What the River Knows: Stories of the Santa Cruz river aims to bring into the light folkways and practices that create the rich cultural landscape along this important, binational river. A project of the Southwest Folklife Alliance, it brings together award-winning photographers, videographers, and audio producers to document stories of severance and repair, including: the occupational folklife of wastewater treatment plant workers bringing treated water to the river, long-standing foodways traditions dependent on riparian areas; trash as artifact; the use of buffelgrass, invasive species, as a building material in new forms of adobe; cultural memories of the mesquite bosque along the river, and more. Come here about the project and view works in progress.

Funding for What the River knows is provided by Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, Southwestern Foundation for Education & Preservation, University of Arizona Southwest Center and the Mellon Foundation.