04/13/2026
Our event with Joan Meiners is coming up this Friday!
We are excited to host Joan Meiners on Friday, April 17, at 2 pm, for her AZ Speaks presentation, "The Arizona Trail: An 850-mile Mountain Bike Exploration of Climate Change."
Advance registration is not required, but space at the library is limited so we recommend arriving early. If you have questions, please contact Kathleen at the Myrtle Kraft Library ([email protected] / 520-558-2468).
Here is more information about the program:
Joan Meiners is the climate reporter for The Arizona Republic, the state’s largest newspaper. In this role, she has won awards for her investigations into electricity generation, her deep-dive series on the intersection of extreme heat and housing shortages in the state, and her commentary on how Arizonans think and approach the existential challenges of climate change.
During fall 2025, Meiners spent seven weeks traveling the full length of the Arizona 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 – 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.
This program is made possible by Arizona Humanities. The program is in support of the America 250th initiative to celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
