Our History

In 2020, southern Arizona National Park Service units partnered with Local First Arizona to explore forming a shared friends group to support ten parks and programs within the Southern Arizona Office, Sonoran Desert Network, and Desert Research Learning Center. The Local First Arizona Foundation engaged Southwest Decision Resources to assess park needs, priorities, and concerns through interviews with NPS staff and key partners.

Parks overwhelmingly supported a shared friends group model, building on existing collaboration and recognizing the value of coordinated fundraising, volunteer management, and community and youth engagement—particularly for smaller, remote, or culturally focused parks that lack strong local support.

As a result, the Arizona Deserts National Parks Partnership was incorporated in 2022 to strengthen cross-park collaboration, expand fundraising capacity, and deliver coordinated support for southern Arizona parks. From its founding, board members filled all organizational roles. In late 2025, the board secured National Park Foundation funding to hire its first executive director, with Brian Powell beginning the role in December 2025.