Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a modern aqueduct system that stretches 336 miles across the state. CAP delivers water from the mighty Colorado River to where it’s needed in Arizona.

KIDS & FAMILIES—

Welcome to Bear Essential’s water conservation column. Water means life to all of us desert dwellers. In fact, water is Arizona’s most precious natural resource, and using it wisely is everybody’s responsibility!
Water means life to all of us desert dwellers. In fact, water is Arizona’s most precious natural resource, and using it wisely is everybody’s responsibility!

Our State’s Dazzling Diversity

Last time, Water Wise readers learned about the history and importance of the Colorado River! Now it’s time to explore the fascinating environments that make Arizona so special.

Deserts Plus A Whole Lot More!

Were you lucky enough to head for the mountains to enjoy the snow that recently fell?

If so, you know that Arizona has many dfferent environments, from hot and dry low-lying areas to the cooler and wetter mountains and high country.

This “Dazzling Diversity” we enjoy is due mostly to the state’s wide ranging elevations.

The lowest point in Arizona is along the Colorado River near Yuma. It's just a mere 70 feet above sea level!

Sometimes called “the heart of the desert Southwest,” Arizona has four deserts, each with its own distinct climate, plants and animals.

The four deserts are: the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Mojave and Navajoan (part of the Great Basin Desert). The Sonoran Desert is the only place in the world where saguaro cacti grow. The Chihuahuan Desert is slightly cooler because its elevation is higher. The Mojave Desert is centered in Southern California, but part of it lies in western Arizona. The Navajoan Desert, on the Colorado Plateau, is the highest and coolest desert.

Arizona also has some very high mountains.

The San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff, have the tallest mountains in the state, including Humphrey’s Peak, which reaches 12,633 feet above sea level. The White Mountains, along the central Mogollon Rim, could be called the “green mountains” because of their beautiful pine forests. The Sky Islands, peaks in the southern Basin and Range Province, rise steeply to heights of around 10,000 feet above sea level. If you hike up one of these mountains, you can go from a desert environment to a forest!

For more information, visit
www.CentralArizonaProject.com
or call toll free: (888) 891-5795

http://ag.arizona.edu/arizonawet/

Is Shaq Sinking Suns?

There's a new big man in town; the Phoenix Suns are betting he's the spark they need to win the playoffs.

One of the biggest stars in the NBA universe, Shaquille O'Neal, is now wearing purple and orange. And both Shaq and the Suns have a lot to prove. Shaq, who just turned 36 and has endured knee and hip injuries, wants to show he's still a big force in the NBA. His critics say that the Diesel is too old and too slow for a high-octane, blazingly fast team like the Suns.

During the regular season, the Suns are one of the toughest teams in the West. And while fans love the Suns' exciting and high-scoring brand of basketball, led by two-time League MVP point guard Steve Nash, the team has never won the NBA Finals.

The Suns believe that Shaq is the piece that's been missing. At 7 feet 1 inch tall and 325 pounds, Shaq gives the Suns a true center who grabs rebounds, plays tough defense and passes the ball well. Up till now, Amare Stoudamire has been stuck playing center for the Suns, even though he's really one of the best power forwards in the game. With Shaq in at center, Stoudamire is freed up to do what he does best!

"Psychologically it really helps us out. Guys are much more willing to go to the boards and fight around the basket with Shaq in there," explains Head Coach Mike D'Antoni.

Fans love Shaq's superstar qualities. The big guy has won four NBA Finals and was MVP for three of them! But the Suns have lost their winning ways since Shaq started playing on Feb. 20. In the trade for Shaq, the Suns gave up All-Star forward Shawn Marion, who said he wanted to be traded at the beginning of the season. For years, Marion had been a clutch scorer. As of press time, the Suns have won just two of their last six games and have fallen to fifth place in the Western Conference. Fans wonder whether it's growing pains with the big guy or could it be a bad fit?

'Doomsday Vault' Opens for Business!

SVALBARD ARCHIPELAGO, Norway-Imagine a bank that's so far north that polar bears outnumber the people living there! The bank is located on Norway's Svalbard archipelago just 620 miles from the North Pole. As you may have guessed, it's cold there. During winter's around-the-clock darkness, temperatures can fall to -22° Fahrenheit.

The bank was blasted into the side of an arctic mountain and has reinforced concrete walls to help protect its valuable deposits from natural disasters, global warming and even a nuclear explosion. Welcome to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault-also called the "Doomsday Vault" by the press!

You can find seedbanks all over the world. Native Seeds/SEARCH is a seedbank here in Arizona. Its mission is to protect the diversity of local seed used in farming and their wild relatives. "We have nearly 2,000 varieties in our seedbank, mainly corn, beans and squash," explains Carolyn Owens, who works on grants for the seedbank. "Just like the seedbank in Norway, the seeds need to be kept cold, so they're stored in a freezer," she says. Seeds for the bank come from southwestern states and northern Mexico.

Seedbanks help protect our food supply from the "what ifs" in life-like what if there's drought; what if a disease attacks a certain kind of wheat, or what if global warming changes what can grow around here?

Modern farming has led to fewer and fewer varieties of crops. This has brought about many varieties of food crops being lost forever, and Owens says it's alarming. "It's just more cost effective to grow a single variety...but you don't know what disease is going to come along down the road," she says. A disease could wipe out an entire variety of a crop, leading to food shortages. But if there are enough other seed varieties, like wheat for instance, one of those types of wheat may turn out to be resistant to the disease.

Owens points out that a lot of seedbanks are in politically unstable areas like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been looted or destroyed. In the Phillipines, a flood wiped out the country's seedbank.

That's why the Svalbard Global Seedbank was created-to protect the diversity of seeds no matter what happens in the world. Countries can "deposit" different varieties of seeds. If a disaster jeopardizes crops, the country can make a "withdrawal" of seeds.

The vault was built by Norway at a cost of about $3 million. Because seeds are so small, the "Doomsday Vault" can hold up to 2 billion seeds!