This week on Arizona Illustrated…Esperanza En Escalante is a place of refuge for Veterans experiencing housing insecurity; get to know the animals and people of Tucson’s midtown pasture at the Campus Agricultural Center and we begin a new series on invasive desert plants by introducing you to a man whose job it is to fight against them.
Housing our Honored
In January 2023, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) estimated that there were over 35,000 homeless veterans sleeping on American streets. The number of homeless veterans rose more than 7% between 2022 to 2023, the largest yearly increase in more than a decade. Here in Tucson, the organization Esperanza En Escalante are helping hundreds of homeless veterans find their way into permanent housing, and their way back into our country that they so honorably served.
Campus Agricultural Center
The Campus Agricultural Center is a 160-acre farm right in the middle of Tucson that operates as a research and teaching facility for the University of Arizona’s College of Veterinary Medicine. It includes extensive pastureland for its horses, cows, and sheep, which are affectionately cared for by a team of veterinarians and staff. The animals, often referred to as “pasture professors,” are able to give veterinary students invaluable hands-on experience working with large agricultural animals, something not many other programs are able to offer.
Nurtured by Nature
Tucson native Tony Figueroa grew up loving the outdoors and being a “nature nerd” which included watching The Desert Speaks, NOVA, and Nature on PBS. After beginning a career in a “sensible field” as a pharmacy technician, he decided to follow his true passion, attended the University of Arizona, and now works to protect the Sonoran Desert.
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