Other Stuff

Arizona Rivers + Streams

There are many amazing organizations in Arizona working to preserve and protect Arizona’s vitally important riparian habitats. Research indicates that the Upper Verde may run dry within two decades. A major collaborative effort is underway currently to designate the Upper Verde River as a wild and scenic river and keep it flowing for future generations. Learn more at the link below and also learn more about the outstanding work being done by the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG), Spring Stewardship Institute, Sierra Club’s Water Sentinels Program, Friends of the Verde River, The Nature Conservancy, and Verde River Institute.

Friends of the Tempe Public Library

I love libraries. They are among the last truly public spaces in our increasingly privatized and market-segmented society. I served for several years on the Board of the Friends, which has driven and helped to finance important projects at the Library.

Contemporary Native American Art

The image above is of an encaustic painting by the brilliant Mechoopda – Maidu printmaker Jacob Meders. I have been a student and collector of contemporary Native American art since we moved to Arizona in 2003. It has been a gateway to learning from and engaging with the dynamic and resilient worlds of North America's native peoples.  I've learned, to paraphrase Paul Chaat Smith, that everything that I knew about Indians was wrong.