An Ecological Checkup for the Gulf of California

How does one do a checkup on a whole ecosystem? It takes a lot of doctors! Thirty-two, in the case of the latest Assessment of the Ecological Health of the Gulf of California, which finds that parts of the system are doing well, while others are hurting.

The Many Colors of Desert Museum Conservation

As our visitors quickly realize after spending a day at the Desert Museum, we are much more than a museum, or a zoo, or any one thing! Our diverse approach to education and conservation allows for a variety of ways for our community to engage in the work we do and deepen their understanding and…

Bees, Barcodes, and Biodiversity

Desert Museum Volunteers Build Barcode Reference Library of Native Bees By Kim Franklin Eight years ago I launched a small study of the native bee diversity in Las Mipiltas de Cottonwood, a small urban farm in Tucson, Arizona. With the help of a few intrepid volunteers, we began sampling bees every two weeks with pan…

Stinknet and Saguaros: Protecting the Future of the Sonoran Desert 

Article by Ben Parry-Lemon and Aya Pickett, Tucson Audubon Society . Thanks to the Tucson Audubon Society for sharing this article with our audience and for driving Tucson’s stinknet efforts forward. A new threat to the Sonoran Desert  What is that small yellow flowering plant? It is all over the roadsides and blooms along with the…

Community, Collaboration, and Conservation at the Desert Museum  

As we wrap up another year and orient toward a new season, we are happy to share major highlights and exciting developments from our diverse range of conservation projects here at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It’s been a year packed with community partnerships, collaborative conservation initiatives, and innovative research.   Invasive Species and Save Our Saguaros Month  ‘Tis the season … to Save…

The A Bee Cs of Arizona’s Native Bees

Conjure an image of bees in your mind. Do you imagine a fuzzy insect with black and yellow stripes, a honeycomb nest, maybe a queen bee? If so, you’re not alone. But did you know there are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide, and only a few that produce honey? Of the approximately 5,000 different…