This week on Arizona Illustrated…creating a way for wildlife to avoid dangerous roadways as cities continue to expand; Las Milpitas Farm is growing food for a healthier community; the University of Arizona Sky School integrates science, engineering and an appreciation for nature, and poet Logan Phillips reads his award-winning poem ‘Reckon.’
A Way for Wildlife
It’s been nearly ten years since a wildlife crossing bridge and a tunnel were built over and under north Oracle Road, south of Catalina. Since then, thousands of animals a year have been spotted using the routes, including a desert tortoise for the first time ever in November 2023 for the first time ever. The constructions projects are part of a collaborative program between the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Arizona DOT and others, and there are plans for additional crossings. Each month, volunteers take part in Habitat Restoration Day at the crossings to care for plants, remove garbage, and do other necessary maintenance.
Las Milpitas Farm
Las Milpitas Community Farm is a six-acre space located on the banks of the Santa Cruz River. It is an initiative of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and provides materials, education, and support for residents dto grow food for themselves. It makes healthy, homegrown food more accessible to low-income families.
Sky School
The University of Arizona Sky School is an innovative educational program for students of all ages that integrates a wide variety of science and engineering disciples while fostering a deep connection to nature and a sense of place. Students travel up to the summit of Mt. Lemmon in the majestic Catalina Mountains and spend 1-3 nights doing field work around Steward Observatory’s Sky Center. While there, they can peer through telescopes, take tree core samples, and learn all about the ecosystems that surround them.
Reckon by Logan Phillips
Poet Logan Phillips grew up in Tombstone, Arizona, and his poem, “RECKON” won the 2021 Academy of American Poets Prize. He gives us a reading of this memoir of coming of age in the fabled town and the effect it had on him.
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