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Audubon—together with the Rio Reimagined challenge—hosted a roundtable occasion this week with Secretary of the Inside Deb Haaland, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Rep. Tom O’Halleran, Rep. Greg Stanton, Gila River Indian Group Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Phoenix Councilmember Yassamin Ansari, Mesa Mayor John Giles, Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn, Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, Tempe Councilmember Doreen Garlid, in addition to officers from Arizona State College and varied federal, state, and native companies. The occasion was held on the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Middle in downtown Phoenix.
Audubon Southwest’s Coverage Director Haley Paul gave the next remarks to the roundtable:
Hello everybody, I’m so appreciative to be right here at the moment and sit amongst you as we focus on subsequent steps for our beloved Salt and Gila Rivers, the guts of this area for a lot of peoples, each previous and current.
I additionally needed to thank the Division of Inside for his or her assist of the City Waters Program on this 10th anniversary.
At Audubon, I give attention to advancing insurance policies that guarantee water safety for all Arizonans. In any case, birds want water, and so do communities. Whereas rivers comprise solely 2% of our panorama within the Colorado River Basin, they assist 50% of all of the birds that reside in or move via it. And with local weather change intensifying drought, Audubon and companions are working towards options that enhance Arizona’s water outlook for individuals and the environment.
Rio Reimagined is such an inspirational and unifying initiative—and Audubon is thrilled to be concerned. For instance, the Decrease Gila River Collaborative is a powerful and ongoing partnership within the west valley to enhance and improve river well being and water flows, present public entry and leisure alternatives, mitigate flood and fireplace threat, and assist wildlife habitat.
And because of our ongoing partnership and relationship with the Metropolis of Phoenix, this Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Middle supplies a bodily anchor, and grounds us within the work of revitalizing this river. The restored habitat you see at the moment within the riverbed wouldn’t have been attainable with out the unimaginable collaboration amongst our Congressional delegation, and the federal, state, and native companies who introduced this portion of the Rio Salado to life. Trails, instructional alternatives, habitat, and now, the Valley Metro gentle rail extension show how continued investments assist long-term group and environmental vitality.
We additionally acknowledge that we should be purposeful and deliberate to make sure these investments don’t displace those that name the river hall house or function a enterprise right here—we should foster inclusive participation and prioritize equitable group advantages as we proceed this work.
We additionally want larger funding in forest restoration and watershed well being, to make sure our rivers proceed to circulate. New funding alternatives, like these within the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, will assist just do that.
Thanks largely to Senators Sinema and Kelly, Arizona—and all the Western US—have a once-in-a-generation alternative to enhance our infrastructure in order that it higher aligns with the water realities we face. At Audubon, our take is: proceed to search for alternatives to align environmental safety methods with water administration that advantages water customers.
We now have numerous nice issues going for Rio Reimagined. The Infrastructure Act, the 2020 designation by the EPA because the 20th City Waters Federal Partnership Challenge, The Fish and Wildlife Service’s latest designation as an City Wildlife Conservation Partnership, federal land managers alongside the river hall, and on-the-ground management from tribal nations and municipalities.
Classes discovered from the Drought Contingency Plan resonate at the moment as Rio Reimagined embarks on its subsequent steps. To achieve success in our general water administration within the state, stakeholders traditionally excluded from the dialog should be on the desk. That is actually an all-hands-on-deck second, and the work might be extra profitable when extra are concerned.
Thanks!
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