Special Events
Events
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Erosion Control in the Catalinas
Join us in the Santa Catalina Mountains for a weekend building erosion-control structures in areas burned by the 2020 Bighorn Fire. Together, we can protect springs from landslides and ensure the mountain absorbs even more rain and snowmelt, recharging the aquifer that plants, wildlife, and people like us depend on. Note: Carpooling from Tucson is available, and day-trippers are most welcome. We'll be camping at Whitetail Campground on Mt. Lemmon.
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Santa Cruz Watershed Days of Connection
Verdugo Park 902 S. Verdugo Ave., Tucson, ArizonaJoin us and our allies for this family-friendly event along the Santa Cruz River in Tucson. There will be food, music, and fun, as well as a chance to help clean up along the river.
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Coffee Break: A Floristic Tour of the Rincon Mountains
VirtualJoin us for our next virtual Coffee Break to learn more about the Rincon Mountains’ exceptionally rich and dynamic plant diversity. As with so many of our sky islands, the plants in the Rincons originate from distinct regional floras and overlap across wide elevation ranges and rugged terrain. Our speaker is SIA Botanist Dan Beckman, who just recently joined us after 12 years with Saguaro National Park.
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Volunteer Open House
Sky Island Alliance Office 3127 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, United StatesCelebrate the milestones of our hard-working volunteers, socialize with the Sky Island community, and learn about upcoming volunteer events!
This event will be held at the Sky Island Alliance office, with light refreshments provided. Please RSVP by March 19.
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Wildlife-Friendly Fencing in the Mule Mountains
Part 1: Over the course of two weekends, SIA will be completing a new wildlife-friendly fence around Abbot Spring to help it recover from overuse by cattle. This is a great chance to see a new corner of the Sky Islands, meet people and camp, and either learn a new skill or share your expertise with others.
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FotoFauna Two-Part Class in Tucson
Tucson Botanical Garden 2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson, ArizonaThis April 11 and May 2, Sky Island Alliance is hosting a two-part class at the Tucson Botanical Garden for folks interested in joining FotoFauna and learning how to set up a wildlife camera in their yard as part of our community science project. We’d love for you to join us!
Course fee: $60 ($48 for Tucson Botanical Garden members)
Optional fee: $100 for a camera kit -
Rattlesnakes Are Awesome Moms!
VirtualReady to explore the surprising world of rattlesnake families and learn how these remarkable reptiles care for and protect their young? Join us for our next virtual Coffee Break. Our guest speaker is Melissa Amarello, co-founder and executive director of Advocates for Snake Preservation. For her talk, she’ll draw on more than two decades of studying and living with reptiles to show us what snakes are really like through stories and videos.
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Springs Restoration in the Whetstones
Kartchner Caverns State Park 2980 AZ-90, Benson, AZ, United StatesJoin us for a day of removing invasive species at McGrew Spring in southern Arizona's beautiful Whetstone Mountains. Closed to the public, the spring is more than two miles from any other water source and is a favorite haunt of coatis, black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and birds.
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Wildlife-Friendly Fencing in the Mule Mountains
Part 2: Over the course of two weekends, SIA will be completing a new wildlife-friendly fence around Abbot Spring to help it recover from overuse by cattle. This is a great chance to see a new corner of the Sky Islands, meet people and camp, and either learn a new skill or share your expertise with others.
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Coffee Break: Himdam, the Remarkable Ocelot That Traversed 4 Sky Islands
VirtualJoin us for this virtual Coffee Break to learn more about the remarkable journey of a male ocelot across four mountain ranges in the Sky Islands of Arizona, the longest-known trek by a single member of the species. This ocelot covered at least 111 miles and crossed I-19, AZ-82, and AZ-83 (at least twice) as it moved among the Atascosa Highlands, Whetstone Mountains, Patagonia Mountains, and Santa Rita Mountains. One of the more fascinating aspects of this story is that the ocelot was detected in four separate ranges by four organizations, who then collaborated to tell the story. We'll be joined by several partners for the talk to discuss this intrepid cat and what's next for ocelot conservation.
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Aravaipa Canyon Vinca Removal
Aravaipa Canyon - East / The Nature Conservancy Guesthouse Klondyke, AZCome join us for a Memorial Day weekend in Aravaipa Canyon Preserve as we resume the fight against invasive vinca!
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Erosion Control in the Catalinas
Join us in the Santa Catalina Mountains for a weekend building erosion-control structures in areas burned by the 2020 Bighorn Fire. Together, we can protect springs from landslides and ensure the mountain absorbs even more rain and snowmelt, recharging the aquifer that plants, wildlife, and people like us depend on. Note: Carpooling from Tucson is available, and day-trippers are most welcome. We'll be camping at Spencer Campground on Mt. Lemmon.
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Leaping Lagomorphs: A Deep Dive on Rabbits and Hares of the Sky Islands
VirtualJoin us for this virtual Coffee Break with SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel, who will take us on a deep dive into the different cottontail and jackrabbit species that make their home in the Sky Islands and bring so much joy with their every hop and step. Together, we’ll learn how to identify each species in the field and on camera. Meagan will also share their life history and distribution across the region using data from our FotoFauna and Border Wildlife Study cameras.