The PRT Newsletter for the Week of August 21, 2024
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News
The exquisite beauty of monsoon season
Photograph and essay by Bill Steen
Nature’s sketchbook. The exquisite beauty of southeastern Arizona’s monsoon season. At first glance, it is the clouds that are overwhelming. Of course clouds like these would be great any time of year, but those of the monsoon season are multi-dimensional.
As I walked, I started thinking about all the pieces that had come together to make this scene. The cottonwood trees, massive as they are, maybe a century old, have grown from cuttings that once served as fence posts for barbed wire to contain cattle. The cattle remain, but the shade below them serves as a community picnic ground. The supporting element beneath is what we call ‘grass.’ Yes there is grass, but upon further inspection one finds a diversity of plants which in the modern world are referred to as weeds that flower at different times of the year. Truly it is an amazing, complex and beautiful little ecosystem of its own sort that we call grass. And I can’t forget the chiggers, I suppose they have a place, but I kind of wish they weren’t there.
The music that nature provides, as we all know, is the thunder that accompanies all this. The intensity is what can often define how much and what kind of rain will follow. That’s when the wait begins. Will it rain or will it not? A sprinkle or a generous downpour? With time one can begin to know these clouds more intimately, but they are fickle, they fool you. Just when you think you can predict them, they do the opposite.
Of course not much of this matters, it all adds up to our human obsession of over-thinking everything. Quite simply it will rain or it may not. In the end, the clouds, the overall scene, the sounds all remain defining a most beautiful moment in the course of the afternoon.
A closing thought about the word ‘nature.’ I don’t think we realize how misleading that term is. We use it to define something other than ourselves. Something out there complete with animals, insects, rocks, trees and all such things while in reality the word defines us, an integral part of that matrix, not something apart.
Follow Canelo-based photographer/journalist Bill Steen on Instagram and Facebook
Reminder: ADEQ Hermosa Aquifer Protection Permit community meeting tonight
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) will hold an interactive community meeting regarding an amendment to the Aquifer Protection Permit for the South32 Hermosa Project tonight, August 21, from 6-9pm at Patagonia Union High School.
The ADEQ groundwater program staff that worked on the permit will be available to answer questions and consider concerns. Click here to view the ADEQ’s ‘Permits of Interest’ page on their website, which includes relevant permit documents.
Jackie Covey celebrates 30 years with USPS
Postmaster Martin Perez (left) presents Patagonia’s Jackie Covey with a certificate of appreciation for her 30 years of service with the U.S. Postal Service earlier this week. Photo by Dawn Lewis
Patagonia Community Blood Drive this Saturday
By Anne Quirin, Blood Drive Leader
Hello, friends and neighbors! We need HELP! Our community is struggling to keep our hospitals supplied with the lifesaving units of blood that are needed. Our Patagonia Community wants to be part of the answer to this urgent call to action. We know the people here have big hearts and we believe we can make a difference!
Please consider being part of the Patagonia Community Blood Drive during this time of critical need! You are being asked to donate blood on Saturday, August 24, 2024, from 9:00am-2:00pm at the St Therese Catholic Church Social Hall, 262 Sonoita Ave (behind the church) in Patagonia.
As you may have heard, we are in the midst of a National Blood Shortage. Since August began, we are down 25% in blood donations. In an effort to entice you as well as to thank you for your priceless donation of a pint of blood, we have the following incentive for the time of our community’s drive:
Those who come to give blood will receive a $20 Amazon.com gift card by email!
To schedule an appointment, please follow this link: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results…
Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins will be welcomed!
Thank you!
Coronado National Forest and partners complete 149-acre ‘Duquesne Road Parcel’ acquisition in San Rafael Valley
(Press Release excerpt)
August 15, 2024: The Coronado National Forest has finalized the purchase of 149 acres of public land in Santa Cruz County. The Duquesne Road Parcel Acquisition is located in the San Rafael Valley, along Forest Road 61/Duquesne Road, a scenic drive in the Sierra Vista Ranger District, Coronado National Forest. Partners to the Coronado National Forest in this land acquisition include the Arizona Land and Water Trust and the Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape.
Acquisition of the Duquesne Road Parcel will contribute to the protection of one of the most un-fragmented examples of a prairie grassland ecosystem in the Southwest. Grassland habitat types similar to those in the parcel are known for their high species richness and diversity. The purchase was made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The parcel conserved through this partnership is part of a landscape prized by surrounding communities. The effort to protect the San Rafael Valley has been driven by community partnerships and has been active for over 30 years. Arizona State Parks and Trails manages theadjacent San Rafael State Natural Area. In addition, the Nature Conservancy has been active in the area, acquiring and conserving important properties.
To read the entire Aug. 15, 2024 Forest Service press release, click here.
Wild animals doing wild animal things
Jason Miller, the Vail-based independent wildlife videographer, has posted a new 4.5-minute compilation of recently captured candid footage of local wildlife from his trailcams in our area. Have a look:
For more of Jason’s wildlife videos — including his widely publicized trail cam footage of a jaguar in the Huachucas from late last year — follow him at his YouTube channel and on Instagram.
Remember When?
Over the last two years, we’ve posted over 2,800 articles from past years’ print editions on the PRT website, with more to come. Take a walk down memory lane with this article from August, 2018…
At Our Backdoor: News From the Front Lines
By India Aubry
August 3, 2018
Through the community activist group Voices From the Border, I have been going to help the Central American asylum seekers arriving at the Port of Entry in Nogales, Sonora. Following are excerpts from my journal entries.
Did you know that as part of our mission, the PRT does not charge to publish obituaries?
Please support the PRT — every dollar counts!
Upcoming Events
To share information about an upcoming events in this newsletter, pleas submit a link to your event page or poster/flyer, or a brief description of the event. Poster/flyer submissions require an image in JPEG format, along with a brief description of the event. Email your submission to prtadast@gmail.com by Monday, 5pm. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date.
School Announcements
Local Items of Interest
The Patagonia Senior Center recently received a grant from Delta Dental of Phoenix to help seniors with dental expenses. Vouchers are provided for up to $350 to participating dentists. If interested, please call the senior center at (520) 394-2494.
The Patagonia Museum has joined the Jim Click Millions for Tucson Raffle fundraiser. The grand prize is a 2024 Jeep Wrangler. 100% of proceeds sold by the Patagonia Museum will benefit the museum. Please contact a board member of the museum to buy your chance(s) to win. Click here to learn more about the grand prize. To learn more about the additional prizes that are available, click here. Museum Members, save the date – Oct. 19, from 4-8 pm for a complimentary meal, refreshments and entertainment at the museum facility.
Raffle for the Elgin Cemetery Refurbishment Project. Click here to learn more.
The Arizona Rangers Sonoita Company meets the third Thursday of each month at the SEFD training room in Sonoita. For more information contact Lt. Phil Burdine at (520) 990-4390
Employment Opportunities
Farmers Markets
Patagonia Farmers and Crafts Market – Thursdays 10am-12pm by Red Mountain Foods.
Sonoita Farmers Market – Saturday Mornings 9am-12pm at the Sonoita Post Office parking lot (NW corner of Hwy 82/83)
Sierra Vista Farmers Market – Thursday 10am-2pm at Veteran’s Memorial Park.
Nogales “Little” Mercado – Fridays 4-7pm 163 Morley Ave, Nogales.
Church Events and Schedules
St. Therese Parish in Patagonia
Patagonia United Methodist Church
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