Tag: SaddleBrooke Nature Club

The Gem Show is coming

Pam Boedeker SaddleBrooke Nature Club’s speaker for the December meeting was Gloria Quigg. Her topic for the evening was Insiders Guide for Beginners Attending the World Class Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. Gloria chairs the publicity for the gem show which is held at the Tucson Convention Center. She is knowledgeable about the show…

Nature Club meeting

Ginny Berkey Do you know what happened to all the cacti that once covered the bare lot where the next Fry’s will be? If you have attended the Nature Club’s November meeting you would know and you would be aware of the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society Rescue Program. This group of over 1100 members…

SaddleBrooke Nature Club

The October meeting of the SaddleBrooke Nature Club featured Dr. Randall S. Smith of the University of Arizona’s Tree Ring Lab. Dendrochronology, the study and dating of tree rings, is the newest of the sciences and the University of Arizona’s lab is the only one like it in the world. Imagine a complete archive of…

Nature Club field trip to OdySea Aquarium

Pam Boedeker Twenty-four members of the SaddleBrooke Nature Club traveled to Scottsdale to visit the OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland. What better place to be on a hot summer day in the desert than the cool water surroundings of an aquarium? The 200,000 square foot facility is an architectural wonder! It was built in a…

Turtles, tortoises and terrapin

Karen Skaff and Jim Cloer; photo by Ed Skaff

Pam Boedeker SaddleBrooke Nature Club was pleased to present our own beloved resident naturalist, Jim Cloer, for the last meeting of the season. Jim’s credentials would fill a page of this newspaper; however, on this particular evening it was his post-graduate work studying turtles that had our attention. There are some 300 species of turtles…

Interpreting the stars

Jim O’Connor interpreting the stars; photo by Dan Chase

Pam Boedeker SaddleBrooke Nature Club has found some of our greatest resources right here! Jim O’Connor is an outstanding example of someone who has found time in retirement to delve further into a special interest. Fortunately for us he is willing to share his wealth of information on astronomy and its relevance to Native Americans.…

Gemstones of Arizona

Nature Club door prize winner Jean Medema; photo by Ed Skaff

Pam Boedeker SaddleBrooke Nature Club discovered a gem right here in SaddleBrooke. Gloria Quigg’s knowledge and experience with gems and minerals extend far beyond her presentation last month on the History of Mining in the Southwest. This month Gloria returned to share her information on gemstones of the Southwest and some history of Indian Jewelry.…

The History of Mining in the Southwest

Door prize winners from left are Caraleen Ford and Jackie Hall with speaker, Gloria Quigg; Photo by Ed Skaff

Pam Boedeker SaddleBrooke Nature Club was fortunate to have a SaddleBrooke resident as our speaker for the March meeting. Gloria Quigg is a retired Computer Specialist from the FAA. She wanted to study gems and minerals in her retired life. That began with courses at the Gemological Institute of American in Carlsbad, California. Gloria joined…

Recycle 101

Pam Boedeker Jill Burris, Public Sector Representative for Waste Management, was the speaker at the February meeting of SaddleBrooke Nature Club. She is the third generation in her family to have an interest and career in waste management. Her grandfather and father both had careers involving the ever-evolving efforts to collect and process waste. Jill…

The Roadrunner

Doris Evans speaking at SaddleBrooke Nature Club; photo by Ed Skaff

Pam Boedeker SaddleBrooke Nature Club was just delighted to have Doris Evans return for the fifth time! Her informative and delightful presentation was about the Roadrunner. Doris observed a Roadrunner carrying nesting materials across her driveway. Being a nature educator, Doris followed him/her and eventually located the nest. It was perfectly placed so Doris could…