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Tucson Audubon Society's
Borderlands Environmental
Education Programs
Erin K. Deely 1
Abstract.-The Tucson Audubon Society is a private, non-profit
environmental organization dedicated to improving the quality of ·
the environment by providing leadership throughout southeastern Arizona through education, conservation and recreation
programs and activities. Due to its proximately to the U.S./
Mexico border and the bicultural nature of the community, TAS
has invested considerable energy into developing and offering
activities and projects for children, families and educators on both
sides of the border. The bilingual, education programs consist of
an afterschool, environmental/ arts education program for students in South Tucson, a city primarily consisting of migrants
from Mexico; working with a women's group to provide training
in urban gardening, first aid and health issues, computer training,
sewing, nutrition, and leading afterschool programs; instruction
of a Border Ecology course for teachers in training; and leading
family groups on a Tidepools Family Institute, weekend, field
course, held in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico with an emphasis
on developing a better understanding and appreciation for the
flora, fauna and culture of the area through hands-on activities.
The success and increasing demand for these programs demonstrate the ability of a small non-profit organization to positively
impact environmental education efforts along the border.
Resuman.-La Sociedad Audubon de Tucson es una organizaci6n
no lucrativa, privada, ambiental dedicada al mejoramiento de la
calidad del ambiente por proveer liderazco en el campo del medio
ambiente por el sureste de Arizona. Por ser ubicada cercana ala
frontera y el hecho de que la comunidad sea bicultural, ha
invertido tiempo y energia para el desarollo y ofrecimiento de
actividades y proyectos para ninos, familias y educadores por los
dos lados de la frontera. Los programas bilingues, educativas
incluyen un programa ambiental, artistica (Nuevas Horizontes),
para los alumnos de Sur Tucson, que es una comunidad donde la
mayoria de los cuidanos son immigrantes de Mexico; trabajando
con un grupo de Mujeres (Mujeres en Progreso) desarollando un
programa de entrenamiento en lo siguente: jardines urbanos,
1
Education Director, Tucson Audubon Society, Tucson, Arizona
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-5. 1998
55
primarios auxilios y temas de salud, ensefianza de computadores,
cocer, nutricion y ofrecer programas especiales despues de las
clases regulares; colaboraci6n y ensefianza de un curso de la
Ecologia de la Frontera para estudiantes tomando clases para ser
maestros, matriculados en la Universidad de Prescott; giuar
grupos de familias los fines de semanas para un viaje de historia
natural en el campo de Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico con un
emfasis de desarollar un mejor aprecimiento y conocimiento de la
vida marina y la cultura encontrada alia; El exito y aumentaci6n
de la demanda para estos programas demuestra la habilidad de
un pequefio organizaci6n tener una influencia positiva en las
esfuerzas de programas ambientales por la frontera.
INTRODUCTION
The Education Department of the Tucson Audubon Society (TAS) has a
long-term commitment to develop and offer environmental education
programs and activities along the U.S./Mexico Border, for youth, families
and educators. This goal reflects the mission statement to serve as a leader
in fostering local, grassroots movements to improve the environmental
quality of neighborhoods and surrounding communities and work to meet
the needs of underserved populations of diverse cultures, ages and backgrounds. The variety of programs also indicates the richness of the many
partnerships TAS has formed with other local, educational institutions
such as the Tucson Unified School District (T.U.S.D.), Mujeres en Progreso
(Women in Progress), Prescott College (Tucson Campus), Tucson Parks
and Recreation KIDCO program, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson, the
Extended University of Arizona, and the Center for the Studies of Deserts
and Oceans (CEDO).
MUJERES EN PROGRESO
Over the past 6 years, TAS and Mujeres en Progreso have worked diligently to provide mothers and their families opportunities for personal
growth. Women that once felt "trapped" in their homes due to lack of
transportation, childcare options and language barriers, have been exposed to training classes in sewing, nutrition, exercise, computers, floral
design, hair styling, gardening, solar oven construction, and CPR & first
aid. The training programs help women gain new skills and self esteem.
Many women within the community have come forward to share their
skills and pass them on to other members. One of the main goals of this
group is to participate in their children's education. "Graduates" of the
training programs decided to offer classroom presentations to every class
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at Ochoa Elementary School. They received funding from a local foundation, PRO Neighborhoods, and offered a variety of "hands-on" presentations to every class, grades K-6th. They named the project "Madres
Ensefiando" (Mothers Teaching). Urban gardening, tamale making, arts &
crafts, sewing, nutrition, and first aid classes have been taught by volunteer moms. They also received a generous grant from the Southern Arizona Women's Fund to continue providing training programs for their
members, in addition to the establishment of a community closet for
needy families of Ochoa Elementary, that provides clothing, shoes, jackets,
dishes, blankets, etc. Through this grant, three women have attended .
computer classes at Pima Community College and many others have
expressed a desire to continue their education. A third mini-grant was
awarded by Suefios del Barrio to provide a program for families that
addresses the prevention of teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and gang
activity. The group decided to offer a series of family workshops designed
to strengthen communication between parents and between parents and
their children. Children of the families that participated were involved
with planning and development of the project and at the family retreat
held in the natural setting of Brown Canyon, it was evident that the program proved successful and beneficial to everyone. The groups of families
that attended plan the next workshop series and serve as a supportive
group in the South Tucson community! It is clear this group serves as a
model of how efforts to create positive changes can make a difference. TAS
has served as a fiscal agent, provided consultation for grant writing,
accounting, and assisted with the development of by-laws and job descriptions of the organization's officers. Tucson Audubon Society's role
has changed over the years, slowly diminishing, due to the increasing
autonomy of the group.
BORDER ECOLOGY WORKSHOP
The Border Ecology Workshop is one of a series of liberal arts seminars
offered through the Culture, Environment and Education Project (CEE), at
Prescott College. The seminars on environmental education targeted
bilingual, Hispanic Adult Degree students preparing to earn teaching
credentials to work in the schools of Nogales, Arizona, where they work
as para-professionals. The ultimate goal of CEE was to produce a generation of bilingual, certified teachers aware of the environmental issues
facing their community and who are skilled in presenting those issues in a
culturally knowledgeable and appropriate way into the curriculum of the
public schools where they teach. Nogales, Arizona faces problems such as
surface and groundwater contamination due to disposal of untreated
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maquiladora toxic waste and untreated human waste. As a result of accumulative exposure to water and air contamination, Nogales residents have
the highest rate of lupus and 4.8 times the expected rate of a bone-marrow
cancer in Santa Cruz County. Students had opportunities to interview
local environmental and education activists discussing topics such as the
U.S. /Mexico border history, industrialization, NAFTA, cultural and political differences, environmental ethics and policies and the community
based movements developed to deal with the issues. Tucson Audubon
Society played a critical role in assisting with the coordination, instruction
and development of the course and resource materials.
AUDUBON NATURE EXPLORERS
Tucson Audubon Society's partnership with the Tucson Parks and
Recreation KIDCO program has continued to develop from its beginnings
as a pilot project in the spring of '96. The KIDCO project provides an
afterschool and summer program to elementary aged children (6-8 yrs
old), free of charge. TAS has developed an environmental education/ arts
and crafts program that has been integrated into the program at 16 of the
40 KIDCO sites, located throughout the community. The sites have been
carefully selected, targeting low income neighborhoods within or bordering South Tucson, serving a large percentage of children that have immigrated from Mexico. A minimum of 450 children have participated in the
program since its pilot phase. TAS has developed a series of environmental education workshops and kits with "hands-on" activities for the
KIDCO staff, so that representatives from every KIDCO site can offer an
environmental education program to the kids they serve. The series of
workshops focus on the Sonoran Desert environment, emphasizing the
interrelationships between the plants, animals and people of the desert. A
long term goal is to reach up to 2,500 children as a result of the training
program. Tucson Audubon will continue to monitor and act as a consultant for the program and provide future training sessions and/ or coordinate guest speakers and field trips. It is particularly rewarding to be involved with a program offered free of charge to its participants, so that all
children have an opportunity to learn about the Sonoran Desert and how
it relates to the urban environment.
ULTIMATE JOURNEY
Ultimate Journey is a national program developed by the Boys & Girls
Clubs of America. Clubhouse sites are chosen based on neighborhood
poverty and crime rates. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson focus their
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programs on building self esteem and mentoring for their members.
Children ages 6-17 yrs old can join for a nominal fee and have access to a
gymnasium, computer lab, arts and crafts room, library, games room and
a variety of specialized programs. Two of the clubhouses have a majority
of members that are immigrants from Mexico. The Ultimate Journey
program encourages local clubhouses to incorporate an environmental
education component in their annual programming, by seeking support
from a local environmental organization. Tucson Audubon Society is
entering its sixth year running the program at all three clubhouses. The
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson has received a variety of grants from local
foundations and state funds to support the program. Current funding is
through a private donor, whom is offering long term, year round funding
for the program! The Tucson Audubon Society is responsible for the development, administration, instruction and evaluation of the environmental
education program. Ultimate Journey has taken many forms. TAS has held
intensive ten week summer sessions, two week winter sessions, and six
week spring sessions. Ultimate Journey is a combination of environmentally related field trips, community projects addressing environmental
issues identified by the kids, and in-house activities, such as guest presentations with live animals or hands-on exhibits. An average of 75-90 kids
participate in the summer session and the kids that participate and attend
most regularly get to go on the "Ultimate Journey", an overnight camping
trip in the mountains! This is one of the most popular programs offered at
the clubs and each session has a waiting list of kids that want to join.
TIDEPOOLS FAMILY INSTITUTE
The Tidepools Family Institute is part of a series of retreats offered to
parents and children five years and older to experience learning about
nature while actually staying in the habitat that is being studied. TAS is
one of the few organizations to fulfill the desire families have to experience nature in a learning environment along with other families with
similar interests. The institutes are offered in a variety of biomes throughout the year. The program has been made available due to the collaboration between TAS, Extended University of Arizona, and the Center for the
Studies of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO), with support from Heritage funds.
Participants of the Tidepool Family Institute cross the border, pass through
the small fishing village, Puerto Penasco, on their way to the Sea of
Cortez. Families and TAS faculty stay at CEDO, a research and educational facility, bordering a marine sanctuary with a thriving tidepool
community. Scheduled events include tidepool investigation and observations, a visit to a local oyster farm (run by a women's cooperative) located
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in an estero which contrasts greatly to the intertidal zone, and public
aquarium administered by a local vocational college. This program is an
excellent way to introduce families to the cultural, environmental and
economic issues pressuring a shared resource such as the ocean, which
recognizes no borders. Due to the overwhelming response from new and
repeating participants, we fill two trips annually.
CONCLUSIONS
Tucson Audubon Society is fortunate to collaborate with such a diversity of organizations with similar goals of providing quality education
programs along the U.S./Mexico border for youth, families and educators.
We are proud to be involved with such innovative and valuable projects
serving a wide range of community members. TAS continues to explore
the gaps in environmental education in border communities to fulfill our
long term commitment to better serve a much neglected population.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Former Education Director, Lucia Sayre, Institutes Director, Cynthia
Lindquist, and Executive Director, David Yetman of the Tucson Audubon
Society were the driving force behind initiating programs along the border. Their hard work and vision provided the foundation for a majority of
what Tucson Audubon Society stands for and continues to build upon. All
three remain closely connected to TAS, contributing greatly to the strength
and leadership of the organization. Their personal commitment, talent and
enthusiasm are greatly appreciated!
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Erin K. Deely has been working as the Education Director for the Tucson
Audubon Society for the past three and a half years. Prior to that, she worked
as a forestry extentionist for the Monteverde Conservation League while
serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica, Central America. She
worked as a marine biology instructor for the Catalina Island Marine
Institute, following her graduation with a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology from the University of Arizona. During her college years she
gained experience in field biology as an intern at the Southwestern Research
Station. She worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the 150
Marine Biology course and as a student research assistant for the Department
of Entomology of the University of Arizona. Other skills include fluency in
Spanish, S.C.U.B.A. certified, grant writing, and public speaking.
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