Slide 1 of 6.
A cowboy waits for the morning work to begin. Horses remain an essential tool of ranching in the rugged terrain of southern Arizona.
Source: Brian PowellSlide 2 of 6.
The bottom of the Altar Wash now sits 15 feet below the edge of its former terrace. The wash is a legacy of poor grazing practices, but efforts are now underway to restore the wash and its tributaries.
Source: Brian PowellSlide 3 of 6.
Ernesto "Chapo" Valenzuela, now 97, holds the rope he used for the last 20 years of his career. A rancher and cowboy for over 60 years, his knowledge of grazing made him a mentor to many in the valley.
Source: Brian PowellSlide 4 of 6.
Rancher Tom Kay has spent considerable labor and resources in the last 12 years to increase grass productivity on his ranch. Success has been slow but steady.
Source: Brian PowellSlide 5 of 6.
A shrine in honor of Saint Jude, the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. Built in the 1950s in the hopes of alleviating a severe drought, the shrine's symbolism is relevant today; the current drought is one of the worst in recorded history.
Source: Brian PowellSlide 6 of 6.
Joe (left) and John (right) King's ancestor began ranching in the Altar Valley in the 1890's. Joe carries on the family tradition, but many ranching families lack heirs interested in ranching.
Source: Brian Powell

Brian Powell, an amateur photographer and program coordinator in the Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation, is the grand prize winner of the National Geographic/Nikon Full Story Contest.

Brian Powell

Powell won with his entry, “A Test of Resiliency: Land and Ranchers in Arizona’s Borderlands,” a package of photographs, an essay and a video about the challenges ranchers in Pima County’s Altar Valley face as a result of historic overgrazing, the current severe drought, drug and human smuggling, and development. His entry can be viewed at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/nikon/fullstory.html.

Powell will accompany Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s Digital Nomad, on a National Geographic Expedition to the Galápagos Islands Feb. 8-17 to photograph the islands’ rich ecosystem. His photographs from the expedition will be available for viewing on the National Geographic website beginning Feb. 27.

Last fall, Powell was one of five first prize winners who were sent a Nikon D600 to shoot their full story between Dec. 17, 2012, and Jan. 7, 2013. He also won first place in the Travel Photographer of the Year competition in 2010.

Powell, who has worked for Pima County since 1997, has been an avid photographer since he was 13 years old.

The project in the Altar Valley, though pursued in his personal time, is related to his work at the County. He assists in the management and monitoring of the County’s extensive ranchlands. Through his work he has gained an appreciation for and interest in the ranching community and their role in land conservation.

“The competition motivated me to take on a project that would push the limits of my photographic ‘comfort zone,’” Powell said. “Most of my images are of nature, but this project challenged me to take a broader view of humans within the natural environment. It was a fantastic experience.”

Fall migration hasn’t yet wound down and it’s a common sight to see great egrets and great blue herons at the Kino Environmental Restoration Project, north ofAjo Wayand part of the Kino Sports Complex.

The 141-acre project allows for valuable wildlife viewing opportunities year-round. It entails 28 acres of riparian vegetation and open water, 21 acres of native grassland, flood control features and a recreational path that surrounds the basin.

The project is an important resting stop for migratory birds during their long journeys in the spring and fall. Containing many trees and plants, the riparian area also supports resident birds and otherArizonawildlife species year-round.

Water fowl, such as ducks and grebes, visit in the winter. The spring is great for songbirds and the summer for nesting species, saidPimaCountyenvironmental planning manager Carla Danforth.

In past winters, small groups of flashy diving ducks such as Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, and Buffelheads have been spotted in the wetland.

Birding is often best just after sunrise through mid-morning, Danforth suggested, and then again in the afternoon before the sun sets.

Bird watchers are welcome around the perimeter trail, which is a multiuse, paved path that is available to the community for walking, bicycling, jogging, and wildlife viewing.

Recorded bird calls are not permitted.

Tucson Audubon Society birding field trips sometimes visit KERP. For more information about birds and local birding field trips visit the society’s website at www.tucsonaudubon.org or contact Tucson Audubon Society at 520-629-0510 or info@tucsonaudubon.org.

Win an iPad at the Green Living Fair on Nov. 3.

Visit the 5th Annual  Green Living Fair on Saturday, November 3, and learn how to green your home, green your life, and keep more green in your pocket.  The free event takes place at the HabiStore at 935 W. Grant Road, ¼ mile east of I-10, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Over 22 exhibitors will help you discover ways to save money, energy, and the environment through water harvesting, organic gardening, recycling, sharing surplus items, alternative driving options, planting trees, maintaining your vehicle, and much more.

Enjoy solar-powered live music and enter to win an iPad (donated by Cox Communications).  And don’t forget to shop for new and gently used home furnishings and home improvement items at the HabiStore — the store that builds homes and changes the world one sofa at a time.

The Fair is brought to you by the Pima County Environmental Quality’s Clean Air Program, Pima Association of Governments, Habitat for Humanity’s HabiStore, Mrs. Green’s World, and the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department.

For more information visit HabitatTucson.org, or call the HabiStore at 889-7200.

“Greenville will give folks a chance to have some fun while expanding their inner green,” says Beth Gorman, Pima County, Senior Program Manager for Pima County Department of Environmental Quality. “Take a turn at our ‘Wheel of Wisdom’ to learn interesting green facts, try to beat the clock with our ‘Ways for Waste’ recycling game, or even show your artistic side by coloring environmentally-themed art.”

Sustainability means more than recycling cans and bottles, the Greenville runway will host the first-ever “green” fashion shows at Tucson Meet Yourself, with vintage clothing from local stores. Shows are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons. And there will be demonstrations about composting and saving “green” through energy conservation. In addition, a storyteller will encourage kids to save water with Drusilla the Drought Dragon.

Three other efforts to enhance the quality of life in Pima County will be featured at the Pima County Pavilion.  The big tent provides great shade where festival participants can meet animals to adopt from Pima Animal Care Center, check out sports and entertainment options available at Kino Sports Complex, or discover The Loop with Pima County Bike Ambassadors.

Be sure to check the festival schedule for fun interactive displays at our stage: contests for kids, dog training 101, bike fixes, demos from sports personalities, and more.

Thanks to the generosity of Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage (BICAS), bicycle valet service will be available next to the pavilion for a secure place to park bikes.

For more information on this year’s festival, check out: www.tucsonmeetyourself.org.

Follow Pima County on facebook: www.facebook.com/pimacountyarizona.

The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved issuing $210 million of debt to help pay for a state-of-the-art wastewater construction project that will accommodate future growth and ensure the County meets strict federal mandates set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

That debt is split into two main tracks.

Approximately $150 million will be standard debt that’s repaid over a 15-year term. Although it is common for other jurisdictions to issue debt over as much as 30 years, Pima County generally pays 80 percent of its debt in the first 10 years.

Here’s why that makes smart fiscal sense: Assuming 4 percent interest, a 30-year, $150 million debt carries $57 million more in interest than a 15-year debt. Not only does that practice allow the County to save on interest payments, but it also ensures there is adequate debt capacity to respond to key needs.

Meanwhile, another $60 million is expected to come in the form of “certificates of participation,” which are essentially a form of debt that has an asset attached to them as collateral.

Those certificates are expected to be repaid over three years. The move has the added benefit of allowing the County to issue less long-term debt to finish the last phase of the project. This financial strategy of paying off the certificates in three years versus the standard county debt term of 15 years will save $11 million in interest payments.

“Funding wastewater improvements have proven extremely difficult for some other communities because they are expensive and complex projects,” acknowledged Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.

“In Pima County’s case, our facilities were more than 50 years old and would not meet compliance with federal mandates. But even though this is a large undertaking, we are rapidly paying it off. And once it is complete in 2015, we will be able to support 160,000 new homes and businesses without further significant investment.”

When complete, the wastewater upgrades will allow Pima County to decrease the amount of nitrogen and ammonia in the region’s effluent, which is typically discharged into the Santa Cruz River and can percolate into the groundwater.

Jackson Jenkins, RWRD director, and Ed Curley, RWRD senior program manager, will join area experts to discuss the Regional Optimization Master Plan (ROMP), the largest public works project in Pima County history. “We have a very enlightened wastewater program in Pima County,” says Paul Green, executive director, Tucson Audubon Society, another panel member. “The idea of multiple uses for treated wastewater is quite rare.”

Pima County is developing and implementing the ROMP:  a $660 million program to upgrade and expand the Ina Road Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WRF) and to replace the Roger Road WRF with a new state-of-the-art facility. These projects will improve the quality of the community’s reclaimed water for recharge and reuse.  In addition to the treatment facility improvements, the ROMP also includes a now-operational, state-of-the-art water quality laboratory and a five-mile-long sewer interceptor that allows flexibility of flow management between the Ina Road and Roger Road facilities.  Effluent discharges will continue to provide a riparian habitat and birding opportunities.

“Water is a regional issue and reclaimed water is of growing value in our community,” Jenkins says. “The ROMP will improve the quality of the community’s reclaimed water, making it an even more important piece of the community’s water portfolio. We have many local partners involved in the ROMP. Together, we are working proudly to transform RWRD’s treatment facilities into a water-centric focus area for the region, capitalizing on the natural beauty of the Santa Cruz River and the award-winning Tucson Sweetwater Wetlands.”

In Pima County and Tucson, different agencies have come together to provide multiple community benefits from the same resource – treated effluent. “Pima County is being recognized as a leader in wastewater plant renovation, for our innovation in rehabilitating older plants to a state of the art system, and cooperative water quality research with the University of Arizona,” says County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. “The ROMP is ahead of schedule and will come in well under the original $720 million budget.”

In fact, the Water, Energy and Sustainability Center, which houses the lab and training center, is up and running. The Center features rainwater harvesting, and nearby solar panels generate power.

The Tucson Audubon Society has been working with Pima County to develop watchable wildlife sites at various treatment plants. “Studies have shown significant economic impact from tourists who come to the area to view wildlife,” says Green with the Audubon Society. Tucson’s Sweetwater Wetlands, an important habitat for breeding pairs in the spring and summer, also hosts northern species that migrate south in the winter. The Wetlands is featured in Audubon’s book Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona, and thus attracts birders from around the world.

Other members of the Pima County/Tucson panel include: Alan Forrest, director, Tucson Water; Shane Snyder, professor, UA Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and co-director, Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants; and Claire Zucker, Sustainable Environment Program director, Pima Association of Governments.

“This conference tackles the leadership questions, engages the regulators, and opens minds by presenting innovative approaches,” says Ben Grumbles, president of Clean Water America Alliance, who invited Pima County and Tucson to participate. “We will tackle the leadership questions, engage the regulators, and open minds by presenting innovative approaches.” Ben Grumbles is the former director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

The Pima County Flood Control District has a network of rainfall and streamflow gauges within most of the large watersheds affecting eastern Pima County that can give residents real time information on storms in their area.

The system is comprised of 93 precipitation gauges, of which 36 include stream gauges, and is used to assist the National Weather Service with its flood watch and warning advisories.

This information is also readily available to residents who want a better read on what’s happening closer to home, since seasonal storms can produce rather localized periods of heavy rainfall.

“Naturally, we can all look out the window and see that it’s raining, but by checking this system, residents can be more aware of whether there are areas around their homes or along their routes that might be at risk of flash flooding,” said Chris Cawein, deputy director of Flood Control.

The equipment consists of one-foot diameter pipes that house a tipping bucket rain gauge and a transmitter that send signals every time .04 inches of rain is collected. Stream flow is also measured at some of the sites.

That field information is collected, transmitted to a central location and downloaded instantly to the website.

County professionals watch areas more closely that are getting one inch of rain or more in an hour, keeping an eye on road crossings, for example, that might become problematic during heavy rainfall.

By tracking rainfall in the mountains, viewers can have a better idea of what may be headed their way. The system also allows users to go back and look at historical data, which may be useful in reconstructing storm events.

The County started the ALERT system in the 1980s, and has added new rain and stream gauge sites as needs are identified, with recent additions within the City of Tucson and Oro Valley.

To check out the system for yourself, click here: http://rfcd.pima.gov/wrd/alertsys/index.htm

Another Internet resource residents may find helpful is rainlog.org, which is a network of volunteer weather observers who help record daily rainfall amounts using rain gauges they have installed at their homes.

The county’s Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD) and the Pima County Regional Wastewater Advisory Committee are the hosts of the meeting, which is intended to gather public comment on a changed proposed by RWRD in calculating sewer connection fees.

The meeting will be in the 5th floor conference room in the Transamerica Building at 177 N. Church Ave.

The change would move from a fixture unit equivalent formula (FUE) to a method based on water meter size.

The FUE fee structure assigns value to each fixture in a home or business that discharges wastewater into the public sanitary sewer system.

Sewer connection fees are paid by residences and businesses that are connected to the public sanitary sewer system.

The fees fund the cost of the conveyance of wastewater and the treatment capacity for new sewer connections.  State law assigns the county the authority to charge for sewer connection fees.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider a new connection fee ordinance and fee schedule at its meeting on May 15.

Gov.  Jan Brewer has declared April Water Awareness Month. Education is an important part of helping to make people aware of the availability and quality of water in Arizona. A website has been created for Water Awareness Month to help people learn more about using water wisely.

Here’s the web address:  http://www.waterawarenessmonth.com/2012_about.html

On the site are a number of resources as well as answers to questions about plumbing leaks and tips on saving water while you wash clothes, for instance.