Biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert

This is intended to provide an overview of the key steps needed to form a nonprofit organization in Arizona. There are additional activities not covered here that will be needed to develop and grow the organization specific to its intended mission and vision including marketing, fundraising, and education and awareness. Step 1: Create a Mission A nonprofit mission statement should be one or two sentences that describe why the organization exists, what it will do, and who it will serve. It will be used for internal purposes to motivate team members and for external stakeholders as a window into the organization so it is important to craft one that evokes interest. Step 2: Create a Vision Statement A vision statement should describe the ideal future if the organization achieved all its goals. It should feel like a reach. Step 3: Form a Board Arizona requires at least one director to form a nonprofit. However, it is recommended to have more than one to encompass a diverse range of skillse...

Sky Island Alliance is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based out of Tucson, AZ focused on protecting and restoring the diversity of life in the Sky Island region. I chose to highlight this organization because of their commitment to the Sky Islands, and it's binational landscapes, wildlife, and people. Sky Island Alliance not only seeks to conserve and protect natural resources; they approach it in a way that is inclusive of the people and culture that are connected to the region.  I've had an opportunity to volunteer with Sky Island Alliance on several occasions, including Spring Seeker, and each time I am impressed with how well their events and initiatives are organized and designed to make a difference. If you'd like to learn more about my personal experience, you can view it here . 

The Sonoran Desert is home to more than 350 bird species. One of these many unique species is the Gila woodpecker ( Melanerpes uropygialis ). It is a non-migratory, endemic bird to the Sonoran Desert regions of the U.S. and Mexico. The male and female gila woodpeckers both have brown faces, black and white zebra striped backs, and white wing patches. Adult males have a red cap of feathers on top of their head. While they do forage and nest in trees, they most commonly use the iconic saguaro cacti as nurseries - a true Sonoran Desert animal! I admire the tough and harsh environments where the Gila woodpecker lives, and wanted to use that as an opportunity to further explore their genus, Melanerpes. Adult female and adult male Gila woodpecker.  Image Source: Audubon.org / David Masche Taxon Classification Description Domain Eukaryota Organisms whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus. This includes all animals, plants, fungi, and many unicell...

This deck offers a glimpse into dendrology in the Sonoran Desert by focusing on some of the most notable woody plant species.

PlantNet  is a web and app-based citizen science platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and inventory tens of thousands of plant species. Users can share observations which can then be reviewed by the PlantNet community and used by the underlying AI model to recognize plants. A sufficient degree of confidence is required in order for the observation to be added to the public database and the AI model. To take into account new observations and revisions, the AI model is regularly re-trained. This diagram demonstrates the data flow of observations in the PlantNet system. Source: PlantNet.org PlantNet has collected over 1 billion plant images and is one of the biggest contributors to the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) international database. Data from GBIF can be downloaded and explored, or you can view the hundreds of publications that make use of PlantNet data. PlantNet's highly sophisticated process for identifying and validating observations ...

The Sonoran Desert is under threat from several invasive plant species, and they are plants that know no boundaries. They affect the native plants and animals, create fire hazards, and endanger ecosystems. These slides provide an overview of the most problematic invasive plants that are jeopardizing one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world.