SUMMER SALE GOING ON NOW! 10% OFF SIA ART IN WILDERNESS BOOKS!

Sky Island Alliance's Art in Wilderness books, among the hottest auction items at this year's banquet, are ON SALE NOW! Order your copy of Art in Wilderness today and get 10% off the regular price. Mention this edition of "Sky Island Rhythms" and you can own a copy of Art in Wilderness for $36 instead of $40. You can place your order online or call Moniqua Lane at (520) 624-7080x17. Offer only good until June 30, 2008.

Great Groups!

Save the Scenic Santa Ritas

Society for Ecological Restoration

Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society

Click here to read the
Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection's newsletter.

Tequila! (And Bacanora and Sotol)

With over 150 people turning out to sip tequila and laud the honorees, our Second Annual People and Places Award Banquet and Auction was a great success! Guests quaffed tequila, bacanora and sotol, and the general consensus seemed to be that the bacanora, with its smoky earthiness, was the most tasty and interesting liquor. After the tasting, dinner was served and the honorees were called up to the podium to receive their awards. Dave Parsons, Supervisor Ray Carroll, Carlos and Martha Robles, Summit Hut, and Sherry Barrett all received beautiful clay tile plaques, individually crafted to reflect the interests of the honoree. It was rewarding (no pun intended) to recognize that so many others also carry on valuable conservation work in the Sky Island region. After the dinner, the silent auction closed and the live auction began. Hotly contested items from both auctions included bacanora and sotol packages, weekend getaways to Sedona, Cave Creek and Madera Canyon, and a cooler stocked with a selection of microbrews.

The banquet was a fun start to our annual donor campaign and helped us put a dent in our $35,000 goal for this year. If you'd like to help us reach that goal, please donate now. If you have any questions about why we moved the campaign from the fall to the summer this year, or if you have any other questions about donating or joining, please contact Moniqua at (520) 624-7080x17.

You're being watched .... By the Department of Birdland Security. At least, if you're a bird, we had you in our sights over the last month or so .... This weekend, Sky Island Alliance will celebrate the success of its 2008 Tucson Audubon Society Birdathon team. New to the birdathon this year, the Sky Island Alliance Department of Birdland Security decided to spend its first birdathon in the Santa Rita Mountains. Board members Nancy Zierenberg and Rod Mondt, SIA conservation biologist Louise Misztal, Randy Serraglio, and Tom and Roseanne Higley spent a blustery April day searching high and low for hawks, songbirds, wrens, sparrows, hummingbirds and the many other birds found in the Sky Islands. During its outing, the team spotted 77 different species of birds and had a blast! Check out the team page and logo at http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/birdathon/bthonskyisland.htm.

______________________________________

Not a member? Know someone who isn't a member, but should be? You may have guessed from our explosion of new projects, programs and hires that Sky Island Alliance has big conservation plans. In order to achieve those plans, we need big membership growth. This year, SIA is aiming to grow by 500 new members because big membership numbers translates into big conservation results. Whether we need to influence key congresspeople on Wilderness designation or particular agency staff on transportation or newspaper editorial boards weighing in on a public debate, the more members we have, the more influence we have and the more we can get done. If you're not already supporting us with your membership, please think about doing so now. Joining only takes a moment and your dues go to support programs like Wilderness and Special Designations, Wildlife Linkages, Landscape Restoration and Northern Mexico Conservation Program. Your membership also includes a subscription to Restoring Connections, Sky Island's critically-acclaimed journal. If you're not sure whether you're a current member or would like to provide a gift membership for someone who isn't a member, contact development associate Moniqua Lane, and she'll be glad to assist you. Moniqua can be reached at moniqua@skyislandalliance.org or (520) 624-7080x17.

_____________________________________

UPDATED Landscape Restoration Program Field Schedule for 2008

Check it out! skyislandalliance.org/calendar.htm

For more information, contact Trevor at (520) 624-7080x14 or at trevor@skyislanalliance.org.

_____________________________________

We want to continue to reach out to those who share an interest in protecting our beautiful landscapes. Please tell friends and co-workers they can receive our monthly eNewsletter by signing up for it here.