Flagstaff

Chapter Meetings

Chapter meetings and evening programs are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month from March through October, beginning at 7:00 pm. Our monthly meetings are held at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 1601 North San Francisco St. Monthly field trips are usually on the following weekend, and are announced via email and the Arizona Daily Sun. These events are free and open to the public. Unless otherwise announced, meet for carpooling to field trips at 8:30 a.m., at the OneAZ Credit Union parking lot at the southwest corner of Beaver and Butler. Bring sun and/or rain protection, water, snacks, lunch, and a car or gas money for carpooling. For more information about field trips, email Barbara Phillips at [email protected]

 

JOIN OUR CHAPTER E-LIST

Join Our Chapter E-list:  If you would like to receive reminders and announcements about field trips and meetings via e-mail, send a note to Sue Holiday to be added to the list. Stay informed by joining us on Facebook.

Usually the most up-do-date information about upcoming chapter events can be found on our Facebook page.

Chapter Leadership

Name Role Contact
Kirstin Phillips President [email protected]
Melissa Amberson Chapter Contact [email protected]
Sue Holiday Email Distribution [email protected]
Barbara Phillips Hike Information [email protected]


Volunteering Opportunities

Want to get involved? We've got just the thing!

Northern Arizona University, Deaver Herbarium
We are looking for dedicated volunteers to help mount pressed specimens for the permanent collection. No experience necessary, training will be provided. No reply needed, just show up and join a fun group.Work sessions will take place every first and third Friday of the month at 1:30 to 3:30pm in the Deaver herbarium in the Biological Sciences Bldg on 617 S, Beaver Street. The herbarium is located in room 314 on the south side of the third floor.

Next Sessions:

  • October 18
  • November 1
  • November 15

Parking near the NAU campus is very difficult, but the Mountain Line #10 bus stops right in front of the building. For more information visit the Deaver website or contact session organizers Gisela Kluwin or Vera Markgraf

Museum of Northern Arizona
The Museum of Northern Arizona is looking for dedicated volunteers to assist in the curation of herbarium specimens including identifying specimens, mounting pressed specimens, filing pressed specimens into the herbarium, and georeferencing specimens. The Museum is also looking for volunteers to help plant, weed, and prune the native plants in the Colton Research Garden, at the Colton House, and around the Museum grounds. For more information, please contact Museum botanist, Kirstin Phillips.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff
The Arboretum at Flagstaff offers volunteer opportunities in the gardens, greenhouses, education, events and visitor center.
We are open from May-October. For more information, please contact Delaney Donnelly at: [email protected]

Grow Flagstaff Seed Library
The Grow Flagstaff Seed Library is looking for volunteers to help create seed packets to add to the growing seed library. For more information, please contact Jackee Alston.

Plant Atlas Project of Arizona
here are several plant ongoing plant atlas projects in northern Arizona. The Plant Atlas Project of Arizona (PAPAZ) is a statewide partnership between the Arizona Native Plant Society, Grand Canyon Trust, Desert Botanical Garden, Northern Arizona University, Museum of Northern Arizona, and the U.S. Forest Service to document the diversity and distribution of Arizona’s flora. For more information, see the Plant Atlas Project website or contact Kirstin Phillips.

Weed Warrior Activities
The AZNPS Flagstaff Chapter will join forces with the Grand Canyon Trust, Master Gardeners, and other local organizations to tackle the enormous weed problem along Fort Valley Road between the Fire Station, Trust’s headquarters, Pioneer Museum and the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Invasive plant species tend to be aggressive, to outcompete native plants for resources and space, and to decrease biodiversity. Diffuse Knapweed, Kochia, Bull Thistle (below), Cheatgrass and many other species are present throughout our project focus area. Together we can work to remove them and increase the chances for native grasses and flowers to flourish. There has already been major improvement at the Pioneer Museum, and native species are filling in among the native grasses. However, there is still more work to do. Details about these projects are on the Grand Canyon Trust’s website. Please come out and join local weed warriors and plant enthusiasts for one or all three workdays of weed removal, exercise, and fun. Please contact Dorothy Lamm with questions or just register at the website. See you there.

Chapter News

Chapter Meetings This Spring

Posted on Feb 26, 2023

Tuesday, April 18, 7:00 PM: Gayle Gratop, Susan Holiday, and Patti VanTuyl.
Gardening with High Elevation Native Plants
There are many benefits to gardening with native plants, including increasing biodiversity in your yard, conserving water, and providing food and habitat for local pollinators. This presentation will cover the basics of incorporating native plants into your garden. Learn how to choose the best plants for your environment, find out where to get them, and hear some expert tips on how to become a successful
native plant gardener from Gayle Gratop of UA Coconino County Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners Sue Holiday and Patti Van Tuyl.


Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 PM: Debbie DeWolf Allen. The Brothers Boutelou and the
Grass They Barely Knew: A Journey into Botany, History, Exploration, and Two
Remarkable Men

Botanical names can be challenging to pronounce and to spell, yet they hold a treasure trove of meaning.
Latin plant names often describe a distinctive characteristic of the plant, but sometimes they honor a person: some mysterious, unknown figure from the past who must have some importance in the botanical world.
In this talk by Debbie Allen, we delve into the origin of the name Blue Grama Grass, Bouteloua gracilis. Blue grama is native to the Southwest, and it is charming, distinctive, and easy to identify. The origin of the genus name, Bouteloua, takes us back to a tale that intertwines two Spanish gardeners from the late 1700s, an enlightened king of Spain, an expedition to explore the New World, and some remarkable botanical drawings that were lost for almost 200 years. Come take a fascinating journey that encompasses botany, history, exploration, and a tale of two exceptional men.

Chapter Meeting: March 21, 2023

Posted on Feb 26, 2023

Tuesday, March 21, 7:00 PM: Carrie Cannon. Plants of the Mojave Desert and
Traditional Tribal Uses

Although the desert may seem devoid of life, it is actually home to hundreds of unique species. Some are only visible or appear alive for a short time, while others grow for hundreds of years; many are found
nowhere else on Earth. Participants will learn about many traditional tribal plant uses, plant life that makes North American Deserts unique, and how the Mojave Desert stands apart from the rest of America.


Carrie Cannon is a member of the Kiowa tribe of Oklahoma and is also of Oglala Lakota descent. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and an M.S. in Resource Management. She began working for the Hualapai Tribe of Peach Springs, Arizona, in 2005, where she began the creation of an intergenerational ethnobotany program for the Hualapai community. She is currently employed as an ethnobotanist for the Hualapai Department of Cultural Resources. She administers a number of projects promoting the intergenerational teaching of Hualapai ethnobotanical knowledge, working towards preservation and revitalization to ensure tribal ethnobotanical knowledge persists as a living practice and tradition.

Rachel Burke presents: “Mapping nectarivorous bat habitat from the nectary up”

Posted on Jul 22, 2021

Rachel Burke – Mapping nectarivorous bat habitat from the nectary up; implications for Agave conservation in the southwestern U.S. From a Flagstaff chapter presentation in July, 2021.

The lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis), and the Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) undertake long‐distance migrations from south‐central Mexico to the southwestern United States. Following a corridor of seasonal food availability, these bats play important ecological roles as pollinators and seed dispersers throughout their ranges. While these bats feed on many species of plants throughout their ranges, Palmer’s agave (Agave palmeri) is among one of the most important food sources in the summer portion of their range. As part of a landscape scale project to better understand summer habitat and inform management for these bat species, I mapped the distribution of Agave palmeri at multiple scales and assess summer habitat quality via plant density and potential nectar production. This information can help managers better protect important foraging grounds for these bats and identify potential restoration sites for Agave palmeri.

Rachel Burke is a biologist based in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has a master’s in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology, as well as in Applied Geography, both from New Mexico State University. She currently works as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and has spent several years conducting botanical surveys and ecological monitoring across the Chihuahuan Desert. When not working, she can be found cultivating native plants in her garden, making pottery in her basement, or hiking with her dogs.


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