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Adult Classes and Trips
Prickly Pear Harvest
August 21 .jpg) | August is the season that the beautiful red fruit of the prickly pear cactus ripens. Join us in harvesting this fruit, cleaning it, practicing three different ways of rendering juice from it, and learning how to make jelly. But, the fruit is only half of the edible goods! The tender green pads can also be eaten. There are oh-so-many prickly pear species! Find out about our local ones, as well as those from southern Mexico that have been bred for over a millennia to be spineless. We’ll show you how to select, clean, grill, and pickle the pads, as well as share other natural history bits surrounding the nopal. Prices and Registration Details |
Biodiversity and Animal Behavior of the Chiricahua Mountains: a Fall Field Camp
September 8 - 14  | The Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona include five recognized ecological life zones and contain some of the richest reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth. This workshop provides an introduction to the fauna and flora of the Chiricahuas, and includes several studies of the animals (insects, reptiles, and birds) that are adapted to the high desert and mountains. Understanding the behavior of diverse species helps us appreciate human evolution and increases our ability to preserve biological diversity through conservation. Our base is the Southwestern Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History. In addition to our own projects, we will have the opportunity to interact with other scientists, attend their seminars, and even accompany them into the field. Itinerary and Trip Details Prices and Registration Details – Dorm Rooms |
Natural History of the Sonoran Desert
October 18 and 19  | Would you like to be more knowledgeable about the animals, plants and landscape of our desert? This two-day survey course covers desert ecology, desert adaptations, climate, mammals, birds, reptiles, venomous animals, botany, geology and ethnobotany. We also touch on current threats to our desert such as invasive species, water and climate change issues, endangered species and recovery programs. With a variety of instructors and a Sunday morning botany hike we will pack a lot into one weekend! Prices and Registration Details |
Valle Guadalupe: Exploring Baja’s Hinterlands
October 26 – 31  | Valle de Guadalupe is set on a spectacular alluvial plain surrounded by olive orchards, beautiful vineyards and expansive ranch lands. The area has evolved into a wine and culinary mecca. On this tour we visit the best wineries and farm-to-table restaurants, and learn about the history of native cultures, as well as colonial ones, and their relationships with the land. Distinctively significant is the indigenous community of San Antonio Necua, connecting early Spanish and Russian settlers to the valley. Highlights include an afternoon at a tribal community, several wine tastings, over-the-top culinary experiences and Pacific ocean-front hotel accommodations. Itinerary and Trip Details Prices and Registration Details |
Rainwater Harvesting
November 15  | In the Australian Outback everyone does it. In the Sonoran Desert the rain in vain falls mainly down the drain. Did you realize that by harvesting water in a well-mulched basin, you can keep moisture in the soil for up to two months? That moisture can produce lush bird and lizard habitat, and keep your home cooler, reducing utility bills. On this tour you will learn how to redirect rainwater from problem areas and how to calculate the amount of water can be collected off of your roof. We will also cover greywater, storage, related ordinances and incentives, shading, windows, slopes and diversion pipes. Participants will see many strategies that can be applied to their own home and neighborhood. Prices and Registration Details |
Río Sonora Heritage Tour
December 3 – 7 .jpg) | This agrarian region is still very much as it was hundreds of years ago, with farmers and ranchers thriving in the fertile valley where we will immerse ourselves over four adventurous days visiting missions in the region, enjoying local cuisine and spending quality time with wonderful people that share gracious hospitality. Highlights include visits to the missions: Magdalena, Cucúrpe, Banámichi, Aconchi and Baviácora. We will also treated to a performance by a folklorico dance group, and to a lecture on the processing of the miraculous agave including a mezcal tasting! Itinerary and Trip Details Prices and Registration Details |
Rancho de la Osa
December 12 – 14 | | It rests in the desert grasslands along Arizona’s southern border with the dramatic backdrop of Baboquivari Peak always in view. On this tour, we visit the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, which has breeding programs for the endangered pronghorn and Masked Bobwhite Quail and offers birding for many species including Herons, Gray Hawks, Vermillion Fly Catchers, Loggerhead Shrikes and Golden Eagles. We will take in a lot of local history, learning about the Spanish Barb horses that descend from Fr. Kino’s herd, about the Mexican Revolution as it was played out here, and about old ghost towns and mining camps. We take a side trip to see the border town of Sasabe, sprinkle geology lessons in, have a morning free for optional activities such as hiking or horseback riding, and enjoy fabulous meals. Come nighttime, we are treated to cowboy poetry and a star-studded winter sky. Itinerary and Trip Details Prices and Registration Details | |
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