Blog Archives

Arts and Ecology Workshop: Make a Musical Gourd

6/30/2018

Learn about native plants and the ecological value of coyote gourds, then create sound makers out of gourds guided by local Patagonia artist and musician Zach Farley of Home Grown Instruments! This workshop is FREE and open to the public.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 11 @ 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Cady hall at the Patagonia Library
WHO: Students, ages 9 - 17

This workshop is present by Borderlands Restoration Network with support from Patagonia Creative Arts Association and the Patagonia Regional Community Fund.

Nursery Monsoon Sale: July 7th

6/26/2018

Borderlands Restoration Nursery Monsoon Sale

July 7th, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
42 San Antonio Road - Patagonia, AZ

Get ready to do some planting before the rains arrive! Join us at the Borderlands Restoration Nursery on July 7th for our annual BR Nursery Monsoon Sale.

Use the button below to see the list of available plants.

Native Plant Nursery Availability LIst

BRN Announces 2018 Field School Faculty

6/26/2018

Use BRN is thrilled to release our final list of faculty for our 2018 Field School.  This summer we have an amazing line up of talented conservation professionals, scientists, activists, and artists scheduled to lead sessions with participants from July 16th - August 10th.

Glance through our catalog to see our curriculum breakdown and our list of presenters including local partners, experts, and internal BRN staff.

A few highlights to look for:
Participants will hear from Amy Juan, a writer and member of the Tohono O'odham Nation about indigenous history and present day issues.

Gary Nabhan, famed ethnobiologist and agroecologist, will lead several different sessions on community restoration and will lead us in a trip to learn about living fence rows in Sonora, Mexico.

Nelda Ruiz and Claudio Rodriguez, community organizers with Tierra y Libertad, will demonstrate their work to create sustainable communities in Tucson.

Author, Francisco Cantú, will lead a session on the culture surrounding the borderwall and its impacts on communities.

Participants will also visit Brad Lancaster's water harvesting site and Bean Tree Farm to harvest desert foods.

While registration is already closed for this year, we hope you find information and opportunities that interest you, share with your networks, and join us for the 2019 Field School!

Please contact Juliet Jivanti, Education Coordinator, or Kate Peake, Communications and Development Officer, for more information or use the button below to visit our Field School Webpage.

Information about the BRN Field School Program

Upcoming Workshop and Plant Sale

6/18/2018

Monsoon season is an ideal to plant native species in your home landscape with the available rain. Join us on Saturday July 7th for a workshop with the Borderlands Restoration horticulture staff and Bethany Brandt of Revitalist Botanicals where we will explore the environmental needs of different native medicinal plants offered by Borderlands Restoration and how to incorporate them into your own native medicinal herbal garden.

The workshop will be concurrent with the Monsoon 2018 Plant Sale at the BR Nursery and participants will be invited to purchase native plants to take home with them.

The total cost for the workshop is $80. For more information or to sign up please email: horticulture@borderlandsrestoration.org.

BECY 2018 Is in Full Swing

6/15/2018

0 Comments

First year Youth Leader, Jordan Sene, from the BECY Nogales group shared her reflections on the first weeks of work this June. They BECY Nogales group has spent their first two weeks building erosion control structures. Read below for Jordan's reflections and for more information on the types of erosion control structures she discusses.

Journal Entry
by Jordan Sene

Entering the program I had no expectations and I did not even really have a clue about the type of work we were hired to do. I had the idea that I would be doing manual labor in extreme Arizona heat all summer. However, BECY offers something greater than that.

During the first days at work I met my coworkers, community rules that everyone agreed on were established and I learned how to safely use our tools and equipment. We were trained on the the basis of the program: the three pillars of restoration which are watershed, ecosystem, and community.

I have become reconnected with the world around me and I recognize that one small change can make a big difference. Our entire ecosystem is closely connected and it is one great interweb of land, water, food chains, and animals. We as people are a part of this scheme as well, and our actions have significantly impacted our home.

Overgrazing and not taking care of our resources has caused the water supply to dwindle and erosion creates huge headcuts and massive channels on the sides of mountains. One rock dams, trincheras, zuni bowls are hand built to detain water so it can sink into the ground creating aquifers. Slowing down the water gives plant life an opportunity to grow which brings back pollinators and other animals because the food chain is reestablished. Working on rock structures has demonstrated to me the value of teamwork, especially appreciating each member’s perspective that they contribute to the team.

Be on the lookout for more blog posts from our BECY participants in Patagonia, Douglas, and Nogales as they help restore the landscape in the Arizona-Sonora Borderlands. Visit the BECY webpage for more information about the program.

For more information about the erosion control structures Jordan mentions in her journal entry, click on the PDF file below for diagrams and explanations about how they work. Visit our Watershed Restoration page for more information about the erosion control work we do at Borderlands Restoration Network.