April 2015
Dear Friends –
Spring has sprung! And you know what that means! It’s time to open Carr House for the season! Your board has been very busy behind the scenes this year, so we have a lot of information to share with you. Please mark your calendars and come spend some time with us up at Carr House. We’re looking forward to seeing you all this season!
We are again extremely fortunate to have Mike Foster as our Carr House host this year. Mike has lots of information to share with visitors and is a super asset to our organization!
Judy Phillips and Jane Chambers have come up with yet another wonderful lineup of programs for this season, the first of which will be Sunday, May 3, starting at 1:30 p.m. at Carr House (see below for a complete listing of programs and dates).
There have been a lot of changes at Carr House over the winter. In cooperation with the Cochise Water Project, we’ve installed a low-flow toilet in the front bathroom and will be putting in a water capture system which will be plumbed to use rain water to flush toilets. It is anticipated that this system will save approximately 80 gallons of water per month. We are delighted to partner with CWP on this project, at no cost to the Friends of the Huachuca Mountains, to serve as an example of the benefits of water conservation. Gutters will be installed around the house to direct rain water into the tank. Also, an energy efficient heating/cooling system has been installed in the large meeting room so our guests will be more comfortable during our programs and events.
Our US Forest Service Liaison, Peggy Wilson, along with her husband Kendal, will be relocating to Great Falls, Montana, to accept new positions at the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest. Peggy has been a great asset to our organization, and we will miss her. We wish her and her family all the best.
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CARR HOUSE OPENING DATE
The house will open for the season on Saturday, April 25, and for the first time will be open through the end of November. Open hours will be Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We encourage you to bring your family and friends up to spend a day hiking, bird watching, looking through the great exhibits in the house, and enjoying a picnic on the patio under the trees.
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WEBSITE Don’t forget to check our website, (www.huachucamountains.org) for the following: · Up-to-date information · Newsletters · Links to videos posted by Mike Foster all about our beautiful mountains · Important dates · Information on upcoming events |
Carr House Information Center Sunday Afternoon Programs
May 3 to October 18, 2015, 1:30 p.m.
May 3 Magnificent Night Skies: Bob Gent, past President of the Astronomical League. Bob will share photos illustrating the wonder of our night skies, and he will explain the importance of night sky preservation. Always an astronomer at heart, he also served as president of the International Dark-Sky Association with thousands of members in 70 countries dedicated to the protection of the nighttime environment.
May 17 Climate Reality: Dr. Elna Otter, scientist and chair of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club. This past year has been marked by accelerating and alarming changes in the world’s climate. Some changes have been surprising and counter-intuitive — such as the cold weather in the Midwest and East. Find out what’s up.
May 31 Integrated Pest Management in Community Environments: Shaku Nair, Ph.D. Assistant in Extension, Community IPM, University of Arizona – Maricopa Ag. Center. Integrated Pest Management or IPM, is not a single pest control technique that controls all pest problems. Dr. Nair will discuss applying IPM principles in desert community environments; and how IPM helps to create a better, safer and healthier environment in a cost-effective manner.
June 14 Hooray for Herps- Snakes, Lizards and more! : Tom Miscione, herpetologist, will help us learn not to fear these important members of the local eco-system. His many live specimens will let you get up close and personal with a diverse number of snakes and lizards. Always popular, be sure to come early!
June 28 Madams and Murders Outside the Gate: A look at some of the first settlers in our little corner of Cochise County. Ed Riggs, President of the Sierra Vista Historical Society, and museum volunteer doing historic research and public programs on local history. Farming and cattle were not the only economic endeavors taking place here. Dance halls, saloons and brothels were early efforts in service industries for some homesteaders.
July12 Journaling In Nature – A Family Oriented Activity: Jane Chambers, Environmental Educator. Join Jane on a short group nature walk. After observing the environment you will be guided in ways to express and record your observations of nature in various ways, some will sketch, draw, take photos, or write.
July 26 Dragons and Damsels of the Huachuca Mountains: Jeff Babson, leader of birding, butterfly, and dragonfly tours. The Huachuca Mountains have long been famous for their biological diversity. This presentation explores the diversity of dragonflies and damselflies, collectively known as odonates, focusing on the odonates of the Huachucas.
August 9 Hands-on Hydrology of the Huachuca Mountains: Judy Phillips, environmental educator. What is an aquifer? How does groundwater re-charge? These and other questions will be explained and answered in a family friendly series of activitites.
August 23 Native Grasses: Everything You Might Want to Know: Jim Koweek, native grass and re-seeding expert. Join this easily digested discussion, “no technical stuff”. Jim will cover identification, re-vegetation, and the role of invasive species. He will also reserve some time to answer your questions.
September 6 What Is That Plant? : Betsy Kunzer, botanist and local photographer. Come enjoy a short, basic introduction to the pleasure of naming some of our more common plants. Through slides and hands-on demonstrations, we will cover some of the reasons and methods of identifying the plants that catch your eye when out enjoying nature.
September 20 The Coronado Expedition of 1540-1542: Christopher Bentley, Park Ranger-Interpreter, Coronado National Memorial. This important event marked a clash of cultures in the Southwest. This presentation will focus on these themes of the exploration: Coronado’s exploration of Terra Incognita, modern archaeological exploration for Coronado-era artifacts, and historical exploration of expedition journals to find the precise route.
October 4 Sky Islands Ethnobotany: Vincent Pinto, Wildlife Biologist (B.S.), Naturalist and Ethnobotanist (M.A.). Vince will guide you in discovering some of the amazing and useful native plants of the Sky Islands region. Venturing into several habitat types, you’ll soon discover how to identify, collect, and use a wide variety of fascinating wild native plants.
October 18 Dia de los Muertos Celebration: Mike Foster, videographer and Carr House host. The Aztec/Catholic holiday, Day of the Dead, is celebrated in cemeteries just across the international border. Learn more about this holiday through traditional breads and beverages with accompanying videos and discussions.
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