When asked to describe the Santa Cruz River Valley, Dot says, “The Santa Cruz and the Sonoran desert have been the home and migrating path for the Yaqui, Tohono O’odham and Hohokam people since time immemorial. The ecosystem is unique to the Sonoran desert- we have drought resistant plants like the saguaro and we have water gulping plants like desert cotton wood. the color pallet of this place is a bright baby blue, jade and olive green, and a dark brown and dark purple. the people here are a community of veterans, auto workers, hippies, white liberals, chicano boys and girls, and many an athlete. Everyone has a different story here and they can all be shared over delicious food on any corner of the city.”
Dot is currently studying fashion and environmentalism at university on the east coast. They also work as a teacher for the EcoTruths for Indigenous Youth program, and they’ve been on our advocacy panel for Youth for Blue Skies.
ITE Programs and Internships: Wilderness Warriors 2019, Desert Youth Heritage Project 2020, Community Action Toolkit 2020, WorldWildWeb 2020, EcoTruths for Indigenous Youth 2022, EcoNetwork 2019-2022