Chapters’ Corner, February 2026
News from local chapters in New Mexico and Arizona
By Cathy Wise
Senior Manager for Community Building, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Southwest
Published February 12, 2026
This article is from 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Southwest
. Find 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú near you here.
Twelve independent chapters operate within the 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Southwest region. Consider joining one near you to participate in bird-related events near you and engage on local issues. Read on for current chapter highlights!
Joint State Chapter Meeting, April 2-4, Phoenix
Join us for the biannual chapter gathering! Everyone is welcome to attend this fun, information-packed weekend of presentations, break-out groups, and of course birding! .
New Campus Chapter!
51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Southwest welcomes our newest Campus Chapter! joined the flock in January 2026 and members from this community college in Yuma have already participated in a Burrowing Owl volunteer day, as well as bird walks hosted by Yuma 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Society. The group looks forward to enriching their campus with native plants—so stay tuned for volunteer opportunities in southwest AZ!
Tucson Bird Alliance succeeds in designating Tucson an Urban Bird Treaty City!
Join staff and members celebrating this great achievement on February 21 at the at Sweetwater Wetlands from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 am. The program supports city partners in conserving birds and their habitats and providing opportunities for community engagement in bird-related recreation, education, and conservation activities in urban and suburban areas. Tucson will join Albuquerque and Phoenix as the third treaty city in 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Southwest’s region.
51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú In Action Grant Award Recipients
51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú in Action grants (along with Collaborative Grants) fund local 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú chapters and campus chapters to implement projects that contribute to Flight Plan, 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú’s 2023-2028 strategic guide. Priority activities include bird conservation, habitat restoration, and community engagement and support initiatives like native plant gardens, reducing window collisions, and providing free, accessible outdoor education for underserved communities. 
We are pleased to announce that two Arizona Chapters received 2026 grants: and . Summaries of their projects are below, please contact chapters directly for more information or to get involved.
- Preserving and reviving an urban flocking hotspot at Arizona State University’s Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve
Since 1994, ASU’s has protected a landscape visited by people for over 5 000 years. Three traditions of indigenous peoples (Western Archaic, Hohokam, Patayan) gathered at the location and left behind their identity through petroglyphs. Maricopa Bird Alliance, Midwestern University's 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú on Campus and ASU will revive the preserve’s landscape through a yearlong campaign of community events including native planting, water source creation, invasive plant removal, trash removal, and habitat creation (i.e., brush piles, snags, and deadfall). These efforts will restore a semblance of the original landscape with successes measured by community engagement and increasing biodiversity, with particular attention and surveys for resident and migratory birds.
- Wings Across Borders: Motus Student Grants
The Northern Arizona 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú Society is increasing community engagement in the Motus network through an innovative international partnership. Together with Observatorio de Aves de Tlaxiaco, a conservation nonprofit in Oaxaca, the team is empowering local students in both countries by offering stipends to college students to research a bird species that has pinged a local tower and then report on it during an international and bilingual Zoom call. The first call was hosted in January 2025 and +50 people were in attendance with four students presenting. This year, Northern Arizona 51ÁÔÆæÈë¿Ú plans to add a Canadian partner in order to make the effort tri-national. The program fosters cross-cultural collaborations and helps cultivate future leaders in wildlife research and conservation.
