McDowell Sonoran Conservancy

Lecture – Hell in a Very Small Place: A Short Military History of Fort McDowell at Mustang Library
2024-07-23 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Hell in a Very Small Place: A Short Military History of Fort McDowell
This talk covers the military history of Camp (later Fort) McDowell from its inception in 1865 to its closing in 1890. Why was the post built on the Verde River at a location more than 50 miles from the nearest settlement? What was life like for the typical soldier and cavalryman? What important roles did officers’ wives play at such posts? How did the creation of the post influence the eventual settlement of the Salt River Valley by the United States? What was it like to undertake a patrol in the desert during the summer? How did local Native American groups react to the creation of the post?
Len Marcisz, noted historian and Legacy Steward with the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, is our speaker.

Lecture – The Urbanization of Phoenix, Arizona at Mustang Library
2024-08-27 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Lecture – The Urbanization of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona has grown from a small rural town to become America’s 5th largest city. Its roots from the late 1800s in agriculture, ranching, and mining launched its growth into a thriving metropolis today. Favorable climate, economic opportunity, and a strong industrial base contributed to this ongoing expansion. Now, population growth and urbanization are taxing the area’s resources, particularly water.
ASU Urban History professor, Mark Tebeau, will provide insight into how we got here and where we are headed.

Ride the Gooseneck and Discuss Preserve Fire Restoration
2024-09-21 08:30 - 11:30 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Lecture - Linking Plants, Pollinators and You (at Mustang Library)
2024-09-21 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Linking Plants, Pollinators and You
We will explore the dynamic and varied world of Sonoran Desert Pollinators who coexist with us in every season and landscape. These pollinators, while offering our desert great beauty, also serve an important role in keeping the Sonoran Desert healthy. We will discuss the birds and the bees and cover other desert pollinators including butterflies, beetles, flies, and bats. Importantly, you will learn what you can do to improve and sustain pollinator habitats at home with native plants and seeds.
Dr. John Weser is the Life Sciences Department Chair and Executive Director and cofounder of the Center for Native & Urban Wildlife at Scottsdale Community College (SCC). He received his Ph.D. in Biology from Arizona State University with an emphasis in Behavioral Ecology. Dr. Weser is involved in desert habitat restoration including enhancing pollinator habitats in natural and urban environments. He has partnered with the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy since 1999 in a range of programs including restoration and bird and butterfly monitoring. Dr. Weser is also involved with the Southwest Monarch Study monarch tagging project along with studying SCC’s desert burrowing owls and native solitary bees.

Lecture - A City Comes of Age: The Design, Construction and Significance of Scottsdale City Hall (at Mustang Library)
2024-09-24 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Lecture – A City Comes of Age: The Design, Construction and Significance of Scottsdale City Hall
This talk will outline the planning, construction, and significance of Scottsdale’s 1968 Bennie Gonzales-designed City Hall and the surrounding Scottsdale Civic Center. Scottsdale City Hall, an innovative departure from traditional halls of municipal governance, was listed on the Scottsdale Historic Register in 2023. Our speaker, John Southard, is the Senior Historian at Logan Simpson.

Trailside Naturalist - Animal Olympics: Bobcats vs Coyotes - Gateway Trailhead
2024-09-28 08:30 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Trailside Naturalist – Animal Olympics: Bobcats vs Coyotes – Gateway Trailhead
Learn how our medium sized predators, the bobcat and coyote, have evolved while coexisting in our Sonoran Desert. Looking at Bobcat and Coyotes skulls and skins, we will explain how they each evolved to become the Preserve’s medium size predators in the cat and dog family. You can take the smell, sight and hearing test to see which of these animals excel and how they accomplish this. We will reinforce why feeding wild animals leads to many problems for the animal and the human.
*Trailside Naturalist is a family-friendly educational offering on many Saturday mornings. The presentations feature hands-on materials and specimens and cover a variety of topics about the flora and fauna of the Preserve. The informal setting allows visitors to ask questions and learn interesting information about the amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Stop by anytime

Trailside Naturalist - Animal Olympics: Bobcats vs Coyotes - Brown's Ranch Trailhead
2024-10-05 08:30 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Trailside Naturalist – Animal Olympics: Bobcats vs Coyotes – Brown’s Ranch Trailhead
Learn how our medium sized predators, the bobcat and coyote, have evolved while coexisting in our Sonoran Desert. Looking at Bobcat and Coyotes skulls and skins, we will explain how they each evolved to become the Preserve’s medium size predators in the cat and dog family. You can take the smell, sight and hearing test to see which of these animals excel and how they accomplish this. We will reinforce why feeding wild animals leads to many problems for the animal and the human.
*Trailside Naturalist is a family-friendly educational offering on many Saturday mornings. The presentations feature hands-on materials and specimens and cover a variety of topics about the flora and fauna of the Preserve. The informal setting allows visitors to ask questions and learn interesting information about the amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Stop by anytime

CANCELED: Mountain Bike Skills Clinic
2024-10-05 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ
Canceled due to continuing high temperatures.
Learn techniques and refresh your skills with a short ride in the Northern Preserve.

Bird Walk at Quartz Trailhead
2024-10-08 08:00 - 10:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Trailside Naturalist - Butterfly Abundance, Richness and Diversity - Gateway Trailhead
2024-10-12 08:30 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Trailside Naturalist – Butterfly Abundance, Richness, and Diversity – Gateway Trailhead
Find out all about the many species of butterflies that live in the Preserve. The Sonoran Desert is a haven for butterflies like Pipevines, Sulphers and Skippers. The Sonoran Desert is home to over 250 species of butterflies and nearly 25% of these can be found in the Preserve. The Conservancy has documented 59 of these species in the Preserve during annual spring and fall butterfly counts. Butterflies are important pollinators and good indicators of the ecological quality of the desert in which we live. They are also beautiful bursts of color that miraculously metamorphize from egg to caterpillar to pupa to flying adult. Stop by and learn all about these spectacular winged insects and see mounted examples.
*Trailside Naturalist is a family-friendly educational offering on many Saturday mornings. The presentations feature hands-on materials and specimens and cover a variety of topics about the flora and fauna of the Preserve. The informal setting allows visitors to ask questions and learn interesting information about the amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Stop by anytime

Lecture - Igniting Hope: Community-Driven Wildfire Restoration in the Sonoran Desert (at Mustang Library)
2024-10-12 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Igniting Hope: Community-Driven Wildfire Restoration in the Sonoran Desert
Discover how the Parsons Field Institute and dedicated volunteers are spearheading restoration efforts, replanting saguaros, and engaging students in the aftermath of the Scottsdale Diamond Fire. You’ll learn about the changing dynamics of wildfires in the Sonoran Desert, how invasive plant species impact the ecosystem, and what you can do to support the preservation and restoration of our desert ecosystem.
Mary Fastiggi is the Parsons Field Institute Restoration Manager at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. She has an interdisciplinary background, with research experience in both natural science and social science focused on environmental resource management and protection. She has an M.S. degree from the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, where she focused on urban resilience strategies to mitigate climate change impacts and to address urban stressors at the city scale. Additionally, she received a B.A. degree from the Natural Science department at University of Michigan in 2013. She has 15 years of experience designing and implementing both citizen science and environmental education programs, including working with volunteers on habitat restoration projects, fauna monitoring, phenology observations, invasive species removal, and urban green infrastructure projects. She has published in peer-reviewed journal articles on invasive species, restoration, urban resilience governance, and sustainability practices. At the Conservancy, she manages restoration and invasive plant species projects and experiments, contributes to regional communication and community engagement, and works closely with our citizen science program leadership and volunteer teams to implement our projects.

Taliesin, Old Jeep, and Ringtail Hike
2024-10-14 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail Grand Opening
2024-10-18 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail Guided Hike
2024-10-19 07:00 - 10:30 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Ride Granite Mountain Loop
2024-10-19 08:30 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Lecture - The Stones of Taliesin West (at Mustang Library)
2024-10-22 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix) | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Lecture: The Stones of Taliesin West
Taliesin West, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter camp and studio in Scottsdale, is a 20th Century Architecture World Heritage Site. It is also home to many ancient petroglyphs on stone. Noted archaeologist Aaron Wright did a comprehensive study of these Native American images and observed how Wright had incorporated a number of stones containing petroglyphs into his original site plan while leaving several stones in their original locations.

Cultural Resources Educational Hike - Missions, Massacres & Plagues
2024-10-24 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Cultural Resources Educational Hike -Hunter/Gatherers
2024-10-26 08:00 - 10:30 (America/Phoenix) | Lost Dog Wash Trailhead, 12601 N. 124th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85259, United States

Stagecoach, West Express, Malpais Hike
2024-10-26 08:00 - 12:30 (America/Phoenix) | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Very Difficult hike of 10.4 miles over 4.5 hours with 190 feet elevation gain.

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic
2024-10-27 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Gateway to Windgate Pass Hike
2024-10-30 08:00 - 11:30 (America/Phoenix) | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Marcus Landslide Hike
2024-10-31 09:00 - 11:30 (America/Phoenix) | Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, 23015 N 128th St., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Trailside Naturalist - How to Survive in the Desert if You are a Plant - Gateway Trailhead
2024-11-02 08:30 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Trailside Naturalist – How to Survive in the Desert if you are a Plant – Gateway Trailhead
Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 8:30am to 11:00 am
Desert plants have adapted to our harsh desert environment. Learn how they do this by holding their breath during the day, reducing their surface areas and creating their own shade. We will show examples of parasitic and mutualistic relationships where plants steal from each other or help each other. You can learn more about these fascinating adaptations by joining us at the Trailhead, where we will point out some examples.
*Trailside Naturalist is a family-friendly educational offering on many Saturday mornings. The presentations feature hands-on materials and specimens and cover a variety of topics about the flora and fauna of the Preserve. The informal setting allows visitors to ask questions and learn interesting information about the amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Sign up not necessary, stop by anytime.

Boojada Adventure Walk
2024-11-02 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Phoenix) | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Bird Walk
2024-11-03 08:00 - 10:00 (America/Phoenix) | Granite Mountain Trailhead, 31402 N. 136th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Cultural Resources Educational Hike - Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail
2024-11-03 09:00 - 12:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Sonoran Sundays - Wings Unfurled: Let’s explore the world of butterflies
2024-11-03 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Gateway Trailhead, 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States

Desert Origins - Educational Hike
2024-11-05 08:00 - 10:30 UTC | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States

Return to Azatlan - Educational Hike
2024-11-07 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Phoenix) | AZ

Women's Hike
2024-11-08 08:00 - 10:00 UTC | Lost Dog Wash Trailhead, 12601 N. 124th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85259, United States
