BLACK MESA, Ariz. — On July 30, 2026, Tó Nizhóní Ání’s Black Mesa Plant Project interns walked nine sample sites in the Háájíbáhá (Warpath Valley) watershed to record the plants coming back where erosion-control structures are slowing water. Interns recognized many of the plants from their summer research and collected whole-plant samples for the Plant Registry.
The structures they surveyed were built days earlier: 27 erosion-control structures, including 15 one-rock dams, put in by a Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) Watershed Restoration crew during a July 27-31 build session. This build session spanned the Háájíbáhá, Twin Valley, and Homestead watersheds, all of which are tributaries to the Oraibi Wash.
Watershed Project Lead Andrew Atencia brought the Plant Project interns in from Flagstaff for the survey. The crew traversed the highlands and washes of the watershed. At each of the nine randomly selected sites, the survey logged elevation, coordinates, plant community, locality, and which plants were present.
The older structures on the site had already changed what grows there. “The land surrounding the older watershed structures was well supported. Grasses grew taller and moisture stuck to the surface for longer,” Atencia said.
“It was especially grounding to be away from the city and surrounded by land,” said Kaya Dickson, a DYN summer intern. “From being in the field, we learned to identify the flora from previous work with the DYN project and connect with them, deepening our understanding of how it relates to watershed work.”
“Thanks to the Watershed crew, we got to interact with the plants outside of our qualitative research, and we ended our internship camping, hiking, and exploring a section of Warpath Valley, one of the farther-reaching areas of the Black Mesa Plateau,” said intern Raeanna Johnson.
The goal is to document the vegetation and floristic features of Háájíbáhá, so the Watershed crew has a clearer picture of the native plant habitats they are working to protect and restore. Every plant documented is evidence of land coming back to life where water is being slowed, and soil is being held in place.
On Aug. 12, the DYN summer interns presented their findings from a summer of research on the Plants of Hard Rock Chapter. Both campaigns build toward a sustainable and restored Black Mesa in this lifetime.
Join our email list to keep up with TNA’s efforts. For more information, or to bring Watershed Restoration lessons to your classroom, contact Watershed Project Lead Andrew Atencia at Andrew@tonizhoniani.org.
