Friends of the Santa Cruz River

Our mission is to ensure a continued flow of the river's surface waters, promote the highest river water quality achievable, and to protect and restore the riparian ecosystem and diversity of life supported by the river's waters

Our non-profit, all-volunteer group focuses on the portion of the river from its headwaters in the San Rafael Valley in Arizona, south into Mexico, and then north to through Santa Cruz County, AZ to the Pima County line, roughly the historic reach that has run perennially or intermittently. Spanish missions and military stations mark the historic locations of reliable surface water, where Native people had established communities before Europeans arrived.

We work with riverside landowners, government agencies, and other citizens and community groups to keep the river flowing, its banks clean and green, and its environment bountiful to both wildlife and people. The river has no water or land rights. So it is up to us, who care about its survival, to advocate for it, to be a voice for the Santa Cruz.

Friends of the Santa Cruz River (FOSCR) implements our mission through:
*monitoring the river environment and watershed health, in partnership with academics, professional conservation organizations, and both State and federal agencies
*educating local residents and visitors about the tremendous ecological and cultural values the river and riparian habitat provides, as well as threats to its health and existence
*advocating for the river in numerous political arenas