Join Us for the AZ(LAND) River Systems Tour 🌊 | Exploring Arizona’s Water Systems

Dear Partner,

You’re invited to join AZ(LAND) for a special River Systems Tour, an immersive day-long experience exploring Arizona’s waterways, histories, present, and future. You can view the itinerary below. This is an embodied learning experience for those of us removed through colonialism from the river system. Together, we’ll visit key river sites across the state, hear from community partners, and reflect on our personal and collective connections to water. This will be an outdoor journey with five planned visits where attendees will go through light walking and hiking. Please wear comfortable outdoor clothing & closed-toe shoes, a sun protecting hat, sunglasses, sunscreen. Please bring a refillable water bottle and any other items you may need for this outdoor experience.

📅 Date: Saturday October 4th, 2025
🕓 Time: 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 Starting Point: Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center

Highlights of the Tour:

• Stop 1: Audubon center - History of Salt River and South Phoenix a topic on Sunbelt Apartheid

• Stop 2: Tempe Town Lake – Displacement & Urban development

• Stop 3: Gila River Interpretive Trail – History of water & environmental justice (with Gila River Indian Community staff)

• Stop 4: Gila Bend Petroglyph Site – Stories of land and culture

• Stop 5: Tres Rios Wetlands – Ecology, research, and restoration futures

• Stop 6: Returning back to Audubon Center for drop off

What’s Included:

• Provided charter bus transportation to all sites

• Breakfast snacks & drinks

• Lunch

• Guided presentations & interactive activities

What to Bring:

• Comfortable outdoor clothing & closed-toe shoes

• Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen

• Refillable water bottle

To secure your spot RSVP as soon as possible– space is limited!

👉 Contact info@azlnd.org for more information.

This event is free to you however we encourage you to make a donation to AZ(LAND) to support future community field trips and environmental justice work. We look forward to exploring Arizona’s water stories with you and hope this will help build our collective capacity to safeguard our public lands, water systems, as you carry this experience to inform your work in other spaces.

With gratitude,
The AZ(LAND) Team

Review: Day-of Agenda:

AZ(LAND) River Systems Tour | Map
📍 Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center
📅 Date: Saturday October 4th, 2025

6:00 AM – Arrival & Check-in

• Light breakfast snacks & drinks available

• Liability & photo release survey completion

• Introductions

• Welcome & grounding activity

• Topics: Past focus: What the river used to look like vs. now, Sunbelt Apartheid

6:30 AM – Bus Loading
7:00 AM – Departure

• Presenter: AZ(LAND)

• zine activity setup on bus

Tour Stops

Stop 1 – Tempe Town Lake (Rio Salado Park): Travel (20 min)
🕢 7:30 AM Arrival | 8:00 AM Departure

• Presenter: Luke R | AZ(LAND)

• Topics: Displacement, gentrification, unsustainable development, Research, native shrub ecology, plants and wildlife

• While at the Site:

• Prompt: What is the water doing here? How does it feel? Draw or write your answer

• Prompt: What human traces do you notice?

• Bus ride after

• Recreation, business, prosperity How are we supposed to feel about TTL? ??

Stop 2 – Gila River Interpretive Trail (Sacaton, AZ) | Travel Time (45 min)
🕘 9:00 AM Arrival | 10:30 AM Departure
📍 124 Skill Center Rd, Sacaton, AZ 85147 | (520) 562-2234

• Presenter: Mar 5 Staff | Gila River Indian Community

• Topics: History of water, environmental injustice, historic water settlement, impacts to Indigenous communities, native ecology and wildlife

• Lunch: Brown bag lunch on the bus

• Prompt/Activity Lead by TierrArte Artist Kate Tutaya Figgins

Stop 3 – Gila Bend Petroglyph Site & Campground | Travel Time (1hour 35mins)
🕛 12:05 PM Arrival | 1:35 PM Departure
2XF2+2R, Rocky Point Rd, Dateland, AZ 85333

• Presenter: Jorge Morales Guerrero

• Activity: Collect input for piñata workshop activity

• Topics: Prospective national monument site designation, Why, Indigenous history, sites, culture and heritage

• Prompt/Activity Lead by TierrArte Artist Kate Tutaya Figgins

Stop 4 – Tres Rios Wetlands | Travel Time (1hour 30mins)
🕒 3:00 PM Arrival | 4:30 PM Departure
Tres Rios Wetlands, Tolleson, AZ 85353

• Presenter: River Futures / ESSA

• Topics: Safeguarding and restoring Wetlands in the desert,

• Prompt: How has your relationship with water changed?

Return to Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center Travel Time (30mins)
🕔 5:00 PM Arrival

• Reflection prompts:

• How do you view your relationship to water now?

• How has your knowledge of Arizona water systems shifted?