
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Knoll Lake, named for the small island in the middle of the lake, is located in the Blue Ridge Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. This scenic lake is 108 miles east of Flagstaff and is an outdoor lover’s paradise. There are trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. There is also a campground; open late April to …
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In last week’s video, you were introduced to our winner, Lisa Osborne, and saw her sad and drab backyard. So we’re excited in our second video to start formulating our ‘fab’ plan for our featured backyard rehab winner! In this segment, Lisa Osborne, our Drab 2 Fab Backyard Rehab winner, consults with Janet Waibel, a landscape architect with Waibel & Associates …
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Cities need trees, including our desert cities. Trees help to mitigate the heat island, reduce ground temperatures in the evening and remove pollutants from the air. Trees raise property values, save energy by shading walls and windows, and attract birds and other wildlife. Here’s the question: Why don’t we plant more of them? Here’s one answer: Some people think of …
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Texas sages are among the most reliable and fool-proof of the low water use plants available in Arizona. In the past twenty years, many new species and varieties have been brought into cultivation. These evergreen shrubs are native to Texas and Mexico, and perform well in our desert with very little maintenance. These shrubs require full sun and good drainage. …
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Envision your dream landscape. Does it have a water-harvesting rain garden, rockwork and basins overflowing with flowering native plants? How about a greywater system feeding a fig tree or a humming pollinator garden? Once you’ve got the image—how do you bring it to life? Join Watershed Management Group (WMG) for the coolest educational series in Central Arizona to learn how …
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A question we often receive as water conservation professionals is, “How much water should I use?” We squirm, hem, and haw because it’s not a simple answer! Each household and yard is unique. Comparing utility bills with your neighbor is not the most accurate way to gauge if you are using the right amount of water. To solve this dilemma, …
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As a result of a compromise agreement with Arizona U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, the federal Interior Department has pledged that Colorado River water contributed by Arizona to the effort to stabilize Lake Mead will not be released to any other state “without the consensus of all three Lower Basin States.” Arizona, California and Nevada all have left portions of their …
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I have a confession to make – I have a love-hate relationship with information technology. In the era of the “smart” meter, the “smart” home, and the “smart” device, there are times that I have trouble keeping up with its relentless pace. However, what I notice about my personal use of “Information Technology” is its reflection of my life – …
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Arizona’s legacy of carefully managing its water supplies over the years isn’t so much about preparing for drought. Not precisely. More than anything, it has been about Arizonans taking control of their own destiny. The years devoted to planning and investing from the creation of engineering water-delivery marvels like the Salt River Project, irrigation projects in the Yuma area, and …
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The story of water in the Salt River Valley began more than a thousand years ago, with a group of people we call the Hohokam. The Hohokam lived in the Valley from approximately A.D. 450 to 1450, and constructed a complex network of canals and laterals to support their agriculture. When the first American settlers arrived more than 400 years …
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Lake Powell began filling in 1963 after the completion of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. The 710-foot-high hydroelectric dam creates the second-largest man-made lake, or reservoir, in the U.S. The lake stretches 186 miles along the Colorado River from Page, Arizona to Hite, Utah. Located within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the …
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