I took this image in September 2011 while on my first Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) nature walk. I was so appalled that someone cut off the top of this young (probably 35-40 years old) saguaro cactus.
Sadly, over the years, I have frequently seen this type of vandalism.
This Image, taken July 27, 2021, illustrates the resiliency of nature. — Image by kenne
Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.
I was originally scheduled to lead the SCVN Turkey Run Trail hike tomorrow. However, because of some nagging leg problems, I had to bow out. Instead, I did hike Turkey Run with two friends (Tom and John) last Friday. Usually, by this time of year, there are plenty of wildflowers, but not this year. The gallery contains cow parsnip, New Mexico Locust, and silverpuff.
SCVN Friday Hikes In The Santa Catalina Mountains To Resume This Summer — Image from 2017
The last Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist (SCVN) hike was March 2020. The National Forest Service has authorized the SCVN to begin Friday Hikes this June on Mt. Lemmon. The Forest Service will require all volunteers to wear masks at all times while volunteering. The groups will be smaller and maintain social distancing.
Ed Rawl Over Looking the San Pedro Valley — Image by kenne
IN REMEMBERANCE
Edgar (Ed) Rawl passed away on April 18, 2020, after suffering a stroke. A celebration of life memorial service for Ed is planned for Saturday, May 9, 2020 (a simple ceremony in the desert was his expressed desire). We will meet in the overflow parking lot of Sabino Canyon at 6:00 am to beat the heat and walk a short distance from there. Ed’s friends are invited, and you may share your memories of him if you wish to do so. We will try to maintain social distancing and encourage everyone to wear a mask or other face covering.
“He was a soft-spoken, kind man who was always positive despite chronic health problems. He was good with the kids and a great colleague. He will be missed very much.” — Jan Labiner
“. . . a beautiful remembrance and tribute to our good friend.” — Phil Bentley
“Ed was a special person. I always think of him when I discuss with children why they should not get closer to the edge of a cliff (such as the dam overlook) than they are tall. Ed taught me that. His vast experience as a Park Ranger gave him the knowledge that never ceased to amaze me. RIP, my friend.” — Bill Kaufman
“Oh, I am so very sad…what a loss…he was such a special..pleasant person.” — Becky Duncan
“Ed deserves this kind of tribute. Thank you!” — Dan Granger
“I remember so vividly our good friend Ed, our wonderful naturalist and hiker. It made me so sad to see our beautiful hike together….. and also glad ….. when I look at these mountains, I think Ed will be there somewhere!” — Alexa Von Bieberstein
“. . . a kind and gentle soul. Miss him greatly.” — Debbie and Jerry Bird
“. . . this special man who has been a treasure both for SCVN and all the people for whom he shared his love. I remember with special fondness the day Ed led us on our hike to Thimble Peak. I think of him and the rest of our small band every time I glimpse the peak.” — Tim Ralph
“Ed was an incredible, kind, calm, and positive person. I knew the kids were lucky when they had him for their trip. I will miss him and remember him. Coming into the canyon will always invoke his memory to me, and his spirit will exist there for me.” — Roberto Veranes
“He was a wonderful man.” — Linda Procter
“He was such a gentleman with a wonderful sense of humor. He rarely spoke of his medical challenges, which were progressive. Such an honorable man. He will be missed.” — Nancy Murphy
“Ed has a style with children that was gentle, but firm. His ability to balance these two paradoxical qualities is what made him an exceptional man to be around. He had health issues for some time, but for the longest time, he fought them off, so to keep hiking. He was a fighter. ‘Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.'” — Kenne Turner
“It is still difficult for me to process this, and I suspect friends and many Nats must be dealing with a terrible sense of loss and sadness. Ed was a second mentor to me when I began in Elementary Program on Thursdays. I still use his “Lizzie” device with the NYSI kit…haven’t found anything better. He was knowledgeable, patient, possessed a wonderful dry wit, and thought deeply about many things, such as international affairs, and the role of the US in them. His depth and breadth was astounding. He could be counted on to be there every week, and seldom made any mention of his health issues because, I think, he didn’t feel comfortable putting himself first.
It will be difficult to face a world without Ed in it.” — Jeff Hahn
One of the subjects we teach is geology, how the Santa Catalina Mountains were
formed, and the importance of water in the formation of Sabino Canyon. Twelve
million years ago, the Santa Catalina Mountains were just a range of hills, but the
earth’s crust in western North America was being stretched. What resulted were
huge blocks with steep vaults forming an up-and-down landscape called the
Basin and Range Province.
Naturalist, Kenne Turner with 3rd Grade Students (Sabino Canyon Dam Area) — Images by Teacher
Sabino Canyon is composed of a hard metamorphic rock called “Catalina gneiss.” Gneiss contains rock and five minerals; quartz, mica, feldspar, magnetite, and garnets. Over time water and earthquakes have eroded the gneiss rock carrying smaller rocks and minerals down streams like Sabino Creek. The minerals are deposited along the creek edges, which created a natural laboratory to learn about the minerals by panning for garnets. Need I say, kids love panning for garnets.
Students panning for garnets in Sabino Creek.
“For many Tucsonans, the canyon is an old friend. We are on a first-name basis. On a sunny weekend morning, we say, simply, “Let’s go to Sabino.
— from Sabino Canyon: The Life of a Southwestern Oasis by David Wentworth Lazaroff
There’s a narrow trail that you have to scramble up a few feet before heading down under twisted alligator junipers. The best way to experience these ancient hoodoos along the Catalina Highway is to attack them from the rear, sorta speak.
This SCVN Friday Hike was to have two parts; explore the hoodoos followed by a hike from the Gordon Hirabayashi Campgrounds to Molino Basin. The hoodoos segment was led by naturalist Edi Moore, who is s long-time member of the Monday Morning Milers (MMM). The MMM was the first hiking group I begin hiking with after moving to Tucson. It was with the MMM that I first had an opportunity to explore the Catalina Highway Hoodoos. Of the 20 hikers on this Friday, Edi and I were the only ones to which this experience was not new. The views in and around the hoodoos are something else.
— kenne
Images by kenne Click here to see more Catalina Highway Hoodoo photos.
Bear Canyon Trail In Sabino Canyon Recreational Area — Image by kenne
We spent this morning teaching 2nd-grade students how the Hohokam peoples of southern Arizona lived hundreds of years ago. The Hohokam left much evidence of their presence in Sabino Canyon, which was not only their home but also the source of food, clothing, and shelter materials. Over the years, the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) have developed activities, Back to the Past (BTTP), geared toward explaining the Hohokam and how they existed in the Sonoran Desert.
Today was such a beautiful fall day in Sabino Canyon, I had to share at least one image taken on our walk back to the Visitor Center.
— kenne
Could I but speak your tongue I would sing of pastel colored cliffs Where, under sapphire skies, The raincloud gently drifts. Of wondrous sunlit valleys wide, Timeless home of your clan — your tribe. Could I but speak your tongue I would sing a prayer that in future days You would ever honor your ancient ways, And that the Gods of health and peace In their boundless blessings, never cease, To be generous to these children here below, These children of the Desert.
— C. J. Colby, “Song to the Indian,” Arizona Highways, August 1973
Jim and B.J. Martin, May 7, 2018 , were honored by achieving Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist (SCVN) Emeritus Status.
— Image by kenne
I went to another funeral today, something I began doing at an early age while living with my grandparents. Old people’s friends die. Back then I didn’t always know the people and spent my time running around the graveyard across the road from the church with other children, in a small northeast Alabama rural town.
It’s different today being one of the old people whose friends are dying. When I became an SCVN member in 2011, Jim Martin had been an active member for 23 years, teaching elementary school children about nature and conservation, leading and participating in SCVN hikes, and serving a treasurer, VP, and President of SCVN. I first met Jim on one of the SCVN Friday Hikes. He was an 82-year-old active hiker, a quiet, pleasant guy to be around — always smiling!
Hummingbird On Nest Near Sabino Canyon Creek — Images by kenne (Click on any of the images to see a larger view.)
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) have found several hummingbird nests in the canyon riparian area. This one is a real architectural work of art.
Nearby this nest is an active Cooper’s Hawk’s nest, which provides an exciting and educational bird-nest contrast for the students in our elementary nature program.
Using twigs and leaves Spider webs shaping her nest Swelling as needed.
But, it’s the Bighorn Wildfire now having worked it’s way
into Pima Canyon and the Finger Rock area of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness (June 10, 2020).
The Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists lead hikes twice a year on the Pima Canyon Trail to a natural dam (6 miles round trip).
Ed Rawl Over Looking the San Pedro Valley — Image by kenne
“Learning About Nature” — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Naturalist, Kenne Turner with 3rd Grade Students (Sabino Canyon Dam Area) 
Students panning for garnets in Sabino Creek.
Bear Canyon Trail In Sabino Canyon Recreational Area — Image by kenne
Jim and B.J. Martin, May 7, 2018 , were honored by achieving Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist (SCVN) Emeritus Status.
