Introducing: Seven Saturdays in Patagonia

HIKE, LEARN, EAT. Starting this fall—one Saturday per month, October through April—Tucson Audubon's Paton Center for Hummingbirds will offer three separate activities in Patagonia. 

You are invited to attend one, two, or all three:
  1. HIKE: The day's events will begin early with a guided Bird and Biodiversity Hike. Allow Bryon Lichtenhan to introduce you, month-by-month, to hidden corners of the species-rich country surrounding the Paton Center, from the Patagonia Mountains (one of Arizona's newest IBAs!) to the San Rafael Grasslands. Learn more about Bryon below.
  2. LEARN: Following the morning hike our Relaxed Lecture Series will provide informal discussions on a variety of topics regarding the natural history, ecology, and conservation actions of southeast Arizona. (In October look forward to learning about the local sub-species, including the Azure Bluebird.)
  3. EAT: Join fellow birders, biodiversity enthusiasts, and armchair conservationists for a Picnic in Patagonia. Support the local economy and help maintain Patagonia as a thriving hub for eco-tourism by purchasing your lunch in town.

Bryon Lichtenhan
I am a Tucson native, life long naturalist, and self-described “desert rat”, with an interest in learning everything I possibly can about the natural world. I find every aspect of life on this planet to be endlessly fascinating and strive to simply pay attention to what’s going on in the community of life around me. The Sonoran Desert and surrounding ecosystems hold a very special, and vitally important place in my heart. The more I learn about and explore this region, and the life it supports, the more enthralled and inspired I become. I have always been happiest wandering in wild places and sharing my joy of the beauty, diversity, and wonder of the world with any and everybody. I am very excited by the chance to play the role of a catalyst during this series of outings; helping people to develop new knowledge about, and connection to, Patagonia, AZ and it’s surroundings, as well as notice and appreciate the myriad of life forms present in the vicinity, because it is truly an area of amazing variety and beauty.


Kathy Pasierb
Kathy Pasierb has a degree in ecology/biology and education from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has taught science in the public school system for 24 years. Her current position for the local school district is Curriculum Specialist. She has developed and taught an outdoor education program called the Ecology of Trees to adults for 7 years in Wyoming for a summer program with the National Audubon Society. Kathy coauthored the Healthy Water program for the Patagonia State Park and wrote “Birds, People & the Santa Cruz River,” a curriculum for Tumacacori National Historical Park. She is an avid birder and naturalist. She has resided in Patagonia, Arizona for 9 years at the Paton’s cottage and 15 years in a passive, straw bale, solar home of her own design. Kathy states about her life in Patagonia “the best addition to my morning coffee on a cool, crisp December day is to hear the buzz of Anna’s hummingbirds while the sun rises over Knude peak.”

Learn more about Tucson Audubon's Paton Center for Hummingbirds at tucsonaudubon.org/paton .

Comments