Most folks wouldn’t know it, but Arizona has about 200 native species of mollusks! From tiny springsnails to quarter-sized talussnails, our diverse mollusk species are found from low deserts and canyons up into the forested highlands and sky islands. Most of our snail populations are relics of the last ice age – or perhaps even […]
Ecological restoration – the process of assisting in the recovery of damaged habitats – is hard, and many researchers are trying to find technologies that enhance restoration outcomes. While these efforts are laudable, many of the most helpful current technologies are expensive and difficult for most people to use. Fortunately, there are lots of low-tech […]
Ken Gorczyca is a nature-based artist, veterinarian, and social activist. In this lecture, he invites you into his world of capturing portraits of the Earth, or Gaia, whom he believes is a living being. He will share his technique of capturing the moment in his colorful plein air paintings – which he creates in the wilderness […]
The Gulf of California is a place of incredible beauty and striking contrasts. It is where extreme biodiversity overlaps with rich cultural diversity, resulting in a place that is deeply important, both ecologically and to the people who have lived there for thousands of years. In this Speaker Series talk by Kino Bay Center Director […]
Sure, you know about rattlesnakes, but do you know about hallucinogenic toads, all-female populations of lizards, absorbing tails, cannibalistic tadpoles, or salamanders that breed as juveniles? Amphibians and reptiles in the Southwest have an incredible array of adaptations that allow them to exploit many available habitats. Learn what's so special about reptiles and amphibians in […]
During the 1870s, Yavapai and Dilzhe'e Apache peoples were violently forced out of their homes in the Verde Valley, Bradshaw Mountains, Mogollon Rim Country, and around the confluence of the Verde and Salt Rivers. They were imprisoned, sometimes for decades, on military reservations, and only allowed to return to their homelands when the threat of […]
“The most vulnerable habitats of all, with the highest extinction rate per unit area, are rivers, streams and lakes....” ~E.O. Wilson in "A Biologist's Manifesto for Preserving the Earth" Northern Arizona's Verde River is a little-known and underappreciated river supporting some of the best-surviving riparian habitat in the southwest. The Verde River has tremendous value […]
Join the Natural History Institute for a Speaker Series talk by Yavapai College professor Dr. Jeb Bevers, who will share his research into the life and work of Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. Wallace spent a dozen years collecting and authoring his works on the natural history of the flora and fauna in the upper […]
As jewelry artists, we draw inspiration from Arizona’s fascinating geology, which has both an awe-inspiring beauty and a complex history of extractive mining practices. Our work makes use of the same elements – stone and metal – and transforms them in creative ways to reveal and share their essential beauty. We cut stone and polish […]
How many different kinds of birds have you seen locally? In this Speaker Series talk, Eric Moore - local bird expert and owner of the Lookout (formerly Jay's Bird Barn) will use eBird data to talk about the species richness of birds in Arizona, with particular attention to Yavapai County. There are so many interesting and unique […]
Natural History, Reciprocal Healing, and a Sense of Kinship Natural history — a practice of intentional, focused attentiveness and receptivity to the more-than- human world, guided by honesty and accuracy — is the oldest continuous human tradition. Marginalized during the last century, it has re-emerged as a critical component of effective natural sciences, and a […]
Prairie ghost. Speed goat. Antelope. Most accurately called Pronghorn, they are the fastest land animals in North America, capable of speeds over 55mph. This icon of the American West is neither a goat nor an antelope, belonging instead to a family all its own. Pronghorn are a plains species, and rely on both their speed […]