The University of Arizona Press
July 24, 2025
Stephen E. Strom, author of Forging a Sustainable Southwest: The Power of Collaborative Conservation, spoke with hydrologist Julia Fonseca in the spring as part of the Tumamoc Author Series. In this Southwest Center video of the event, Strom explains how diverse groups of people came together for the good of the Sonoran Desert in Pima County, preserving open spaces that you can see from Tumamoc Hill. We are faced today with an existential environmental and moral challenge: can we find common purpose in protecting and cherishing these masterpieces and in restoring a sense of shared responsibility for stewarding our endowment?
The event was presented by the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, The University of Arizona Press, and The Southwest Center.
Stephen E. Strom began photographing in 1978, after studying the history of photography and silver and nonsilver photography at the University of Arizona. His photography complements poems and essays in six books published by the University of Arizona Press. Forging a Sustainable Southwest introduces readers to four conservation efforts that provide insight into how diverse groups of citizens have worked collaboratively to develop visions for land use that harmonized sometimes conflicting ecological, economic, cultural, and community needs.
