Introduction to Mountain Biking: Session 3 - Graduation Ride
2026-03-21 08:30 - 12:00 (America/Phoenix) | Pima Dynamite Trailhead, 28777 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Introduction to Mountain Biking: Session 3 – Graduation Ride at Pima Dynamite Trailhead.
This 10 to 12-mile ride from Pima Dynamite is for people who have completed the Introduction to Mountain Biking Sessions 1 & 2. This is an instructional ride to practice the skills taught with instruction at various points on the ride.
A bike with wide knobby tires is required. Please, no road bikes, hybrids, or folding bikes. Please check the working order of your bike before you leave home. Helmets required. Bring water and snacks for the trail. Restrooms available at the trailhead. Arrive 15 minutes before start of ride.
No electric assist bikes. To inquire about an accommodation from the City of Scottsdale, please call 480-312-4444.
Space is limited! Please save your spot with the RSVP below.

Wildflowers and Flora of the Desert - Educational Walk
2026-03-21 09:00 - 11:00, 2026-03-26 09:00 - 11:00 | Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85262, United States
Flora in the Desert/Wildflowers Walk at Brown’s Ranch Trailhead.
The Preserve is located in one of the most biodiverse areas of the Sonoran Desert. Learn about the plant life that thrives in this area. Note: If you have the i-Naturalist application on your phone, it would be a helpful tool to identify different flora.
There are restrooms and water at the trailhead. Bring water and snacks for the trail. No dogs please. Plan to arrive 15 minutes before start of walk.
Space is limited! Please save your spot with the RSVP below.

Return to Azatlan - Educational Hike
2026-03-21 09:00 - 13:00 | AZ
Return to Azatlan – Educational Hike.
Azatlan is the contemporary archaeological name given to a large Hohokam community that existed north of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Reservation and east of Rio Verde. Join our archeological experts for a hike through one of the largest archeological sites in central Arizona, which lies right next door to the Preserve along the Verde River. The hike will include visits to the ancient ‘ball courts’ used by the native peoples, traces of their canals and other evidence of their civilization. This is a slow paced Moderate hike of 4 miles over about 4 hours with no shade.
Attendance is limited and reservations are absolutely required. Please save your spot with the RSVP below. Meeting location will be emailed to registered participants a week before the hike.
Bathrooms available at the start. Bring water and snacks for the trail. No dogs please. Arrive 15 minutes before start of hike.

Lecture - Master Planned Developments in Scottsdale
2026-03-24 17:00 - 18:30 | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Master Planned Developments in Scottsdale
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: Mustang Library, 10101 N 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
A large portion of Scottsdale residents live in master planned developments. Most of the later development in Scottsdale was contained in such developments, but few know that some of the earliest pioneers who helped create Scottsdale had similar visions to create grand developments but never achieved their dreams. This presentation by Don Hadder profiles over 30 such developments in Scottsdale and reviews their evolution over 40 years of time.
RSVP below to let us know you are coming!

Lecture - From Rocks to Humans: Ecological Foundations
2026-04-11 14:30 - 16:00 | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
From Rocks to Humans: Ecological Foundations
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Location: Mustang Library, 10101 N 90 th St., Scottsdale, AZ 85258
We live in a stunning part of the Sonoran Desert, a unique and vibrant ecosystem. Despite high temperatures and limited rainfall, myriad species of plants and animals call this place home.
People, too, have lived here for thousands of years. Have you ever wondered how this ecosystem came to be, and how all the flora and fauna have adapted to live and thrive here?
And why organizations like the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy are working to protect vast portions from human impacts?
We’ll dive into the processes that shaped this desert landscape—how ecosystems are formed, how living things adapt to environmental challenges, and how humans have left such a deep
mark on the land in a short amount of time. We’ll introduce you to the core principles of ecology, from the rocks beneath our feet to the humans who now inhabit this landscape
RSVP below to let us know you are coming!

Bird Walk
2026-04-12 07:30 - 09:30 | Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, 23015 N 128th St., Scottsdale, AZ, 85255, United States
Bird Walk at Tom’s Thumb Trailhead.
Join our bird experts on this 2-hour walk for a good chance to see some of our year-round bird residents such as: cactus wren, Gila woodpecker, ladder-backed woodpecker, Harris’s hawk, verdin or Say’s phoebe – as well as some seasonal arrivals.
Restrooms available at the trailhead, but no water. Bring water and snacks for the trail. No dogs please. Bring your binoculars. Arrive 15 minutes before start of walk.
Space is limited! Please save your spot with the RSVP below.

Lecture - The Desert is a Dotted Line: Connecting Taliesin West and Early Scottsdale
2026-04-28 17:00 - 18:30 | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
The Desert is a Dotted Line: Connecting Taliesin West and Early Scottsdale
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: Mustang Library, 10101 N 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Beginning in 1938, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his apprentices built a winter camp (a home and professional studio) at the foot of the McDowell Mountains. In this presentation, we’ll explore how vital the surrounding area, especially the young City of Scottsdale, was to the development and subsistence of Taliesin West. Untold stories will be shared through primary source material.
Please join Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archivist Nicole Richard on April 28th for this presentation at Scottsdale’s Mustang Library
RSVP below to let us know you are coming!
Photo Credit: Aerial view of Taliesin West, November 24, 1949. Photograph courtesy Herb and Dorothy McLaughlin Photograph Collection, Greater Arizona Collection, Arizona State University Library.

Lecture - Poisonous and Venomous Animals of Arizona
2026-05-09 14:30 - 16:00 | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Poisonous and Venomous Animals of Arizona
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Mustang Library, 10101 N 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Arizona is home to a diverse array of poisonous and venomous creatures. More species of venomous reptiles are found here than in any other U.S. state. Many of these are little more than a painful inconvenience while the bite or sting of others can be a life-threatening event. Learn about these misunderstood animals and the actual threat they present.
Randy Babb is a biologist and an Arizona native. Randy started with the U.S. Forest Service as a biological field technician before joining AZGFD in 1986 as the Aquatic Education Program
Manager. He worked on numerous studies and projects in Arizona, New Mexico, southeastern U.S., Mexico, Central America, Vietnam, and southern Africa on small mammals, fish, reptiles
and amphibians. He was installed in the Arizona Wildlife Hall of Fame in 2021. Has over 31 publications including “Reptiles and Amphibians of the Sonoran Desert” and “Snakes of
Southeast Arizona.” Since retiring from Game and Fish, Randy hasn’t slowed down. Throughout his career, he served as a biological consultant for National Geographic Television, Discovery
Channel, and BBC programs on desert wildlife.
RSVP below to let us know you are coming!

Lecture - Scottsdale’s Lost and Saved Architecture
2026-05-26 17:00 - 18:30 | Scottsdale Public Library – Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260, United States
Lecture: Scottsdale’s Lost and Saved Architecture
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: Mustang Library, 10101 N 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Presenter: Doug Sydnor, FAIA, Architect
Since 1888 Scottsdale has been evolving from a small farming community into a 21st century city of 240,000 residents. Douglas Sydnor, FAIA will share some realities of what our community has been losing, balanced with success stories of saving significant architecture. The movement to save the best of the past includes historic preservation programs, adaptive reuse, ordinance incentives and committed property owners. Some properties have included up to six uses over the 130 years.
RSVP below to let us know you are coming!
Photo Credit – Lost: 1949 Louis C. Upton Residence by Paul Schweikler, FAIA; photo by Julius Shulman
