In this issue…

_{Local News Roundup
Water News Roundup
Land News}
Coyote teeth and coatimundi claws
Take a bird break
Command Station: Cochise County
_{Builder News}
New YouTubes Roundup
_Classifieds
It’s the return of the classifieds section!

Local News Roundup

Congratulations to Karen of Roadrunner Flats who was the first to fill out our survey in the last edition. She won a cool rattlesnake hat. But only 13 people filled out the survey so someone else can still be lucky number 15 to fill it out and win the cool kingsnake hat. Find the survey here.

It’s warming in Southern Arizona. Some parts of the county might hit 90 degrees on Tuesday. Things will cool back down at the end of the week.

And hopefully we have a strong monsoon season this year. It cools things down, feeds the plants and animals, and recharges the aquifers.

If you ever hear someone complain about “too much rain”, give ‘em a strong stinkeye and a flick on the ear.

But rains mean flooding, as we all know. And FEMA has recently proposed updates to their floodplain maps for Cochise County. If you’re building a home, or thinking about where to buy land, these new maps could change your flood zone, impacting your construction requirements and restrictions. Take note, especially if you’ve got low ground, flood plains, or seasonal washes near your property.

You can read the notice here, and check out the new maps here — but I’ll warn you that it will be a slog trying to find the map for your part of the county. There are tons of micro-maps and they’re all named things like “230982340GH”. But I’m going to talk with Joaquin at County Flood Management and see if we can’t get these maps put together in a way that’s easier to navigate.

The maps are still in the review phase, and locals have until July 3, 2025 to file any formal appeals.

With high prices at the grocery stores, people are relying more on local food banks and other affordable distribution. The Douglas Food Bank is now servicing the city weekly instead of monthly.

You might also be familiar with the Borderlands Produce Rescue that brings low price veggies to cities through the county. You can check their website here to see the calendar.

If you’re good on groceries, but want to make sure your neighbors are too, you can always volunteer with these organizations, as many already do.

Speaking of food taxes, Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock and City Manager Caleb Blaschke explained to KGUN9 why a new law which could limit food taxes would put a real hurt on small towns that already have a very thrifty budget to work with. Read more here.

We’re coming up on the One Year Anniversary of this little desert newsletter that delivers all the big news for our local rural communities, homesteaders, and opt-out builders.

It’s a labor of love, and sometimes it means I miss out on my weekend time for relaxation and pick-up soccer game (sorry guys!), but I’m committed to making sure everyone knows what’s going on.

As Thomas Jefferson said:
“No government ought to be without censors, and, where the press is free, no one ever will.”

It seems others agree that local journalism is valuable. Every week we get new subscribers.

If you liked the last year of coverage and are looking forward to the next, consider becoming a paid supporter of the Ground Party Papers. We gotta buy groceries and building supplies too!

If you want an update on the Willcox AMA, The Buzz podcast just talked with Willcox city officials and local winegrowers with their opinions on the new regulations and the future of water and agriculture in our valley. It’s a “big question mark” says one wine grower.

Listen here.

If you’re in the mood for gumbo or po’ boys, Arizona Game & Fish is serving something up for you: restocking Arizona’s lakes with catfish. If you’ve got bait and tackle, schedule a day trip, and make sure to invite me. I’ll bring my new fishing hat and a cooler of beers.

And in river news, the Center for Biological Diversity recently released well data which it says definitely proves that Fort Huachuca’s groundwater pumping is sinking the San Pedro River. They also say the pumping is so bad that the groundwater is moving in the opposite direction is usually does, filling in the “cone of depression” caused by the pumping.

Coyote teeth and coatimundi claws

Ranchers and other residents have been calling the Sheriff’s office with complaints of coyotes in residential areas and attacking livestock. Could it actually be coyotes that are behind some of the livestock attacks that have been blamed on wolves? I asked the internet if coyotes attack cows, and the answer is Yes, but typically only calves.

Coatimundis can be fierce too, it turns out. A hiker out in Ash Canyon got back to his car and found a coatimundi perched on the hood. The hiker tried to shoo it away and Mr. Coati responded by breaking one of his windshield wipers off and gave the hiker some scratches before scurrying off. Be careful about shoo-ing the local wildlife. They might let you know how they feel about that.

Take a Bird Break

If you need a break from pounding sandbags and building swales, the Southwest Wings Summer Festival is a bird-focused multi-day event that offers five days of cool mornings, quiet canyons, and binoculars instead of busywork. They’ve got 55 field trips lined up across the Sky Islands — most in group vans, some by car caravan — plus talks and workshops from 30 seasoned naturalists, guides, and scientists.

For example:

🦉 Chiricahua Mountains Trip – Three days off-grid with David Simpson chasing high-elevation birds you won’t see near the chicken coop.

🦋 Insects with Rich Bailowitz – A field-based deep dive into the pollinators, biters, and flutterers who share your water trough.

🦇 Bat Night with Karen Krebbs – Sit still, listen close. Lesser long-nosed bats at agave blooms under a desert sky.

And this presenter looks like a fun character:

“Jim Koweek - Jim is the owner of Arizona Revegetation & Monitoring Co. and the author of Grassland Plant ID For Everyone – Except Folks That Take Boring Technical Stuff Too Seriously. For the last 4 decades Jim has worked with plants, seed, and rock in SE Arizona. To be honest, the results are not always pretty. Then again, having your career’s reputation dependent on moisture in the great Southwest is not a genius move to begin with. When not day working, Jim can often be found playing mandolin at various water holes in the Sonoita - Patagonia area.”

Pack a hat. Leave the chores. Registration info: swwings.org.
Calendar of free events: here.
Watch a video about it here: https://vimeo.com/460731564.

Command Station: Cochise

I’m typically not going to cover immigration news because the mainstream media covers it plenty. But I think this recent development is helpful to know about, in case anyone starts seeing more military activity in our region and isn’t sure why.

The Trump administration is moving to militarize a stretch of the border with increased military personnel. And Fort Huachuca in Cochise County will be the headquarters for operations.

The federal government has also delayed regular funding for Operation Stonegarden which finances border-area police departments, sheriff’s department, and emergency responders for immigration-related activities. Governor Katie Hobbs is pressing the feds to unfreeze the funding as soon as possible.

And in case you missed it two weeks ago, on the same day the last Ground Party Papers was published, the Herald/Review reported on Mexico’s legislature advancing a bill to annex Cochise County as the 32nd state of Mexico, to be renamed “Coqueso”.

YouTuber Roundup

Today we bring you a roundup of videos from your home-building neighbors on the youtubes.

Tiny Shiny Home presents their new shipping container guest room build:

Arizona Adam shares his presentation from the Alternative Building Conference, explaining how to make your home resistant to heavy winds:

Journey to Homestead gives a recap of three months of work:

Two Rebels Off Grid get started on their primary build:

Our Self-Reliant Life explains how their automated greenhouse vents work:

If you want to read some homesteader fiction, I wrote about my adventures in drone hunting with my neighbor Don, who’s full of crazy desert wisdom.

And get outside, yall! Do some hiking before it gets too hot. Go fishing. Visit nature. Learn about birds. Volunteer at the food bank. Make a youtube video. Pick a fight with a coatimundi. Enjoy the sweet place that you’ve made your home!

If you appreciate the writing and work I do as a community lobbyist, I’ll humbly accept a little financial support.

Thanks for reading!