Yuma Chapter News April 2024
Posted on Apr 16, 2024
Yuma
The Yuma Chapter meets at the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) Region IV Office, 9140 E. 28 Street in Yuma. It is conveniently located between the foothills and the city proper, making meetings more accessible to our far-flung members. We meet at 7:00 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday of each month from October to April. Find out about field trips by attending the meetings.
True to our “Yuman nature,” the Yuma Chapter regularly participates with local organizations whenever the opportunity arises. Many of our members are Master Gardeners and/or members of garden clubs or Yuma Audubon. Through these partnerships we promote cultivating and planting native plants for wildlife habitat and have educated the public about the many values native plants bring to the landscape.
For Yuma Chapter information contact Valerie Morrill.
Find us on Facebook: @YumaAZNPS or by searching Arizona Native Plant Society Yuma Chapter.
Join Our Chapter E-list: If you would like to receive reminders and announcements about field trips and meetings via email, send a note to yumaaznps@gmail.com to be added to the list.
* Photos above by Sue Carnahan.
Chapter Leadership
| Name | Role | Contact |
| Valerie Morrill | President | yumaaznps@gmail.com |
| Karen Reichhardt | Vice President | yumaaznps@gmail.com |
| Tom Fox | Treasurer | yumaaznps@gmail.com |
| Deirdre MacDonald | Secretary | yumaaznps@gmail.com |
Volunteering Opportunities
Want to get involved? We've got just the thing!
During the winter season there are opportunities for members to table annual events such as the home and garden show, the Moody Garden art walk, and the Yuma Birding, Nature and History Festival.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
In 2019, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension funded a greenhouse located at the University of Arizona farm. The greenhouse is managed by the Yuma Master Gardeners and a portion of it is used to cultivate natives.
During 2019-2020, members of the Yuma chapter joined the City of Yuma Tree and Shade Masterplan Task Force. The Society is contributing to the task force by providing information to encourage planting native trees.
WHERE TO ENJOY NATIVE PLANTS
Yuma Conservation Garden
2520 East 32nd St, Yuma, AZ 85664
Located on the west side of the Yuma County Fairgrounds on the north side of 32nd Street across from the airport. Entrance gate is located just west of the Fairground south entry.
A community treasure of Sonoran Desert experience, environmental education, family events and volunteer opportunities. Open to the public from the first of November through the first of May every Saturday from 9-5 and Sunday noon to 5. Call 928-317-1935 to arrange group entry at other times. An assortment of mature cacti and a desert oasis are unique features of the garden.
Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden
2200 W 28th St, Yuma, AZ 85364
928-726-3904
Started in 2004 by the Moody Garden Makers, the demonstration garden is open 365 days a year and is free to the public. The garden is a partnership between the University of Arizona and the Moody Garden Makers Garden Club. The purpose of the garden is to educate Yuma residents on gardening in the Southwest. Included in the garden is a native plant and xeriscape section.
Yuma West Wetlands
282 N. 12th Avenue, Yuma, AZ
The 110‐acre West Wetlands Park managed by City of Yuma Parks and Recreation is a jewel and beloved by the citizens of Yuma. The 30 acres of the “lower bench” are restored with a gallery of mature native riparian trees, and an additional 30 acres of the “upper bench” are developed with a lake, picnic ramadas, parking, lighting, and landscaping. A Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden features a mixture of native trees, shrubs and cacti.
Yuma East Wetlands
Accessed by driving to Yuma Territorial Prison, 220 N. Prison Hill Road. From the prison parking lot, drive down the hill to Riverside Park.
The Yuma East Wetlands is considered a model for wetlands restoration in the desert Southwest and is led by a partnership between the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, Quechan Indian Tribe, City of Yuma, and Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Restoration activities were initiated in 2004 and nearly 400 acres have been transformed from a trash dump filled with hobo camps into a mosaic of marsh, mesquite, cottonwood, and willows which provide habitat for an array of wildlife species.
A few of the most notable species discovered since the East Wetlands was created include the endangered Ridgway’s Rail (Yuma Clapper Rail) and the presence and successful breeding of the endangered Yellow-Billed Cuckoo.
Chapter News
Yuma Meeting News
Posted on Jun 03, 2023
Yuma will forgo regular monthly, in-person meetings for the foreseeable future.
Instead, we will focus on outdoor activities, such as field trips and work projects,
with a virtual format for meetings and similar indoor activities.
Announcements of these events and other news updates will be posted via email.
If you would like to receive updates, please contact us at our chapter email
(yumanativeplant@gmail.com) and ask to be put on our list.
Chapter Offices
President: Valerie Morrill; Vice President: Karen Reichhardt; Secretary: Deirdre MacDonald; Treasurer: Tom Fox
Trip Reports
This spring, Yuma came to life again, both the chapter and the desert! Following a hiatus, members
reconvened in time for a limited but surprisingly good spring bloom. During our first outing, we visited
Imperial Sand Dunes, Tumco Historic Mining District, with the option of a tour of the Center of the
World. The sand dunes stop is a favorite of ours, as we can count on seeing the unusually tall creosote. But what we hadn’t expected was an abundance of blooming flowers. En route to our next stop, we marveled over a small runnel exploding in pink. There we were, again so enamored with the array of blossoms, we oohed and aahed in delight. We eventually completed the half-mile or so to our destination, but instead of entering the historic site, we made a side trip down a wash to see even more spectacular blooms. We had the presence of mind to take the obligatory photo (after about half of us had left, of course!) to prove that we had indeed been there. Perhaps next time we’ll try to see the site.
We made our second field trip to Painted Desert trail, in the Imperial Wildlife Refuge. This trail, through
bands of volcanic tuff, is colorful in its varied palette of infertile ash, but it is not known as a wildflower
hotspot. However, 50 species later, our group was content with the outing. Again, we posed for an obligatory photo after several of our group had headed back to civilization. We were glad we remembered how to document, even if it was old school.
On a completely different note, the city of Yuma reached out to our chapter to collaborate on the annual
dinner theater event, Native Gardens. In conjunction with Master Gardeners and AZ Wildlife Federation,
we advised on native plant ingredients for set design, table decor, and dinner and specialty beverages
(prickly-pear margaritas!). In addition to acknowledging our collaboration in the printed programs and
during performances, the city gave us the opportunity to provide information displays. And perhaps by
accident, we also performed as extras in the play.
This sort of collaboration could be a wonderful opportunity for chapters across the state. It gave us
exposure to upwards of 900 attendees, providing them with access to information on native plants that
may be new to them. For additional information on Native Gardens, please see playwright Karen Zacarías’s website (www.karenzacarias.com/plays/native-gardens-2/).
Lastly, the summer is a time for Yumans to hibernate, estivate, or migrate. We will continue learning and
exploring our virtual options to stay engaged and look forward to returning in the fall with field trips
across our region. Stay tuned.
Yuma Chapter AZNPS Field Trip March 22, 2023
Posted on Mar 20, 2023
Gallery
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