Circle Z Ranch is the PRT Weekly News Bulletin’s Premier Sponsor for 2026. We are grateful for their partnership. If you’re interested in sponsoring the Bulletin, click here for more information.
Got an eye-catching photo or video? A community or nonprofit event announcement or report? Maybe a volunteer opportunity, or birth/graduation/wedding news, or an obituary? Share your news with the PRT’s Weekly News Bulletin’s 2,000 subscribers! Please submit materials by Monday, 5 p.m. to editor@prtnews.org.
Photo of the week
The vibrant colors of a gorgeous Fall afternoon were captured by Murphy Musick looking out the back door of the Patagonia Museum on Thursday, Sept. 24.
News
Road-weary Lobos ranked 4th in 1A volleyball
By Dave Lumia
The Patagonia Lobos volleyball team has traveled far and wide to earn one of the top rankings in the state. But what they’d really like is to be able to share some of that success with their hometown fans.
The Lobos were ranked fourth in Class 1A in the initial state rankings that were revealed on Tuesday, trailing only Cicero Prep, St. David and BASIS Flagstaff. They’ve compiled a 8-0 record in games that are factored into the rankings after back-to-back straight-set road victories on Monday and Tuesday over Bisbee and Lourdes Catholic.
But they’ve scarcely been seen around these parts thanks to a combination of scheduling, Mother Nature and a leaky gymnasium roof that cannot be repaired without financial intervention from the inadequately funded State Facilities Board.
Monday’s 25-19, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Bisbee was rescheduled from home to away because the forecast for rain would have rendered the gym floor unsafe for play. It was the second home game impacted by the weather — a Sept. 15 match against St. David was rescheduled for Oct. 19 for the same reason. As a result, they’ve played only two home games in the first five weeks of the season — and none since Sept. 10.
Coach Brenda Somoza said that’s been the biggest disappointment of the season.
“They love home games,” Somoza said. “They love the energy and the crowd. They like to play in front of their family and friends and parents and their teachers and this community.
“A lot of the parents around here work full-time, so it’s not like they can just drop what they’re doing halfway through the day and try to get to a game. So they’re missing out on getting to watch their kids compete. And for the seniors this year to have now two of their home games taken away from them, it’s really disappointing.”
Click here to continue reading.
Trump administration sued to stop Hermosa mine expansion in Patagonia Mountains
The Center for Biological Diversity and Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its Sept. 2 approval of the expansion of South32’s Hermosa mine onto federal public lands in the Patagonia Mountains.
“Federal agencies that are supposed to protect public lands and endangered animals are planning to sacrifice one of the most important wildlife corridors in the Southwest,” said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release jointly issues by the two organizations. “Once these mountains are carved up and their aquifers depleted, there’s no putting them back together. The Patagonia Mountains are worth far more as a thriving ecosystem than they’ll ever be worth to a giant mining company.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, challenges approvals by the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would expand industrial mining activities across more than 52,000 acres of public land in the Coronado National Forest for 83 years. The suit says the agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to properly evaluate and protect listed species and their designated critical habitat.
Anna Darian, executive director for PARA, said the expedited FAST-41 permitting process for the mine resulted in a rushed review of potential environmental threats on groundwater and other public resources.
“Communities across the country should understand: this is just the beginning,” said Anna Darian of Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. “Hermosa may be the first hardrock mining project approved under FAST-41, but it is being held up as a model for what comes next. The long-term effects of weakening or waiving environmental protections could have irreversible consequences for frontline communities like ours.”
Monitoring the air in eastern Santa Cruz County
AirSMART Network helps establish independent, long-term baseline
By Eddie McArthur
Before the South32 Hermosa Project becomes fully operational, community watchdogs in eastern Santa Cruz County are stressing the need for an independent, long-term record of local air quality. Establishing that baseline now is essential: without reliable information about existing conditions, residents will have no clear way to determine whether air quality changes as construction, traffic and mining increase.
The Hermosa Project is located approximately five miles south of Patagonia in the Patagonia Mountains. It is being developed as an underground mine initially targeting zinc, lead and silver deposits, with future potential development of tapping into a manganese deposit. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) issued an updated Class I air-quality permit for the project in February 2026 following federal review.
For residents of Patagonia, Sonoita, Harshaw, Elgin and surrounding rural areas, the central question is not simply whether the mine will meet its permitted emission limits. It is whether residents can document what the air is like before full-scale operations begin and then compare those conditions with measurements collected over the years that follow.
There are currently three sources of information.
South32 has established air-quality monitoring stations near Patagonia, Nogales and Sonoita. The program measures total suspended particles and analyzes collected material for metals, including manganese, lead, zinc, silver and copper. Weather information, including wind speed and direction, is also recorded.
ADEQ provides the regulatory framework and is responsible for enforcing the project’s air-quality permit.
A third effort may be especially valuable to residents: the AirSMART Network, a community monitoring project involving researchers from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University and the Calabasas Alliance.
Click here to continue reading.
Babocomari Bridge proposals available to public
Display boards outlining the Babocomari Creek Bridge project in Elgin are now available on the Arizona Department of Transportation website.
The series of 11 boards describes the need for the project and the timeline of events leading to the current design submittal, which has been deferred pending the completion of a Section 4(f) review. A Section 4(f) review is an environmental evaluation required by the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure transportation projects avoid or minimize harm to public parks, recreation areas, wildlife refuges and historic sites.
The display boards detail the four alternatives being considered:
- Option 1: Do nothing
- Option 2: Construct a new bridge at a new location/alignment
- Option 3: Rehabilitate existing bridge
- Option 4: Construct a new bridge at the current bridge’s location
In December 2024 Santa Cruz County received $3.9 million of federal funds through the Off-System Bridge Program for bridge replacement. Since then, questions have arisen both on the condition of the bridge and its historical significance.
Monies for this project must be authorized by ADOT by September 2027. If they are not, they will be returned to the federal government.
‘Day of Action’ scheduled in Lochiel as Forest Service issues closure order
As the San Rafael Valley tree sit protest against U.S.-Mexico border wall construction carries on into its third month, activists are planning a day-long “Day of Action” in Lochiel on Sunday, Oct. 4. Planned activities begin at 8 a.m. with a plant walk, followed by a parade at 10:30 a.m. starting from the “grandmother” cottonwood, a data center panel discussion at 2 p.m., Tierra Libre presentation at 4:30 and sunset ceremony at 6. Organizers describe the action as a day of solidarity against the border wall and with “people of Vermont resisting ICE infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday the issuance of a Border Wall Construction Closure Order “to protect public health and safety during construction of the international border wall,” effective immediately through Jan. 20, 2029.
The order applies to Forest Service land along the U.S.-Mexico border, extending west from the Coronado National Monument in Cochise County for roughly 16.5 miles to the eastern border of the San Rafael State Natural Area, and then from the western border of the San Rafael State Natural Area for roughly another 10 miles toward Nogales. A similar order was issued for Forest Service land west of Nogales, extending for roughly 30 miles. The width of the restricted area is 300 yards northward for most of Forest land, though it varies depending on topography and National Forest boundaries.
A press release issued by the Coronado National Forest said violation of the closure order for the specified areas is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or imprisonment for not more than 60 days, or both.
U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, whose district borders Mexico, told the Nogales International that she had not been informed of the closure.
“Using border wall construction to justify closing dozens of acres of public lands at a moment’s notice through January 2029 is unnecessary and deeply troubling — especially when these lands include sensitive ecosystems and world-class biodiversity that cannot simply be replaced,” Grijalva said in a statement. “We have already seen the devastating consequences when DHS and its contractors operate without oversight along the border, including the destruction of the Las Playas Intaglio.”
No escaping the hopping menace
By Carrie White
A grasshopper stare-down at 65 m.p.h. is hardly what I expected on a recent trip to Tucson.
But there you have it, swerving down the switchbacks toward the Old Pueblo with a hopper on the dashboard, eyes square with mine. Pondering when to leap.
Happily, I made it down the hill unscathed. And so did the grasshopper. Who can blame him for hitching a ride to get away from an overpopulation of kin. Hey, we all know what Christmas is like.
As you are surely aware, grasshoppers right now are everywhere. Inside cars (don’t leave your doors open when bringing in the groceries.) Gardens, for sure. And carports. I’ve found carcasses in the garage refrigerator preserved like stone-age mammoths.
Counts vary, but Santa Cruz County has something like 40 different kinds of grasshoppers (Acridadae). While we may look at them as nuisances, food for wildlife, other cultures look at them a part of their diet due to the insects high-protein value:
- Chapulines are popular in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, where grasshoppers they are toasted and seasoned with garlic, lime, salt and chili.
- Nsenene is a favored seasonal delicacy in Uganda with vendors frying grasshoppers with onions and chilies.
- Mettugi are a rural snack/pub food in South Korea which are toasted and seasoned with soy sauce.
While seasons naturally bring all sorts of different plant, animal and insect life out, we know, the grasshopper lifecycle is shortlived. Meaning, they will soon be gone – even if their destruction isn’t.
Grasshoppers will survive in egg form here though the winter, insulated deep within the soil. But at least they won’t be bothering our winter gardens. Or jumping into refrigerators.
Or looking for lifts to Tucson.
Celebration marks 20 years of Sonoita-Elgin Fire District
The Sonoita-Elgin Fire District commemorated 20 years of service to the community with a birthday celebration on Monday at the district’s station house in Sonoita.
Mark Navarro of LifeNet Air Ambulance flew in for the celebration. (Photos by Dave Lumia) 
Dr. Rebecca Reyes and her pooch visits with firefighters Estevan Reynosa, Lucas Olkiewicz and Ismael Pacheco. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Chief Marc Meredith thanks the community and fire district board for their support. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Fire chief Marc Meredith. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Administrative assistant Tricia Flaherty gets a round of applause. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Patagonia Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief Zay Hartigan and Rural Metro Chief Karl Isselhard visit with Marc Meredith. (Photo by Dave Lumia) 
Attendees had an opportunity to meet district personnel and were treated to station tours, treats and goodie bags. (Photo by Dave Lumia)
The celebration featured visits from Santa Cruz and Pima County government officials, neighboring fire departments and hospital officials, station tours and displays of equipment and apparatus. And, of course, no birthday party would be complete without cake, snacks for goody bags for attendees.
In brief remarks, chief Marc Meredith thanked the community and district’s board of directors for their support and spoke proudly of the district’s evolution, which began as an informal effort of local ranchers in the 1940s; growing into the all-volunteer Sonoita-Elgin Emergency Services, Inc. in the ‘80s, resulting in the building of the firehouse and acquisition of its first firetrucks; and finally into a taxpayer-supported Fire District in September of 2006, with growing responsibilities, growing staff and heightened qualifications.
Patagonia Elementary students of the month
Kindergartener Beckett Gyell Cruz. (Photos by Carrie White) 
First grader James McKenzie. (Photos by Carrie White) 
Second grader Santiago Yanez. (Photos by Carrie White) 
Third grader Rozier Peake. (Photos by Carrie White) 
Fourth grader Esmeralda Urias-Valle. (Photos by Carrie White) 
Fifth grader Benjamin McKay. (Photos by Carrie White) 
Overall pod honoree Noah Buelna. (Photos by Carrie White)
“Trustworthiness” was the theme for Patagonia Elementary School’s September Student of the Month. Students who excelled at living up to that value were lauded at a recent assembly presided over by Ann Gortarez, special education director and teacher.
Kindergartener Beckett Gyel Cruz got the first round of applause, followed by Jamie McKenzie (1st grade); Santiago Yanez (2nd grade); Rozier Peake (3rd grade); Esmeralda Urias-Valle (4th grade); and Benjamin McKay (5th) grade.
Fifth grader Noah Buelna was overall honoree, receiving numerous nominations from staff for his dependability.
Community Confab draws enthusiastic crowd
A total of 27 nonprofits representing arts, cultural, environmental and community service organizations, to name just a few, gathered at the Patagonia Lumber Company on Sunday to share information about their missions, services and ways to get involved. An enthusiastic crowd turned out learn about what makes the community tick, and to partake of complimentary ice cream. (Photos by Dave Lumia and Samantha Morriss Collins)
Golden Eagle sighting on Upper Elgin Road
An Elgin resident reported a rare sighting of two golden eagles dining on some roadkill on Upper Elgin Road on Friday, Sept. 25.
Oct. 9 workday at Lochiel Schoolhouse
The Patagonia Museum will host a workday at the Lochiel Schoolhouse on Friday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers are advised to bring water, lunch and gloves. Chores include yard cleanup, caulking, barbed-wire fence repair and general cleaning.
General Election debate: Attorney general
Incumbent Kris Mayes (D) and challenger Warren Peterson (R) debate their positions for Arizona Attorney General.
Public Service Announcements
To submit an announcement, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
School News and Youth Events
To report school news or list an event, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format. To list an event, please submit by Monday, 5pm. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
From Elgin School Parent Teacher Club:
The Elgin PTC is looking for new members to join our team and help make our school an even more amazing place for our students, staff, and families! Whether you can volunteer a few hours a month or help with a specific event, there is a place for everyone in the PTC! Interested in learning more? Send us a message at Elginptc@elgink12.com. We’d love to have you join our flock! Together, we can help Elgin soar even higher!
Upcoming Events
To list an event, please submit an image file in JPEG or PNG format. Email your submission to prtadast@gmail.com by Monday, 5pm. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
Recurring Events
To list an event, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
Fresh vegetable distribution Mondays at the Patagonia Senior Center
Come with friends and pick up your weekly fresh vegetables from East Santa Cruz County Community Food Bank every Monday at the Patagonia Senior Center (100 Quiroga Ln, Patagonia) at 10:30am. Take what you need and give what you can.
The Sonoita Food Pantry at The Vine Church is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Monthly bird walks at the Paton Center
From the Paton Center:
Fun news: we will now be having regular monthly Paton Center bird walks led by docent Wayne Smith on the fourth Saturday of every month! Join us for a relaxing morning featuring short, easy walks (less than a mile total) along trails like the Cuckoo Corridor and Gray Hawk Birding Trail. We’ll also spend some unhurried time enjoying the activity around the bird feeders.
-Alexis Stark, Paton Center Site Manager
Attention Patagonia residents:
Boat tours at Patagonia Lake State Park
Every Saturday and Sunday, $7 per adult, $5 per child (13 years and under)
- 9 a.m. Avian Adventure Tour
- 10:15 a.m. Avian Adventure Tour
- 11:30 a.m. Lake Discovery Tour
- Twilight Tour on Saturdays only. Time varies.
Call the park to make your reservation: 520-287-2791
Boat rentals are available at the Patagonia Lake Marina.
Alcoholics Anonymous:
- Sonoita Bible Church – Tuesdays at 7pm, 3174 N. Highway 83, Sonoita. Doors open at 6:30. Zoom option: 601-758-3907.
- Patagonia Methodist Community Church – Thursdays at 6:30pm. 387 McKeown Ave., Patagonia. Contact Dave at 207-249-8302.
Crossroads Quilters: Are you a textile artist (weaving, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting)? The Crossroads Quilters invites all interested textile artists to our meetings. Bring a project to work on and enjoy a morning of information sharing and camaraderie. We meet the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at 9am at the Sonoita Bible Church, 3174 N. Highway 83. For more information email: alisbunting@gmail.com
Overeaters Anonymous: The OA Sky Islands Recovery group meets every Wednesday 11am-12noon at the East Santa Cruz County (ESCC) Food Bank at 772 Harshaw Ave in the meeting room at the end of the driveway. For additional meeting info, go to oasouthernaz.org. Contact Adrienne H. for more info 520-404-3490.
Click here to consult the PRT’s ‘Community Calendar’ for additional events and meetings.
Employment Opportunities
To list an employment opportunity, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
Farmers Markets
Patagonia Farmers and Crafts Market – Thursdays 10am-12pm by Red Mountain Foods.
Sonoita Farmers Market – Saturday Mornings 9am-12pm at the Sonoita Post Office parking lot (NW corner of Hwy 82/83)
Sierra Vista Farmers Market – Thursday 10am-2pm at Veteran’s Memorial Park
Nogales “Little” Mercado – Fridays 4-7pm 163 Morley Ave, Nogales
Church Events and Schedules
St. Therese Parish in Patagonia
Patagonia Community United Methodist Church
Click here to consult the PRT’s ‘Community Calendar’ for additional events and meetings.
Our Advertisers
To advertise in the PRT’s print edition, Weekly News Bulletin or website – or a custom package – contact Priscilla Bolanos at prtads@gmail.com or 520-313-6062.
Want to know when a new PRT Weekly News Bulletin is out? You can receive an email the moment our Weekly News Bulletin is published every Wednesday. Click here to join the PRT email list.
A 2026 CORE Grant from the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona provides the Patagonia Regional Times with valuable operating support.