Where Jaguars Roam:The Northern Jaguar Project and the Return of a Legend
10am Green Valley UMC, $10 suggested donation at event.
With its unique place in legend and lore, and with strength and brawn befitting the continent’s top predator, the jaguar invokes the depths of imagination. Although the jaguar has almost completely vanished from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, recent jaguar sightings in New Mexico and Arizona suggest that the time is ripe for the return of this magnificent creature to the southwestern United States.

In response to this exciting opportunity to re-establish the jaguar in its historic northernmost range, a small group of dedicated conservationists from the southwestern U.S. and Mexico have formed the Northern Jaguar Project (NJP). NJP is helping to revitalize the northernmost jaguar population by maintaining and protecting an 86 square mile reserve in the mountains of Sonora, Mexico, just 120 miles south of the U.S. border. Although the project currently is focused on efforts to create a stable jaguar population in northwestern Mexico, its long-term aspirations include a sustainable return of the jaguar to the southwestern United States. The potential for such a re-introduction is deemed high, since as much as 30% of Arizona alone is considered to be a suitable habitat for the jaguar.

Border Community Alliance invites you to join us for this special presentation by representatives of the Northern Jaguar Project and learn about its current efforts to expand safe and suitable habitat for the Jaguar, increase the native jaguar population, and reach out to ranchers, schools, and rural communities to build tolerance and reduce human-wildlife conflicts. As part of the presentation, you will have the opportunity to view the recent NJP video documentary, “Where Jaguars Roam,” and be virtually transported inside the Northern Jaguar Reserve for a close-up look at jaguars in the wild and the unique habitat they help support.

10:00 – 11:30 am, Tubac Community Center
Jennie MacFarland – Conservation Biologist for Tucson Audubon Society
Suggested Donation $10.00
Birds of the Borderlands
We have put a boundary between Arizona and Sonora but the birds don’t know that! There are many ecological traits of SE Arizona that tie us much closer to Mexico than the rest of the United States. We’ll discuss why that is and the special birds we enjoy in our area that cannot be found anywhere else in this country, making this area a ecotourism destination.

Jennie MacFarland is the Conservation Biologist for Tucson Audubon Society and coordinates both the Arizona Important Bird Areas Program and the Tucson Bird Count. She also heads up other large citizen science projects such as the Elegant Trogon Census of SE AZ and Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys of Sky Island Mountain habitats and has helped establish a bird survey program in the Monte Mojino Preserve in Sonora, Mexico.

OPTIONAL WALK:
Fee: $20 (non-members) or $15 (BCA members).
After listening to an inspiring talk about the Birds of the Borderlands and seeing amazing images of the same, you’ll have a chance to see some of these birds right outside along the Santa Cruz River. In field groups of 10 to 12 people, you’ll get a chance to wander and wait in silence for the feathered friends close by. Bring your binoculars and a sack lunch and be ready to go right after the morning lecture.

Mar 9, 16 & 23, 2020 Tubac Community Center
Confronting the Myths & Mysteries of U.S. Immigration
This three-week educational program will focus on the United States immigration system and how it affects people across the world coming to the US to visit, conduct business, obtain employment, seek asylum, and gain citizenship. Throughout each weekly session, special emphasis will be placed on immigration policies and consequences affecting the Borderland region of the southwest United States.

Green Valley United Methodist Church, 300 W. Esperanza Blvd.
“Maize In Times Of War” traces the yearly cycle of four Indigenous maize plots (called milpas due to the diversity of crops they entail) in different regions of México. This film draws the exceptional process of growing maize, the delicacy of selecting seeds and preparing the land that will receive them, the tenacity and the nuances involved in taking care of the whole process, until the harvest arrives after working for months and the family enjoys the vital uses of its fruits.