Conservation – Sabino Springs Community

This page provides information about conservation, ecology, and Conservation and Land Management.

Sky Island Alliance YouTube Video discusses Saving our Saguaros: Managing Grassification of the Sonoran Desert.
At the 7 minute mark, Kim Franklin, Associate Director of Conservation, Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, talks about how a 20% saturation rate of bufflegrass keeps baby saguaros from germinating and growing.

Info

Invasive non-native plants from Southwest Vegetation Management Association (SWVMA)

Do Not Poison Pack Rats (and other rodents)

Screech Owl nesting boxes . Another way to mitigate rodents.

Speaker Series

Coming on Nov 13 at 4:00: Water Conservation and Harvesting

The presenters, Bob Bortner and Joan Hall are with the HOA task force of the Water Committee of Sustainable Tucson. Their mission is to provide HOA boards, landscape committees, and homeowners with accurate and practical information about water harvesting and water conservation, so that they can adapt these practices to their homes and common areas. Water harvesting is an ancient practice, and extremely useful in desert environments. It can save money, sustain native plantings, and beautify landscaping.

Mountain Lions: Apex Predators of the Santa Catalina Mountains, was presented by David Dean on October 30, 2024 in the Champion’s Room of the clubhouse. 42 people attended.

Mountain lions are found at all elevations in the Santa Catalina Mountains and as apex predators they play a key role in maintaining the ecological health of the range. How they play that role will be discussed as well as other aspects of their interesting biology.

Tucson Audubon’s Habitat at Home program was presented on February 19, 2024 in the Champion’s Room.

Your outdoor space isn’t just a yard; it’s part of your home. It can be home to the birds, reptiles and pollinators of the southwest as well. It is surprisingly easy to transform your own space, enhancing its beauty, and restoring bird and wildlife habitats. You can help make the urban landscape safe and welcoming for birds.

The Habitat at Home program helps community members transform their outdoor spaces, making them more welcoming to birds and other wildlife. Our concepts are based on the fundamentals of Reconciliation Ecology, helping everyone to nurture habitats in our urban spaces.

“Are Insects Disappearing?” was presented on December 5, 2023 in the Champion’s Room of the clubhouse. 24 people attended.

When was the last time you had to wash your windshield at least once a week? What happened to all the butterflies we used to see? Do you remember when the night air was filled with moths and the sounds of crickets? “Something’s happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.” (Buffalo Springfield). Alarming headlines proclaim the “insect Apocalypse” and many scientists and others announce the need for changes to avoid great peril. On the other hand, many studies report no change or uncertain conclusions. This program will review what is known and not known about the ”Insect Crisis” and the reasons why YOU should care and what you can do.

Kenneth J. Kingsley, Ph.D.,
Dr. Kingsley earned his Ph.D. in Entomology at the University of Arizona in 1985. His career has combined conservation biology and integrated pest management as a consultant for private industry and government agencies from local to national. He has had an adventurous career exploring wildlife and plants in a range of habitats from Hawaiian burial caves to mountain tops in Nevada. He has worked in 11 National Parks and 10 states, under water, in deserts, riparian woodlands, and in mountain talus fields. He has conducted surveys for organisms ranging from bacteria to bighorn sheep. His work has led him to the understanding that people have made a terrible mess of things, but that we can change and make the world safe for ourselves and most other living beings.

“The Owls and Raptors of Sabino Springs” was presented on October 24 in the Champion’s Room of the clubhouse. 45 people attended.

The presenter, Dan Weisz, is a native Tucsonan and a retired Public Education Administrator. In retirement he keeps busy as a photographer and a birder. Dan also volunteers with the renowned Raptor Free Flight program at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

Topics include:

the most common owls and raptors in our neighborhood
common urban myths about these birds
the harmful impact of rodenticides on our raptors
how to make a difference in the lives of our raptors

“Getting to the Roots of Some Saguaro Problems” was presented by William B Peachy on May 24th at the clubhouse. Saguaro curious SS neighbors learned about the challenges facing all saguaros, but especially what is happening in our neighborhood. When AZN was developed, regulations required that all saguaros remain on the property, consequently many of our green giants have been relocated. And, many are now facing the inevitable demise. Bill Peachy, well-known sag. researcher, told us ways to anticipate problems, and possibly ameliorate them. Please watch the video on the Recordings page to learn more.

The March event “Geology of Tucson-area Landforms” was on March 6 at 4:30 at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library Meeting Room. There were 30 attendees. The speaker was Larry Fellows who was previously the Geologist for the State of Arizona.

Synopsis of Presentation:
Tucsonans live among spectacular land forms and related features that are commonly taken for granted. Each landform/feature has a fascinating story to tell about its origin and development. The speaker will discuss, in non-technical terms, several of these features that deserve more understanding, appreciation and respect.

The February event “Stargazing” was cancelled due to weather.

“Desert landscaping” was held on January 12th, 2023 at 3:00 in the clubhouse. About 40 people attended.

The presenter, Hank Verbaise, has been a docent at Tohono Chul for about 8 years. He is also a certified master gardener with Pima County Cooperative Extension and has extensive experience with gardening in this part of the Sonoran desert. Flyers and bookmarks are available at the Conservation Info Center (outside of the office).

Some key points made relative to slides #45 “Hiring Help” and #53-58 “Plant Selection” are:

All landscaping must be approved by the ARC. ARC Submittal page.
When selecting your landscaping contractor, be sure to provide him with the Plant List
Even though there is a plant in a neighbor’s property does not necessarily mean it is approved. The original contractors of some homes planted prohibited plants – these are allowed to remain. When they die, they must be replaced with stay-in-place list approved plants.
The HOA treats noxious species in the Common Areas, Natural Open Space and Golf Course with a multi-year contract with a licensed weed treatment company. Homeowners should not alter in any way the areas outside of their property line, including treating invasive grasses, pruning of trees, removal of mistletoe, grading, or removing of dead wood.
Land Use page.

Pima Master Gardeners is a treasure-trove of information, and offers a home consultation program. Slide #64 has a list of other online resources. Rainwater harvesting.

“Arizona Butterflies” was presented on December 8th from 3:00-4:15 in the Arizona National Golf Club clubhouse. There were about 20 attendees.

Although many butterflies, highly specialized kinds of insects, live in southern Arizona, all follow a fascinating, four-part life cycle. The presenter, Larry Fellows, is a small-town Iowa boy introduced to nature and science at an early age, spending his entire professional career studying geology and providing information about geologic processes and materials and how they impact Earth, in general, and our lives, specifically. The recording (68 minutes including Q&A) can be watched on the Recordings page.
Butterflies found in Southern Arizona

“Conservation and Flood Control in Riparian Areas” was presented on April 5th starting at 3:00PM in the Champion’s Room of the clubhouse, and simulcast via Zoom. The presenter was Joe Cuffari, the CFM Hydrologist and Program Manager for Pima County Flood Control. There were 18 attendees and 4 via Zoom. The recording (62 minutes including Q&A) can be watched on the Recordings page.

The presentation “Being Water Wise” was on January 26th, 2022. Due to the COVID resurgence, it was Zoom-only. There were 18 attendees. The recording (56 minutes including Q&A) can be watched on the Recordings page.

The speaker, Candice Rupprecht, the Water Conservation Manager at Tucson Water, can be reached at pico@tucsonaz.gov.

One thing that stood out was the recommended water/drip schedule. During Jan and Feb, in our silty clay soil with 2 gph emitters, we should be running our systems just 2 times per month for 132 minutes for shrubs, 198 minutes for trees. Many of us water more frequently and with shorter duration, which discourages deep root growth and making trees susceptible to blow-over and drought.

The “Water by the Weather” and other brochures are available at the Conservation Info Center.

Wynne Brown, author of the book “The Forgotten Botanist”, presented on Dec 12 in the Champions Room of The Grill. She gave a 50 minute presentation with Q&A and was available afterward for book signing. There were 29 attendees and 4 via Zoom.

“The Forgotten Botanist” chronicles Sara Lemmon’s remarkable life, in which she and husband John Gill Lemmon found new plant species in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Mexico and traveled throughout the Southwest with such friends as John Muir and Clara Barton. Sara also found time to work as a journalist and as an activist in women’s suffrage and forest conservation.

Our popular Mt. Lemmon was christened in honor of Sara Lemmon by Emerson Stratton in 1881 because she was the first white woman to reach the summit.

The October presentation “Seeking Springs in the Sky Islands“, presented by Sarah Truebe of the Sky Islands Alliance, was on the 20th at 5:00. That presentation was recorded and can be viewed on the Recordings page. There were 9 in-person attendees and 12 on Zoom. Sarah can be contacted at struebe@skyislandalliance.org.

The June presentation was by Rural Metro on “FIREWISE” on the 16th at 4:00. That presentation was recorded and can be viewed on the Recordings page. There were 10 attendees and 18 on Zoom.

The May presentation was on the 19th on “Candid Critters of the Catalinas” by David Dean. That presentation was recorded and can be viewed on the Recordings page. There were 28 attendees and 22 on Zoom.
We learned a lot. Like, first thing I’m doing when I am confronted by a 300 pound angry mountain lion is … take my sunglasses off.

Brochures from David on “Living with Bears“, “Mt Lions in Sabino Canyon”, and “Keep Wildlife Wild” are available at the Conservation Info Center at the foyer into the office/wellness room and download below.

Our April presentation was on Monday, April 5th at 5:30 via Zoom. Cheryl Mollohan shared the “Bobcats In Tucson” research project. There were 68 attendees. That presentation was recorded and can be viewed on the Recordings page.

Our Feb event “Birds of Sabino Springs” was Feb 15 at 5:30, presented using Zoom by docent Barb Carolus and Stephan Spikes of the Tohono Chul Speaker’s Bureau. There were 63 attendees. The Speaker’s Bureau chose to not have it recorded.

Conservation Info Center

The Conservation Info Center has pamphlets, posters, and articles for you to pick up. It is outside the south entrance to the Community Office.

Conservation Handbook

The Conservation Handbook is intended to be a “quick start” for us, the residents of Sabino Springs, on topics related to stewardship of our properties and the Natural Open Space.

Bird and critter walks

The Nature Club sponsors bird walks regularly, led by local Audubon tour guides. To learn more about these and other activities by the Nature Club, contact Gordon Nuttall at gordonnu@gmail.com

Birds found in this area.

Hummingbirds found in Southern Arizona.

Here are some recent critter sightings, provided by members of the Nature Club.