Nature Club at Canoa Ranch
Vicki Malueg
It has been a busy month for the Nature Club!
Our president, Ann Pittzotola has appointed a new treasurer, Dan Malueg, to fill in for Riley Jackson who sadly passed away in March. Riley was a long-time supporter of the nature club and he will be sorely missed.
Following our March meeting presentation on the historic Canoa ranch (which is near Green Valley), twenty-seven members of the SaddleBrooke nature club toured the Raúl M.Grijalva Canoa ranch conservation park on March 27. A very knowledgeable volunteer led the group through restored buildings and corrals and reviewed the history of the ranch from the time of the native Americans, to the period under Spain and up to the present. We also learned about the De Anza expedition in 1774 when a group of Spanish colonists led by Juan Bautista de Anza blazed a trail from Tubac to San Francisco. After the tour, the group enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Longhorn Grill & Saloon in Amado.
Our April program was a discussion of water resources in SaddleBrooke—where the water comes from and where it goes. The presenter was Tom Brothen, a SaddleBrooke resident and emeritus professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota who has long had an interest in water resources. Tom gave a wide-ranging talk on the geology of the area, a history of pre-SaddleBrooke water usage in the area, and water usage in SaddleBrooke today. SaddleBrooke sits on a bathtub type aquifer at the base of the Catalina Mountains with 10 wells tapping the aquifer. Much of this water goes to irrigation and our water system is designed to prevent flooding but not to retain water. Tom discussed how water shortages in Oro Valley could result in more water being taken from the SaddleBrooke aquifer. He also discussed some ways to retain water to preserve this precious resource. The program was attended by 67 people.
On April 23 we had a picnic for club members at Catalina State Park. Sixty-four people attended the lunch of chicken, sides, and cake on a beautiful day. Members of the club gave remarks remembering our treasurer Riley Jackson.
Our next program will be on May 11 at 3:30 p.m. in the DesertView theater. The topic is “Monsoons” presented by Sandy Reith.
For more information on the Nature Club, please check our website at saddlebrookenatureclub.org.