With federal funding decreasing and Southern Arizona temperatures rising, the Watershed Management Group is grappling with how to keep its nonprofit running while supporting water conservation.
Watershed Management Group is an organization that supports the environment through water conservation and community and education events, including rainwater harvesting, soil education classes, and Family Saturdays, which give parents and children hands-on activities that spark interest in the environment.
With the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding, the Tucson organization could lose about 50% of its funding through federal grants, according to Todd Hanley, its operations and development manager.
Grants that support the non-profit are through the Bureau of Reclamation, United States Forest Service and United States Department of Agriculture, which have all been affected by the federal funding cuts.
“Some [grants] are in a state of flux and some are frozen,” said Hanley, which has prompted “everyone in the organization to stop what they are doing and reevaluate.”
Over the past three years, the organization has moved away from fee-for-service work, such as consultations and installations of water basins, and has focused on securing grants to have a steady flow of funding, said Charlie Alcorn, program manager and educator.
However, with the funding cuts, Watershed Management officials believe that employees will be getting back in people’s yards as fee-for-service work is likely to come back to close the gap from the funding losses.
With these added tasks, the group could face issues as employees will have more responsibilities and possibly fewer hours, said Hanley.
The organization also is trying to find private sponsors for the classes and has been aggressively trying to increase its donor base to include more monthly or one-time contributors.
With the weather warming up, it is important to be aware of the area’s ongoing drought conditions, said Hanley. Watershed Management is trying to get as much work done as possible before the temperatures rise and more grants are frozen.
“Every month we are not sure [about funding]. Every month we are nervous,” Alcorn said.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
