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Photo of the week
“Our little cow herd—Bella, Patch, Frickles and Maybell—wait for their morning carrot treats.”– Linda Brooks Vensel, Patagonia
News
Hathaway, protesters slam Noem’s visit to border wall near Nogales
More than 130 demonstrators, including residents of eastern Santa Cruz County, protested at the intersection of Grande Avenue and Crawford Street in Nogales, with many waving handmade anti-Noem and anti-ICE signs. Whistles, cowbells and sympathetic car honking from continuous corner traffic headed for the port of entry made for a loud, high-energy event.
Meanwhile, Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway, who said he had not been invited to Noem’s event, distributed a blistering statement to the press.
“Kristi Noem is a coward besides being a tyrant,” he wrote. “She is afraid to face the chief law enforcement officer of the county where she did her disingenuous briefing. Neither she, nor her staff, invited me to her briefing or informed me where it was being held. She did, however, invite the Trump-supporting sheriff from the neighboring county of Cochise. Noem was obviously afraid that I would refute her false claims about crime rates in this safe border county.”
Short agenda set for Feb. 11 Patagonia Town Council meeting
The Patagonia Town Council will hold its first regular meeting this month on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 6pm. As always, members of the public may attend the Council meeting in person or via Zoom: Meeting I.D. 957-511-4862, password 338501
Patagonia High senior Emma Lewton and junior Kannon Shore earned first-team honors on the 1A South all-region basketball teams. Lewton is a repeat selection from 2025, while this is the first all-region recognition for Shore.
“He’s been an offensive force,” coach Nate Porter said of Shore, who topped 20 points five times while leading the Lobos to a 6-1 record at the end of the regular season. “He’s really coming into himself, playing with a lot of confidence.”
Lewton led the Patagonia girls in scoring, assists and steals. Coach Michele Shadrick commended her leadership and teamwork: “Emma has been a fierce competitor and leader as co-captain of our team. She directs our offense and is ready to pick a pocket on the defense. She cheers her teammates on. … She will definitely be missed next season.”
Four other Patagonia players were recognized in voting by the region coaches.
From the girls team, senior Brianna Majalca was a second-team selection, and senior Valeria Castellanos earned honorable mention. For the boys, seniors Noah Gallardo and Gus Varela earned honorable mention.
The goal, every year, for the Patagonia High basketball programs is to qualify for the state tournament.
It seemed farfetched this season when the Lobos returned from their Christmas break. The Patagonia boys were 0-5 in games that were calculated into the state rankings. The girls were 1-3 in such games, and would eventually find themselves at 1-6.
And yet, here they are in the second week of February, and both teams are still playing.
The Lobo boys crawled their way back with 10 wins in their final 14 games to gain a No. 22 ranking in Class 1A. That earned them a road trip north of Phoenix to take on 11th-ranked Great Hearts Anthem in the opening round the of the state playoffs.
The Lobos girls went 5-3 down the stretch and climbed to No. 23 in the rankings. They’ll head to Heber to take on 10th-ranked Mogollon in the opening round.
Both games will be played Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
The Patagonia boys last qualified for state in 2021; the girls in 2024.
“It feels great,” boys coach and athletic director Nate Porter said. “It’s our goal every year, to continue our season in the state tournament. We overcame at 0-5 start. That’s outstanding. I don’t know too many teams that have done that. They really came together and continued to battle.”
For scientists, lovers of the natural world, and photographers, getting a spread in National Geographic Magazine is a very big deal. So, we are excited locally to see an article on keeping our borderlands wild in the January 2026 issue of Nat Geo.
The article focuses on the partnerships among ranchers, other landowners, tribes, and nonprofit organizations who are working to maintain and restore pathways for free movement of wildlife. The continued construction of the border wall is making the job harder.
The photographs in the article are beautiful as is the description of the biodiversity in the Madrean Sky Island landscape we live in. Several Mexican and American organizations and landowners are mentioned including our own Borderlands Restoration Network. Executive Director Rodrigo Sierra Corona, Director of Native Plant Program Francesca Claverie, and brand-new hire Ganesh Marin are featured in photos and text.
Marin’s study of obstructions to the movement of black bears through the borderlands is presented in the article. He documents the movement of Pedro, a black bear, over a six-month period in 2025. The path Pedro took across the border will soon be closed off by the Department of Homeland Security’s completion of the border wall.
The Patagonia Library has several copies of the January 2026 edition of National Geographic. Take a look.
Birders spotted in Patagonia
Photo by Linda Jade Fong
A common sight outside of the Senior Center in Patagonia these days is floppy-hatted visitors with their long telescopic lenses peering up into this tree. The group pictured here were birders from Tucson looking for the Williamson’s sapsucker, “rare for this area,” one woman enthusiastically exclaimed. Robin Baxter, a longtime Patagonia birder, later suggested that the bird is normally seen in mountain forests, which are more difficult to get to. So the opportunity to see it here in our town park rather than going far afield is enticing for birders. The sapsucker, a type of woodpecker, is so named because it drills rows of holes into a tree. The sap that oozes out of the holes attracts insects, which the sapsucker then eats. Robin said that it is not uncommon to see this bird come back to a specific tree because it’s drilled holes in it, so it knows where the food is. That’s why this particular tree has been drawing continual birders for the last couple of months. And locals get the bonus of people watching as a bonus. —Linda Jade Fong
Public Service Announcements
To submit an announcement, please emailprtadast@gmail.com.Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
ADOT’s SR 83 lane restrictions in Sonoita are scheduled to continue through April, with temporary driveway closures now extended to run through Feb. 13: click here for more information
BLM is offering permits to collect dead and downed mesquite west of Cieneguita Campground through March 1: click here for more information
Click flyer to send email requesting additional information
School News and Youth Events
To report school news or list an event, please emailprtadast@gmail.com.Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
Join us in the MPR! Students have been working on projects and will have their work on display for the community to check out; we will also have a small robotics demonstration on hand that evening.
Click flyer for more details
Dine out for a great cause! Join us for our upcoming restaurant fundraisers and help support Patagonia students, events, and activities. Bring your family and friends and dine local on these upcoming dates! Click here for more details.
To list an event, please submit an image file in JPEG or PNG format. Email your submission to prtadast@gmail.com by Monday, 5pm. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
Click flyer to send email
Click flyer to buy tickets
From the Patagonia Public Library:
A “not to be missed” event. Feb 21 at 1pm at the Tin Shed: a fireside chat with Todd Goddard, author of the new Jim Harrison biography, and our very own Lars Marshall. The event is free, but donations at the door will go to the Tin Shed. Books will be available for purchase at the event thanks to our friends at the Patagonia Trading Post.
The Patagonia Museum board is pleased to announce that our facility has been chosen to host the ROAD TO 250: ARIZONA TRAVELING MUSEUM. The facility was nominated by Town Manager Ron Robinson and selected by a commission from the Secretary of State’s office, along with Nogales, to represent Santa Cruz County.
The exhibit, housed in a custom, retrofitted semi-trailer, features an interactive display highlighting Arizona’s role in America’s 250-year history. It will be in Patagonia on the Museum grounds on March 7, one of 33 stops in the state on a road trip that begins in the original state capital, Prescott, on Feb 14.
Program details are being developed, and we hope the community will join us on that day for a unique, nonpartisan celebration of civic pride.
Are we excited that 2026 is the Year of the Horse? You bet your boots we are!
Come ride through rolling hills on trails that cowboys have travelled for over 100 years during our annual Spring Trail Ride on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at the Historic Empire Ranch in Sonoita, AZ.
Two-hour guided rides depart at 8:00 am, 11:00 am & 2:00 pm. Rent a horse or Bring Your Own. Enjoy live music, docent tours, and lunch before or after your ride.
To list an event, please emailprtadast@gmail.com.Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
Fresh vegetable distribution Mondays at the Patagonia Senior Center
Come with friends and pick up your weekly fresh vegetables from East Santa Cruz County Community Food Bank every Monday at the Patagonia Senior Center (100 Quiroga Ln, Patagonia) at 10:30am. Take what you need and give what you can.
Thursdays: ‘Open Forum‘ at Patagonia Senior Center
A time to share personal stories, interests and ideas.
Thursdays at 1pm after senior lunch
February 12: COLOR— Jacqui Treinen on the influence of color on our lives
February 19: HISTORY OF MUSIC — Janet Palmer on the Baroque period
February 26: THE LORD’S PRAYER — Chuck Kelly on the prayer, as understood in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke
An 80-year-long study by Harvard University found that the quality of our relationships helps us live longer, happier lives, more so than genetics.
Community provides the grounding force of being seen, known, and supported through life’s ups and downs. There is space in our lives for both self-care and community care.
The phrase ‘inconvenience is the cost of community’ has become a popular slogan online, referring to the effort required to maintain meaningful connections with others—effort which we seemingly are less and less willing to make, even as we crave connection.
Borderlands POWWOW in Sonoita, AZ is always on the third Saturday of the month. At POWWOW it is a $15 contribution for 70 LBS of produce. No residential or income requirements.
If you’d like to join the Community Volunteer Team or become a Market Vendor, please text/call gardenia 602.292.1616. AND if you know of any youth in the community who would like or need volunteer hours, we can provide documentation for those who would like to volunteer;
If you’d like to lend a hand, this is what you would be doing… Sorting and Packing fresh produce, and assisting participants as they go through our farmer’s market style line. The shifts are 6:30-9:30 AM and/or 8:30-11:30 AM. *Those who volunteer for a shift will receive a complimentary unit of produce. If you’d like to give back to your community in this way, please call/text gardenia 602.292.1616 and let us know which dates and shifts you’re able to volunteer. Thank you all in advance! What we do, we do together! GM
Click flyer for sign-up info
Alcoholics Anonymous:
Sonoita Bible Church – Tuesdays at 7pm, 3174 N. Highway 83, Sonoita. Doors open at 6:30. Zoom option: 601-758-3907.
Patagonia Methodist Community Church – Thursdays at 6:30pm. 387 McKeown Ave., Patagonia. Contact Dave at 207-249-8302.
Crossroads Quilters: Are you a textile artist (weaving, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting)? The Crossroads Quilters invites all interested textile artists to our meetings. Bring a project to work on and enjoy a morning of information sharing and camaraderie. We meet the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at 9am at the Sonoita Bible Church, 3174 N. Highway 83. For more information email: alisbunting@gmail.com
Overeaters Anonymous: The OA Sky Islands Recovery group meets every Wednesday 11am-12noon at the East Santa Cruz County (ESCC) Food Bank at 772 Harshaw Ave in the meeting room at the end of the driveway. For additional meeting info, go to oasouthernaz.org. Contact Adrienne H. for more info 520-404-3490.
Each year this program awards up to three early-career scientists with:
A cash award of $1,000 to be used on any research-related expenses; gear, books, travel, conferences, etc.
A $500 housing voucher to be used for lodging on the Research Ranch
Opportunities to share their work through our annual AWRR Fellowship Webinar Series and Audubon websites, newsletters, social media, and more
Applications are due by midnight on March 30 and more information (including eligibility details, information about past fellows, and a scoring rubric) can be found here.
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)
To advertise in the PRT’s print edition, Weekly News Bulletin or website—or a custom package—contact Priscilla Bolanos at prtads@gmail.comor 520-313-6062.
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