tucson audubon’s paton center for hummingbirds can you help

Tucson Audubon’s Paton Center for Hummingbirds

Can you help make these

projects a reality?

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IMPROVED SITE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BIRDS AND BIRDERS

Bird-viewing PavilionThe bird-viewing pavilion proposed by University of Arizona architects Siri Trumble and Annie Kurtin will provide universal access and birder comfort while preserving the serenity of the Paton Center backyard birding experience far into the future. Visitors will be able to enjoy Patagonia’s rich bird-life with a 360-degree vista taking in not only the Green-tailed Towhees and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds of the backyard, but also the Vermilion Flycatchers and Varied Buntings feeding in the restored meadow.

Approximate cost = $50,000

Upgraded Semi-Permeable DrivewayThis would make the whole site more friendly during the rainy seasons by upgrading the current dirt driveway to a semi-permeable drive allowing water to soak in and reducing mud. It will be ADA compliant.


Creekside Pecan Grove RestorationMr. Paton’s several varieties of pecan tree line the Sonoita Ceek, providing delicious shade, shelter, and food for people and birds alike. Opportunities abound for enhancing the Paton grounds along this waterway: with invasive plants removed, heavy seed-producing native shortgrasses and wildflowers could be established. A lovely

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walkway, a creekside viewing deck, a viewing and photography blind, benches, and interpretive signage have all been proposed. This is a great place for Acorn Woodpeckers, Thick-billed Kingbirds, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and viewing access to the Gray Hawks in the Cottonwoods on the other side of the creek.


Orchard EstablishmentIn addition to the pecan trees a few fruit trees exist on the property. Tanagers love the pears, while staff, volunteers, and the woodpeckers agree that the tiny apples on the front yard tree are fantastic. A possible future for the yard around the well-house hearkens back to the yard’s fruit-filled past. We envision a small orchard of heirloom fruit trees, especially those from Arizona’s Mission era and the remnant varieties found in the regional ghost-towns of southeastern Arizona.


Parking and Native Plant BasinsParking has always been a challenge here, especially during spring migration! A total of 12 spots are now proposed on the property carefully situated among rain-water harvesting basins. These basins will be filled with native shrubs and flowers to keep the grounds beautiful and filled with birds. Options for making the parking ADA compliant and cleaner year-round include semi-permeable pavers and grass-pave.


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Blue Heaven Road Water DirectionOver the years, soil and debris have built up along the former fence-line on the south side of Blue Heaven Road. By removing this ridge we will welcome the rainwater off the road to support our meadow restoration efforts, reduce flooding and erosion along Blue Heaven Road, and increase the variety of bird-attracting plants we can grow without irrigation.


Front Yard Hummingbird and Pollinator GardenWhile hummingbirds love our feeders—and will soon be attracted to native plants all around the center—a more manicured garden in the front yard will demonstrate for visitors how to grow pollinator plants in a manner that enhances the beauty in their daily lives. An array of larval food source and nectar-producing plants can support our struggling bees and butterflies while nourishing the hummingbirds and the human heart.


Hummingbird and Wildlife CamsAdvances in technology have made wildlife cams wildly popular. The Paton Center would like to stream real-time video of the hummers that visit our feeders and set up a wlldlife camera to snap shots of the birds and animals soon to visit the new water feature in the Richard Grand

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Memorial Meadow. In addition to the cameras themselves, this project would require a dedicated computer and ongoing staff funding to maintain and monitor the equipment and images.


Composting ToiletComposting toilets conserve enormous amounts of potable water, while transforming waste materials into valuable compost. Tucson Audubon’s Mason Center introduced Pima County to its first permitted composting toilet. A composting toilet at the Paton Center would not only provide added comfort for visitors, it would demonstrate innovative and practical approaches to water conservation.


PROGRAMMING

Interpretive Site Package: Signage, brochures, tours, local hikesThe Paton property has many wonderful stories to tell: avian, environmental, cultural, historical, and family. Developing a comprehensive interpretive site package will involve extensive research and writing as well as the creation of signage, brochures, tour content, and guides for local hikes. Our goal: to preserve and share the riches of this portal to southeast Arizona’s astoundingly rich heritage.


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Win-Win for Azure Bluebirds and Arizona VineyardsThe population of Azure (or Mexican) Bluebirds scattered about the Patagonia and Huachuca Mountains is so small that it remains highly vulnerable in the face of climate change, agricultural development, and mining threats. Our conservation project proposes to strengthen bluebird numbers by providing nestboxes throughout the grasslands between these mountain ranges—most notably in the vineyards. The benefit to the vineyards will be both economic (more visitors intrigued by the project) and health related (less need for insecticides as the bluebirds and their fledglings feed on the heavy insect load). Currently on a shoestring budget and supported primarily by volunteers, this project fully funded could make an enormous impact on the bluebird population and the public’s perception of conservation projects in relationship to economic needs.


Hummingbirds Across The City; Hummingbirds Across the CountyThis program would bring a hummingbird education and citizen science curriculum to elementary and middle schools in all corners of Tucson and Santa Cruz County. Students would learn about hummingbird conservation and bird population monitoring practices while gathering valuable data about the hummingbirds of southeast Arizona.


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HUD Program for Lucy’s Warblers Tucson Audubon has documented and is publishing the first records of Lucy’s Warblers using human-crafted nest boxes (and gourds). This contradicts the best science to-date and moves the Lucy’s Warbler from being a species we can only help by planting more mesquite trees, to one that many households in Tucson may support by installing nest boxes in their mesquites. A little effort could dramatically increase the population of Lucy’s Warblers.

Approximate cost = $10–50K

Integrated Urban ProgramTucson Audubon’s urban initiatives currently include several strong components: Recipe Cards for attracting specific bird species to your yard, Nest Boxes for Urban Birds to support cavity-nesting species like American Kestrel, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Lucy’s Warbler, and Western Screech Owl; and, soon, a Landscape Recognition Program helping people make strong choices to support both sustainability and urban wildlife. With more funding we could integrate these aspects together with an Urban Desert Nestwatch Project and a few more central components that would reconcile the way we live with the needs of birds..


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Below are a few more projects that we would like to turn into reality.

• Tucson Audubon Nursery—better plant production in our own hands

• WILD (Western Institute for Leadership Development)—help expand our partnership with a Tucson charter high school dedicated to sustainability

• Birding Tours Program

• Tucson Audubon ‘Restoration Practitioner’ Certification Program

• Mesquite Establishment Experiments—growing a better tree

• Paton Center-Sonoita Creek Preserve Linkage Hiking Trail.

The projects outlined in this booklet provide a small window into our vision and dreams for community conservation in our region.

If you are interested in any of the projects, please contact Keith Ashley or Jonathan Horst to provide you with more details.

Keith Ashley, Paton Center [email protected] | 520.488.2981

Jonathan Horst, Restoration [email protected] | 520.971.6238

Tucson Audubon Society300 E University Blvd, Ste 120, Tucson, AZ 85705

520.629.0510 • tucsonaudubon.org

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tucson audubon’s paton center for hummingbirds can you help

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