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Water Woes XLI-2025 Monsoon
2025 Monsoon Stats It's official, the 2025 Monsoon (June 15-September 30) total precipitation was 2.82 inches, which is the 12th driest...

Mark L. Johnson
5 days ago2 min read
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TA Tidbits #64 Trail Stormwater Damage & Repair-A Wildflower-Marana Meeting
Upper Javelina Trail (Top) At Sunrise (9/22/25) Tortolita Trails-Stormwater Damage & Repair The monsoon storms referenced in Water Woes XL...

Mark L. Johnson
Sep 242 min read
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TA Alert! Crosswalk Talk
Pedestrian Trail Crosswalk West of Roundabout Arizona Revised Statutues 28-792 (Right-of-Way at Crosswalk) requires motor vehicles to...

Mark L. Johnson
Jun 221 min read
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TA Tidbits #63 Late Bloomers
The Sonoran Desert has some unique cacti that bloom one night per year with the flowers lasting only one day. You have to be on your...

Tortolita Alliance
Jun 121 min read
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Tortolita Preserve-Direction & Yield Protocol
TA members occasionally ask about the Tortolita Preserve Direction & Yield Protocol for cyclists, hikers/trail runners and equestrian. ...

Tortolita Alliance
Jun 41 min read
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TP North Trailhead Improvements Complete
Tortolita Alliance (TA) 2025 Strategic Plan Item No. 5 calls for Improvements at the Tortolita Preserve (TP) North Trailhead...

Tortolita Alliance
May 302 min read
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TA Tidbits #62 Monument Concerns
Our precious Sonoran Desert faces yet more challenges. Please consider providing your input on the following matter. Ironwood Forest...

Tortolita Alliance
May 211 min read
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Wings & Blades Over Dove Mountain
Periodically, Tortolita Alliance (TA) is contacted by concerned Dove Mountain residents regarding aircraft (planes & helicopters)...

Mark L. Johnson
May 105 min read
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TA Alert!-TP North Trailhead Improvements
Tortolita Preserve-North Trailhead Tortolita Preserve (TP) North Trailhead (N Brittlebush Drive) will undergo some improvements over the...

Tortolita Alliance
May 81 min read
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TA Strategic Plan-Implementation
Tortolita Alliance (TA) Board met with Marana Parks & Recreation (MPR) leaders on 4/30/25 to review and discuss implementation of TA's...

Tortolita Alliance
May 41 min read
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TA Alert! Tortolita Preserve Potential Acquisition
Tortolita Preserve Trail Map & Tortolita Preserve Shown On ASLD Map In late March, Town of Marana (Marana) officials informed the...

Tortolita Alliance
Apr 221 min read
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Tortolita Preserve Easter 2025
The Tortolita Preserve was gorgeous this Easter morning. Not much color due to dry conditions but still teaming with wildlife and...

Mark L. Johnson
Apr 201 min read
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Water Woes XXXVII-Drought-Colorado River-Local Water Items
Arizona Turns Red! National Weather Service (NWS) Tucson reports only 0.91" of precipitation at the Tucson Airport for the last six...

Mark L. Johnson
Apr 122 min read
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TA Tidbits #61-Groom No Bloom
Photos by Joe Thomas Tortolita Preserve-Trail Grooming Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists (SDMB) volunteers were out in the Tortolita...

Mark L. Johnson
Mar 301 min read
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Meet The Monument-25th Anniversary Ironwood Forest National Monument March 22
Friends of Ironwood Forest (FOIF) are having a celebration for the 25th anniversary of the Ironwood Forest National Monument on March 22...

Tortolita Alliance
Mar 161 min read
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Marana Housing/Population & TRICO
Dove Mountain Development Looking Towards Saguaro Reserve Project From Upper Javelina Trail (3/5/23) Marana Housing/Population Marana...

Tortolita Alliance
Feb 102 min read
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TA Tidbits #60-Preserve Pursuits
Baby Strong-Arm Baby Strong-Arm is doing well and has grown about one-inch! This baby saguaro was planted almost one year ago on 1/14/24...

Tortolita Alliance
Feb 81 min read
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TA Alert! TRICO Meeting (2/7/25)
TRICO is holding an informational meeting for its District 1 (Dove Mountain) customers at the Highlands on Friday, February 7, 2025 at...

Tortolita Alliance
Feb 11 min read
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Flood Control & The Fan
Tortolita Fan Watershed-Pima County Flood Control District-Watershed Master Plan Pima County Flood Control District (PCFCD) has recently...

Mark L. Johnson
Jan 302 min read
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Dove Mountain Blvd Traffic Sound and Noise Assessment Report
Figure 9 taken from the Dove Mountain Blvd Traffic Sound and Noise Assessment Report-June 2024 The Town of Marana (Marana) published the...

Mark L. Johnson
Jan 131 min read
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Water Woes XXXV-Rebates & Rates
Marana Water Weather-Based Irrigation Controller Rebate Hats off to Marana Water (MW) for implementing rebates for installing a...

Mark L. Johnson
Dec 14, 20241 min read
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Wild Mustang Trail-Winter Trek
Hiked the Wild Mustang Trail on 12/1/24. Started early to catch the sunrise up in the mountains. A fantastic and gorgeous hike with...

Mark L. Johnson
Dec 8, 20241 min read
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Dove Mountain Development Status December 2024
Tortolita Alliance (TA) has periodically provided a status report on Dove Mountain development activity. TA's last report was Dove...

Tortolita Alliance
Dec 1, 20242 min read
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General Meeting & Strategic Plan 2025
Tortolita Alliance (TA) held its General Meeting on 11/12/24 at the Ritz Carlton-Dove Mountain-Golf Club at Dove Mountain Clubhouse. A...

Tortolita Alliance
Nov 14, 20242 min read
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A Different Min(d)e-set
This serves as an update to our 7/3/24 blog entitled TA Alert!-Aerial Recon For Minerals . It has taken some time but I finally figured...

Mark L. Johnson
Oct 16, 20243 min read
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The Secret Plan To Develop The Tortolita Fan
On April 17, 2024, Tortolita Alliance (TA) filed a Public Records Request (P RR) with the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) for "all...

Mark L. Johnson
Oct 2, 20244 min read
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TRICO Electric Transmission Line-Part II-Opacity
I met with Trico Electric Cooperative, Inc. (TRICO) staff at the Dove Mountain West Park regarding the Adonis Feeder Transmission Line...

Mark L. Johnson
Sep 28, 20246 min read
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Tangerine Road Corridor-Part II
On April 17, 2024, Tortolita Alliance (TA) filed a Public Records Request (P RR) with the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) for "all...

Tortolita Alliance
Sep 21, 20243 min read
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TRICO Electric Transmission Line-Shocking
Tortolita Alliance (TA) received photos from TA members of a new electric transmission line currently being constructed across the...

Tortolita Alliance
Sep 16, 20241 min read
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TA Tidbits # 59 Giddyap!
Here are some upcoming events in our area by which you can volunteer, enjoy our Sonoran Desert environment and engage! Marana Parks &...

Tortolita Alliance
Sep 6, 20242 min read
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Tucson Urban Wildlife Conservation Program
Tortolita Alliance (TA) was invited and attended the first meeting of the Tucson Wildlife Partnership on 8/21/22 in Tucson. This...

Tortolita Alliance
Aug 24, 20243 min read
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TA Tidbits #58 Updates & The Ombudsman
Monsoon Brewing-Wild Burro Canyon (6/23/24) Dove Mountain Pedestrian Trail Maintenance Tortolita Alliance (TA) contacted the Dove...

Tortolita Alliance
Aug 4, 20242 min read
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Tortolita Preserve-Mid-Summer Report
Tortolita Preserve-SW Panorama (7/28/24) Hiked the Tortolita Preserve (TP) Big Loop (7 miles) very early this morning (83 degrees-48%...

Mark L. Johnson
Jul 28, 20243 min read
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TA Alert-Aerial Recon For Minerals
On June 16, 2024, a Dove Mountain resident reported to the Tortolita Alliance (TA) that an aircraft was flying over their home and making...

Tortolita Alliance
Jul 3, 20242 min read
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Water Woes XXXI Agua Veto
Governor Hobbs Vetoes 5 and Signs 3 Water Bills The Arizona legislature approved 8 water bills at the very end of the 2024 legislative...

Tortolita Alliance
Jun 21, 20242 min read
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Water Woes XXX-Open House-Supply v Demand-Population
Marana Water Open House Marana Water held an Open House on Wednesday (5/29/24). It included four presentations; (1) Marana Water...

Mark L. Johnson
Jun 14, 20245 min read
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TA Alert!-Pedestrian Trail-Irrigation Lines-Trip Hazards-Fix Coming
Pedestrian Trail (Dove Mountain Blvd at Boulder Bridge Pass) Exposed Irrigation Lines TA contacted the Dove Mountain Civic Group and the...

Tortolita Alliance
Jun 11, 20241 min read
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Tangerine Road Corridor-Part I
Tangerine Road (between I-10 and Dove Mountain Boulevard) parallels the Tortolita Preserve. Therefore, it is critical that we carefully...

Tortolita Alliance
Jun 8, 20247 min read
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Water Woes XXIX-Monsoon Outlook & Colorado River Conditions
Post Monsoon Storm-Double Rainbow-Tortolita Preserve (8/28/21) Monsoon 2024 The monsoon season extends from June 15 through September 30....

Mark L. Johnson
Jun 1, 20241 min read
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Water Woes XXVIII-Water Info Now Flowing
Snoqualmie Falls-Snoqualmie, WA (4/28/24) On a recent visit with my grandchildren in North Bend, WA, I took them over to Snoqualmie Falls...

Mark L. Johnson
May 15, 20243 min read
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Tortolita Preserve-Planning For The Future
Tortolita Preserve Strategic Concepts-Trail System Expansion & Connections Map In early April, the Tortolita Alliance (TA) Board met with...

Tortolita Alliance
May 8, 20242 min read
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Desert Fence Busters Visit TP
Legacy Barbed Wire Fence [The Problem] Barbed wire fence was installed throughout the Sonoran Desert over many years to identify property...

Tortolita Alliance
May 2, 20243 min read
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TA Tidbits #56-TP Enjoyment
Tortolita Preserve (TP)-Mount Lemon View (3/27/24) TP Trail Counter-First Year Results Tortolita Alliance (TA) contributed $500 to Marana...

Tortolita Alliance
Apr 21, 20242 min read
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Marana Retreat Newsbeat
The Marana Town Council held its annual retreat (2/14-16/2024) in Chandler, AZ---75 miles away from the citizens of Marana!! There is no...

Tortolita Alliance
Apr 11, 20244 min read
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TA Tidbits #55 Spring Loaded
Upper Javelina Trail (4/7/24) The wildflowers are now abundant in the Tortolitas and it will get even better in the next few weeks as it...

Mark L. Johnson
Apr 7, 20242 min read
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TA Tidbits #54-TA Reaching Out
Highlands Lifelong Learning Group Tours Tortolita Preserve With Dave Barker (TA Board Member-back left) Tortolita Alliance (TA) is...

Tortolita Alliance
Mar 18, 20241 min read
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TA Tidbits #53-TP Wildlife Cams & The Puma
Mountain Lion (Puma)-Tortolita Preserve (3/14/24) Tortolita Preserve Wildlife Cameras On 3/6/24, two new wildlife cameras were set up in...

Tortolita Alliance
Mar 15, 20241 min read
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Marana DAWS Modification-ADWR Decision On Objections-Draft Decision & Order and TA Response Letter
Picacho Peak & Full Moon Decision On Objections and Draft Decision & Order The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issued a...

Tortolita Alliance
Feb 28, 20242 min read
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Marana DAWS Modification-Objection Letter & Hearing Update
Tortolita Alliance (TA) filed its 6th Public Records Request (PRR) to obtain copies of the Objection Letters and obtain information...

Tortolita Alliance
Feb 16, 20243 min read
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Heart Warming-Saguaro Planting Day
Baby Strong-Arm II Today's Valentine's Day Saguaro Planting Event at the Tortolita Preserve was a huge success. This event was sponsored...

Tortolita Alliance
Feb 14, 20241 min read
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