Tucson Conservation Center

Become Part of our Friendly Reception Team
Come join our team of reception volunteers. Share your great people skills by helping us receive visitors and greet our phone callers. We have openings for weekly volunteers and for occasional substitutes. The volunteers in this area work either mornings from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. or afternoons from 1 -5 p.m. You’ll meet, and be greatly appreciated by, our friendly staff. To learn more about this opportunity and about The Nature Conservancy please contact Dorothy Boone at dboone@tnc.org or 520-547-3437.

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Buffelgrass Removal Work Day
Saturday, November 7, 2009
7 a.m. - noon

Annual Grassland Monitoring on Las Cienegas
The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, and Cienega Watershed Partnership are pleased to invite volunteers to help with our annual upland monitoring on the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area southeast of Tucson. Our native grasslands are one of the significant resources on Las Cienegas NCA, and we are monitoring to keep track of current conditions and trends of these important resources.  
 
When:
Monday-Friday, October 5-9
Thursday, October 15 (if needed)
 
Note: you can come for just one day or several, but must sign up before you come.
 
Experience with grass identification is a big plus, but assisting with data recording and tape layout does not require any formal skills. These will be long field days involving mostly standing or walking for up to 6-8 hours.

What to Bring:
Hat, sunscreen, plenty of water and a lunch. Sturdy walking shoes or preferably boots as it is still snake season. Long pants and shirt recommended. You might also want your camera, binoculars, etc. as we go to some beautiful locations.

Where:
The meeting point for this work is Empire Ranch Headquarters, located approximately one hour southeast of Tucson. From I-10 East, Exit 281, to Sonoita, Hwy 83. Head south on Hwy 83 to the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area entrance. We will have two carpool meetings locations. Transportation will be provided:

• 6:45 a.m. - Central Tucson at The Nature Conservancy 1510 E. Ft. Lowell Road Tucson, AZ 85719
• 7:30 a.m. - East Tucson at the informal park and ride on Houghton Road just north of I-10.

For those going directly to the site, we will meet at Empire Ranch Headquarters at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area between 8:00-8:15 a.m.

Directions to Empire Ranch Headquarters from I-10 East:
Exit 281, to Sonoita, Hwy 83. Head south on Hwy 83 to the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area entrance, which is just after mile marker 40, about 19 miles south of the I-10 exit. The entrance is to the left (east) and is a graded dirt road. Look for the Highway sign for Historic Empire Ranch which directs you to the entrance road. Follow entrance road (LC900) for about 3 miles to the Empire Ranch Headquarters. These are 1st buildings you see to your left. Park in large parking area near public restrooms.

Registration:
To sign up to volunteer or for more information including detailed time and place instructions, please contact Dorothy Boone at The Nature  Conservancy, 520-547-3437, dboone@tnc.org. You must sign up before you come.

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Bear Canyon Wash Giant Cane (Arundo donax) Removal
Come join like-minded volunteers to help combat giant reed (Arundo donax) in Bear Canyon Wash for the bi-annual Bear Canyon Wash Arundo pull sponsored by Pima County Regional Flood Control District, The Nature Conservancy and SAHRA. 

The event will take place on Saturday, October 24 from 7 to 11 a.m. Volunteers are needed to cut/bundle cane and dig/bag rhizomes on The Nature Conservancy and private property within Bear Canyon Wash. Since parking near the work site is limited, carpooling is recommended. 

Volunteers will meet at the shopping center located on the NE corner of Tanque Verde and Bear Canyon Roads at 7 a.m. To reach the designated parking spot, take the second entrance (right) into the shopping area off of Bear Canyon Road and turn immediately left (see map). Parking spaces are available for volunteers to leave vehicles and carpool to the work site. 

The work will be moderate to difficult with tools and gloves provided. Please bring water and snacks and wear sturdy shoes, hat, long-sleeved shirt, and pants.  Water will also be provided. The plan is to begin work shortly after 7 a.m. and work until 11 a.m.  Attached is a map of the work site. 

Please RSVP to Marisa Rice no later than October 19. Marisa Rice, CFM, Senior Hydrologist, RFCD, Water Resources Division, 97 E. Congress, 2nd Floor,Tucson, AZ  85701,phone 520-243-1800, fax 520-243-1821 or Dorothy Boone at dboone@tnc.org, 520-547-3437.

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Annual San Rafael Grassland Monitoring
Volunteer help is needed for the annual ecological monitoring of the conservation easement at San Antonio Ranch on Monday, October 19. The ranch is in the San Rafael Valley south of Patagonia and is approximately 1 1/2 hrs from Tucson. The group will meet at The Nature Conservancy parking lot at 6:30 a.m. and will return around 7 p.m. The work will entail a little walking, but not more than a few hundred yards, mostly level, and involves measuring ground cover of grasses, recording data, and generally enjoying being outdoors.
 
Experience with grass identification is a big plus, but assisting with data recording and tape layout does not require any formal skills. This will be a long field day involving mostly standing or walking for up to 6-8 hours.

What to Bring: 
Hat, sunscreen, plenty of water, Sturdy walking shoes or boots. Long pants and shirt recommended. You might also want your camera, binoculars, etc as we go to some beautiful locations. Lunch will be provided by the ranch. Peter Warren, Protection Field Representative, will lead the work and reports that "the San Antonio Ranch is a beautiful place and they serve the staff and volunteers a really good lunch."
 
To sign up to volunteer or for more information including detailed time and place instructions, please contact Dorothy Boone at The Nature  Conservancy, 520-547-3437, dboone@tnc.org. 

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Join the Green Group
The Nature Conservancy in Arizona is setting up a committee of volunteers to help the organization reduce the ecological impact.  The committee will develop procedures for surveying current practices and inform staff of better office procedures in Tucson and in the other locations around the state, will promote green commute practices, will develop a data base of other sustainable projects and groups within our communities, will work to establish and maintain a library of sustainable living information, etc. If you have an interest please contact Dorothy Boone, Volunteer Coordinator, (520) 547-3437 or e-mail dboone@tnc.org.

Start Your Adventure Now
Download a volunteer application (.pdf, 209 kb) and return it to the address below. (Get the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Volunteer
The Nature Conservancy in Arizona
1510 E. Ft. Lowell Road
Tucson, AZ 85719