nps

Saguaro National Park will celebrate Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 26 by kicking off the park’s 2010 Saguaro Census. Every 10 years, the park uses volunteers to help determine the health of the park’s namesake cactus. On Public Lands Day volunteers will survey a cactus plot in the park’s Rincon Mountain District east of Tucson. 

Information for volunteers:
RSVP: 520-733-5153
Where:  Rincon Mountain District Visitor Center, 3693 South Old Spanish Trail, Tucson
Time: 7:30 AM (we will return to the Visitor Center by 12:00 noon)

Activities: We will drive and hike a short distance to a long-term saguaro monitoring plot in the park. Volunteers will be trained to measure saguaros using tape measures, clinometers, and high school math … and will have the chance learn about this long-lived symbol of the southwest desert. No experience needed, but we ask that you be reasonably fit and interested in saguaros! Bring sturdy shoes, a hat, and a water bottle – extra water will be provided. 

Other Public Lands Day events:  

Saguaro National Park East, Rincon Mountain District:
1:00 PM: Screening of the Ken Burn’s show “National Parks – America’s Best Idea” - Our national parks are the world’s greatest collection of nature, history, and culture – and they belong to each of us. This fall, the grandeur of the parks is coming to you in the comfort of your living room as Ken Burns, one of America’s most cherished storytellers, turns his camera lens towards the living history of the park system. See a sneak preview of this highly acclaimed documentary series.

At Academy Village – 13701 Old Spanish Trail:
2:15 PM: Interpretive talk: “The Life and Times of the Saguaro” - Saguaro National Park was established in 1933 to preserve the magnificent stand of this large giant cactus at the base of the Rincon Mountains near Tucson. Since then, people have worried about the survival of this cactus in the park, and biologists have tried to unlock its many mysteries. Learn about the history of saguaros in Saguaro National Park, the park’s current Saguaro Census, and how this symbol of the desert is doing today.  

3:00 PM: Screening of the Ken Burn’s show “National Parks – America’s Best Idea” - Our national parks are the world’s greatest collection of nature, history, and culture – and they belong to each of us. This fall, the grandeur of the parks is coming to you in the comfort of your living room as Ken Burns, one of America’s most cherished storytellers, turns his camera lens towards the living history of the park system. See a sneak preview of this highly acclaimed documentary series.