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Tours
Outdoor Classroom – Educational Tours
All tours will take place on Wednesday, July 30 and leave at 7:00 a.m. unless otherwise noted.
The tours will give exposure to interesting and informative conservation work happening in the area. Be sure to register early to secure a seat. You must be registered as an attendee in order to participate in a tour. The SWCS reserves the right to cancel a tour that does not have the minimum number of participants and to change the maximum number of participants. Late fees for tours apply beginning on June 16.
Tour #1 Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed
This full day tour will visit Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed. Overview of the watershed research will be at the Tombstone Office, and then field stops of Flume 6, rain simulator, wind simulator, and demonstration project which incorporate current research into practical practices for ranchers.
Time 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $50/$65 late (includes lunch)
Tour #2 Aspen Fire Restoration Tour
This full day tour will visit Catalina Mountains and review damage from the Aspen fire and the rehabilitation work performed by the BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) team.. The tour will highlight the cooperate projects between Forest Service and local community. This tour is located in the pines, so be prepared for cooler temperatures and possible rain.
Time 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $50/$65 late (includes lunch)
Tour #3 U of A Campus
This half day tour will include visit to the Campus Arboretum and the Tree Ring lab located on the campus of the University of Arizona. The arboretum showcases the historic, scientific, aesthetic, environmental, economical, conservation, and educational value of plants and trees within the larger Tucson urban forest and the Southwest. This includes Arizona’s old tree collection, heritage trees, and cactus gardens. The tree ring lab is engaged in a diverse array of research programs which include fire history and fire ecology, multiproxy paleoclimatology, archaeology, biogeography, isotope geochemistry, paleoecology, biogeochemistry, geomorphology, numerical and statistical modeling, and even public health.
Time 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Cost: $25/$40 late
Tour #4 Sonita Vineyards and Audubon Ranch
This full day tour will visit the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch which has protected grassland ecosystems for more than 30 years through conservation, research, and education. Then the tour will visit the Sonita Vineyards and tour the vineyard and winery followed by wine tasting. This will include a souvenir wine glass and a catered lunch.
Time 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $75/$90 late (includes lunch)
Tour #5 Water Supply Issues
This full day tour will be talking and visiting about southern AZ water supply including Central Arizona project canal (CAP), Sweetwater recharge and reclamation water treatment plant, Tohono O’odham organic farm that utilizes CAP water. Lunch will be at the historic San Xavier Mission with time for sight seeing, and a final stop at the Pima Mine CAP recharge and water banking facility.
Time 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $50/$65 late (includes lunch)
Tour #6 Kartchner Caverns
This half day tour will explore Kartchner Caverns. The tour will leave Tucson at 12:00, and have two tours of the caverns at 1 and 2pm. Kartchner Caverns is one of Arizona’s newest state parks. Still virtually pristine, this massive limestone cave has 13,000 feet of passages and two rooms as long as football fields. The underground wilderness will remain protected while offering visitors a rare tour through multi-colored cave formations. The temperature inside the caverns averages 68°F year round, with the humidity at 99%. Discovery Center houses world-class exhibits (including a replica of the cave), a large gift shop, regional and interactive displays, and educational information along with a gift shop.
Time 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $45/$60 late (includes admission ticket to cave)
Tour #7 Water Harvesting
This half day tour shows examples of water harvesting on the U of A campus and related water plans, active and passive rainwater harvesting at The Nature Conservancy, integration of water harvesting in living communities (co-housing neighborhoods), private residences, and multi-use landscape detention/retention basins.
Time 7:00 a.m. to Noon.
Cost: $25/$40 late
Tour #8 Copper Mine Reclamation
This full day tour will showcase reclamation of a copper mine. The BHP copper mine has begun a large scope copper mine reclamation/mine-smelter closure that is utilizing the latest technologies. These technologies and how they impact the environment and local community will be discussed.
Time 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $50/$65 late (includes lunch)
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