The Cottonwood Case Study

The Cottonwood Tank Case Study highlights how the Arizona Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI) helped restore and protect a vital wildlife water source in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness near Tucson. Once a nonfunctional masonry tank, Cottonwood Tank now provides year-round water to wildlife thanks to the chapter’s efforts and the installation of an innovative evaporation-reducing product called Hexprotect. Volunteers carried the 1,260 square feet of Hexprotect material nearly half a mile into rugged wilderness terrain, where it now floats on the tank’s surface, reducing water loss and ensuring the survival of animals such as deer, javelina, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep.

Through data collected by a University of Arizona hydrology student, the study found that Hexprotect reduced water evaporation by approximately 61.5%, allowing the tank to retain water nearly three times longer than before. In practical terms, that means tens of thousands of gallons saved—water that otherwise would have been lost to the desert sun. For remote wildlife tanks like Cottonwood, where hauling water by truck or helicopter can cost up to $0.63 per gallon, this innovation represents not only a major environmental win but also a significant cost savings.

The study concludes that conserving existing water sources is far more efficient than hauling new water in. SCI’s project demonstrates a scalable, science-backed approach that can be applied to other wildlife tanks across Arizona and beyond. Readers are encouraged to explore the full report to see how innovative conservation, volunteer effort, and practical engineering are working together to preserve vital water for wildlife in some of the state’s harshest environments.

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