The front of his white and blue T-shirt had the Watershed Management Group (WMG) logo on it and in a font that looked like it had been stamped diagonally across read the words "CO-OP". When he turned around to grab a pick axe, other wise known as an Arizona Shovel, the back of the shirt said "I Do My Labor with My Neighbor!".

   -This catchy little phrase does more than just rhyme. It tells of an opportunity for community, a way to reach an otherwise high costing goal. A chance to not only change your own personal landscape, but eventually heal a neighborhood and enjoy a little bit more of a responsible feeling as you look out at your land.

   -The WMG has created, and successfully run, this CO-OP program down in Tucson and I have been lucky enough to not only participate in some of the workshops, but I have also been able to meet some amazing and interesting people who share like views on how we should be friendly to the desert.

   -The set up is pretty simple... you join the co-op and keep an ear out for workshop opportunities. Since word has spread, it is not strange to have 2 workshops per weekend at times! So after you volunteer for a certain number of hours, usually about 4 workshops worth, you earn that volunteer labor for your own property. These workshops are based around rainwater earthworks, greywater installs and rainwater cisterns.

   -So the past two weekends, I have been side-by-side with some of the most intelligent and innovative watershed instructors, soaking up everything I can, pulling in techniques, learning the intricate details like ordering materials, how to explain just what you want from an excavator, how to keep volunteers motivated and on task. All the while, I am imagining the possibilities that are down here in the Valley of the Sun.

   -Last weekend, I headed down to the Tucson Valley. I was to meet up with one of the instructors to go see the workshop site that we would be working on the next day. But first, I HAD to stop by an old friend...or was it an enemy? I remember the joy and pain that this place brought to me last summer as we dug berms and basins to infiltrate runoff for some shade trees at a farmers market spot. I wanted to see how by work was coming along, and it looked pretty good! The mesquites were thriving, and the mulched basin looked like they were staying put. Oh yeah, by the way, last summer I completed the WMG water harvesting certification course. That's where this project came from.

 I digress...

   -So I met up with Lincoln, went over the site, planned the day of earthworks, and headed to the nursery to pick up the plants. The next morning I stumbled to fill my metal coffee mug in the half light; quite a bit tired and a little bit sore, we headed over to the property. One by one, the participants popped out of their cars ready to Learn & Earn (I should trademark that one!). A little cross legged pow-wow, some stretches and we broke off to conquer this hill. Sweat was dropped, fingers were gloved and tired, and after about 3.5 hours, we had transformed a womans erosive hillslope sideyard into a water catching, native plant supporting, rock bermed aesthetic joy. People made new acquaintances as they transformed a little part of their community.

   -This weekend was the same but different. I headed, once again, down south through the salt flats and the Gila "river" basin. Past the -middle of nowhere- concrete expanse of shopping outlets, and through the orchards of Marana...finally to my destination. My journey this time was to a massive undertaking. This property was to pretty much become a 100% containment yard! There was a backhoe already working the soil, creating ditches and hills in just the right places. Alas, this was not where I was going to spend the next day. Instead, I had a more technical undertaking to participate in. The Culvert Install!

   -This is usually quite a unique undertaking as far as the participants are concerned. You basically have a group of people who get a crash course in: Plumbing, Metal work, gutters, pressures, saw cutting, concrete and more! What you also get (and I've seen this occur in every one of these tank installs) is an unbelievable mix of talents and work ethics. I experienced many happenings this weekend that cemented my feelings that this program is bound up in so many different goods.

  *I saw a young man struggle with a skill saw for the first time, only to eventually win!

  *I saw an older woman give some of the hardest wheelbarrowing of any participants.

  *I watched and smiled as a retired 'handyman'? kind of paced around and gave his expertise to so many of the situations.

  *I saw a new WMG hire show confidence and passion for the job and ideals at hand.

  *And I got to personally answer a string of about 25 questions from a woman who was so eager to understand how the system worked on the inside that I thought she was going to jump into the tank with me!

   -While the clock neared the end of the workshop...who am I kidding, it was actually an hour past end time, the clouds could no longer hold back their hydro-soaked insides and it began to RAIN!! Like I said, the workshop was officially over, but there was still almost every single volunteer still there. This was a passion and a need to see this through. A belief that this was important and an opportunity to grow a property AND grow the knowledge inside. So we hit another gear, put the final pieces into place, and actually started catching that SkyGold into one of the pur-tiest metal tanks in the neighborhood.

  -My brain, my clothes and my passion left soaked that early evening as I drove off...back to the Valley of the Sun.

   -Hopefully in the very near future, I too can wear a white shirt with a blue logo that PROUDLY states:

"I Do My Labor, With My Neighbor!"

Look to the future for opportunities in Phoenix to transform our landscapes and be much more of a Friend of the Desert!!