Fishery biologists and park managers from the Native Fish Ecology and Conservation Program in Grand Canyon National Park are taking a holistic approach to expand the abundance and distribution of Humpback Chub within the park. They removed non-native Brown and Rainbow Trout via fishing and electrofishing, and then translocated Humpback Chub to three Colorado River tributaries.

The Walnut Gulch watershed in southeastern Arizona has experienced shrub encroachment that caused erosion and reduced infiltration on grasslands. Researchers at the University of Arizona and at the Agricultural Resource Service conducted an experiment to investigate the effectiveness of herbicide treatments in reducing woody species abundance and their impact to vegetation, runoff, and soil loss.

The Southeast Arizona Collaborative Grassland Workgroup was created in 2010 to develop a southeastern Arizona Regional Pronghorn Strategy to increase pronghorn population numbers, distribution, and connectedness. The project aimed to improve habitat connectivity and access to available water sources through strategic fence modifications, and improve habitat quality through grassland restoration and addition of water sources.

The Ed Pastor Kino Environmental Restoration Project (KERP) aimed to restore natural areas by redeveloping an unlined stormwater detention basin in Tucson, Arizona. KERP covers 125 acres and includes constructed stream courses, five vegetation-lined ponds, restored native vegetation communities, flood control structures, and a recreational path.

To restore native amphibian populations decimated by non-native American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), a collaborative team of researchers, managers, and technicians (Frog Team) has been conducting mechanical removal at a landscape-level across southern Arizona. Since 1990s, the frog team has removed bullfrogs in a prioritized project area of 10,230 square miles and reestablished the native Chiricahua leopard frog populations.

Non-governmental organizations Borderlands Restoration (BR) and Gila Watershed Partnership (GWP) led the Madrean Archipelago Plant Propagation (MAPP) Initiative to coordinate seed collection, curation, and production of plant materials with on-the-ground restoration in the Sky Islands. MAPP created a database to track seed collection, propagation, and outplanting data, and coordinated seed collection efforts with the BLM and NPS.

Forests in Arizona are increasingly affected by persistent drought conditions due to global warming. The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) researched the effects of climate variability and accelerated forest thinning on watershed-scale runoff, aiming to improve water flows and reduce forest mortality. The focus was on ponderosa pine forests.

Local ranchers drove the restoration of semi-dessert grassland to create diverse and connected habitats for pronghorn, quail, and other grassland species, as well as improve rangeland productivity for cattle on private lands and state trust lands. The project focuses on mechanical removal of mesquite that has reduced nesting habitats and cover of forage for wildlife and caused habitat fragmentation.

The Nature Conservancy led the restoration of abandoned agricultural fields on the Cobra Ranch property in Klondyke, Arizona. The initial goal was to establish native grass ground cover. The project has since expanded to include multiple ecosystem improvement objectives, such as increasing water infiltration and aquifer recharge, and promoting sustainable farming and grazing practices.

The construction of Glen Canyon Dam in 1966 altered the hydrology of Lower Colorado River, and subsequently non-native fish species were introduced for recreational fishing. To protect the native fish population in Bright Angel Creek, biologists at Grand Canyon National Park initiated a multi-year salmonid removal effort and reintroduced native Humpback Chub to tributaries free of non-native trout.

The North Simpson Habitat Restoration Project aimed to improve the riprarian habitat on the floodplains of a near-perennial riparian area that came into existence since the 1970s as a consequence of municipal effluent discharge. Numerous native tree, shrub, grass, and forb species were planted in shallow water-harvesting basin to facilitate self-sustaining recovery.

During a population biology research project, biologists observed negative impacts of crayfish on the native Sonora mud turtle population at Cottonwood Creek, including signs of predation on hatchlings. To conserve the native aquatic amphibians and reptiles, the team conducted eradication efforts through capturing crayfish by hand using dip nets.

The Regional Transportation Authority partnered with the Arizona DOT to construct two wildlife crossing structures (one overpass and one underpass) with adjacent wildlife-funnel fencing on Oracle Road to help wildlife move between protected habitat areas. The two wildlife crossing structures were constructed at the best available location to accommodate both large mammals and small animals.

Ranch owners in the Alter Valley of Southern Arizona have worked with the US Natural Resource Conservation Service since 1984 to scientifically monitor range vegetation and conduct brush management to care for the 600,000 plus acre watershed surrounding the Ranch. Mechanical removal was conducted in 1984 – 1990 on 1,000 acres of shrubland.

Big sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii) once covered riparian floodplains throughout the southwestern United States and northern Sonora, Mexico. Today, these grasslands occupy less than 5% of their previous range. This restoration project evaluated the role of arbuscular mycorrhizae in the establishment and survival of sacaton at the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia/Sonoita Creek preserve near Patagonia, Arizona.

The 2011 Horseshoe 2 fire caused intense flooding and soil erosion which led to stream sedimentation, infrastructure damage, and degraded watershed conditions in the Chiricahua Mountains region. To address this, partners engaged in a restoration project in burned (Tex Canyon) and unburned (Bar Boot Allotment) watersheds using in-channel loose rock erosion control structures.

Researchers and managers from the University of Arizona, Arizona Game and Fish Department, USFWS, USFS, and BLM collaborated to eradicate American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and other invasive species from several sites in southern Arizona to conserve native aquatic species. The Frog Team employed mechanical removal, pond draining, and water pumping for reuse to eliminate non-native bullfrogs.

Through a collaboration with USGS, the San Carlos Apache Forest Resources Program (SCAFRP) completed an analysis of aerial photographs and remote sensing data that help them develop baseline, historical extent of these ecosystems. Their goal is to restore the ecosystems by actively managing grasslands and savannas for prevention and reversal of woody species encroachments.

The Blue River Native Fish Restoration Project aimed to establish and secure populations of native fish in the Blue River Tributary of the upper Gila River Basin. The project involved a 3-step process: 1) building a fish barrier, 2) eliminating non-native fish using mechanical techniques, and 3) translocating and monitoring native species in the lower Blue River.

This project was initiated in 1995 to develop the scientific basis for ecological restoration of southwestern forests and woodlands at both operational and landscape scales. The project worked specifically in four project areas in the Greater Mount Trumbull Ecosystem within the Grand Canyon/Parashant National Monument: piñon-juniper restoration, piñon-juniper herbaceous revegetation, cheatgrass abatement and monitoring, and ponderosa pine restoration.