Mark L. Johnson
TA Tidbits #50-Invasive Grasses Too Close To Home
Buffelgrass-Brittlebush Drive-Dove Mountain (11/29/23) On a recent hike, my wife (Shirley) and I noticed a patch of buffelgrass on...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Nov 25
- 1 min
TA Tidbits #48 One Water Public Comments & No LIV Golf-Tucson (2024)
One Water-Public Comments Arizona Daily Star (Tony Davis) reported recently that many public comments regarding the Tucson Water (TW) One...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Nov 19
- 1 min
TA Tidbits #47 Litter, Glitter & Critters
Tortolita Preserve (10/28/23) Branch Litter Mulching To Restore Old Cow Path Tortolita Preserve (TP) Projects In The News The TP...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Sep 30
- 1 min
TA Tidbits #46-Trailhead Construction & Rose Kennedy
Tortolita Preserve-New Moore Rd. Trailhead Construction (9/30/23) Tortolita Preserve (TP)-Moore Rd Trailhead Construction The...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Sep 1
- 2 min
Animals And Plants Of The Tortolita Preserve
The Tortolita Alliance (TA) Strategic Plan (2020) included a strategic goal to collaborate with other groups/agencies/public to conduct a...
325 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Aug 27
- 2 min
Tortolita Preserve-Post Storm(s) Report
Tortolita Preserve-After The Monsoon (8/27/23) Hiked the Tortolita Preserve (TP) Main Loop (7 miles) this early this morning. Reports of...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Aug 20
- 2 min
TA Tidbits #45-Mr. Big Stuff, Pygmy Owl, Monsoon & More
Mr. Big Stuff Tortolita Preserve (TP) This huge Sonoran Desert Tortoise paid a visit to a property adjacent to TP near Moore Road and...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jul 23
- 1 min
Hot? Think Snow!
Tortolita Preserve-Snow Bound (3/2/23) Only 143 days ago we had 4 inches of snow in our Sonoran Desert and now the daily temperatures...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jul 16
- 2 min
TA Tidbits # 44-Tortolita Preserve Project Updates
Shades of Purple (TP-4/23/23) Tortolita Alliance (TA ) has been working with Marana Parks & Recreation (MPR) for the last 3.5 years on...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jul 9
- 1 min
Tucson Water Responds
Tortolita Alliance (TA) provided a detailed Comment Letter (6/7/23) regarding the Tucson Water-One Water 2100 Plan-May 2023 Draft (Plan)....
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jul 2
- 1 min
Tortolita Summer
Tortolita Summer The summer solstice is 10 days nigh, And the temps are getting kinda high. But the early morning you can’t dislike, A...
248 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Jun 19
- 1 min
Night Blooming Wild Cereus Plant Ready To Bloom In Tortolita Preserve
One of the plant species identified in the Fall Tortolita Preserve (TP) Bioblitz was the Night Blooming Wild Cereus Plant aka Queen of...
172 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Jun 7
- 1 min
Tucson Water-One Water 2100 Plan Comments
Tortolita Alliance has filed the following comment letter with Tucson Water (TW) this morning regarding TW's One Water 2100 Plan. You can...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jun 4
- 1 min
Fruitful Hike
Hiked the Upper Javelina Trail early this morning. First time on the new section near Boulder Canyon Pass (see photos in collage). The...
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Mark L. Johnson
- May 28
- 2 min
Water Woes XXIII-H2O Medley
The following is a medley of recent H2O developments with the Colorado River, Marana Water and Tucson Water. New-Colorado River...
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Mark L. Johnson
- May 14
- 2 min
Water Woes XXII-Cautious & Frugal
The water situation in the West has improved but it is only one year in a 24-year period whereby the Colorado River reservoir system has...
348 views
Mark L. Johnson
- May 10
- 2 min
Dave DeGroot-Trailblazer
Dave DeGroot-Grand Canyon One of the great benefits of the Tortolita Alliance (TA) is meeting and working with wonderfully talented...
325 views
Mark L. Johnson
- May 7
- 1 min
Dry But Colorful
Hedgehog Cactus Tortolita Preserve (4/23/23) Hiked the Wild Burro-Alamo Springs-Spur Trail early this morning. The lower trail potions...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Apr 22
- 2 min
TA Tidbits #43-Blitz & Bitz
The following serves to update some important activities at the Tortolita Preserve (TP) and Upper Javelina Trail. TP Spring Bioblitz The...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Apr 10
- 4 min
Saguaro Facts & Status
It has not been a good year for our treasured saguaros. Strong-Arm passed after a wonderful 160-year life in the Tortolita Preserve. We...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Mar 26
- 1 min
March Gladness
Most likely your favorite team(s) have been eliminated from the NCAA basketball tournament. So its time for a little March Gladness to...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Mar 22
- 2 min
Marana Water DAWS Modification Part III-DAWS On Pause
DAWS Process/Status Let's summarize the previous Marana Water (MW) Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) Modification blogs: Part...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Mar 8
- 1 min
TA Alert! Sustainable Landscapes Expo Saturday-March 11
The Annual Sustainable Landscapes Expo will be held this Saturday (3/11/23) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 at the U of A Cooperative Extension...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Mar 4
- 1 min
Snowscapes
Tortolita Preserve-Snow Bound (3/2/23) The rare Sonoran Desert snow event on Thursday, March 2, 2023 was beautiful and captured for...
282 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Feb 25
- 2 min
TA Tidbits # 41-Tortolita Preserve Project Updates
Tortolita Dawn (TP-9/25/22) Tortolita Alliance (TA ) attended a presentation by Marana Parks & Recreation (MPR) on 2/23/23 at the...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Feb 18
- 3 min
Smart Irrigation To Save Water
Typically, 50-75% of the water use at a home in the arid southwest goes to outdoor landscape irrigation. Therefore, it is very important...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Feb 12
- 1 min
A Wild Mustang Valentine
Happy Valentine's Day From The Wild Mustang Trail! Hiked the Wild Mustang Trail (9 miles) last Sunday. See 3-D video of the hike and...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Feb 5
- 1 min
TP Naturalists
Tortolita Preserve-Cool & Captivating (Mark & Shirley-2/1/23) The Arizona Master Naturalist Association (AZMNA) held their annual meeting...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jan 29
- 9 min
Marana Water DAWS Modification Part II-Analysis
Introduction The 6-Step Procedure for developing the Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) was described in Part I. In Part II, we go...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jan 22
- 3 min
Marana Water DAWS Modification-Part I Introduction & DAWS Basics
Introduction Marana Water (MW) applied to modify its Designated Assured Water Supply (DAWS) with the Arizona Department of Water...
362 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Jan 15
- 1 min
Shades of Gray Make The Day
Wild Burro Wash & Trail 1/15/23 Hiking the Tortolita Preserve or the Tortolita Mountain Trails on a cloudy, pre-storm day is just as...
240 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Jan 6
- 1 min
Dove Mountain Watch Update
Dove Mountain Crime Update This serves as an update to the meeting held by the Marana Police Department with Dove Mountain residents on...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Dec 28, 2022
- 9 min
Water Woes XIX-New Water-Issues & Who Pays?
This blog covers the current state of the Colorado River water supply and the urgent need to develop new sources of water (New Water) to...
428 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Dec 17, 2022
- 2 min
TP Holiday Cheer!
Tortolita Preserve (12/10/22) Mule Deer Jumping For Joy Good news from Marana Parks & Recreation (MPR) on three Tortolita Preserve (TP)...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Dec 8, 2022
- 4 min
Meeting Report: Crime & Low-Flying Aircraft-Town of Marana-12/7/22
Police Chief Reuben Nuñez Reviewing Crime Reduction Strategy Approximately 85 Dove Mountain residents attended last night's meeting at...
1,516 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Dec 7, 2022
- 1 min
Reminder: DM Community Meeting Tonight With Town of Marana-Crime & Low Flying Aircraft
Many Dove Mountain residents are very concerned about the recent uptick in crime and low-flying aircraft noise in the early hours of the...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Dec 4, 2022
- 2 min
TA Reflections & Future
The Beginning The Tortolita Alliance (TA) was formed three years ago in response to efforts by the Town of Marana (Marana) and the...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Nov 26, 2022
- 2 min
TA Tidbits # 40-Water, BioBlitz and Crime & Planes
Water Year 2022 Update Tortolita Alliance (TA) attended the Local Drought Impact Group (LDIG) Meeting via Microsoft Team on November 8,...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Nov 19, 2022
- 1 min
BioBlitz Bonanza!
The first ever Tortolita Preserve Fall BioBlitz was a huge success with 683 observations by 46 observers and 73 identifiers with 136...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Nov 12, 2022
- 1 min
TP BioBlitz (11/19) Sign-Up Reminder
A BioBlitz is an event to inventory as many species as possible in a specific area during a specific time frame. Using the smartphone app...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Oct 29, 2022
- 2 min
TP BioBlitz Sign-Up
A BioBlitz is an event to inventory as many species as possible in a specific area during a specific time frame. Using the smartphone app...
241 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Oct 20, 2022
- 3 min
TA Tidbits #39-Saguaros, BioBlitz & H2O
Tortolita Preserve-Fiery Monsoon Skies Old Growth Sagauro Deaths-Bacterial Infection & Climate Change Strong-arm passed on 8/4/22 and is...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Oct 8, 2022
- 6 min
Tucson Water-One Water 2100 Analysis
Tucson Water (TW) is preparing an 80-year Water Master Plan called One Water 2100. This is an update to their previous Water Plan...
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Jill Kismet
- Aug 28, 2022
- 4 min
A Keystone Of The Sonoran Desert: Why Old Saguaros Matter
When I stand beside a truly massive saguaro, I am in constant awe of their magnificence – as I’m sure you are. I reflect on its...
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Jill Kismet
- Aug 21, 2022
- 4 min
Sky Ranch Reserve: A Critical Home To Marana’s Wildlife Is Under Threat
Did you know the residential community of Sky Ranch, near Tangerine Road and Camino de Manana, is home to a 409-acre Reserve? Yep, for...
713 views
Mark L. Johnson
- Jul 31, 2022
- 3 min
Storm-Water-Shed
Upper Wild Burro Canyon Watershed (7/31/22) Hiked the Wild Burro Trail and Alamo Springs Loop Trail early this morning after nice...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jul 3, 2022
- 1 min
Upper Javelina Monsoon Watch
Hiked the Upper Javelina Trail very early this morning. Two javelina observed. No hikers seen. A few saguaro cactus flowers. Nice...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jun 15, 2022
- 1 min
Water Woes XVII-Disaster Looming
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issued a press release in response to yesterday's Senate Committee on Energy and Natural...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jun 5, 2022
- 1 min
Tortolita Wild Horses & More
TA Members Kit Nidever and Joe Thomas hiked the Ridgeline Trail on May 31 and saw a herd of wild horses. See photo by Kit above. A herd...
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Mark L. Johnson
- Jun 1, 2022
- 1 min
TA Tidbits # 38-Strong Arm & TP Update
The Mighty Strong-Arm Strong-Arm was host to another Great Horned Owlet this Spring which has now fledged the nest and is hopefully doing...
295 views
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