A Spring in a Time of Dryness

International day of peace 2020

There is no question that 2020 has been a tumultuous year beset by tragedy and hardship for so many. A global pandemic has challenged our sense of safety, security and connectedness to an extent not matched in recent memory. A hamstrung economy has exposed the frailty of food and housing security for so many. And a towering 30-foot wall, born from a growing sense of ‘otherness’ and isolationism, has relentlessly snaked its way across the US-Mexico Borderlands, rending communities in two and upending fragile eco-systems in its wake.

While I have no wish to belittle the trials of the past year, I do want to challenge us all to celebrate the glimmers of hope in a season of darkness. One thing that I have found deeply heartening about 2020 is the way extreme circumstances can lay bare the grit and resilience that help make the Sonoran Desert such a special place.

A Spring in a Time of Dryness

Quitobaquito Springs (A’al Vaipia) faced an existential crisis this past summer. Reeling from the effects of a prolonged drought, diminished spring flow and a leaky retention structure, the impact of a particularly hot and dry summer combined with border infrastructure work proved too much for such a fragile site. This sacred place of refuge is home to endangered and threatened species and is of great cultural significance to the O’odham. At the urging of ISDA’s Hia C-ed and Tohono O’odham leadership and membership, ISDA is working with the team at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on planned interventions to stabilize the system and save it for future generations. Amazingly we have already raised more than half of the projected total cost and our goal is to bridge the funding gap and complete the initial phase of work by the summer of 2021. isdanet.org/quitobaquito

Artists & Culture Bearers Building Bridges

How does an organization charged with the critically important work of convening the people of the Sonoran Desert across cultural, linguistic and political separations continue to function in an era of physical distancing? For Ajo’s 17th Annual International Day of Peace Celebration, we once again let artists and culture bearers lead the way in figuring it out. In place of an in-person gathering, artist Christopher Lutter-Gardella, whose creative upcycling puppet workshops have spawned so many of the desert creatures now synonymous with the local celebration, returned to create an installation dedicated to the legacy of Sonoran Desert peoples gathering together in a spirit of friendship and respect. This installation was further activated by origami doves and messages of peace shared by youth from the western Tohono O’odham Nation and Sonoyta, Mexico facilitated by the Native American Advancement Foundation and Casa de la Cultura. isdanet.org/idop

A Supportive Network Making Space for Economic Adaptation

Small business owners and their employees have experienced some of the most immediate and visceral economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the imminent devastation on the local and regional economy, ISDA worked with the multiagency Kickstart Ajo initiative and Freeport McMoRan Foundation to quickly launch a COVID-19 Business Relief Fund in March. To-date this fund has awarded more than $40,000 of operating support to Ajo-area businesses. Additionally, through our supportive services network, ISDA has expanded food security help and utility assistance offerings that resulted in more than $100,000 of direct payments for households in need. And thanks to partnerships with The United Way, Pima County and Community Investment Corporation, ISDA helped 24 families avoid eviction this year and paid nearly $30,000 in back rent on behalf of vulnerable households. isdanet.org/economy

Even in the darkest of times, glimmers of hope can shine through. Members like you make it possible to build on these glimmers toward a brighter shared future. We invite you to do that with a year-end donation.

Aaron Cooper | Executive Director