by Leah Bowers, Cronkite News
April 30, 2026

PHOENIX – Access to nature in southern Arizona has been limited not only by environmental risks but also by immigration enforcement and cost, according to a study about barriers to outdoor access for Mexican immigrants and low-income people.   

Fiorella Carlos Chavez wanted to celebrate her birthday at a local park – set up at a table in the shade, and enjoy the scenery. 

“Then one of my friends told me, ‘You actually have to register and pay,’ and I said, ‘Register? I don’t get it’,” she said, referring to the fee required to reserve a picnic area for larger groups. 

Carlos Chavez, a Peruvian immigrant and an assistant professor at Arizona State University, was surprised: “It blew my mind. This is a park, what do you mean you have to make a reservation?” 

Mexican immigrants and low-income communities have limited access to nature in Tucson, not because of distance, but because of legal, economic and structural barriers, said Rebecca Crocker, an assistant research professor at the University of Arizona and one of the co-authors of the recent study.

“Each of us have different natural inclinations to what feels like nature,” Crocker said, adding that fear can hinder the experience and health effects of the outdoors. 

“Whether that fear comes from the fact that you are worried you are going to see a rattlesnake or, more presently, you are worried about getting perceived by immigration enforcement and get deported.”

Crocker explained that many Latinos feel that moving across Arizona’s landscape has always put them at risk. “I feel that the localized experience of immigration surveillance in southern Arizona is very detrimental to people’s health in lots of ways. And not being able to feel free to move across the landscape that they now reside in is a huge piece of why it’s so unhealthy for them.” 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in Arizona more than tripled in fiscal year 2025 compared to the prior year, according to reporting by Arizona Luminaria, a nonprofit based in Tucson. 

In March, the Tucson City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to restrict federal immigration enforcement on city property, barring staging or operations in areas such as parks.

Gary Nabhan, research social scientist emeritus at the University of Arizona, has spent decades studying what he calls the human microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms accumulated through contact with soil, plants and animals that form the foundation of the immune system.

Nabhan also refers to it as the “hidden landscape” on a person’s body –  “a reflection of the natural landscape around us. We get those microbes from our contact with nature and animals and soil and plants.”

Nabhan links the lack of microbiomes and a weakened immune system to vulnerability to chronic diseases and shorter lifespans. 

“It’s not just a perk, it’s not just an amenity for the rich,” said Peter James, an adjunct associate professor of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “We should really look at nature as just as important as the sewer system, the electricity grid. This is vital infrastructure.”

For Latino communities, that vital infrastructure is deeply rooted in history. Generations of people, particularly those of Mexican descent, worked the land in the U.S. Southwest as farmers and ranchers, shaped by Spanish colonization, Mexican land grants and ranching traditions. 

In Tucson, the problem isn’t that parks don’t exist near Latino neighborhoods. It’s that for thousands of residents, those parks might as well be behind a wall.

James said that “objective access or availability of a park nearby” does not mean that Latino communities will use that park: “Proximity does not equal access.”

Carlos Chavez said in Latino communities, “people are overworked. … It’s a part of (their) identity.”

Even in her own life, she sees time in nature “as a luxury.” 

“Yes, I want to go to the park, but I’m too tired, I’m not going to do it, or I have something else to do from work,” she said. “So I think it comes to that decision: Can I give up what I need to do now from work in order to enjoy the outdoors?”

This is one of the main barriers Crocker focused on in her study. Tiredness and lack of time are not only personal but also systematic barriers in the communities. “There’s always a deeper story there,” she said. 

“To expect at the end of the day, someone is going to have time and energy and resources to figure this all out on their own is too much to expect of an individual person. We really need to look more structurally at how we can promote access,” Crocker said. 

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Nature is out of reach for many Latinos in southern Arizona, new study finds <p>Leah Bowers, Cronkite News<br /> April 30, 2026 <p>PHOENIX – Access to nature in southern Arizona has been limited not only by environmental risks but also by immigration enforcement and cost, according to a study about barriers to outdoor access for Mexican immigrants and low-income people.   <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Fiorella Carlos Chavez wanted to celebrate her birthday at a local park – set up at a table in the shade, and enjoy the scenery.  <p>“Then one of my friends told me, ‘You actually have to register and pay,’ and I said, ‘Register? I don’t get it’,” she said, referring to the fee required to reserve a picnic area for larger groups.  <p>Carlos Chavez, a Peruvian immigrant and an assistant professor at Arizona State University, was surprised: “It blew my mind. This is a park, what do you mean you have to make a reservation?”  <p>Mexican immigrants and low-income communities have limited access to nature in Tucson, not because of distance, but because of legal, economic and structural barriers, said Rebecca Crocker, an assistant research professor at the University of Arizona and one of the co-authors of the recent study. <p>“Each of us have different natural inclinations to what feels like nature,” Crocker said, adding that fear can hinder the experience and health effects of the outdoors. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“Whether that fear comes from the fact that you are worried you are going to see a rattlesnake or, more presently, you are worried about getting perceived by immigration enforcement and get deported.” <p>Crocker explained that many Latinos feel that moving across Arizona’s landscape has always put them at risk. “I feel that the localized experience of immigration surveillance in southern Arizona is very detrimental to people’s health in lots of ways. And not being able to feel free to move across the landscape that they now reside in is a huge piece of why it’s so unhealthy for them.”  <p>Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in Arizona more than tripled in fiscal year 2025 compared to the prior year, according to reporting by Arizona Luminaria, a nonprofit based in Tucson.  <p>In March, the Tucson City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to restrict federal immigration enforcement on city property, barring staging or operations in areas such as parks. <p>Gary Nabhan, research social scientist emeritus at the University of Arizona, has spent decades studying what he calls the human microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms accumulated through contact with soil, plants and animals that form the foundation of the immune system.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>Nabhan also refers to it as the “hidden landscape” on a person’s body –  “a reflection of the natural landscape around us. We get those microbes from our contact with nature and animals and soil and plants.” <p>Nabhan links the lack of microbiomes and a weakened immune system to vulnerability to chronic diseases and shorter lifespans.  <p>“It’s not just a perk, it’s not just an amenity for the rich,” said Peter James, an adjunct associate professor of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “We should really look at nature as just as important as the sewer system, the electricity grid. This is vital infrastructure.” <p>For Latino communities, that vital infrastructure is deeply rooted in history. Generations of people, particularly those of Mexican descent, worked the land in the U.S. Southwest as farmers and ranchers, shaped by Spanish colonization, Mexican land grants and ranching traditions.  <p>In Tucson, the problem isn’t that parks don’t exist near Latino neighborhoods. It’s that for thousands of residents, those parks might as well be behind a wall.<div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>James said that “objective access or availability of a park nearby” does not mean that Latino communities will use that park: “Proximity does not equal access.” <p>Carlos Chavez said in Latino communities, “people are overworked. … It’s a part of (their) identity.” <p>Even in her own life, she sees time in nature “as a luxury.”  <p>“Yes, I want to go to the park, but I’m too tired, I’m not going to do it, or I have something else to do from work,” she said. “So I think it comes to that decision: Can I give up what I need to do now from work in order to enjoy the outdoors?” <p>This is one of the main barriers Crocker focused on in her study. Tiredness and lack of time are not only personal but also systematic barriers in the communities. “There’s always a deeper story there,” she said. <div class="mvp-post-ad-wrap"><span class="mvp-ad-label">Advertisement</span><div class="mvp-post-ad"> </div></div> <p>“To expect at the end of the day, someone is going to have time and energy and resources to figure this all out on their own is too much to expect of an individual person. We really need to look more structurally at how we can promote access,” Crocker said.  <p>This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Druw Jones needed a home run to complete the cycle when he dug into the batter’s box in the eighth inning of a Double-A game on Wednesday night.

Jones, playing for Double-A Amarillo, stayed behind the baseball and drove an inside pitch to right-center field for his first home run of the season, earning the first cycle in Sod Poodles history.

🚨 DRUW JONES CYCLE 🚨

The @Dbacks prospect becomes the first @sodpoodles player to notch the milestone! pic.twitter.com/5U9ubTtIga

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 30, 2026

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The 22-year-old knocked out the toughest leg first with a triple to right field in the third inning against the Midland Rockhounds (Athletics). Jones zoomed from home to third base in 11 seconds, Corbin Carroll-esque speed, for his first triple of the season.

Jones singled in the fifth on a ground ball that skipped under shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s glove on what would have been a tight play at first base, and in the sixth, he doubled to right field.

His home run came off right-handed pitcher Mitch Myers to give Amarillo a 9-2 lead in a 10-2 win — infield prospect Cristofer Torin went back-to-back with Jones.

The last Diamondbacks major leaguer to hit for the cycle was Aaron Hill, who did so twice within 11 days of each other in 2012. The most recent cycle in Major League Baseball came from Minnesota’s Byron Buxton on July 12.

Jones is the No. 16 prospect in Arizona’s system as ranked by MLB Pipeline and No. 17 by Baseball America.

Known for his defense, the outfielder has gotten off to a slow start statistically with a .229/.345/.343 slash line in his first 19 games playing Double-A baseball. He hit .286 in Cactus League this past spring and performed well in the World Baseball Classic for Team Netherlands.

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PHOENIX — Chandler residents may be one step closer to ending about $1.7 million a year in property taxes paid to the Roosevelt Water Conservation District after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the city’s water agreement.

The court ruled that Chandler’s water agreement with the Roosevelt Water Conservation District remains enforceable through 2086, ending a yearslong dispute over water deliveries and taxes paid by thousands of property owners.

“Nearly 27,000 Chandler households have paid Roosevelt Water Conservation District property taxes for years without water benefits. That ends with this ruling,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said in a Wednesday announcement.

Why were Chandler and RWCD in court over a water agreement?

City officials said the dispute began when the district, known as RWCD, stopped honoring its agreement to provide water to Chandler. The most recent version of that deal was signed in 2002.

Last year, Hartke told KTAR News 92.3 FM that RWCD would sometimes let water go to waste rather than sell it to the city.

RWCD was formed more than a century ago to irrigate about 40,000 acres of farmland in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and southeastern Maricopa County. As those lands urbanized, Chandler continued purchasing water through the district’s water rights.

The court rejected RWCD’s argument that Chandler waited too long to sue.

“Water is a critical public resource, and this ruling restores a key component of Chandler’s 100-year assured water supply,” Hartke said.

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