Wild Arizona

Wild Arizona's mission is to protect, unite, and restore wild lands and waters across Arizona and beyond, for the enrichment and health of all generations, and to ensure Arizona's native plants and animals a lasting home in wild nature.

Wild Arizona is a merged entity between Arizona Wilderness Coalition and the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. In 2019, we blended two long-standing conservation organizations with strong roots in Arizona's rich conservation history, the wilderness movement, the Colorado River community, deep ecology/rewilding, outdoor adventure, field-based ecological research, hands-on habitat restoration, and working for and with tribal partners.

Our Approach: Rewilding Conservation
Wild Arizona was born concurrently, but not coincidentally, with Arizona's recent dramatic and long-awaited shift in political climate. This shift is critical to proactively move forward with preserving Southwest landscapes and sustaining natural and human communities; it also reflects an increased recognition of the interconnectedness of social and environmental justice-including a higher regard for the resilience that comes from biological and cultural diversity and equity, from sharing and hearing stories from the land. We are collectively learning that our state's diverse inhabitants, human and wild, thrive when we save and heal our wild lands and waters.

Conservation is Love in Action
By analyzing the interconnectedness of social justice and environmental issues through a critical lens, we aim to find solutions that best serve humans and nature in a reciprocal way. Throughout our work, we strive to unite people across culture circles with the common goal of protecting and restoring wild places-for the longevity and resiliency of species, for the enjoyment of future generations, and for the love of wildness itself.

We find ourselves returning to this idea: Know it. Love it. Protect it.

Wild Stew
Our work ultimately succeeds by connecting people to Arizona's wild lands, and empowering them to speak up and act for conservation efforts and policies. Wild AZ focuses on collaborative action and hands-on stewardship that restores and preserves wilderness and backcountry areas in tangible ways.

Our Wilderness Stewardship Program taps into a pool of nearly 200 volunteers to maintain trails, restore riparian corridors, and treat invasive species on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. To secure longer-term management protections, we work actively to influence agencies to make better decisions to protect wild places, through citizen engagement, direct interaction with agency staff, and media communications. And for those special places that deserve the certainty of permanent protection, we organize support for legislation and national monument designations that can secure a safe future for wilderness and national conservation areas.

Your support helps us better connect to Arizona's wild lands and build a strong network of people who care.