By: Jessie Dwyer Graduate Student, Arizona State University Last summer, the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy partnered with Dr. Jesse Lewis’ lab at Arizona State University to conduct a pilot research study on bats in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The goal of the study was to gain fundamental knowledge about bats by determining which Arizona bat species
Originally published in the Spring 2017 Edition of Mountain Lines By Dr. Helen Rowe, McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Parsons Field Institute Associate Director Over half of Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve’s 80-mile boundary is surrounded by urban development, making it easily accessible to incursion from nonnative plants. Recent surveys by the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Parsons Field Institute
The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and the School of Earth and Sustainability (SES) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) are partnering on a new conservation practice research program. In this program, students at SES work on projects with the Conservancy’s Parsons Field Institute through internships and group capstone projects to give students access to unique opportunities to
The Parsons Field Institute is a proud regional partner within the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance (CAZCA). Our team helped spearhead a regional open space conservation strategy, which was completed in 2018. Dr. Helen Rowe and Master Steward Dan Gruber serve on the CAZCA steering committee, whose main task is to foster the implementation of this strategy. Our collaborative
Dear Parsons Field Institute and Citizen Science Friends, We are excited to share with you our achievements from the 2019-2020 season. While our season ended differently than most of us expected, we've had many successes over the past year that we'd like to share. Below we share highlights from each of our citizen science project
Despite recent challenges caused by the global pandemic, the 2019–2020 season was filled with incredible successes. The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy’s Parsons Field Institute and Citizen Science Program achieved so much over the past year, from continuing ongoing projects to starting exciting new ones, from engaging volunteers to collaborating with new partners. We are thrilled to
Dear Citizen Science Community, Each year, the Parsons Field Institute hosts an end-of-season celebration to recognize our passionate, hard-working citizen scientists. This year is special. Our world is going through a health crisis. We've cancelled our in-person celebrations, but understand that our current precautions are aimed at the future well-being of us all. 2020 also
Over a quarter of species on the Red List of Threatened Species face a high risk of extinction—often due to human activity. That’s the most recent report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their Red List monitors a growing list of over 112,000 species. In response, a global call-to-action has been sounded
With less than a foot of rain annually and summer temperatures routinely exceeding 104 degrees, you might wonder how any plant or animal gets enough moisture to survive. And yet any visitor to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve can readily find evidence of a thriving ecosystem (over 2,000 flowering plants alone). So how does the Preserve
Dear Parsons Field Institute and Citizen Science Friends, Spring is our busiest time of year for field work. This year, we've faced plenty of challenges - both from rain and the global health crisis. BUT - Thanks to our hard-working and enthusiastic Stewards and partners, we developed ways to maintain social distancing and continue our
