 A year later and endangered topminnow at Mission Garden are thriving
Dragonflies and damselflies dance over the water. Toads are hopping. In short, in the year since the endangered Gila topminnow were released into the waters at Pima County’s Mission Garden, the native fish species have thrived.
In June 2019, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, introduced 500 Gila topminnow into the newly created representation of an irrigation acequia, or canal, at Mission Garden, 946 W. Mission Lane. Today, they’re humming with life.
County assistance saves teacher, family after eviction
Emilio Bustamante never thought he would end up like this. Evicted. Behind on everything. Sleeping in a car in a Walmart parking lot. A grand total of $44 in his bank account.
It was August 31.
The 47-year-old, a teacher in the Sunnyside Unified School District, has become something of the local face of the national crisis of rental assistance and eviction protection in the age of COVID-19. A hard-working family man who never received any kind of government assistance, ran smack into a mountain of cascading misfortunes that could happen to almost anyone. But thanks to Pima County stepping in with CARES Act funds for a new rental house, Bustamante and his family now have a roof over their heads.
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Early voting underway
Early voters lined up before 8 a.m. in downtown Tucson Oct. 7, the first day of early voting in Pima County.
You can vote early in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 2, at the Recorder's Office's three locations (240 N. Stone Ave., 6920 E. Broadway Blvd., and 6550 S. Country Club Road).
If you signed up to vote by mail, ballots were mailed on Oct. 7. The deadline to request a ballot by mail for the General Election is Friday, Oct. 23.
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Living River report chronicles improvements along lower Santa Cruz
The recently completed annual Living River report shows continued improvements of water quality along the lower Santa Cruz River.
The Living River report – a project of the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department, Regional Flood Control District, Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, the Office of Sustainability and Conservation and the Sonoran Institute – tracks years of improving water quality in the Santa Cruz River following the Regional Optimization Master Plan (ROMP).
The improvements, completed in 2013, have significantly enhanced the quality of effluent discharge responsible for significant reductions in ammonia, a form of nitrogen common in effluent and toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. Improved water quality has resulted in a thriving aquatic environment, enhanced river parks, and the creation of new river flows in our community’s birthplace.
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PACC has advice if you find a stray pet
Maybe you’re in your yard or in a parking lot or on a street, and a stray dog or cat walks up to you.
What do you do next? The answer, advises staff at Pima Animal Care Center, depends on a couple of factors. But keep in mind that most lost pets turn up just a few houses away from their home. The "pet finders" we spoke with were often able to reunite pets and owners within a few hours.
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Got questions? Ask Pima County's Green Geek
Wondering if you're helping the environment, even just a smidge, by re-using those Ziploc bags? Or if your AA and AAA batteries are recyclable?
Ask the Green Geek.
Pima County FYI has a monthly column featuring questions and answers on all things green. Our own Green Geek gets assistance on answering your questions from the sustainability experts in Pima County's Office of Sustainability and Conservation. Send your questions to fyinewsletter@pima.gov. And look for the column the second Friday of each month.
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Library offers snacks, family food packs to neighbors in need
Do you need or know someone who needs food assistance? The Pima County Public Library is offering Grab-N-Go Super Snacks and Grab-N-Go Monthly Family Food Packs.
Grab-N-Go Super Snacks are provided in partnership with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, the Arizona Department of Education, and the USDA and are available for anyone under the age 18. Find them at one of 11 different libraries Monday through Friday from 3 to 4 p.m.
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