Search result for Kendal Blust

Comcaac Nation in Sonora demands water with historic gathering

Members of the Indigenous Comcaac Nation have long struggled for access to clean water in their two towns on the Sea of Cortez.


La Mora lays victims to rest, but Mormon community’s future in Mexico isn’t clear

LA MORA, Sonora, Mexico – : The murders of six children and three women this month have prompted some members of an offshoot Mormon community in northern Sonora to move. But others are determined to stay in a place they say is like no other.


1 million agave: Ambitious binational restoration plan to plant agave, protect bats

ÁLAMOS, SONORA – Bat Conservation International has an ambitious plan to plant 1 million agave in the U.S and Mexico in the next 10 years. Agave is a key plant for migrating bats.


Endangered porpoise protections falling short, conservationists and fishermen complain

PUERTO PEÑASCO, Sonora – Fishermen and conservationists say Mexico’s “zero tolerance” efforts on poachers in the Sea of Cortez aren’t enough to protect the vaquita marina, and shrimp fishermen have vowed to ignore a recent ban on using nets.


The impact of Mexico’s worst mining disaster, five years later

BAVIÁCORA, MEXICO – Mexico’s largest mining company spilled nearly 11 million gallons of copper sulfate acid solution carrying heavy metals into the Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers in 2014. To this day, residents claim life has not been the same since.


Corridors for cats: Conservationists work to keep jaguar populations genetically viable

ALAMOS, Mexico – Jaguars in Sonora and Sinaloa come and go through a series of corridors, which keeps these core populations genetically diverse. If those corridors are destroyed, the northernmost jaguars in the Americas could die out.


Cameras and coexistence: Learning to live with jaguars

SAHUARIPA, Mexico – Jaguars once roamed the Americas from Argentina to Arizona. To ensure the survival of the endangered cat, conservationists are working to change the minds of ranchers in Sonora, Mexico.


‘A treasure for humanity’: Binational group looks for inventive ways to protect Sonoran Desert

EL DESEMBOQUE, Mexico – Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers was formed nearly a decade ago to tackle such conservation challenges as climate change, mega-development or a border wall in different ways.


Vaquita’s last stand: Fishermen want to help but need to feed their families, too

SAN FELIPE, Baja California – In the Upper Gulf of California, many people fish to survive. And while some fishermen support efforts to save the vaquita, others feel that their own survival and way of life is being destroyed. Part 2 of the series delves into the experiences of local fishermen and their complex relationship with the vaquita.