Santa Cruz River cleanup brings Tucson together
Tucson residents will gather Saturday for the Santa Cruz Watershed Day of Connection, combining river cleanup with community celebration.
Hundreds of Tucson residents are expected to gather Saturday, Oct. 25, for the Santa Cruz Watershed Day of Connection, a community cleanup and celebration along the Santa Cruz River.
The annual event, hosted at Juhan Park, has grown into one of the city’s largest volunteer efforts, blending environmental restoration with education and cultural connection to the river that helped shape Tucson’s history.
From 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will roll up their sleeves and join community partners including Tucson Clean & Beautiful, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, the Santa Cruz Urban National Wildlife Refuge, the Sonoran Institute, The Wilderness Society, and Pima County Flood Control and Conservation Lands & Resources.
The first Santa Cruz River Cleanup took place in February 2023. Luke Cole, director of the Sonoran Institute’s Santa Cruz River Program, said the event’s impact goes far beyond filling trash bags.
“The cleanup is about much more than picking up trash — it’s about connecting people to the river,” he told Tucson Spotlight. “For many, it’s their first time experiencing the river up close, and that moment can be transformative. They see how vital the river is to Tucson’s history and future and realize that they can play a role in its care.”
Cole said the events help strengthen the city’s collective ability to protect and restore the river, work that lies at the heart of the program’s mission. He said the results are visible in both the landscape and the community.
“The most powerful change is that the cleanups have taken root across Tucson,” he said. “Neighborhood groups, scout troops, church communities, even fraternities and sororities at the University of Arizona are rolling up their sleeves to care for the river. What started as a few events has become a citywide movement.”
Cole said the community’s motivation, paired with science-based monitoring, is driving change.
“With support from Pima County, we’ve completed a 57-category trash study along the river, tracking what’s out there, how much it weighs and where it comes from,” he said. “Those data help us target cleanups and improve water quality where it matters most. And the river is responding. We’re seeing more dragonflies return, native fish are returning, and with them, signs of larger ecological recovery. Clean water is the key to sustaining them — and every cleanup helps bring the Santa Cruz River back to life.”
Angelantonio Breault, climate equity workforce co-director at Tucson Clean & Beautiful, said these Days of Connection are about more than a single cleanup — they’re about long-term community conservation and capacity building.
The mix of education, outreach and fun has made these events a hub for all ages.
“There are a lot of young people that are coming out,” he said. “I have heard really cool conversations between young people and elders about why these landscapes are important to them. That is my favorite part, watching those intergenerational relationships play out.”
Breault said the event’s inclusivity is part of what makes it so successful.
“The intention of Day of Connection is to really create a low barrier of entry for people that maybe don’t think about themselves as environmentalists or even like a steward,” he said. “Some people just like to be outdoors with people that they love and in places that are familiar.”
As the cleanup continues to grow, Cole envisions a future where the river flows freely through Tucson once again, sustained by both ecological and community care.
“A thriving Santa Cruz River is one that flows wherever possible, from Mexico to Marana, with water that’s permanently allocated and cared for by the community and by local, state and federal partners,” he wrote. “But beyond water and trash, a healthy Santa Cruz is alive with people. It’s families using the Loop, churches and schools along the banks, kids playing ball by the river and community members gathering to celebrate it. When people use and cherish the river, they help sustain it — turning it into the vibrant, resilient heart of Tucson.”
McKenna Manzo is a graduate student at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at mckennamanzo@arizona.edu.
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