Tonto Basin

Upcoming Activities

The AZ Native Plant Society Tonto Basin Chapter invites anyone interested in learning about native plants in Gila County to join us for chapter meetings, botany walks, and conservation activities.
Our chapter meets on the first Friday of each month, October through May, and includes guest speakers, botany walks, and field trips. Please join our email list at tontobasinnativeplants@gmail.com to receive up-to-date information and meeting reminders. You can also visit our Facebook and Instagram accounts for additional information If you don’t want to miss out on our Chapter’s activities, please email your contact info to tontobasinnativeplants@gmail.com. We would love to have you join us!

Locations, dates and times will be posted on our Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/27eb2hj3) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/aznpstontobasin/) accounts.

Our chapter is looking for volunteers to help with botany walks, community service events and social media. If you would like to help, please contact us at tontobasinnativeplants@gmail.com.

Volunteer Opportunities
YOU can be a citizen scientist and help monitor the health of saguaros. The Tonto Basin Chapter is monitoring saguaros in the Tonto Basin and Lake Roosevelt areas. If you would like to help collect data, please go to Saguaro Monitoring – Friends of the Tonto National Forest and submit the Interest Form. Upon completing a 1 1/2 hour YouTube training session in the comfort of your home, we will take you to the monitoring sites for in-field training. All data is collected on the ARCgis Field
Maps App and a smartphone is required. Ten acre grids are available for adoption and are easily accessible. This is a fun project for the whole family!

NEW! Beginning in March 2025, the Tonto Basin Chapter, in collaboration with the Friends of the Tonto National Forest, will be kicking off the “Tonto Basin Stinknet Patrol.” For volunteer opportunities, please visit Friends of the Tonto National Forest Volunteer on the Tonto! for more information.

Follow Us On Social Media

Instgram: https://www.instagram.com/aznpstontobasin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087102266655

Chapter Leadership

Name	Role	Contact
Becky Settje	President	tontobasinnativeplants@gmail.com
Teri Balaska	Vice President
Eric Sjoden	Lead Botanist

Volunteering Opportunities

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

Chapter News

Upcoming Chapter Events

Posted on Oct 19, 2025

Friday, November 7, 2025

AZ Botanists: Past & Present Presented by Becky Settje, Chapter President

at 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

268 E Stephens Way, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553

Friday, December 5, 2025

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Searching the Sierra Ancha for Rare Plants; Presented by Kenda Svoboda, North Zone Botanist , Tonto National Forest

US Forest Services Ranger Station

1009 State Route 260, Payson, AZ 85541

Friday, January 9, 2026

Grand Canyon—More Than Just Beautiful, Awe-Inspiring Views, Neat Geology & Weird Squirrels!

Presented by Wendy Hodgson, Herbarium Curator Emerita & Sr. Research Botanist, Desert Botanical Garden

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Payson Public Library, 328 N McLane Road, Payson, AZ 85541

Tonto Basin Chapter Activities

Posted on Mar 04, 2025

Friday, March 7, 10:00 – 11:30 AM.

Ashley Hall, Rangeland Management Agent
Ashley will share her work on the Tonto National Forest. This presentation will be held at the Tonto Basin
Chamber of Commerce, 45675 N Arizona Highway 188, Tonto Basin.

Thursday, April 3, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

Liz Makings, Research Specialist & ASU Herbarium Collections Manager
Liz will lead a botany walk at Bushnell Tanks, located in Sunflower off State Highway 87. Pack a snack and
water and wear sturdy hiking shoes.

Friday, April 4, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM:

Patti Fenner, Executive Director of the Friends of the Tonto National Forest
Patti will share information on how to ID, remove, dispose, and report Stinknet, an aggressive, nonnative
invasive weed that has arrived in the Tonto Basin. We will meet at Tonto Basin Chamber of Commerce, 45675 N Arizona Highway 188, Tonto Basin.

Friday, May 2, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM:

Laird Blackwell. Wildflower Adventures
Laird is the author of numerous wildflower books. He will share his field work in this inspiring presentation.
A year-end potluck will follow in the Chapter President’s garden/arboretum, 268 E Stephens Way, Tonto
Basin. Please bring a dish to share.

Chapter Report

Posted on Dec 05, 2024

On Friday, November 1, our chapter met at the Shoofly Ruins in Payson to learn about grasses in the Tonto National Forest. Kenda Svoboda, North Zone Botanist from the Payson Forest Service, described several grass species as well as other plant species located in the area and provided useful handouts and a microscope for further identification.

Gallery

See what your chapter has been up to!