SCVN Thursday Elementary Program Naturalists — L-R: Debbie Bird, Pat Fox (New Trainee), David Dean, Bob Veranes, Phil Bentley, Maureen Hutter, Jerry Bird, David Engelsberg, Becky Duncan, Nancy Murphy, Jim Burton (New Trainee), Kenne Turner
— Image by kenne
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) begun their Fall Elementary School Field-trip program this week. A second grade teacher selected the “Web of Life” program for today’s field-trip.
— kenne
Before Image by kenne
This is a before snapshot of soft feather pappus grass in and area where Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN)would be removing invasive plants. Our focus would be to clear this area where we teach elementary children about nature, October through April.
After Image by kenne
This after image illustrates how effective invasive plants are at crowding out native plants.
Rattlesnake Image by kenne
Removing invasive plants requires a lot of caution, keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes. There is a western diamondback rattlesnake in this image, which is a good example of how well the blend into grass. The snake is coiled center-right in this image.
South View from Sunset Rock off of Sunset Trail on Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains (August 12, 2016)
— Images by kenne
Standing on Sunset Rock, Paul Kriegshauser, who has a cabin in the Mt. Lemmon community of Summerhaven,
shares some of his knowledge of Mt. Lemmon with Tom Skinner, Ricki Mensching (partially blocked by Tom),
Alice Bird and Phil Bentley.
— Frank Lloyd Wright
Bee on Common Mullein Blossoms — Image by kenne
— John Muir
(Click on any of the images to see larger view in a slideshow format.)
Hiking The Aspen and Marshall Gulch Loop (SCVN Friday Hike, July 15, 2016) — Images of hikers and guests by kenne
Forest View on Mt. Lemmon — Image by kenne
I was pleased to be one of five Sabino Canyon Volunteer Nationalists (SCVN) to take 12-17 year old youth, who are participating in Goodwill Industries GoodGuides mentoring program, hiking on Mt. Lemmon last week.
Funded by a two-year grant to Goodwill Industries International from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Goodwill GoodGuides program is run by 56 independent Goodwill agencies around the country.
The goal of the GoodGuides program is to help youth build career plans and skills, and prepare for school completion, post-secondary training, and productive work.
This is the second year SCVN has provided a guided hike on Mt. Lemmon for students in the GoodGuides program, most of which have never been hiking in the Santa Catalina mountains.
— kenne
— Richard Louv author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Image by kenne
Standing At Nature’s Alter
When we stand
at the altar of nature,
we stand with the greats;
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau,
and John Muir,
each having helped define
our relationship
with nature and language —
“every natural fact is a symbol
of some spiritual fact,
. . . words are signs of natural facts.”
Nature’s beauty becomes
a source of spiritual energy
connecting all things
into a universal whole
with the energy of our
thoughts and will.
We stand at nature’s alter as man
not separate from her,
seeing her in the flowers,
insects, animals, mountains,
creating a unified landscape
of our inward and outward senses.
Like all relationships,
the experience depends
on the degree of harmony
between man and nature,
therefore becoming a gift
granted while walking with nature
as she is embraced in our minds –
Enlighten, she shares her secrets,
making the universe more “transparent.”
Yet the gift may only offer a glimpse,
to be shared in images and words,
charming all living things.
kenne
(First posted August 30, 2011)
The SCVN Friday hikes on Mt. Lemmon began June 3rd. Part of the hike was on the Meadow trail, which goes through a pine thicket that includes some very large Douglas Firs. On May 4th a 100 feet tall Douglas Fir crashed across the Meadow trail.
Tree ring experts at the University of Arizona estimate the tree was over 300 years old. There had recently been strong winds on the mountain, but it’s still anyone guess that this towering tree toppled. This tree was still relatively young compared to the largest Douglas Fir on Mt. Lemmon, which dates back to the year 1320.
A temporary trail now goes around the fallen tree.
A Forest Service volunteer has begun cutting away large limbs and a large section of the trunk, which will allow hikers to follow the original trail.
Images and video by kenne
Fallen Douglas Fir On Mt. Lemmon Video
Spending a morning with Girl Scout Brownies in Sabino Canyon — Image by Scout Mom
— Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Naturalist, Joan Tedford
Annually, the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) gather to celebrate the completion of the year (June 1-May 30) by sharing comradeship, food, stories, awards and introduce the new SCVN board to the membership. This event is always special, this year even more by giving Joan Tedford (“List Lady”) a much deserved SCVN Emerita award. Joan was recognized by Naturalists Debbie Bird, Edi Moore, Heather Murphy and author Frank S. Rose. — kenne
(Images and Video by kenne)
A Gila Monster Outing in Sabino Canyon — Images by kenne
— kenne
Cooper’s Hawk Above Nest In Sabino Canyon (October 31, 2016) — Image by kenne
Wind gusts ruffle the hawks feathers while watching over the large nest
high in an ash tree in the Sabino Canyon riparian area above the Sabino Creek dam.
Since this area is near where the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN)
conduct their nature program for elementary school children,
many students will have a opportunity to see activity near the creek
adding to the excitement of being on a field trip in Sabino Canyon.
— kenne
“Things are Jumping in Sabino Canyon” (Canyon Tree Frog, March 23, 2016) — Image by kenne
Second Grade Student Searching for Creek Critters in Sabino Creek — Images by kenne
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) offer five different programs for elementary school children. One of the programs is called Creek Scene Investigation (CSI). In this program students learn about arthropods found in Sabino Creek. They learn about metamorphosis, the food chain and have an opportunity to collect insects out of the creek and investigate what they find.
kenne
― Richard Louv,
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Bee On a Lyreleaf Jewelflower (March 3, 2016 in Sabino Canyon) — Images by kenne
These vase-shaped buds have pedals giving a tassel effect to the top of each bud,
opening just enough for bees and other pollinators to get inside the bud. This desert
wildflower has a tall slender stem and was photographed near Sabino Creek
in Sabino Canyon.
kenne
― Maurice Maeterlinck, The Life of the Bee
