Our mesquite workshops educate local participants to build skills, learn, connect and collaborate across different communities in Southern Arizona with a shared passion for mesquite and in turn to bring this knowledge to the community at large. These mesquite workshops draw members from near and far who participate in regional hands-on learning opportunities and are open to anyone who is curious to learn about mesquite.
Borderlands Restoration Network is committed to expanding and sharing the general knowledge about mesquite food uses and nutritional and societal benefits, valued-added products that can be made from mesquite, and championing the use of mesquite, exploring the role of mesquite in a restorative economy, and the importance of this iconic tree in our landscapes for habitat and wildlife. Workshops are led by regional and local experts in the field. Pod collection workshops are generally in the summer, while our mesquite milling workshops take place in the fall.
If you’d like to learn more about our mesquite workshops, please contact Juliet Jivanti, Educational Coordinator, jjivanti@borderlandsrestoration.org.
2022 WORKSHOPS
Mesquite Artisan Training for Climate-Resilient Management of Mesquite Savannas and Woodlands in Southern Arizona
This free climate-friendly mesquite artisan training series taught mesquite management and artisan skills that can enhance mesquite habitats in southern Arizona to reduce the impacts of wildfires, floods, drought, and heat waves in rangeland interfaces with rural communities.
The workshops provided participants with hands-on training and skill building teaching sustainable uses for mesquite ranging from practical knowledge to managing mesquite on your property, learning about fine woodworking, and using mesquite as a local food source.
"And yet, as global temperatures continue to rise, as groundwater levels plummet, and as rivers and reservoirs dry up, social conflicts and poverty will inevitably worsen in the US/Mexico borderlands. How do we move toward a cohesive, binational plan with tangible solutions to alleviate these problems? We feel that a concerted effort to better utilize the many arid adaptation of mesquite trees can leverage new solutions."- Gary Nabhan