The Story of Rancho la Inmaculada We’ve got buffelgrass top of mind during Save Our Saguaros Month! We would normally be gathering large groups of volunteers to help beat back this invasive grass. This year we are taking a different approach in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re asking our community to participate…
Tag: Conservation
A Fiery Future: Learning From the Bighorn Fire
The Bighorn Fire gave Tucson and other Arizona communities a glimpse of a fiery future, a future that has already become the norm in communities across the West.
INVASION! An Interview with Conservation Artist Rachel Ivanyi
See “INVASION!” by Rachel Ivanyi at the Baldwin Gallery at the Desert Museum through March 7, 2021, or tour the gallery virtually. In this show, Ivanyi explores the multi-dimensional forms and manifestations of invasion, from invasive thoughts to invasive species. While invasion is often presented as a negative, Ivanyi complicates how we perceive and talk…
Our Spectacular Sonoran Sea
Seven Things to Know About Our Desert Ocean Sometimes called “The World Aquarium,” The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, divides the Sonoran Desert into two halves with the Baja peninsula to the west and Arizona and Mexico to the east, and is an often overlooked component of the Desert ecosystem….
2020 in Hindsight
2020 still looms large, and though we are looking forward to what 2021 will bring, we must acknowledge that the pandemic continues, too many individuals and families are still struggling to meet their basic needs, and businesses and organizations the world over have suffered severe and unprecedented financial loss. Thanks to the generous support of…
Junior Docents become Earth Camp Conservation Stewards
By Catherine Bartlett and Amy Orchard New challenges brought new opportunities for a cohort of teen volunteers at the Desert Museum. Due to COVID-19, in the spring of 2020 the Museum made the safe decision to pause all volunteer work which included having Junior Docents on grounds. The decision felt heartbreaking until the Education Team…
New Challenges and New Hope for the Sonoyta Mud Turtle
After being granted critical habitat protection earlier in 2020, the Sonoyta mud turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale) faces a new threat: critically low water flow at the Quitobaquito Spring’s source and continuing drought and regional groundwater pumping. In the midst of growing geopolitical and ecological challenges in the borderlands, ten healthy Sonoyta mud turtles hatched at…
We’re Batty for Bats!
Na na na na na na na na na na … bats! A full moon rises over the saguaro cacti and rocky desert mountains on another day in the Sonoran Desert. But this day is special, because it is also October 31st, and the last day of International Bat Week! Celebrate with us by learning…
Buffelgrass: Why You Should Care
Buffelgrass. It’s a dry topic, literally. Buffelgrass is typically bone-dry nine months of the year, greening up only during the monsoon season. And when this drought-hardy bunchgrass is dry, it poses a serious fire risk. That’s why Pima County was awarded a $3.4 million dollar matching grant from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) to…
Desert Diaries 