Take a walk with ASU life sciences faculty
By Judith Smith
Photo by Grant Smith
TEMPE, Ariz. - Every spring, the School of Life Sciences invites the public to take a hike through an Arizona desert or forest, with faculty and graduate students as guides.
This year, “School of Life Sciences (SOLS) Takes a Hike” will take place very close to home. On Saturday, April 4, SOLS faculty will lead three hour-long hikes at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix.
The hikes, limited to 20 per session, will begin at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. Scientists Pierre Deviche, Frank Farrugia, James Elser and Susanne Neuer, among others, will point out and discuss birds, edible plants, the geology of the area and water resources. Participants are invited to bring their binoculars. Past hikes have been held in a variety of settings, from wetlands at Tres Rios, where the Gila, Salt and Agua Fria rivers converge, to Coon Bluff in the Tonto National Forest and Papago Park.
The faculty chose the Desert Botanical Garden this year because it offers some of the richest diversity and finest collections of desert plants in the world.
“They are a natural partner, too, because of their staff, their active commitment to the community and the launch of the Green Series at the Garden. Community partnership is at the heart of why ‘SOLS Takes a Hike’ was developed - to bring people together, to offer an exchange around what makes this region special and unique and how to foster the plant and animal life right in our backyards,” said Margaret Coulombe, a spokeswoman for the School of Life Sciences.
To R.S.V.P. for the hikes, which are free, contact:
Margaret Coulombe
(480) 727-8934
margaret.coulombe@asu.edu