Programs >

Programs
 

Please view our calendar of events for programs dates and times.

Year-round programs:

Agua Fria National Monument, River Pathways monitoring site

Our River Pathways program is here! Audubon Arizona, the Bureau of Land Management, the Phoenix Union High School District and Phoenix College have teamed up to provide high school students with a clear path to ecological understanding, stewardship, and careers in land and resource management. The River Pathways program introduces students to Arizona’s amazing riparian areas through hands-on classroom activities, a field trip to the Rio Salado Audubon Center and opportunities to take part in actual monitoring efforts being undertaken by the Bureau of Land Management on the Agua Fria National Monument. Interested students will also receive information about resource management career opportunities and will be counseled regarding the training and education necessary to pursue professions in environmental sciences. Most importantly, students from highly urbanized areas will be able to experience nature in a way that they otherwise may not have a chance to do. It is experiences like these that will allow these students to become the future stewards of the environment that our world so greatly needs.

See our curriculum here.

The River Connection: Water’s Changing Journey is a hands-on, interactive field-trip curriculum on Sonoran Desert river and wetland habitats. Teachers can choose from a variety of hands on field activity modules focusing on various nature and ecology topics: birds, mammals, water in the desert, the history of the Salt River, native plants and powers of observation. A field trip takes from one to three hours to complete. Up to 60 students per field trip.

Download our pre-visit teacher guide
Download our post-visit teacher guide

Contact Emily Morris at (602) 468-6470 X125 or via email.

Teen Leaders in Conservation
Third Wednesday of the Month during the school year, 7 pm
This free environmental sciences career exploration program covers a variety of topics, from wildlife biology to environmental law. The program features a monthly evening presentation by an environmental professional and volunteer workday on the following Saturday.

Contact Steve Prager at (602) 468-6470 X122 or via email to sign up or for more information.

Saturday Bird Walks
Every other Saturday, varies throughout the year

Walks start at the Audubon Center. Loaner binoculars and bird guides available. All skill levels welcome. Times vary. Please call Emily for more information 602-468-6470 ext 125.

Conservation Work Days
Every third Saturday of the month, September - May
8 am - noon

Looking for a way to make a difference? Join in our conservation work days at the Río Salado Habitat. Help prepare a pollinator garden, clean up the river bed and remove invasive plants. No experience necessary! Contact Cathy Wise at 602-468-6470 or via email to sign up.

Arizona Animal Encounters
Second Saturday of the Month, October -April
11 am - noon

We bring wildlife to you! Meet Arizona wildlife ambassadors (unreleasable due to injury) and learn about their amazing behaviors.

Beginning Birder Classes
Skilled birder Kathe Anderson teaches birding basics through a combination of classroom and field time. Each class starts with a bird walk and ends with a presentation. Classes are about 3 hours long. Pick a topic below or attend them all!

Contact Emily Morris at (602) 468-6470 X125 or via email to sign up or for more information. Suggested donation: $10.

Naturalist Packs now available for check-out!
Borrow a free Naturalist Pack and explore the Rio Salado area in a new way! Packs were made possible through an ADEQ grant and include binoculars, field guides, water testing kits (including a guide to aquatic insets) and insect viewers. Perfect for families!

“Water’s Changing Journey” Exhibit Now Open!

Educators! Bring your students to the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center to experience “Water’s Changing Journey”. Thanks to a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Trust, your field trip is free of charge. Field trips last two hours and include both an introduction to Sonoran Riparian habitat ecology, and an overview of how this fragile ecosystem is altered by nonpoint source pollution. Students become empowered by learning that their daily activities CAN and DO make a positive difference in environmental health.

The “Water’s Changing Journey” experience is best suited to grades 4-6 but can be modified for any grade level. Students rave about our interesting and exciting hands-on activities. For more information or to schedule your trip, please contact Emily Morris at (602) 468-6470 X125 or via email.

Audubon Arizona's "Science Takes Wing"

Thanks to a generous grant from Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative (ABCI), Audubon Arizona staff has been able to revamp the popular Science Takes Wing program. This program teaches common Arizona birds and is aligned to AZ state science standards for 6-8 grades. Two modules are currently available; the Central Arizona module focuses on common desert birds and the Northern Arizona module covers birds most likely to be seen in Arizona’s high country.

In addition to the Science Takes Wing lessons, Audubon Arizona offers binocular boxes to educators for free one week checkout. Boxes contain 22 binoculars, field guides, Science Takes Wing lessons, other teaching materials and the Science Takes Wing Bird Sounds PowerPoint CD (made with assistance from ASU’s “Ask a Biologist” Program).

To reserve a box, please contact the “Box Steward” in your area:

Flagstaff Box Steward:
Sapna Sopori, Willow Bend Environmental Ed Center, email, (928) 779-1745

Sierra Vista Box Steward:
Hank Huisking, Huachuca Audubon Society, email, (520) 458-8278

Pinetop-Lakeside Box Steward:
Mary Ellen Bittorf, White Mountain Audubon Society, email, (928) 201-8001

Phoenix Box Steward:
Brad Bostick, ASU Downtown-College of Teacher Preparation, email, 602-421-5025

South Phoenix Box Steward:
Cathy Wise, Rio Salado Audubon Center, email, (602) 468-6470

Download Science Takes Wing lessons here:

Science Takes Wing, Central Arizona Module
STW Bird Sounds PowerPoint Show, Central AZ

Science Takes Wing, Northern Arizona Module
STW Bird Sounds PowerPoint Show, Northern AZ

Arizona’s State Mammal, the Ringtail Cat

Audubon Arizona is pleased to offer a “Bone Box” resource for free check-out. The Arizona Game and Fish Education Department assembled the boxes to facilitate lessons about Arizona’s mammals. The box contains laminated photographs, information cards, pelts and resin skulls of Arizona mammals including javelina, mountain lion, raccoon, beaver, ring-tail cat and more.

Educators can check out the box for one week intervals; you must both pick-up and drop off the box at the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center. Our center is located at 3131 S. Central Ave Phoenix, 85040. The Bone Box is quite popular, so you must place a reservation in advance by contacting Cathy Wise at (602) 468-6470 or Cathy Wise. When you place your reservation, you will be instructed on when to pick-up and drop-off this resource. If our South Phoenix location is inconvenient, please contact Sharon Voiland at the Arizona Game and Fish Department at 623-236-7220 to learn about alternate locations.

Mystery Mammal
Younger students enjoy this interactive activity.

Audubon Arizona, with generous funding from REI and JP Morgan Chase Bank, is pleased to offer an exciting hands-on nature experience on the banks of the Salt River called “River Keepers”. We provide this program free of charge to students at South Phoenix after-school care facilities such as the Boys and Girls Club and Valley Christian Center.

Students aged 8-12 learn about various topics including birds, native plants, water quality and conservation over the four-week program period. Sessions are offered in both spring and fall. Pre-service teachers are invited to apply for internship positions, please note that preference will be given to South Phoenix residents.

For more information, please contact Cathy Wise via email.

Audubon At Home in Arizona

• Eliminate (or reduce) pesticide use. Birds eat bugs! To learn more about sustainable pest control, click here.
• Conserve water by watering responsibly, planting to maximize rainfall harvest and using native plants that require less water. For National Audubon Society’s water-saving suggestions, click here.
• Protect water quality by disposing of pet wastes and other toxins properly. For more information on non-point source pollution, the leading cause of poor water quality in rivers, click here.
• Remove exotic plant pests. Did you know that some of our popular ornamental plants spread to wild areas and wreck havoc? Examples include fountain grass and tree of heaven. Learn more here.
• Plant natives! These plants require less care and offer cover and nutritional food for birds. Seek out a knowledgeable horticulturist for plant recommendations. There are native plants to fit just about any landscaping need. To view a list of Arizona plants with special value to desert wildlife, click here.

This list was compiled by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. All photos courtesy of the ASDM Sonoran Desert Digital Library. Specific photo credits: Yellow-rumped Warbler: Stephen Minter, Velvet Mesquite: Mark A. Dimmitt, Gulf Fritillary: Sarah Walls Wormsley.

Camp Audubon Adventures:

Every summer, Audubon Arizona hosts Audubon Adventures, a fun-filled summer camp in the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area. Audubon Arizona’s summer camp program offers opportunities to experience and learn about nature in fun and interactive ways.

All camps run 8am - 1pm, $120
Extended Day Camp 1pm - 5pm, $50 for entire week.

Contact Emily Morris, Teacher/Naturalist, for more information.
602-468-6470 ext. 125

Audubon Arizona is pleased to offer a limited numbers of scholarships.