Events and tours from outside organizations.
It’s peak week at the Tubac HawkWatch! Join HWI, the Tubac Nature Center, and Tucson Bird Alliance for a week celebrating spring migration. This is a family-friendly event with free activities in the park to coincide with the peak flight of the Common Black Hawk migration. You can expect to hawkwatch alongside experts daily, enjoy birding walks and lectures, shop birdy […]
Desert Purple Martins - Star Birds of the Arizona Monsoon with Jennie MacFarland The Desert Purple Martin (Progne subis hesperia) is a distinct subspecies that times its nesting to monsoon abundance and nests almost exclusively in saguaros or other large columnar cacti. Desert Purple Martins are extremely understudied with large gaps in knowledge about their nesting, […]
A presentation by Peg Abbott, owner and founder of Naturalist Journeys. If birding is your lifelong passion, or even just an enjoyable hobby, you know that it grows with a stairstep progression of acquired skills. Sometimes you level out in ability and get frustrated. Peg Abbott of Naturalist Journeys presents a skill session aimed to […]
This festival is meant to celebrate and sustain the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of agave through binational collaboration, storytelling, and community-rooted experiences. The Agave Heritage Festival brings together voices from the Sonoran Desert and beyond to honor agave’s legacy and ignite collective action for a more resilient future. Find a full list of festival […]
This festival is meant to celebrate and sustain the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of agave through binational collaboration, storytelling, and community-rooted experiences. The Agave Heritage Festival brings together voices from the Sonoran Desert and beyond to honor agave’s legacy and ignite collective action for a more resilient future. Find a full list of festival […]
The Howard Scott Gentry Award honors those who have advanced the understanding and care of agaves and desert plants, continuing the legacy of Gentry’s foundational research in the Sonoran Desert. In 2026, we recognize Wendy Hodgson is honored for her decades of leadership in agave and desert plant research and conservation, including field-based work documenting […]
This festival is meant to celebrate and sustain the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of agave through binational collaboration, storytelling, and community-rooted experiences. The Agave Heritage Festival brings together voices from the Sonoran Desert and beyond to honor agave’s legacy and ignite collective action for a more resilient future. Find a full list of festival […]
Field Notes: Resilient Desert and Food Systems brings together a mix of 2026 panel proposals and festival-curated adaptations, all centered on agave as a practical tool for regenerative agriculture in arid and semi-arid landscapes. Across the session, we look at how agave can support soil restoration, water-smart farming, and long-term resilience, grounded in ecological knowledge […]
This festival is meant to celebrate and sustain the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of agave through binational collaboration, storytelling, and community-rooted experiences. The Agave Heritage Festival brings together voices from the Sonoran Desert and beyond to honor agave’s legacy and ignite collective action for a more resilient future. Find a full list of festival […]
Heralded as the “Tree of Wonders”, the agave has been celebrated for centuries throughout Mexico and the American Southwest, and utilized to make over 40 products - from textiles to tequila. Uncover the adaptations that enable this native succulent to thrive in the hot and harsh Sonoran Desert, and discover how a prized ornamental holds […]
This festival is meant to celebrate and sustain the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of agave through binational collaboration, storytelling, and community-rooted experiences. The Agave Heritage Festival brings together voices from the Sonoran Desert and beyond to honor agave’s legacy and ignite collective action for a more resilient future. Find a full list of festival […]
Along the 850-mile Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico, climate change is reshaping ecosystems and communities across the Southwest. In fall 2025, Arizona Republic climate reporter and ecologist Joan Meiners spent seven weeks mountain biking the entire trail to document these changes and explore solutions with scientists, tribes, and local experts. Through vivid photos, video, […]