Tucson Audubon--Come Fly With Us

Bees, friend to flowers and birds
We know that for birds to thrive they need biodiverse habitats, which takes more than than just plants. So what’s missing? One answer is the pollinators. Birds pollinate some flowers but so do bees. Lately in the media we have heard about the decline in pollinating bees. What can we do to help?
Here at the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop we have what you need to help the bees, your garden, and the birds while building biodiversity in your backyard. BeeKeeps, also known as bee nesting habitats, provide a nesting home for new bees. We are proud to carry a new line of BeeKeeps designed and hand crafted by local artist Susan Daigneault. These are not your average BeeKeeps—they shelter new hatchlings in style! Each BeeKeep is unique and comes with instructions on how to better aid native bees in our area. Native solitary bees in the Sonoran Desert are docile and provide many benefits.

Stop by the Nature Shop today and check out our selection of BeeKeeps ranging from $55.00-$145.00 in price. Learn more about the native bee diversity and the role they play in promoting bird habitat.

Zeiss Terra ED 8x42
Zeiss's 8x42 Terra ED Binocular combines SCHOTT ED glass elements and a compact weather-sealed housing to create a multi-purpose optic that delivers the image quality and streamlined silhouette for birders seeking a budget-friendly set of glasses that do not sacrifice twilight performance or functionality. The multicoated SCHOTT ED lenses maximize light transmission and render contrast-rich images. They also boast the ability to focus down to less than 6 feet, allowing you to those birds that are close at hand. Thanks to a Schmidt-Pechan roof prism design and lightweight composite housing, this binocular weighs just a pound and a half.

Complementing the optics, the Terra ED has a nitrogen-filled housing that provides fogproof performance and has been tested to withstand submersion to a depth of approximately 3 ft. This water and fogproof performance, coupled with a broad operating temperature range, enables these binoculars to stand up to almost any outdoor situation. A textured center focus wheel and twist-up rubber eyecups supply additional handling features that enhance the overall ergonomics and help make it a full-featured binocular for close to mid-range use.

Study: Are human behaviors shaping bird communities in residential areas?
A new study published by researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society indicates that the behavior of humans and their domesticated animals in exurban landscapes could be playing an important role in determining relative bird abundance. The study found that four of five functional bird groups show similar responses to exurban development, with Neotropical migrants, low-nesters, and area-sensitive species being negatively impacted and edge specialists benefiting. The study concludes, “This finding suggests that humans and their specific behaviors and activities in exurban areas may be underappreciated but potentially important drivers of change in these regions.”

Arizona Utility SRP Proposes Rate Hike for Rooftop Solar Customers
Rooftop solar in Arizona has grown 142 percent in the last three years and employs more than 8,500 workers in the state. Despite the growing affordability, popularity and environmental benefits of rooftop solar, the Arizona utility company Salt River Project (SRP) has decided to penalize rooftop solar customers to help pay for maintenance of the electric grid. SRP proposes a rate hike that would cost solar home-owners $50 to $100 more per month. This would be very detrimental to the rooftop solar market within SRP service area because it would create a financial disincentive for residents to invest in purchasing photovoltaic systems. While this doesn't affect Tucson-area rate payers directly, this is a growing trend among energy utilities and we need to send a clear message. Take Action! Send your public comment to SRP opposing this rate hike using Environment Arizona’s online system, or write SRP directly at the address given under “Contact Us.”

Superior Court Judge Hears Challenge to Rosemont Copper’s Air Quality Permit
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge is considering a legal appeal of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s 2013 decision to issue an air quality permit for the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains. The Associated Press reports, “G. Van Velsor Wolf Jr., an attorney for the Santa Ritas group, cited a state law that says a permit shall be denied if an applicant can't show it is designed in such a way that it 'may be expected to operate' without emitting pollutants in violation of state laws and rules." The mining company and ADEQ disagree.

Feds Reverse Approval of Exploratory Mine Drilling in the Patagonia Mountains
A Cronkite News report appearing in the Arizona Daily Star confirms that federal officials with the Coronado National Forest Service have pulled back their approval for the Sunnyside exploratory mine drilling project in the Patagonia Mountains. The reversal comes after the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance and the Defenders of Wildlife sued the federal agencies in late October, charging that the approval of the exploratory permits violated environmental regulations. The lawsuit was filed several weeks after the Fish and Wildlife Service officially granted "threatened" status to the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The proposed project area also contains habitat for the threatened Mexican spotted owl and the endangered jaguar, ocelot and the lesser long-nosed bat, among other sensitive species.