🔥 Record-Breaking Heat & Slashed Science: Buckmaster Show Reveals Arizona's Climate Crisis
Game & Fish Commissioner reveals wildlife crimes and technology threats in candid interview
Based on the Buckmaster Show for 3/26/25, a daily radio show in Tucson, AZ, interviewing local newsmakers.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
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Scientists are worried because Arizona is getting way hotter 🌡️🔥 and drier than normal. In March, Tucson reached 96 degrees – the hottest March day ever recorded! ☀️ We've barely had any rain this winter, 🌧️ making it one of the driest years ever. Meanwhile, someone is poisoning animals like coyotes and javelinas 🐺🐗 in Tucson, which is both illegal and harmful to our environment 🌍🚫. The scientists who study these problems are losing money for their research, 💸 making it harder to solve these important problems that affect everyone's future. 🌎🔍
🗝️ Takeaways
🔥 Arizona experienced the hottest March day in recorded history, with temperatures reaching 96°F in Tucson and 99°F in Phoenix
💧 Tucson is experiencing potentially the driest winter on record with only 0.91 inches of precipitation compared to the typical six inches
🌍 USAID budget has been slashed, terminating important humanitarian and research projects including Dr. Gaido's work to improve aid efficiency
🦊 Multiple animals have been found poisoned near Pantana Wash, with Arizona Game & Fish offering a $1,000 reward for information
🦝 Hikers warned about rabid wildlife after coatimundi attack, urged to report animals showing abnormal behavior
🔐 Military battle plans against Houthi forces were leaked on unsecured systems, potentially endangering troops
🛩️ 90% of commercial drones purchased in US are made in China, raising security concerns about data access
Climate Crisis and Wildlife Conservation: A Scorched Southwest and Slashed Science
In a week where Arizona thermometers screamed to historic highs and research funding plummeted to depressing lows, Wednesday's Buckmaster Show brought together two voices from the frontlines of our rapidly unraveling world. The juxtaposition couldn't be more stark: as our planet desperately signals distress through record-breaking temperatures, our society responds by... cutting the very research that could help us navigate this existential crisis. Because who needs science when you have profit margins to protect, right?
Climate Catastrophe: Records Fall While Research Funding Fails
Dr. Zach Guido from the University of Arizona's Arizona Institute of Resilience (AIR) joined Buckmaster as temperatures soared to a shocking 96 degrees in Tucson and 99 degrees in Phoenix – the hottest March day in recorded Arizona history since meteorologists began keeping records in the 1890s. This wasn't just a warm spring day; this was climate change announcing itself with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
"We're the second warmest on record so far through this winter season," Guido explained, his academic tone barely masking what must be deep concern. "It's been really, really warm. Not every month since October... It's sort of gone hot, average, hot, average, hot."
But the temperature isn't the only record-breaking disaster unfolding in our desert home. The conversation quickly turned even more alarming when Guido revealed we're experiencing potentially the driest winter on record, with a mere 0.91 inches of precipitation at the Tucson airport compared to the typical six inches.
"It's historically dry," noted Guido, explaining that while Tucson typically experiences about 26 days of rain between October and April, we've had just seven so far at the airport.
Seven. Let that sink in while you watch your xeriscaped yard shrivel into dust.
"We're in a dry 20-25 year period anyway," Buckmaster observed, "And now this is putting an exclamation mark on the drought, isn't it?"
"It is," Guido confirmed, his words hanging in the parched air of the studio.
As if scorched earth and vanishing water weren't enough cause for alarm, Guido's interview took an even more troubling turn when he revealed how recent political shifts have gutted his international research projects. His USAID grant – a three-year project with 15 investigators and graduate students from the University of Arizona – was terminated.
The cruel irony? The project was designed to improve the efficiency of humanitarian aid distribution.
"The whole project was set up to improve the efficiency of where humanitarian assistance was going," Guido explained. "We were working in Kenya and Bangladesh to develop new ways of monitoring the impact, in part to help programmatic decision-making for where to best fund the most effective use of resources."
So let's get this straight – a project designed to make humanitarian aid more efficient was cut in the name of... efficiency? Make it make sense.
In a moment of profound perspective, Guido framed America's humanitarian contributions: "USAID's budget was 1%. And if you think about what you're calling on yourself to do, donate to causes, whether it's animal causes or food causes or whatever, I think 1% is not that much. And the money goes a long way."
One percent. That's what we've decided is too much to spend helping the world's most vulnerable populations cope with a climate crisis we largely created. What a shining example of American exceptionalism – exceptionally shortsighted, exceptionally cruel.
"It affects me personally in a bad way," Guido continued, "but it also affects a lot of people that I know and a lot of people that depend on the resources."
The climate scientist went on to express concern about broader attacks on research funding, noting ominous discussions about reducing government commitment to health sciences and the National Science Foundation by 30-50%.
"Where does the money come from for these public institutions?" Guido asked rhetorically. "If the National Science Foundation reduces its budget by 30%, 50%, which is some of the numbers that are being thrown out there, then a lot of programs will suffer."
While some research areas might be spared—"maybe it's not NASA, the optical sciences, some of the engineering"—Guido worried aloud about disciplines like anthropology and geography, fields that are "important for informing the ideas and how we think about things, but maybe can't generate an immediate return on investment."
Because heaven forbid we fund research that helps us understand human societies and our place on this planet if it doesn't immediately fatten someone's wallet.
The climate conversation concluded with a look at hurricane forecasts. AccuWeather predicted a slightly above-average Atlantic hurricane season for 2025, projecting 13-18 named storms and 10 hurricanes—more than the 30-year average of 14.5 named storms and 7 hurricanes. With warming oceans providing more energy to fuel these storms, we can only expect future hurricane seasons to become increasingly destructive.
Wildlife Woes: Poisoned Predators and Rabid Raccoon Relatives
Lt. General Jeffrey Buchanan (Ret.), Arizona Game and Fish Commissioner and volunteer deputy sheriff in Santa Cruz County, brought disturbing news of wildlife poisonings near the Pantana Wash between Houghton and Old Spanish Trail. Multiple species – coyotes, javelinas, domestic dogs, even a raven – have been discovered dead, likely from poison bait placed in the area.
"It appears that somebody's been putting out poison bait," Buchanan explained gravely. "And all kinds of different animals are eating that. And obviously that's both illegal and immoral."
Illegal and immoral indeed – though in an era when environmental protections are being gutted at every turn, it's worth asking whether our society truly values the sanctity of our wildlife at all.
Arizona Game and Fish is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. This sum seems paltry compared to the ecological damage being done, but it at least represents some commitment to accountability.
The General also warned hikers about rabid wildlife concerns, particularly after a recent incident involving a rabid coatimundi (a raccoon relative) attacking someone's vehicle and biting them on the leg. Buchanan shared a personal encounter with the same species from his youth in the 1970s, when a rabid coatimundi jumped on his friend's back and bit him, necessitating the full rabies treatment.
"Anytime you see an animal, especially a wild animal, behaving abnormally, losing fear, these kinds of things, it certainly could be rabid, and you want to exercise extreme caution," Buchanan advised, noting that while the disease is most common in carnivores like raccoons, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, or coatimundis, it can appear in other mammals as well.
In a fascinating segue that highlighted Arizona's rich biodiversity, Buchanan discussed ongoing research into Mearns quail (also known as Montezuma quail), a unique species found primarily in southeastern Arizona with small populations in New Mexico, Mexico, and West Texas. Unlike other quail species, these distinctive birds don't roost in trees, only on the ground, and eat tubers more than seeds – a reminder of the extraordinary diversity that makes our desert ecosystem so special and worth protecting.
National Security Concerns: Leaked Battle Plans and Chinese Drones
On matters of national security, Buchanan expressed serious concern about recent leaks of battle plans against Houthi forces, calling the sharing of classified information on unsecured systems "amateurish behavior" that potentially puts troops at risk.
"Obviously, when we want to safeguard what we are going to do, it's because we want to protect our troops and their ability to accomplish their mission," the retired three-star general explained. "What's particularly concerning about this is that this was based on a chat on an insecure line, and we know that our adversaries- particularly, the Russians and Chinese–can penetrate that and collect all that information."
Buchanan noted these adversaries could have shared such intelligence with Iran, the Houthis' sponsor, potentially endangering American military personnel. "We don't talk about classified operations on unclassified systems," he emphasized. "To do so is actually a crime."
The General also revealed a surprising technological vulnerability that should concern anyone who values privacy and national security – approximately 90% of commercial off-the-shelf drones purchased in the United States are manufactured in China, raising serious questions about data security.
"The question is, if you have an off-the-shelf drone and you fly it somewhere, can the Chinese get that information on the camera that they installed? And absolutely," Buchanan confirmed. "I think we need to be smart about where our things are made and who might have access to that information."
It's almost as if decades of outsourcing manufacturing to save a few pennies might have consequences beyond just lost American jobs. Who could have possibly predicted that?
The Scorched Earth of Our Priorities
As we confront record-breaking heat, potential record-breaking drought, and the chilling reality that major research projects designed to help the world's most vulnerable people have been defunded, we're left to ponder some uncomfortable truths about our national priorities.
If our humanitarian contributions were already at just 1% of our budget, what does it say about our values that even this modest amount was deemed excessive? In a world increasingly threatened by climate change, how can we justify cutting research aimed at helping those most affected by these changes?
Perhaps the most frightening drought we face isn't the lack of water in our soil, but the lack of compassion in our policies.
The painful truth is that while our planet burns with fever, we're responding by cutting funding to the very researchers trying to diagnose and treat the illness. While wildlife dies from intentional poisoning, we allocate modest resources to finding the perpetrators. And while we face unprecedented global challenges, we've decided that even the most minimal investment in helping others navigate these challenges is too much to bear.
A Call to Action: Hope In the Face of Heat
Despite the grim realities discussed on this week's Buckmaster Show, there remains reason for hope. Research continues at institutions like the University of Arizona, even as funding tightens. Organizations like Arizona Game and Fish work diligently to protect our wildlife, even with limited resources. And voices like Dr. Gaido and General Buchanan continue to speak truth about the challenges we face.
But hope without action is merely wishful thinking. Here's how you can get involved:
Contact your representatives about the importance of funding climate research and international humanitarian aid
Report suspicious activity related to wildlife poisoning to the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-352-0700
Conserve water in your daily practices to help mitigate our historic drought conditions
Support organizations working on climate resilience and wildlife protection in our community
Stay informed about climate and conservation issues by following experts like those featured on the Buckmaster Show
Remember that true resilience comes not just from adapting to our changing climate, but from maintaining our commitment to science, research, and helping those most vulnerable to these shifts. In these times of record heat and historic drought, our moral compass needn't run dry as well.
What do you think about the cuts to international research projects like Dr. Gaido's USAID-funded work? How are you adapting to increasingly extreme weather conditions in the Southwest? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Notable Quotes:
"It's historically dry. I mean, like I said, it's in play for the driest on record." - Dr. Zach Gaido on Arizona's current drought conditions
"USAID's budget was 1%. And if you think about what you're calling on yourself to do, donate to causes... I think 1% is not that much." - Dr. Gaido on humanitarian aid funding
"The whole project was set up to improve the efficiency of where humanitarian assistance was going." - Dr. Gaido on his terminated USAID project
"It appears that somebody's been putting out poison bait. All kinds of different animals eat that. And obviously that's both illegal and immoral." - Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan on wildlife poisonings
"If you have an off-the-shelf drone and fly it somewhere, can the Chinese get that information on the camera they installed? And absolutely." - Lt. Gen. Buchanan on drone security concerns
"We don't talk about classified operations on unclassified systems, and so I've got some real concerns." - Lt. Gen. Buchanan on leaked battle plans
People Mentioned:
Dr. Zach Gaido - Assistant Research Professor at the University of Arizona's Arizona Institute of Resilience (AIR); climate scientist whose USAID-funded research project in Kenya and Bangladesh was terminated; warned about record heat and drought conditions in Arizona
Quote: "We were working in Kenya and Bangladesh to develop new ways of monitoring the impact, in part to help programmatic decision-making for where to best fund the most effective use of resources."
Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan (Retired) - Three-star general who retired in 2019 after nearly 40 years in the Army; Arizona Game and Fish Commissioner; volunteer deputy sheriff in Santa Cruz County
Quote: "I had missed all three of my kids' senior years in high school, and I had my first. Each of my kids had had a grandchild by 2019, and I decided I wanted to be able to spend more time with grandkids than I had with my own kids."
Bill Buckmaster - Host of the Buckmaster Show, currently in its 15th year on radio
Quote: "We're in a dry 20-25 year period anyway. And now this is putting an exclamation mark on the drought, isn't it?"
Tom Fairbanks - Engineer and producer of the Buckmaster Show, mentioned briefly at the beginning of the program
Have a scoop or a story you want us to follow up on? Send us a message!
...and meanwhile our Denier-in-Chief...