Volunteers restored Arizona desert over 16 years; 133 native plant species now thrive

An 18-acre stretch of Arizona desert that was once heavily disturbed and overrun by invasive buffelgrass has been transformed through 16 years of sustained restoration work by volunteers and conservation partners. The Waterman Restoration Project, located on Bureau of Land Management land within Ironwood Forest National Monument near Marana, began in 2010 after earlier attempts to control the invasive grass failed to produce lasting results. Volunteers helped reintroduce native trees, slow erosion, capture rainwater and suppress buffelgrass across the damaged site. The results have become increasingly visible over the years. The Arizona Native Plant Society now records 133 native plant species at the site, alongside more than 2,000 established native trees. Restoration continues, with volunteers still working to improve the desert habitat.16 years of restoring an 18-acre Arizona desertThe Waterman Restoration Project occupies an 18-acre desert bajada in southern Arizona, an area historically characterised by native Sonoran Desert vegetation. The site suffered major disturbance in 1981 when mining entrepreneur Harlow Jones bulldozed the land, including an approximately one-kilometre...