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Patagonia Regional Times
My Neighbor Sue Hey
Margarita and I were just getting started building a 16-sided round house in remote southern Arizona, 20 miles from the Mexican Border, oak-juniper-mesquite grassland, next to the Coronado National Forest. A neighbor lived in a simple adobe house hundreds of yards away on a hill with wonderful mountain views. There was no fence. We had seen her drive up the long dirt driveway in a dusty white pick-up.
Lobos End Victory Drought
One victory does not a season make, but for the Patagonia High baseball team, it definitely made it a lot more enjoyable. Patagonia’s 8-5 win over Baboquivari on March 14 ended a victory drought of nearly three years for the Lobos. It was their first win since May 3, 2021—a span of 1,050 days.
How the Solar Eclipse Will Let You Be a Daytime Astronomer
Every so often, when the moon crosses directly between the sun and Earth, we get to experience the magic of a solar eclipse. The resulting shadow briefly turns day into night and gives astronomers an opportunity to observe the sun’s corona, it’s outermost layer. In parts of the...
Walk It Off
I am part of the “walk it off” generation. I’ve been shot in the leg with a BB gun, hid the event from my mother and then extracted the projectile myself. I’ve got the scar to prove it. When I was nine or ten, I threw a rock at my sister’s head and missed her temple by millimeters. I carried her back to the house while she bled profusely. In this day and age she would have been airlifted to the hospital. The adults back then gave her a bath to remove the excessive amount of blood, changed her clothes and gave her a tortilla to soothe the tears.
When Greenwashing Fails
Sometimes TV, radio and print ads promoting businesses end up achieving the opposite effect of what they are intended to do. Ever watch those prime-time TV ads for new drugs that have a longer list of side effects than they do benefits: for reducing the pain of a tooth ache, the risk of heart attacks and breathing failure increases, your private parts fall out of or off your body, and you’ll never see your loved ones again? Who would buy into that Faustian bargain?
Letters to the Editor (April 2024)
After reading the column on Mearns quail (“Limits on Mearns Quail Need to Change” by Dave Brown, Feb. 2024) I had to respond with a major impact that was missed by the author. One of the major impacts on Mearns populations are outfitters or guides. I have known...
Town Council Notes (April 2024)
In Call to Public, Patagonia Area Resource Alliance Co-chair Joni Stellar mentioned the planning underway for a May Day event in the park, utilizing “section A” and gazebo in Patagonia’s Central Park. The event will feature local businesses and organizations exemplifying the nature-based restorative economy. For park use, a nonprofit rental rate of $100 was requested. The May Day proposal was subsequently approved by Mayor and Council, under New Business.
Glimpses Into Our Past: The Harrison Family Graveyard
A small graveyard on private property near Lochiel holds the graves of three members of the Harrison family: Harry G. Harrison (1865-1900), Richard “Dick” Wilson Harrison (1878-1904), and Ida Olive Lewis Harrison (1872- 1916). We don’t know why only three members of the large Harrison clan are buried there.
Commissioners, Quail Hunters Voice Concerns
I made the trek up to Oracle to attend the Arizona Game and Fish Commission meeting on March 16. On the big game front, the “gifted tags” usually allotted to big game conservation groups, which are used for fundraising via auctions, will be replaced by a new raffle system.
Striding Seeds
The generous rains of winter have enticed a magnificent array of native wildflowers to spring forth from our often parched soils. March saw local legions of blooms that sprinkled, or even carpeted the earth. As of mid- March, Raven’s Nest Nature Sanctuary hosted over 30 species of blossoming native plants—a bedazzling diversity of mostly annual species with a few perennials thrown in for good measure. Each type of flower has co-evolved with its pollinator(s), helping to maximize the chances for successful fertilization of its ovules or eggs. Once produced, seeds take center stage with a surprising variety of ways to sow themselves across the land.
Notes From SEFD — Fighting a Fire, Part Two: Driven by the Wind
May 23, 2022, 10:42 AM, Sonoita Elgin Fire District was “toned out” (called out via 911) to a fire near the Elgin Bridge. An engine, a brush truck and a tender responded with a total of 6 personnel and the Fire Chief as Incident Commander (IC). Temps in the mid 80s, humidity below 10%, and 10 mph winds gusting to over 20 mph set the scene for rapid spread of fire. Upon arrival what had been a small roadside fire was already spreading with flames four to six feet high, fire “running” in the grass and spreading to brush and trees.
A Good Time
A recent March morning was an occasion to indulge my curiosity and take a guided mine tour. While I am a fan of the ‘Abandoned and Forgotten Places’ YouTube channel, which seeks to document a long-ago West, my wife and I have done very little of our own explorations. I can count on two hands the number of shafts that we have entered. The adits have always been horizontal and low-risk, and all have been relatively truncated. Our timid forays have been more akin to a short walk down a darkened and unfamiliar hallway than a trip into a danger zone.
Pilfer
Halfway across the galaxy, hidden from us by the miles and the dust and the hundreds of millions of stars, is a small, rocky planet orbiting its sun much like we do our own. It has no name, at least to its outsiders. I call it Pilfer because I can, and because it has stolen my heart.
Ask an Engineer: Light Pollution
Dear PRT reader, thank you for your question “What is light pollution?”. These days we hear the term “light pollution” quite frequently, but, what exactly is it and how can we better understand the term?. There is “sky glow” which we can see looking north or south...
What Is That?? (April 2024)
These are heavy metal helmets used in wars. On the right, the helmet could be from World War II or the Korea-Vietnam era. Why it was left outside to rust, we will never know. The one on the left, from World War I, was found in a barn in Patagonia. The name “Steen” is on the inside. We don’t know who he was, but we hope he survived, as there is a bullet hole that enters one side and comes out the other.
PUHS Class of 2024 Spotlights, Part 2
This is the second in the PRT’s series of profiles of the PUHS senior class of 2024. Look for more profiles of these talented and interesting young people in upcoming issues of the PRT. Kaylea Cottam. By Journee Hayes. Kaylea Cottam has enjoyed her time at Patagonia High School...
PRCF Announces Awards to Local Nonprofits
The Patagonia Regional Community Fund grant cycle recently awarded 2024 grants totaling $53,800 to nonprofit organizations supporting the local community. The Patagonia Regional Community Fund (PRCF) is a collection of endowed funds housed at the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) and awarded by volunteer community reviewers. The Burton Family Foundation, a supporting organization of ACF, participates in the review process to offer additional support for these programs and projects.
Supporting the PRT
Most people enjoy four seasons in a year, but here at the PRT we have a fifth season we like to call ‘gratitude season,’ which runs from mid-October to April. During this time, in addition to our day jobs—working on the print issue, the website and the e-newsletter—we are busy conducting our fall fundraiser. In 2023, we were able to raise $76,350, which covers 47% of our expenses.
Be a Paid Intern at the PRT
The PRT is looking for a local college student or recent graduate who is interested in participating in a part-time paid three-month (20 hours/week) summer internship. This internship will offer opportunities to develop interview skills, research experience and technical skills. The intern will participate in editorial meetings and staff meetings, could be asked to cover meetings and interviews, create marketing materials and will also help to organize and manage two local candidate debates that will be streamed online.
County Schedules April 10 Meeting in Patagonia Regarding Cross Creek Connector
Location: Patagonia Union High School Cafeteria 200 Naugle Ave, Patagonia, AZ 85624. The public meeting will be hosted by Santa Cruz County (SCC) for a presentation of updates on the Cross Creek Connector project. The community will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. SCC Supervisor Bruce Bracker, SCC Manager Jesus Valdez, and other staff will be in attendance to answer questions.
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Patagonia Regional Times is a free monthly publication serving the Mountain Empire communities of Canelo, Elgin, Patagonia and Sonoita in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
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