In this issue…

_{Builder News}
The Southwest Alternative Building Conference
_{Land News}
The grey area of grey wolves
Minerals on the move
Food security in the borderlands
_{Town & City}
Shining a light on Cochise government
Bisbee restaurant churn
A reading rainbow
Chill events for the chillest people
_{Water News Roundup
Adoption Options}

Howdy from the editor

This month’s publishing schedule got pushed back to make some room for my annual tradition of winter water fasting — eleven days of nothing but water! — for the benefit of my physical health and spiritual hygiene. But, conveniently, there are five Sundays in this month and you’ll still be getting your two monthly editions of the Ground Party Papers, loaded up with local news from Cochise County and the Sulphur Springs Valley.

Here comes round two of the annual SWABC conference in Portal AZ / Rodeo NM at the Chiricahua Desert Museum. I’m looking forward to another weekend of good food and meeting new awesome people in a beautiful place.

Friday, March 28
Kick Off Party and Van Life Car Show
5pm to 7pm NM time
(4pm-6pm AZ time)
@ Sky Islands Grill & Grocery

Saturday, March 29
Conference Presentations & Outdoor Market
10am to 5pm NM time
(9am to 4pm AZ time)
Talks, Q&As, and giveaways.
@ The Chiricahua Desert Museum

Presenters:

Jonathan & Ashley Longnecker
Tiny Shiny Home
Keynote Presentation

Candace Gossen 
Environmental Scientist/Architect 
Presenting an introduction to design principles of thermal mass, design orientation, and alternative choices, including earth shelters, straw bale, adobe, rammed earth, cob, rainwater catchment, recycled greywater, green architecture using living systems as plant walls, roofs, and good design to give back more than we use.

Penni Parrish 
Tierra Antigua Realty 
Presents "Buying Land: A Checklist for First-Time Land Buyers."

Joshua Schaa 
Lighthouse Electric and Solar 
Presentation on common solar energy misconceptions & misperceptions for off-grid builders.

Jon Cook & Heather Hiscox 
Rural Metal Home Builders 
Presentation on their process of going from city slickers to building a rural metal home.

Arizona Adam 
Owner/Builder & Youtuber 
Presentation on how strong winds negatively impact our buildings and what we can do about it.

Clay Greathouse
Arizona Desert Rat Realty
Hosting the Hour-Long Owner Builder Panel with Q&A. Fellow panelists will share their insights and firsthand experiences, offering valuable guidance on alternative building methods.

Karen and Danny McGregor
Roadrunner Flats
Presentation on their experiences, lessons learned, and tips on organizing a build, saving money, finding help, and staying motivated.

Christian Sawyer 
Hey, that’s me 
Presentation on Arizona legislation proposals that can impact alternative building throughout the state, the history of Cochise County’s opt-out permits, and how influencing the government is easier than most people think.

Rod Rylander
Intentional Community Builder
Presentation on the power of intentional communities and how they can integrate alternative homes to create sustainable, self-sufficient living spaces.

Sunday, March 30
Local Owner/Builder Home Tours
Details and sign ups will be at the conference on Saturday.
*Please note that some properties may require high clearance vehicles and may not be accessible to all. Ask for details before signing up to participate.

To buy tickets and get more information about lodging options, click here to visit the event website.

The grey area of grey wolves

Mexican grey wolf populations have been introduced in certain areas of Arizona and New Mexico as provided by the Endangered Species Act. It’s estimated that 286 Mexican wolves currently roam in the two states, up 11% from 2023. AZFamily reports more statistics from the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team’s 2024 population survey. 

Under the ESA program, ranchers can be compensated for livestock lost to wolf depredation. The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee recently held a hearing on the issue, with testimony from Arizona rancher

The three witnesses representing ranching all said that the ESA programs keep “moving the goal posts” on their population targets for established species and that some of them should be delisted as endangered species.

The fourth witness was Dr. Servheen, an ESA management specialist who oversaw the reintroduction of bears and wolves in Montana where he said efforts were successful in removing animals that predated on livestock, and that now such depredation is exceedingly rare. He said similar outcomes can be achieved with predator species in other regions. You can watch the full hearing here. 

There have been recent reports of wolves predating cattle in Cochise County, but officials have only confirmed two such deaths so far. Greta Anderson of the Western Watersheds Project told the Arizona Daily Star that only two known wolves roam this far south in Arizona — they would be Llave and Wonder whom I reported on last year — and believes it’s “very, very unlikely” that these wolves are responsible for all the reported livestock deaths.

You can view an interactive GIS map of the collared Mexican wolves’ roaming areas here.

Minerals on the move

The South32 Hermosa Project mine in Patagonia is bustling onward, with claims that it will boost Arizona’s mining GDP by 15% with large quantities of extracted zinc, manganese, lead, and silver. The Australian mining company is also hoping to quell concerns from locals and environmentalists by using underground processing to reduce airborne dust, and water recycling technology.

One of the biggest concerns from local residents is the impact the mine will have on local water supplies. Mines often have to “dewater” their excavations, which means constantly pumping out groundwater that would otherwise prevent operations. The Hermosa project will need to pump 6.5 million gallons per day, to be released into the nearby Harshaw Creek.

The project has received financial support from the Department of Defense and Department of Energy who want to see the U.S. producing more minerals domestically, especially those needed for renewable energy development, like manganese.

Local activist groups have sued the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality over the permits they’ve issued to the project, saying they’re not adhering to necessary permitting standards. 

Over in the Kartchner Caverns, a mineral called Nitrocalcite Cotton has unexpectedly started growing. Cave Resource Manager Chelsea Ballard explained to KGUN9 that staff were “very shocked” to see this mineral, which requires a dry environment, growing in the humid caverns. They believe our exceptionally dry winter is the cause of growth and the mineral will decompose as atmospheric conditions shift.

Food security in the borderlands

The produce industry is concerned about the impact of tariffs on Mexican produce imports which account for 60% of the fresh produce in U.S. grocery stores, Daisy Zavala Magaña reports for Nogales International. Governor Katie Hobbs and Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani have both visited Nogales recently to talk with industry leaders and business owners about the uncertainty and loss of customers they’ve already experienced.

The local stakeholders are hoping that tariff exceptions can be made for produce, but say they’re having a hard time finding anyone in the Trump administration to hear their concerns.

Earlier this month, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “To the Great Farmers of the United States: Get ready to start making a lot of agricultural product to be sold INSIDE of the United States. Tariffs will go on external product on April 2nd. Have fun!” 

But the produce industry leaders say that climate limitations mean that Mexico and the United States rely on each other to grow different crops at different times of year to keep everyone in North America fed.

And it’s not just Mexican import tariffs that have Arizona farmers concerned. Tariffs on farming supplies and equipment from Canada and China are also putting a squeeze on farmers’ bottom line, AZFamily’s Alexandra Rangel reports.

John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation farmer and president of the National Black Farmers Association said in a recent interview that planting season is a “bad time for a trade war” and that the tariff policies are a “punch in the eye” to farmers.

And Trump’s newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, has been busy with agricultural policies, such as:

• Canceling $1 billion in funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program which helps local schools get their food from local farms 

• Requiring higher employment requirements for SNAP benefits eligibility

• A $1 billion strategy to curb avian influenza in order to lower egg prices, including vaccines, therapeutics, and “increased bio-surveillance”

Town & City

Shining a light on Cochise government

Cochise County is keeping Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes pretty busy. Last year, a local Douglas resident asked her to look into the Douglas Industrial Development Authority’s proposal to give a $15 million bond to the Riverview megadairy, and she issued her findings in January that the IDA had been operating behind closed doors, in violation of Arizona’s Open Meeting Laws.

More recently, the Cochise County Sheriff's Office has asked her to investigate the Tombstone K-9 program and "the process in which the dogs were purchased."

And last month, Douglas Mayor Jose Grijalva asked Mayes to look into “conflicts of interest” in how the city’s finances are being spent. “I can’t comment on any suspicions because there is an active investigation. But the AG’s office has confirmed an investigation,” he told Lyda Longa at the Herald/Review.

Mayes will be holding a townhall at Blueberry Cafe in Douglas on Tuesday, April 22 from 11am - 1pm, to discuss “elder scams” where elderly community members are targeted by phone and email scams. You can sign up to attend by clicking here.

Bisbee restaurant churn

After 11 years in business, Bisbee’s The Quarry will be closing its doors at the end of the month. I’ve seen lots of good music, enjoyed lots of good beers with friends, and most of all, have eaten the most meatloaf of my life at The Quarry. Seriously — I’m not a huge meatloaf fan, but after I tried theirs, it was the only dish I ever ordered. I also owe them props for introducing me to the magic of coffee hot sauce.

You can say farewell to the establishment at their vampire-themed closing celebration on March 22nd.

Bisbee’s new-ish Warren Peace Cafe just got a writeup by Shar Porier in the Herald/Review. I’ve only been to the joint once but the sausage tomato soup I ordered left a strong impression on me. I’ll be going back.

And good news for the Bisbee Breakfast Club — after much public advocacy, Freeport McMoRan has extended the beloved restaurant’s lease to September 2026 while structural integrity studies continue on iconic Erie Street. 

A reading rainbow

If you passed by Bisbee’s only bookstore, Books and Music, late last year, you might have noticed the “we’re closing down at the end of the year” sign posted outside the shop. A fellow from North Dakota did, and then decided to buy the place and keep it open. Lyda Longa tells the story.

Portal author Scott Huber has published his fourth book, Beasts of the Border, a work of fiction with two stories — a migrant family and a jaguar, both trying to get across the Arizona border. Huber says he had Border Patrol agents and biologists to review his story for accuracy.

Award-winning Arizona writer Roger Naylor recently stopped by Bisbee to promote his new book Arizona National Parks and Monuments which covers 34 scenic destinations in the state, along with 90 photographs.

Events

If you’re super chill, or trying to become super chill, I’ve got some primo recommendations for you.

Conversations in Civility Workshop
Book Selection: Why Are We Yelling? The Art of Productive Disagreement by Buster Benson
Free
March 20, 2025
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Douglas Campus Community Room 502
More info

Guided Birding Walks at Patagonia Lake State Park 
Free
March 21, 2025
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
400 Patagonia Lake Rd, Patagonia, AZ
More info

Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist
Free
April 2, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
2600 E Wilcox Dr, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Cochise College
More info

Sunday Yoga with Jess Jones in Pearce

RiverWatch is an extension of the Friends of the Santa Cruz River organization, consisting of volunteers who take water samples monthly. The Department of Environmental Quality presented the team with an Environmental Ambassador Award last month.

Artwork submitted by 12 elementary-aged students in the Santa Cruz School District have won a contest to have their work featured in the Liberty Utilities 2025 Smart Water Use Calendar.

The Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area is a nonprofit that was designated by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in 2019. The group removes tons of litter from the river every year and creates educational experiences for visitors and families. The organization isn’t sure how they’ll continue doing their work if the federal freeze on their funding continues.

The Patagonia-based Borderlands Restoration Network is also facing a lot of uncertainty with federal funding which makes up almost half their budget. They recently had to cancel their Borderlands Earth Care Youth program for the season. This was a big bummer for me personally as I had been working to link up the BECY program with the Willcox NRCD for a streambed restoration project on Turkey Creek this spring/summer. With some good fortune, maybe it will still happen in the fall.

The City of Willcox has hired a legislative affairs firm to represent them and help them navigate groundwater policy at the Capitol. The firm, High Ground Inc., also represents counties and cities in rural Arizona who are working with Governor Hobbs and lawmakers to establish new groundwater regulatory concepts, while also trying to avoid the undesirable concepts that have been introduced by the Farm Bureau.

If you want to learn more about the Farm Bureau’s “Basin Management Area” concept which is moving through the Legislature as we speak, and why rural stakeholders (other than corporate agriculture) are opposed to their bill, you can read my recent Water Agenda article about it: Liquidate the Locals

Adoption Options

There’s been a bit of community controversy lately over an “animal sanctuary” in Mc Neal where a woman has a great number of rescued dogs in cages.

“(The dogs) were on deadline for euthanasia,” said Steve Kozachik, director of the Pima Animal Care Center. “There were no local adopters, there were no local fosters. We did not believe it was safe to put them out to the community. The sanctuary was a last-gasp effort to keep the dogs alive.”

No one likes to see animals stuck in cages, but most of the locals on social media were really taking the demonizing too far. When I looked at the facebook for the Mc Neal sanctuary, it just seemed like a sweet retired lady who cares a lot about animals and doesn’t want to see them die, but also doesn’t have the means to fully rehabilitate them.

People will feel different ways about what’s worse: euthanizing them or letting them continue living in cages. I feel like the proper response is to offer assistance to this lady in helping rehabilitate or rehome the dogs, rather than just throwing loads of shame at her. If nothing else, one might give the lady some friendly suggestions that she’s adopted enough dogs and she probably shouldn’t take on any more, heartbreaking as it is to know they’re headed for doggy heaven.

But that’s just me.

In the meantime, if you’d like to see fewer dogs in cages, check out some of the fine pups currently at the Douglas animal shelter. 

Douglas AZ Animal Shelter facebook page

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