THE SONORAN INSTITUTE INC

Programs

1. Colorado river delta program our vision for the colorado river is a river that flows continuously to the sea, supporting both healthy ecosystems and thriving communities. The overall goal of the program is to restore a functional corridor in the colorado river delta by creating a network of riparian and estuarine habitat sites that will sustain biodiversity and facilitate connectivity of river flows to the estuary. In fiscal year 2025, we evaluated progress towards achieving our goals and outcomes outlined in our current five-year strategic plan. Goal 1: the colorado river connects to the sea; with water for both healthy landscapes and thriving communities. Our target was to increase supply of water in the colorado river to 220 days of flow per year. The baseline was 147 days in 2020. In fy25 we accomplished an average of 207 days of connectivity between 2020-2024, representing 94% of our target. Goal 2: restore 2,860 acres of estuarine habitat. From a baseline in 2021 of 1,861 acres, we achieved 5,842 acres by 2025, representing 140% of the target. For laguna grande restoration area, our target was to restore 779 acres. By 2025 we accomplished 838 acres, representing 107% of our…

   $2,836,100 spent$1,054,243 earned by the program
   68% of program spending

2. Growing water smart program: the growing water smart program addresses the challenges of an over- appropriated colorado river and surrounding aquifers, as well as the impacts of climate change that do not leave water for both healthy landscapes (environment) and thriving communities (people). The growing water smart program, offered in partnership with the babbitt center for land and water policy, a center of the lincoln institute of land policy, provides training and assistance to communities and water providers to establish plans, policies and programs that conserve municipal water and use it sustainably in communities across arizona, colorado, california, utah and the us-mexico border region. In our growing water smart workshops and follow-up assistance, an interdisciplinary team of land-use planners, water providers, and government officials assess their community's water challenges, and identify and implement strategies to reduce water demand in new and existing development and manage water sustainably and holistically into the future. 1. Held growing water smart workshop in colorado on september 9-11, 2024. Six communities participated: city of fort lupton, town of mead and…

   $743,429 spentof which $119,703 as grants$299,945 earned by the program
   18% of program spending

3. Santa cruz river program sonoran institute's santa cruz river program's vision is for a living, flowing river that is the foundation of community health and prosperity from mexico to marana. 1. Living rivers reports were launched in 2008, when sonoran institute began tracking conditions of the stretch of the santa cruz river in santa cruz county that flows year-round. The effort expanded in partnership with pima country and the regional flood control district in 2012, and the city of tucson in 2020, to report on conditions in the flowing reaches in pima county. Living reports for are online at www.sonoraninstitute.org. This year: -for the fourth year in a row, sonoran institute published our living river reports for both the tucson and nogales reaches of the santa cruz river. The tucson report was distributed to nearly 12,000 households and the nogales report was distributed to nearly 3,000 households in december 2025 (+1,000 more attributable to crown funding). 2. Our 15th annual santa cruz river research days symposium took place april 29-30, 2025 with a field trip on may 1, at pima community college's downtown campus in tucson and online as a hybrid event. This year's theme,…

   $590,734 spent$131,615 earned by the program
   14% of program spending

4. One basin program the one basin program brings people with competing interests, who speak different languages, and have diverse backgrounds together to find equitable, workable, effective solutions to address water challenges in the colorado river basin. The goal of the program is that the colorado river is managed in a more holistic, inclusive, and adaptive fashion to benefit communities and wildlife. 1. Supported the tribal water managers network with webinars and in-person meetings providing tribal water managers with peer-learning opportunities. 2. Refined proposals for governance of a binational endowment fund for the colorado river delta. 3. Engaged with the cucupa on options for permanent protection of the colorado river delta.

   $28,835 spentof which $4,188 as grants$30,000 earned by the program
   1% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,199,098.