Central Arizona Conservation Alliance

It was fantastic to see everyone out at Skyline this morning to kick off this month's programs! We have some exciting events coming up, including the Veterans Day Skyline Summit Hike🎖️, along with our regular favorites like Hiking Yoga🧘🏜️ and the Full Moon Hike🌕.

What do you plan on registering for? Let us know!

🌵 Register Now: https://bit.ly/4dXDwJf 🌵

Calling all nature lovers and adventure seekers! Join us for Desert Discovery Day where the Sonoran Desert comes alive. Get up close with native wildlife, discover desert mysteries, and create amazing family memories. Mark your calendar: Nov. 16, 10AM-2PM. Did we mention it's FREE? We'll see you there!

Small steps to transform your outdoor spaces to support wildlife Learn easy ways to make your outdoor spaces more wildlife-friendly at our event!

Join us for our next speaker series event, a discussion about an innovative model for tribal collaboration from Archaeology Southwest Director of Tribal Collaboration, Skylar Begay! This event will be offered in person at the Desert Botanical Garden AND online via Zoom.

**This is a FREE event, and registration is REQURED, even if you plan on attending via Zoom**

To learn more about Skylar and the event and to register, visit https://cazca.org/events/cazca-speaker-series-tribal-collaboration-2/

To read more about Skylar's model, visit https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/about/preservation-archaeology-position-papers/a-model-for-tribal-collaboration-at-archaeology-southwest/

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TOMORROW IS NATUREFEST PHX!

🌻 Ready for a morning of nature-filled fun? Join CAZCA at NatureFest PHX on Oct. 19 from 8 a.m.-noon! Take a scenic walk, interact with wildlife, plant for pollinators, and capture memories. Perfect for the whole family!

🌻¡Únase a CAZCA en el NatureFest PHX el 19 de octubre de 8 a.m. al mediodía! Dar un paseo panorámico, interactuar con la vida silvestre, plantar flores que apoyen a nuestros polinizadores y más. ¡Perfecto para toda la familia!

Learn more: http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx

📣 Only 2 more days until ! 🚨

Explore nature with and Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area at NatureFest PHX on Oct. 19! Families can enjoy a morning walk, meet wildlife, snap pics, and plant for pollinators. Join us from 8 a.m.-noon for a fun-filled, educational day!

Get excited for exhibitors including Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona State Parks and Trails, Chispa, Desert Foothills Land Trust, Liberty Wildlife, and more!

For a full list of exhibitors, activities and event details, visit http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx

Calling all nature enthusiasts! 🌳 Join us on Oct. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area to experience the wonders of the outdoors as you take a nature walk 🥾, meet wildlife up close 🐍, and even plant for pollinators! 🦋🐝 This is a wonderful opportunity to teach your kids about the environment while having fun. There will also be a chance to win one of several prizes when you attend! Don’t miss out—mark your calendars today! 📅

Which activity are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments 🌞

Learn more at http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx.

Environmental Programs naturefestphx Prizes include: Phoenix Zoo tickets, Butterfly Wonderland tickets, World Wildlife Zoo tickets, Desert Botanical Garden membership, State Parks Pass, Maricopa County Parks Pass, Gift Cards

WIN BIG THIS WEEKEND AT NATURE FEST PHX! Join us this Saturday, October 19, from 8 AM - 12 PM for a morning filled with wildlife encounters, food trucks, planting for pollinators, hourly prize drawings, and more! As you participate in event activities, you will earn tickets to be entered to win prizes including a Desert Botanical Garden membership, Phoenix Zoo tickets, Butterfly Wonderland tickets, World Wildlife Zoo tickets, an Arizona State Parks Pass, a Maricopa County Parks Pass, and gift cards!

Learn more about this FREE event at https://www.phoenix.gov/oep/NatureFestPHX

Environmental Programs naturefestphx Prizes include: Phoenix Zoo tickets, Butterfly Wonderland tickets, World Wildlife Zoo tickets, Desert Botanical Garden membership, State Parks Pass, Maricopa County Parks Pass, Gift Cards

Do you have this plant in your yard? Register today for our FREE plant swap program to receive a native, pollinator-friendly desert milkweed in exchange for the removal of your invasive fountain grass.

This project is currently for residents in/near our Phoenix and Scottsdale project areas. If you are interested in participating and are outside of these areas, please fill out the registration form to let us know, as we hope to expand this project to more areas in the future!

🦋 Learn more and register at https://cazca.org/plant-swap/

Let the countdown begin! There are only 6 days left until !

Get ready for a day of fun and learning at NatureFest PHX! 🌿 On Oct. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon, families are invited to join us for a morning of nature exploration. Walk through beautiful trails, meet and learn about local wildlife, take memorable photos, and plant flowers that support our pollinators. 🌻 It’s a great way to connect with nature and each other. We can’t wait to see you there! 🌱 http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx.

¡Prepárate para un día de diversión y aprendizaje en NatureFest PHX! 🌿 El 19 de octubre, desde las 8 a.m. hasta el mediodía, las familias están invitadas a unirse a nosotros para una mañana de exploración rodeada de naturaleza. Camine por hermosos senderos, conozca y aprenda sobre la vida silvestre local, tome fotos memorables y plante flores que apoyen a nuestros polinizadores. 🌻 Es una excelente manera de conectarse con la naturaleza y con los demás. ¡Nos vemos sin falta ahí! 🌱 http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx.

Join us at NatureFest PHX on Oct. 19! 🌿 From 8 a.m. to noon, bring your family out to explore the beauty of nature at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area. Enjoy a peaceful nature walk, interact with fascinating wildlife, a chance to win one of several prizes, as well as an opportunity to plant for pollinators! 📸 Don’t forget your cameras—there will be plenty of opportunities to capture the magic of the day. This event is perfect for nature lovers of all ages. See you there! http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx.

¡Únase a nosotros a NatureFest PHX el 19 de octubre! 🌿 Desde las 8 a.m. hasta el mediodía, traiga a su familia a explorar la belleza de la naturaleza en el Área de Restauración del Hábitat del Río Salado. Disfrutar de un tranquilo paseo por la naturaleza, interactuar con la fascinante vida silvestre, la oportunidad de ganar uno de varios premios y plantar flores que apoyen a nuestros polinizadores. 📸 No olvide sus cámaras, habrá muchas oportunidades para capturar la magia del día. Este evento es perfecto para los amantes de la naturaleza de todas las edades. ¡Nos vemos allí! http://www.phoenix.gov/naturefestphx.

Today is World Mental Health Day! CAZCA believes it is essential to prioritize mental health, talk openly about our feelings, and support one another.

Many people enjoy spending time outdoors as it can help ground us, reduce stress, boost our mood, and bring clarity to our minds. Whether you're in a national or local park, or your backyard, connecting with nature can help you recharge and find peace and balance.

This year's World Mental Health Day theme is "It is time to prioritize mental health in the workplace." Today, we would like to emphasize that it is crucial that we recognize the unique mental health struggles faced by those who work in conservation and the outdoors. Despite the many health benefits being outdoors can offer, the weight of protecting our environment can be heavy, and it is common to feel overwhelmed and face burnout.

It is important that we acknowledge these struggles and work together to create a community where we can share our experiences with people who can relate and find resilience and support. Join us for our upcoming speaker series event, Mental Health in Conservation, where licensed therapist Brittany Sawrey-Coulson will address the unique challenges the conservation field presents and guide us as we explore tools to help us deal with these complex emotions.

For more mental health resources, visit https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day or https://wmhdofficial.com/

For more information on our event, visit https://cazca.org/events/cazca-speaker-series-mental-health-in-conservation/

Join us for our next speaker series event, a discussion about an innovative model for tribal collaboration from Director of Tribal Collaboration, Skylar Begay! This event will be offered in person at the Desert Botanical Garden AND online via Zoom.

**This is a FREE event, and registration is REQURED, even if you plan on attending via Zoom**

To learn more about Skylar and the event and to register, visit https://cazca.org/events/cazca-speaker-series-tribal-collaboration-2/

To read more about Skylar's model, visit https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/about/preservation-archaeology-position-papers/a-model-for-tribal-collaboration-at-archaeology-southwest/

Join us for our next speaker series event, a discussion about an innovative model for tribal collaboration from Archaeology Southwest's Director of Tribal Collaboration, Skylar Begay! This event will be offered in person at the Desert Botanical Garden AND online via Zoom.

**This is a FREE event, and registration is REQURED, even if you plan on attending via Zoom**

To learn more about Skylar and the event and to register, visit https://cazca.org/events/cazca-speaker-series-tribal-collaboration-2/

To read more about Skylar's model, visit https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/about/preservation-archaeology-position-papers/a-model-for-tribal-collaboration-at-archaeology-southwest/

CAZCA fosters collaboration through impactful working groups, advancing the objectives of our Regional Open Space Strategy (ROSS). As we join forces with diverse agencies and organizations, we effectively address challenges like invasive plant species, water conservation, and native seed availability, making a lasting impact on the preservation of Central Arizona’s open spaces.

Learn more about our existing working groups, Sonoran Insiders, Desert Defenders, Sonoran Seed Collaborative, and Urban Desertscape Enhancement using the link below, and stay tuned as we continue to develop our new DEI-focused group!

https://cazca.org/about-us/working-groups/

Did you know CAZCA shares an office with the Pollinator Conservation and Great Milkweed Grow Out team? The team is currently seeking two interns to focus on pollinator plant propagation and milkweed research. Join us in the office and apply for these great internship opportunities today!

💼Learn more about the positions and apply at https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/56cab6d7-e712-4528-afc9-f503034cac29/Desert-Botanical-Garden

🐛Learn more about Pollinator Conservation at DBG at https://dbg.org/research-conservation/pollinator-conservation/

🦋Learn more about Great Milkweed Grow Out at https://dbg.org/partner-initiatives/great-milkweed-grow-out/

🚨📢OUR SPEAKER SERIES IS BACK! 📢🚨

This year, we will offer our events both in person and online via Zoom! Learn more about our upcoming speaker events and register by visiting https://cazca.org/cazca-speaker-series-lineup-2024-2025/

**All speaker series events are FREE and registration is REQUIRED for both in person and online attendance**

Help Shape the Future of Our Parks! 🌿 🌳 The Parks Master Plan is underway and we want to hear from you. Share your ideas by completing our survey or dropping your comments in the interactive map. 📍📝 Start here: https://bit.ly/3AUMB7s City of Phoenix, AZ USA

Kartchner Caverns is happy to announce our annual event of Bat Fest!

A bat festival is an important event for raising awareness about the crucial role bats play in ecosystems and the need for conservation. It is dedicated to celebrating and offering educational programs about bats and giving an opportunity for the community to connect and engage with their local environment and learn more about the biodiversity around them. With the Big Room opening during the time the bats go to hibernate and closing when the maternity colony returns to have their young, it makes it perfect to be the place for organizations to come together and celebrate our 2024 theme of "Living With Bats!"

Presentation schedule will be released in the next couple of weeks 🦇

For more information please visit
https://azstateparks.com/kartchner/events/bat-fest

We hope to see you there!

There's still time to register for this weekend's in-person event! Join us for a hands-on training from education and storytelling specialists and earn 3 FREE CTE credits. Learn more and register at https://cazca.org/cte-sci-edu/

September 15 - October 15th is Hispanic Heritage month! Join us as we celebrate the history and culture of the Hispanic and Latine communities and stay tuned as we share resources and events from our collaborative that help us learn about and honor Hispanic Heritage!

🚨📢Our speaker series is back! 📢🚨

This year, we will be offering our speaker events in person at the Desert Botanical Garden AND online via Zoom! Join us for our first event in the series: a conversation about mental health in conservation with licensed therapist, Brittany Sawrey-Coulson. In this session we will explore how to deal with complex emotions in conservation, the unique challenges the field presents for mental health, and how trauma informs and impacts our daily work. If you are looking for some practical understanding of how to navigate mental health within the field and a deeper understanding of your own experience, this talk is for you.

To register or learn more about Brittany and the event, visit https://cazca.org/events/cazca-speaker-series-mental-health-in-conservation/

**This is a FREE event, but registration is required, even if you will be attending via Zoom.**