University of Arizona
Sense of Place
Geos. 195D
Ft. Lowell
Ft. Lowell Park is one of the great city parks of Tucson, famous for many things:
The US Army post and museum 
- Soccer fields and the Great Ft. Lowell S·h·o·o·t·o·u·t
- Good birding, including a duck pond
- Spring's first kettles of vultures
- click here for a delightful essay on the environmental imperative of vultures (password needed, ask Paul)
- click here for a case example of how vultures regulate ecosystem health (password needed, ask Paul)
- click here for a short article on vultures from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (password needed, ask Paul)
- City swimming pool
- Kiddie stuff
- Hardy Ruin Hohokam
- Remains of a Hohokam site: Click here for parts of a booklet about the Hardy Hohokam village, authored by Linda Gregonis (ask Paul for the password)
- Why study Hohokam? Click here to see its relevance to modern society
- How to build a pithouse? Click here to see construction of a Hohokam pithouse
2014: Hardy site pithouse.
Photo — Meghan Marriott
2016: Linda Gregonis,
at the Hardy Site
Pecan Grove: What Does it Mean to Grow Pecans Here?
(i.e., the "pros and cons of pecans")
- UA Daily Wildcat article on agriculture in Arizona
- AP report on agriculture in Arizona
- New homes could take the place of pecan trees: 2010 AZ Daily Star article on pecan groves in AZ. Useful numbers for back-of-the-envelope learning.
- Pecan grower sees 'scary' year: 2012 AZ Daily Star article on pecan groves in AZ. More insight for SOP.
- Tucson should approve CAP connection for Sahuarita, Green Valley: 2013 AZ Daily Star op-ed on pecan groves in AZ. Yet more insight for SOP.
- City paves way for plan to send CAP water to pecan groves: 2014 AZ Daily Star article on water to the pecan groves in AZ.
- Replacing the Green Valley pecan groves: 2015 AZ Daily Star article on a long-term plan for the pecan groves Green Valley.
- Click here to read and hear more generally about agriculture in Arizona (cotton, one of the famous 5 C's of Arizona).
- Economic importance of agriculture: 2015: "Farming is a huge part of our economy." True?
- Water wars in Arizona: This 2015 Arizona Daily Star article encapsulates the dilemma of using water to grow non-native tree crops in arid southern Arizona. Note the back-of-the-envelope calculation of groundwater supply.
- Better pecan pies through chemistry: 2015: Add zinc.
- Pecans plentiful this year: 2015 harvest report; note biennial nature of crop years.
Trees in rows:
The Ft. Lowell pecan grove
Ft. Lowell pecans in new leaf
Who doesn't like pecan logs?
Pantano Wash
Formerly a water source for Hohokam, now a graveyard for cars and shopping carts.
2017: Click here for a Daily Star article on dumping cars and trash into Tucson washes.
April, 2008, a 1960s vintage Rambler in the Pantano, partially exhumed by the latest flooding. Note the veg coming out the gas tank. Photo — Gary Huckleberry
March, 2013, the Pantano Rambler, now stripped and eroding fast. Photo — Paul Sheppard
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