David Yetman at the Cooper Center's Fiesta

Earlier this month, more than 200 people swarmed the college's Cooper Center for Environmental Learning in the Tucson Mountains to learn about desert foods and see Sonoran Desert naturalist David Yetman, host of the long-running public television show, The Desert Speaks. Yetman, considered the voice of the Sonoran Desert, gave a compelling natural history of our signature species, the saguaro cactus, and stressed the importance of conservation since our desert environment is extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change.People also learned about our native foods: how to harvest and prepare them, and their importance to native cultures of the Sonoran Desert. The Cooper Center is a collaboration with Tucson Unified School District. Learn more about the Cooper Center