Tucson Chapter Meeting – October 9, 2025
Posted Oct 04, 2025
Arizona’s Night Shift: Bats as Ecological Heroes
Presented by Susan Chappel, Kartchner Caverns State Parks
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Meeting and Presentation, 7pm in person and on Zoom (link below)
U of A campus, Environment and Natural Resources Building (ENR2), Room S225, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson AZ
Susan Chappel will introduce us to the hidden lives of Arizona bats and the essential roles they play in our environment, as predators and natural pest control agents and as pollinating superstars for a variety of native plant species. Bat populations are under threat from a spectrum of challenges, and our speaker will discuss actions we can take to assist our flying mammalian neighbors.
Susan Chappel is a ranger with Arizona State Parks and Trails at Kartchner Caverns. She leads cave tours and participates in outreach at this amazing State Park. In the summer, when the Karchner Big Room closes to protect its breeding bat colonies, she guides bat walks at the Caverns. She is passionate about sharing the love and respect she has for our wildlife. Her interest in bats was first ignited when her youngest daughter fell in love with the book Stellaluna. Susan encouraged her interest and it has led her to her current role in bat education and outreach.
ZOOM LINK:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88451482734?pwd=G3VA2ep2bvrU33oc7yat68ReWj6Upo.1
Meeting ID: 884 5148 2734 Passcode: 900250
UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS
The Pima County Native Plant Nursery
Friday 10 October, 7:30 am to 9:30 am
Meet : Nursery entrance gate at 5845 N Camino de la Tierra
Directions : Turn south off Orange Grove at the Camino de la Tierra traffic light. Camino de la Tierra is between Thornydale and Mona Lisa, east of I-10.
Limit: 15 participants RSVP to tucsonaznpstrips@gmail.com
Nursery manager and AZNPS member Amy Belk will show us native plants from seedlings to maturity. This is a great way to learn how to identify a wide range of our native species.
The Pima County Native Plant Nursery (NPN) grows native plants for landscaping projects in public spaces such as roadsides and medians, restoration sites, flood control properties, libraries and parks. This small, 4-acre nursery operates differently than a standard retail nursery, with inventory driven by upcoming public projects rather than sales forecasts. Because the plants are grown for restoration, a robust IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program with organic pest control methods is in place. As part of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, the nursery specializes in common, threatened, and rare species found in the Sonoran Desert.
After the native plant nursery tour, those who have time can also visit Prickly Park, adjacent to the nursery. The Park is a successful collaboration between Pima County and the Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society (TCSS), a local non-profit organization that rescues and salvages succulent species from private residences and large development projects all around town. Many of these rescued plants find their way to Prickly Park, where they can be enjoyed by the public for years to come. Come see how this once gravel mine and landfill has been transformed into a truly unique greenspace that now hosts a variety of wildlife!
Honeybee Canyon
Saturday 11 October, 7:30 am to 10:30 am
Meet : Honeybee Park parking lot, 13880 N Rancho Vistoso Blvd
Directions : Turn off Oracle Road and drive NW on 1st Ave in Oro Valley. Continue through the Tangerine light where the road becomes Rancho Vistoso Blvd. Past the Vistoso Highlands light the road curves and descends to Honeybee Canyon. Slow down as you cross the bridge as the parking lot entrance is right after the bridge. Best to use a GPS.
Limit: 15 participants RSVP to tucsonaznpstrips@gmail.com
After an historically dry July and August, Honeybee Canyon received regular rains in the month of September resulting in a surge of plant growth. We will walk one mile up Honeybee wash with granitic shelves on either side that provide natural trellises for desert grasses, flowering plants, and cacti. The sandy canyon floor has vegetative islands of seep willow, burrobrush, and Gooding willow. We will see various desert vine species including wild snapdragon, twinevine, and pipevine. As we slowly gain elevation we will see Justicia longii, Coursetia bushes and a Escobaria cactus. Near the top of the canyon we will see the beautiful Owl petroglyph panel. Several plants will be in bloom at the time of this field trip.
Over the past year AZNPS has joined with the Vistoso Hiker Club in an effort to “rewild Honeybee Canyon”. Volunteers have made a sustained effort to manually and chemically take out buffel/fountaingrass, African lovegrasses and bermudagrass from the areas we will visit. Already native plants are emerging in the controlled areas.
Common Sense Passive Water Harvesting in Oro Valley and Oracle
Saturday 24 October 7:30 am to noon
Meet : Trader Joe Parking lot on SE corner of Oracle/Magee. Just north of the shopping carts. We will carpool. Limit: 15 participants RSVP to tucsonaznpstrips@gmail.com
We are bringing back our pre-Covid popular annual learning tour about common sense passive water harvesting in Oro Valley and Oracle, led by Chuck LeFevre. Chuck is a berm, rock and boulder placer extraordinaire. Water harvesting landscapes will be visited along roadways, public common areas, and both small and large front yards. You will be impressed by the simplicity and sheer common sense of these passive water harvest projects. In Oracle we will also have a chance to botanize in and around the water harvest sites. For those who have time, we will stay and eat brunch together at the new Riot Grill in Oracle.
