Outreach & Engagement Process

The outreach and engagement process is guided by a robust and inclusive public engagement process. Building on years of community advocacy, the project team works closely with the Santa Cruz River Wildlife Refuge Community Coalition to align planning, research, and design efforts with community priorities. Throughout the project, collaboration with tribal, city, county, and federal partners has been central to shaping a shared vision for the river. Regularly scheduled coalition meetings, advisory briefings, public outreach events, and online engagement opportunities ensure that feedback loops remain open and equitable. Community members, scientists, decision-makers, and advocates have contributed to every stage of the process — from research and data collection to framework visioning and project implementation.

Community Engagement & Coordination with Existing Parallel Efforts

A robust engagement process guides the effort: a grassroots coalition, a multi-jurisdictional Advisory Council, large public events, community workshops in historically underserved neighborhoods, youth interns, community-science activities, and online feedback tools. This inclusive structure ensures the vision is shaped by the communities who live closest to the river and benefit most from its ecosystem restoration. The goal is to support community guidance and stewardship from Tucson barrios and neighborhoods toward a patchwork of open space lands networked across the Santa Cruz River. This work builds on and aligns with parallel ecosystem restoration and habitat-creation efforts along the river’s multi-national corridor and its tributaries led by project partners and local, state, tribal, and federal agencies and non-profits, including the NFWF Urban Partnership, National Wildlife Refuge designation, the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, the Santa Cruz River Management Plan, and the the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area.

Core Stakeholder Guidance

• Community Coalition of local leaders from nonprofits and neighborhood organizations. Additionally an Advisory Council invites tribal, city, county, and federal decision-makers

Public Outreach:

• Three large public events, including Santa Cruz River Research Days, Tucson Meet Yourself, and a Final Plan Presentation

• Three community specific visioning workshops with communities historically excluded from planning processes

• Six short social media videos sharing progress and encouraging public input

Community Science and Research:

• Ecological monitoring with community scientists with digitization and analysis of community feedback from events, workshops, and interviews

Tools and Curriculum Development:

• Creation of community education materials to build capacity for stewardship

Implementation Support:

• Two grant-writing workshops to help partners advance priority projects

• Coordination of feedback before distribution of any public-facing materials.

This process strengthens trust, builds a coalition of advocates, and ensures that the vision for the Santa Cruz River is rooted in local priorities, cultural heritage, and ecological resilience. We welcome you to join us, here are some ways below.