Outreach and Education >

Living Gently on the Land Educational Series

Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch Living Gently on the Land Potluck and Presentation Educational Series events are scheduled the 2nd Saturday each month September through May each year (with the exception of December). We begin at 5 pm, with the potluck dinner at 5:30 pm, and the presentation immediately following. Unless otherwise indicated, tea, coffee and place settings are supplied. RSVP to Pat Kugler. If you'd like to receive notices of our events, please email Pat Kugler.

Please join us for the following scheduled events:

April 13, 2013: Riparian ecosystems and the services they provide, by Tom Meixner, Associate Professor, Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona

May 11, 2013: Field Guides, by Steve Buckley, Botanist, National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Network

Save the Date June 8, 2013 for the 5th annual Science on the Sonoita Plain Symposium. Details to follow.

Workshops/Tours

It is important for people to know more about the unique bioregion we inhabit.

For this reason, we periodically coordinate or present workshops and seminars regarding various topics that are of importance, especially to local residents.

If you have interest in attending a future workshop, or would like further information, please contact us via email.

Past Workshops and Tours

March 2 & 3, 2010
A two day Wildlife Tracking Workshop by Natural Awareness Tracking School and Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

November 21, 2009
Introduction to eBird, by Chris Hass, PhD, Assistant Director, Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

November 21, 2009
Identifying winter sparrows and associates, by Janet M. Ruth, Ph.D., Research Ecologist, USGS Arid Lands Field Station, UNM Biology Depart

September 13, 2008
Grass Identification 101. This 3 hour basic grass identification workshop was well attended and a good first step in learning about both native and invasive species of grass. We hope to have another grass identification workshop in the near future.

June 24-26, 2007
Training Workshop, Advanced Feather Molt Class, by Peter Pyle of Institute of Bird Population, held at the Research Ranch and at Empire Gulch

June 10, 2008
Livestock water developments and wildlife
Our first wildlife waters workshop was a rousing success, with standing room only in our classroom. For a nice article on the workshop, click here.

For more information on livestock water developments and wildlife, including a downloadable brochure that describes how to build water developments that are friendly to wildlife, see Bat Conservation International's website.

Past Potlucks and Presentations

Saturday, September 8, 2012
Photographing the Wildlife of the Sonoita Plain, by John Hoffman

Saturday, May 12, 2012
Under the Fence: A Pathway to Pronghorn Permeability, by Scott Sprague, Wildlife Specialist, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Saturday, April 14, 2012
A Range of Discovery-Past, Present, and Future of the University of Arizona Santa Rita Experimental Range, Mark Heitlinger, Range Manager, University of Arizona-Santa Rita Experimental Range

Saturday, March 10, 2012
“What to Plant, how to plant and care for it”, by Jim Koweek, Arizona Revegetation

Saturday, February 11, 2012
“Phenology”, by Jake Weltzin, National Phenology Network

Saturday, January 14, 2012
Archaeological Resources at the Research Ranch, by Leslie Schupp

Saturday, November 12, 2011
What the Research Ranch was like then, Mark Stromberg, Past Research Ranch Director

October 8, 2011
Butterflies for Birders – Emphasis Southeast Arizona Butterflies
Priscilla & Hank Brodkin

Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Ecology of Grassland Birds:  avoiding predators while finding food, H. Ronald Pulliam, PhD

Saturday, May 14, 2011
Herps on the Ranch, Roger Cogan, Conservation Coordinator, Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

Saturday, April 16, 2011
Erosion Control, Trevor Hare, Sky Island Alliance

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Savannas of the Americas: From Arid Arizona to Tropical Brazil, by Erika Geiger, PhD

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Permaculture, by Kate Tirion

Saturday, January 15, 2011
Overview of the Tallgrass Prairie, by Lois Albrecht.

Saturday, November 6, 2010
Vertebrate species using caves and abandoned mines as habitat resources in Arizona, by Tom Strong, Senior Scientist, WestLand Resources, Inc.

October 9, 2010, 5 pm
Hummingbird diversity and abundance in southeastern Arizona at the turn of the century, by Susan Wethington

September 11, 2010
F.R.O.G. (Fish and Frog Restoration and Outreach Group) Project, by Philip C. Rosen, Research Scientist, School of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Arizona

June 26, 2010
Renewable Energy, by Wayne Porter, MS Student, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University

May 22, 2010
The History of Ranching in Southeast Arizona, by Dan Robinett

April 11, 2010
Los Lobos: View from the Radical Middle, by Cynthia Wolf

March 13, 2010
Update on Montezuma Quail Research Project, by Pedro Chavarria, Texas A&M University

February 13, 2010
Take Wing with Audubon Arizona, by Cathy Wise, Education Coordinator, Audubon Arizona

January 9, 2010
Conservation of Sea Turtles in Florida, by Lindsey Reifel, Intern at the Research Ranch

November 21, 2009
Abundance and distribution of Arizona Grasshopper Sparrows: current and historical surveys and Australia (Queensland) from a birder’s perspective, by Janet M. Ruth, Ph.D., Research Ecologist, USGS Arid Lands Field Station, UNM Biology Department

November 1, 2009
Bats in Southern Arizona by Christa D. Weise, Ph. D., Conservation Biologist, Mexico and Borderlands Coordinator, Bat Conservation International

June 13, 2009
Rattlesnake: The colorful natural history of Arizona’s most famous natives, by Melissa Amarello, Arizona State University

May 16, 2009
Introduction to wildlife tracking, by Chris Hass, PhD, Assistant Director, Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

April 18, 2009
In Search of Self: One Girl’s Schlepping around Morocco, by Susan Shields, Ride Mexico

March 21, 2009
Bird migration across a changing landscape: Avian stopover ecology, habitat disturbance, and climate change in southeast Arizona, by Jherime Kellermann, University of Arizona

February 21, 2009
Population Dynamics and Habitat Characteristics of Montezuma (Mearn’s) Quail in Southeastern Arizona, by Pedro Chavarria, Texas A & M University

November 16, 2008
Ecosystems of Northern China, Linda Kennedy, Director, National Audubon Society, Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch and Dan Robinett, Robinett Rangeland Resources, LLC

October 19, 2008
Photo Tour of an Iceland Summer, by Betsy and Sandy Kunzer

September 13, 2008
Climate Change and Impact on Grasslands, by Linda Kennedy, PhD

June 10, 2008
Livestock Water Developments and Wildlife Workshop, by Dan Taylor, Bat Conservation International

In addition to entertaining and informative presentations, we also shared wonderful food and conversation. We hope you will join us for the 2008-2009 season.

May 18, 2008
Rainwater-based Habitat Landscaping, by Kendall Kroesen, Tucson Audubon Society

April 20, 2008
Skunks and rabies in Arizona should we be concerned?, by Chris Hass, PhD, Assistant Director, Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

March 30, 2008
Desert Chemical Defenses, by Michael Wilson, Director of Development and Research, Drylands Institute

February 24, 2008
Identifying and Promoting Sustainable Practices and Technologies in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico, by Diane Austin, Associate Research Anthropologist, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology

October 28, 2007
The Desert at the Edge of the Tropics, by Michael Wilson, Director of Development and Research for Drylands Institute, of Tucson, Potlucks and Presentation Education Series

September 30, 2007
Living Gently on the Land, by Linda Kennedy, Ph.D., Potlucks and Presentation Education Series

June 3, 2007
Life in a Riparian Area, by John Kugler, Potlucks and Presentation Education Series

April 29, 2007
White-nosed coatis-an introduction to Arizona’s most curious beast, by Chris Hass, Ph.D., Potlucks and Presentation Education Series

April 29, 2007
Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project, Emil McCain, Potlucks and Presentation Education Series.

April 9, 2007
Wildlife of Uganda, by Jack Whetstone, Potlucks and Presentation Education Series.

March 25, 2007
Rangelands of Afghanistan, by Dan Robinett, Potlucks and Presentation Education Series.