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.
— kenne
Elementary School Class In Sabino Canyon (February, 2012) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Since March of 2020 Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) have not bee working with students on field trips
in the Tucson area. We are hoping to start offering nature classes again this fall. Meanwhile, SCVN has developed
a series of videos called The Canyon Classroom covering some of the “Fun Facts” covering the history, geology,
ecology, and wildlife of Sabino Canyon.
(Original image provided by the teacher.)
— kenne
Kids Love Rocks — Image by kenne
Touching each rock
with a magnet, she
learns which is magnetite.
— kenne
Two Visitors Waddle By (04-15-15) — Image by kenne
A Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist is teaching kids as two mallard ducks waddle by.
Nothing like being outdoors in nature’s classroom.
Fall Colors Along Sabino Creek Hiking to Hutch’s Pool — Panorama by kenne
One of my favorite hikes is to Hutch’s Pool. In the past, the Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN)
would guide a fall and spring hike, each hike having a many as 15 hikers.
However, like so many things, not this fall because of the pandemic.
The trail is open, but not for groups.
— kenne
— Paulo Coelho
Crossing Sabino Creek Below Hutch’s Pool — Image by kenne
Ed Rawl Over Looking the San Pedro Valley — Image by kenne
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.
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist (SCVN), Ed Rawl, died April 18, 2020. Ed loved everything about being out in nature and teaching his love of nature to children. He completed the SCVN training program in 2010, one year before I did. During my, training Ed was one of the naturalists I spent time observing. He was a factor in my choosing to teach on Thursdays in the elementary program.
Ed Rawl; Thursday Elementary School Program (3/3/16)
Ed taught on Thursdays from January 2010 to January 2019. He loved being with the kids and remained active in the program until a series of health issues began to take a toll on him.
Ed Rawl (January 10, 2019)
Ed was the Thursday Day Coordinator in December 2014 when Alexa Von Bieberstein, who had been an SCVN member since 2007, was returning to Germany.
When I was Vice President of Public Interpretation, I called on Ed several times to help guide groups of hikers.
Dan Granger and Ed Rawl with Members of the American Senior Housing Association (11/07/14)
Ed Rawl Guiding Some of the Appalachian Mountains Club Members to Hutch’s Pool (04/08/14)
SCVN Friday Hikes with Ann Nierenberg, Ed Rawl, Dan Granger and Tim Ralph (6/22/12)
Ed loved hiking in the Santa Catalina Mountains and was an active guide in the SCVN Friday Hikes.
Ed Rawl and Naturalist Jan Labiner Hiking to Seven Falls (10/17/2013)
When not doing the regular SCVN Friday hikes, he would hike with friends, or often alone.
Hiking to Thimble Peak — Naturalists Tim Ralph, Ed Rawl, Phil Bentley, and Alexa Von Bieberstein at the Gorden Hirabayashi Campground (11/07/13)
One of the most memorable experiences came in November of 2013 when Tim Ralph, Ed Rawl, Alexa Von Bieberstein, Phil Bentley, and myself hiked to Thimble Peak. On a windy and chilly morning, we began our hike out of the Gorden Hirabayashi Campground.
Tim Ralph, Ed Rawl, Alexa Von Bieberstein, and Phil Bentley (11/07/13)
SCVN President, Phil Bentley Teaching a Kindergarten Class In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
As Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN), we are not currently offering nature education programs to school children and the public because of the coronavirus. However, individually we are in the canyon, encouraging everyone to spend time outdoors.
This morning naturalist Nancy Wilkenson, who teaches in our kindergarten program, did this short virtual nature walk encouraging people to come out to the canyon. Nature is always open!
— kenne
Overlooking the Sabino Dam — Image by kenne
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area is a great place for children to be, but in this age of
coronavirus schools are closed meaning no field trips. Children and adult programs
offered by Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists are now canceled untiled next October.
Like all communities around the globe, we are dealing with a new normal.
— kenne
Sabino Canyon North of the Hohokam Ruins
The Clay Remains Of A Hohokam Adobe Structure
Larry Conyers Hiking Down To The Sabino Canyon Hohokam Ruins
The Fenster Boarding School In The Distance On The Right
Larry Conyers Exploring The Ruins Site
Pieces of Pottery Placed On Nearby Stones
Sabino Canyon Hohokam Ruin Video
Photos and Video by kenne
Related Site: Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
“Learning About Nature” — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists teaching children about nature in Sabino Canyon.
Students Panning For Garnets In Sabino Creek — Infrared Image by kenne
— kenne
Mallard Duck At Hutch’s Pool In The Santa Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
Hutch’s Pool is a small body of water that contains water year-round, located 8 miles for the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center. Most people hiking to Hutch’s Pool will take the tram up to stop 9, thereby reducing the 16-mile roundtrip by 7.5 miles. The Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) usually schedule a group hike twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring. The hike provides very nice views
of upper Sabino Canyon, images of which I have shared many times on this blog. This time I decided to share a photo of this male mallard duck few years back.
— kenne
A “Nurse Tree” In Sabino Canyon — Images by kenne
2020 is the Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA) as the year to honor nurses and midwives to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale who is considered the founder of modern nursing. Nurses and midwives are vital to providing health services to our communities. These people are devoting their lives to caring for mothers and children, giving lifesaving immunizations and health advice, looking after older people, and generally meeting everyday essential health needs. And they are often the first and only point of care, yet the world needs 9 million more nurses and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
The vital role of the nurse becomes a metaphor for those of us (Sabino Canyon Volunteer Nationalists) involved in teaching elementary school children about the importance and survival of saguaros in Sabino Canyon and the Sonoran Desert.
SCVN member, Debbie Bird, telling third graders about the “Nurse Tree.”
(She also got the attention of an elderly couple visiting Sabino Canyon.)
Often, for young saguaros to survive, they are located near another faster-growing tree that shelters the slower-growing plant by providing shade, shelter from the wind and sun, or protection from animals that may feed on the young plant. Such a plant is called a nurse tree. A metaphor easily understood by the children in conveying the important relationship between the tree and the saguaro. They get it!
— kenne
“Even though they’re dead, they are not gone — trees find a way to help each other out postmortem.”
— Allie Wisniewski, American Forests
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.
