El Rio Preserve || Built 2019

The award-winning El Rio Preserve is a 104 acre riparian preserve and critical bird habitat in the Town of Marana, Arizona. Alex’s work on El Rio was the culmination of over 6 years of research, public outreach, conceptual through final design, and construction administration. The project sought to rehabilitate the delicate riparian ecosystem and promote compatible passive recreational activities. The entry plaza sequence includes an observation deck, interpretive signage, native plant material, and water harvesting basins. In 2018, Alex co-founded the Friends of El Rio Preserve, which continues to organize volunteers toward stewardship at the Preserve.

The project received the 2022 Arizona Parks & Recreation Association Natural Resources Award, the 2018 Student Award of Excellence (AzASLA), and the 2017 Director’s Choice Award for Best Master of Landscape Architecture Report (CAPLA, UA).

For updates on the El Rio Preserve, visit: https://www.maranaaz.gov/elrio

*Project completed while at the University of Arizona and Wheat Design Group