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 coordinates with companies, government projects, developers and anyone else planning to clear property. The members go to the property and record, tag and remove all the cacti and succulents before the land is cleared.
The slide presentation was amazing, as we saw volunteers rappel down cliffs over highways to wrap fragile plants for transport. Armed with rug scraps, ropes and cloth slings, the volunteers dig up, wrap and load the cacti into vans and trailers. At their rescue facility the plants are replanted and nurtured until they are sold or donated to public projects.
While surveying the land the rescuers have come across pygmy owls and wild bird nests which are marked and left undisturbed until the birds have fledged. Desert tortoises, horn toads, Gila monsters and many kinds of snakes have also been rescued by these intrepid volunteers.
Come join us the second Monday of each month at HOA One as we explore the exciting desert around us.