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Pima County Master Naturalist Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue #16.  Spring 2022
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President's Update

Spring is here and the Pima County Master Naturalists are busy! With the greening and the blooming of the desert we are engaging in citizen science as observers for Nature’s Notebook, as bioblitz participants, as owl feeders, and as observers and recorders of plants and animals in many areas of the Sonoran Desert.  For anyone who would like to experience a great citizen science project, I’d like to invite you to join us for City Nature Challenge 2022 April 29th through May 2nd. Check out the details here. And then join me in giving Rebecca Lipson a big shout out for all of her work on the CNC for the second year in a row!


At the end of this month we will add new master naturalists to our chapter. We are excited to welcome PCMN Cohort 6 into our community; new ideas and new voices strengthen our organization and our community partners.

 

Pima County naturalists participate in many environmental endeavors. If you’d like to read some fun stories check out our short, information blogs—with pictures!

 

Wishing you all a safe, healthy and not too hot summer!

Jan Schwartz PCMN Cohort 4
President, Pima County Chapter
Arizona Master Naturalist Association

Tracks and scat: Cohort 6 field lab
On April 16, 2022 Cohort 6 had a special lab at Cienega Creekled by Master Naturalists Hank Harlowe, PhD, Michelle Kostuk, and supported by Master Naturalist Deb Petrich and Alex Wolfe, Environmental Program Specialist with PCNRPR. We had 8 students: Diane, Francesca, Chris, Trinity, Carly, John, Izetta, and Kim; and tracks and scat were the order of the morning. Hank and Michelle set up ahead of time and greeted the group at the side of the (dry) creek. Big shout out to Deb Petrich for pulling it all together, and to Alex Wolfe for their contribution.
You can read more about this on our PCMN Blog!
Read More

PCMN Wild Burro Advanced Training Trail Hike
On a mild and sunny morning, a small group of Pima County Chapter Master Naturalists met for an Advanced Training hike.  We explored the Wild Burro Trail in the Tortolita Mountains, which began near the Ritz Carlton at Dove Mountain in Marana.  Paul Stillman (C3) was our terrific guide, with Franklin Lane (C1) serving as an excellent tailgater.  The rest of the group included Deb Petrich (C1), Jean Boris (C2), Joan Calcagno (C2) and me, Kim Girard (C6).  After an informative intro from Paul and some shared hiking tips, we headed out.  The Wild Burro Trail began flat and sandy, and included several crossings of a dry wash.  We soon encountered the first of several petroglyphs on a large bolder lining the wash.   These petroglyphs are Hohokam, and dated to approximately 1100-1450.  We were privileged to view these historical records of early inhabitants of the area.  

Read about Pima County Master Naturalist Kim Girard’s exciting blogpost and how using Naturalist skills can lead to exciting projects!
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Volunteer Spotlight
“Volunteering with Jessica Paul, Master Naturalist and Community Gardens of Tucson Program Leader is a real life “Growth“ experience. Students, teachers and myself included are learning valuable skills
and life lessons as budding gardeners. When I signed up to volunteer I had little more than a basic knowledge of gardening. At home, a few flower beds, failures and successes with a few veggies, not sure what I might contribute but one thing I knew for sure, where there is a garden there is life!“

You can check out PCMN Kathleen McLin’s blogpost on her experience volunteering for the Community Gardens of Tucson!
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2022 Pima County City Nature Challenge
The Pima County Master Naturalists are hosting the 2022 City Nature Challenge in Pima County, Arizona. Be a part of this community science project by participating in this worldwide effort to document the amazing biodiversity of our region! This year we have 20 community partners that are celebrating Earth week and Community Science month as we build momentum to this year’s event. This year we have over 20 experiences hosted by these organizations as we prepare for the 2022 CNC!

Join the Pima County City Nature Challenge project to get updates and see the events being held in Pima County for the 2022 City Nature Challenge. Click the button below to learn more about the event!
City Nature Challenge 2022
It must be Spring… Vultures are back!

“Black and Turkey Vultures may strike fear into some individuals but to me they are unique, fascinating birds. Their scientific name Cathartes aura is Latin for “cleansing breeze”. Their bald head prevents carrion from sticking and rotting as they dig into carcasses. Strong internal enzymes destroy bacteria from the rotting meat they eat to keep them healthy. These birds do not have talons like Raptors. Their feet are more like that of a chicken. They use their strong well developed beaks to tear at hide and meat.”

You can read more of PCMN Kathe M’s blogpost via the link below!
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Express Yourself
 
 Photos taken by PCMN Kathleen Mclin. Kathleen is an amazing artist and photographer! Thank you for sharing your naturalist skills through a creative lens with our communications committee! These photos were taken at the Tucson Community gardens. You can see more photos like this in our blog post shared above!
 

TOP: Photo of a robber fly resting on some garden plant life.

BOTTOM LEFT: Photo of a spade foot toad.
 
BOTTOM RIGHT: Photo of community garden class with their tomato harvest.

 

PCMN Chapter Community Partner Events


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