The National Park Service (NPS) and Sky Island Alliance are working to develop pollinator gardens at Tumacácori National Historic Park. To accomplish this, they need to better understand which species of insect pollinators currently occur in the park. SEABA and other insect pollinator experts, including persons from the University of Arizona, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Alianza Mariposa Monarcha, have been invited to help survey and document park pollinators in this dawn to after dark event. The NPS is also recruiting the participation of other pollinator specialists (bats, hummingbirds, bees, etc.) for this blitz.
Come help us ferret out the butterflies in the park's environs, which include a pollinator garden, an orchard, lawn areas, fields, and a segment of the flowing Santa Cruz River riparian corridor. The terrain to be surveyed is on mostly level ground on dirt and concrete paths throughout the park, with a few brushy areas. At this time, the National Park Service is interested in species present, rather than numbers of individuals, so this will be more like a field trip than a butterfly count.
Tumacácori National Historical Park is located at 1895 East Frontage Road, Tumacácori, AZ. The Park is located off of Exit 29, Interstate 19, forty-five miles south of Tucson.
SPECIAL INFORMATION:
1. Tumacácori National Historic Park will waive park entrance fees for participants.
2. You must register to participate in this event with Vicki and Gerry Wolfe by no later than Tuesday, August 16th. We need to be able to contact you in case of a rain delay reschedule to August 27th. When you contact us, please let us know:
-- If you are willing to help true beginners who may not be SEABA members with butterfly identification or if you would prefer to focus soley on finding species.
-- If you are able to use iNaturalist to help record observations. Gerry and Vicki will document observations on the park's iNaturalist page (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/plants-of-tumacacori-national-histo...).
3. Participants are welcome to tour the park's grounds, exhibits, and the Mission ruins after SEABA's participation in the event concludes at approximately 1:30 PM.
4. Pets are not allowed on the mission grounds of Tumacácori National Historic Park.
5. This is a service project, you are donating your time and expertise, so no monetary donations to SEABA are being requested.
6. No collecting or netting is allowed on SEABA field or service trips; however, members of institutions whose application for Collection Permits with the National Park Service have been approved may be doing specified collecting during this event.
TO REGISTER for this event or for any questions, please contact Vicki and Gerry Wolfe at seaba_publicity@yahoo.com