Outreach

Speakers Bureau

Tohono Chul offers outreach programs for adult civic, fraternal, or social groups. Our Speakers Bureau Docents can bring a 45-minute A/V presentation to your meeting or special event that introduces the world of the Sonoran Desert to lifelong learners. Topics include:

  • Why a Desert?
    • What makes Tucson so dry, and the Sonoran Desert so unique? Learn how the plants and animals thrive in this region.
  • More Than Just Cactus
    • In the most biologically diverse of North America’s four deserts, the amazing flora of the Sonoran Desert is not limited to cacti. Learn about some of the amazing native plants in this area.
  • Connecting Plants and People
    • For millennia, native peoples have known how to survive by living off the desert’s bounty. Discover how our desert plants are used for food, shelter, and much more.
  • Lizards and Spiders and Snakes, Oh My!
    • Some of our desert denizens can be downright scary . . . move past the myths and get to the truth about our awesome creepy crawlies.
  • Birds of Tohono Chul and the Tucson Basin
    • Learn to identify the most common bird species in the area, get the basics on bird identification strategies and polish your bird identification skills.

Number in audience – 15 minimum / no maximum
Length of program – 45 minutes
Cost – $50 booking fee

We request a minimum of two weeks advance notice when scheduling a Speakers Bureau presentation. When calling, please have the following information ready: anticipated audience number, name of contact person with their address, telephone and email address (if applicable), location of the event and whether or not you will be able to provide a screen, podium and/or microphone if needed.

Desert Players

The Desert Players of Tohono Chul are a live-action pantomime groups that return every summer to perform a one-of-a-kind performance for all ages.

This year the Desert Players are back again with another entertaining and educational show about the desert and the fascinating creatures who live here. Come along with Shadow and Eve, two Lesser Long-nosed bats as they make their way home on migration to our desert from far down in Mexico. But wait…Shadow has arrived, yet Eve is still missing. What has happened to her? Has she been eaten by a predator, or is she lost, or has she come to some kind of peril along the way?

Meet familiar characters such as Night Eyes, the Great Horned Owl, and Ditzy Star, who has fallen down from the sky, as well as our two charming Elf Owls, Midget and Moonbeam, who all offer their thoughts as to where Eve might be. But a mystical Barn Owl named Spirit may have the answer. After all, he can see into the future and knows secrets about many things that happen in the dark hours of the night. After the show, children will have the chance to dance with the characters and have pictures taken too. Then they will leave with an informative packet with two mask templates, a bat and an owl, so that they can create their own masks at home.

Number in audience – 10 minimum / no maximum
Availability – June and July
Cost – $50 booking fee

How to Book a Program

  1. Please contact contact Community Engagement Manager, Vivianna Sanchez, at (520) 742-6455 x 228 to schedule a date for the program. We request a minimum of two weeks advance notice when scheduling a program.
  2. Payment can be made via check made to Tohono Chul Park Inc. or through our online shop. Please make sure your program is scheduled before paying through our website.
  3. You will receive a payment confirmation to the email provided and we request any cancellations be made a week before the date of the scheduled program.