City of Chandler: The Nature of Things – The Arizona Trail

Join skilled storytellers for a cup of coffee and candid conversation that entertains, educates, and encourages a sense of wonder about science and the natural world around us.

This speaker series hosts guest lecturers and light refreshments. Along the 850-mile Arizona Trail, which spans the length of the state from Utah to Mexico, diverse ecosystems showcase how climate change is actively altering life as we know it across the Southwest.

During fall 2025, The Arizona Republic newspaper’s climate reporter, who earned a Ph.D. in ecology before becoming an award-winning journalist, spent seven weeks traveling the full trail on her mountain bike to witness these threats, document their impacts, and consult with experts on solutions. Rich with photos and video from the journey as well as scientific expertise and cultural context, this presentation takes audiences through the state’s biggest environmental challenges and opportunities, mile by mile. From the northern forests torched by a massive fire that closed parts of Grand Canyon National Park in 2025, to the longstanding drought causing conflict with tribes on the slopes of the San Francisco peaks, to the energy solutions underway in the Superstition Mountains, to the humanitarian urgency for answers illuminated at the border with Mexico – Joan Meiners’ trail journey is a scenic and dynamic window into some of Arizona’s most pressing problems, told from the frontlines of journalistic exploration through literal living landscapes.

Held at Downtown Chandler Public Library