Desert Awareness Committee

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  3. Desert Awareness Committee
Phone (480) 488-1090
Email OliveBpos@outlook.com
Website https://hollandcenter.org/programs/desert-awareness-committee/

The Desert Awareness Committee has been the community resource advocate for the Sonoran Desert since 1974. Our mission is to educate residents and visitors so that they may join us in understanding, conserving and preserving our diverse and fragile desert; its plants, animals, water, and wildlife.

Events from this organizer
Today

Cooking with Native Desert Plants- Ethnobotany & Taxonomy Workshop

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

  Cooking with our desert plants is similar to cooking with grocery bought plants when you know which plants are kin and have the same chemistry, in other words, the taxonomy of the plants. For example, which of our common desert plants is related to licorice and carob? Is desert ocotillo most closely related to the rose, the rhubarb, or the cranberry? You can use the fruit of one of [...]

$35.00
Featured

Grow Your Own Organic Herbs- Container Gardening in the Desert

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Join Master Gardner, Marcia D'Alessandro, and learn about growing your own organic herb garden and take one home.  This is a hands on class, come ready to plant! Class Cost is $40 - Plants, container, and soil will be provided.  

$40.00

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 50-60 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, October through April and begin at 10am. Please sign up below to [...]

Featured

Pre-Harvest Seminar

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

    Learn tips and techniques for handling and processing, prepping and pairing ten of the most productive Sonoran desert plants of our area: saguaro, mesquite, mormon tea, prickly pear, ocotillo, wolfberry, jojoba, hackberry, ironwood, and palo verde. Learn harvest tips, seasonality, flavors, varieties, and other fine points of their bounty. Now you will be ready for our Walk, Talk & Taste in the park on Saturday, April 15!

$15.00

Walk, Talk, & Taste in the Park with DAC

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

This FREE event held at our Desert Awareness Park is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our beautiful desert! You can live off the desert if you know what to pick and when. Find out as we stroll for an up-close look at the food producing plants. Discuss harvesting techniques and food preparation ideas. Taste some recipes from our recipe book “Our Tastes of the Desert”. Small guided groups will be [...]

Featured

Make your own Succulent Container Garden

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

  Desert Awareness Committee presents their Container Gardening in the Desert Series and this month is a Succulent Garden with an Easter Lily cactus. Join Master Gardner, Marcia D'Alessandro, for this hands on class. Learn what grows best in our desert and take home a new project every month! Classes begin at 10am and are held on the Holland Community Center patio. Class cost is $40 and includes container, soil [...]

$40.00

Prickly Pear Fest
Featured

Prickly Pear Festival

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

You won't want to miss this annual FREE event! Held on the beautiful patio at The Holland Community Center, the Prickly Pear Fest is a treasured event in our Sonoran Desert. Come learn about the many things you can do with this abundant fruit including harvesting, juicing and flour processing. There will be delicious samples of smoothies, salsa, bread and more! SEMINARS BEGIN AT 10 / 10:45 / 11:30 / [...]

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, November through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, November through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, November through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Desert Awareness February Park Tour

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, November through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, November through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured

Medicinal Desert Plants 2-day Workshop

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Join the Desert Awareness Committee for this hands-on workshop on the healing powers of our desert plants. Become familiar with 12 desert plants used over the centuries by native cultures for healing and first aid. Experience various methods of preparation and application at home and in the field. Compare tinctures, ointments, and emollients Make an ointment for topical use Workshop dates are March 19th & 21st at 10:30am Workshop cost [...]

$35.00

Featured

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, November through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured

DAC Pre-Harvest Seminar

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Learn tips and techniques for handling and processing, prepping and pairing ten of the most productive Sonoran desert plants of our area: saguaro, mesquite, mormon tea, prickly pear, ocotillo, wolfberry, jojoba, hackberry, ironwood, and palo verde. Learn harvest tips, seasonality, flavors, varieties, and other fine points of their bounty. Now you will be ready for our Walk, Talk & Taste in the park on Saturday, April 13! Please register below [...]

Featured

Walk, Talk, & Taste in the Park- Celebrating 50 Years!

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

This FREE event held at our Desert Awareness Park is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our beautiful desert! Stroll through the ¼ mile trails at Desert Awareness Park and meet our education team guides along the way who share information about the plants you pass.  Learn when and how to harvest as you stand before the plant.  Gather in the interpretive center after your walk to taste foods [...]

Featured

Desert Landscaping & Healthy Backyards Earth Day Workshop

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Desert Awareness Committee is hosting this FREE WORKSHOP on how to maintain your desert landscaping and raise healthy plants as they kick-off their 50th Anniversary!  Join our DAC "master gardeners" to learn how you can keep your yard looking like a native lush, colorful desert, but with little water and no pruning.  We help you consider where and what to plant and how to care for it. We all want [...]

Prickly Pear Fest
Featured

Prickly Pear Festival

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

You won't want to miss this annual FREE event! Hosted by our Desert Awareness Committee and held on the patio, the Prickly Pear Fest is a treasured event in our Sonoran Desert. Come learn about the many things you can do with this abundant fruit including harvesting, juicing and flour processing. There will be delicious samples of smoothies, salsa, bread and more! SEMINARS BEGIN AT 9:30 / 10:15 / 11:15 [...]

Desert Awareness Park Tour

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, December through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, December through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured

Our “Touchable” Desert Ecosystem

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Learn about our desert plants that jab and stick you, find out why they have such “scrubby” skins, and learn how they were used for medicine and food. Also explore skeletons and skulls; understand predators and prey; examine the beautiful rocks from the desert; and touch artifacts left behind by those who were here long before we arrived. FORMAT: In-person classroom INSTRUCTION METHOD: Hands-on AGES: Adults, Youth Ages 14-18 EXPERIENCE [...]

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, December through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured

Wildlife Challenges – How Can You Help?

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Experts from Southwest Wildlife and our signature program Desert Awareness Committee will share stories of rescue and rehabilitation of our desert wildlife and how you can help in their conservation efforts.  Learn about the Mexican Gray Wolf and the cross-fostering program, and a day-in-the-life of a Southwest Wildlife rescue volunteer. FORMAT: In-Person – lecture AGES: All Ages EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Novice PREREQUISITES: None FEE AMOUNT: Donations for Desert Awareness Committee and Southwest [...]

Featured

Desert Awareness Park Tour

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, December through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured Desert Education – Desert Awareness Committee

SOLD OUT – Medicinal Desert Plants Seminar

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

This event is SOLD OUT Please check out other lectures with our Desert Awareness Committee and sign-up early! Join us for an eye-opening evening as we explore the natural pharmacy growing right in our backyard. Nature enthusiasts, aspiring herbalists, and anyone curious about the practical applications of our local desert flora will enjoy learning how to identify these plants and understand their medicinal properties. FORMAT: In-Person – lecture. AGES: Adults 18+, [...]

Featured Desert Education – Desert Awareness Committee

Walk in Harmony at the Hollow

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States +1 more

Embrace your wellness journey and build a harmonious relationship with yourself and the world around you using all your senses, surrounded by nature, at this very special holistic & natural healing event -- hosted by our signature program Desert Awareness Committee in the breathtaking Harmony Hollow conservation area in north Cave Creek. This one-of-a-kind event offers an unparalleled chance to explore the synergy between mind, body, and spirit in a [...]

$25.00
Featured Desert Education – Desert Awareness Committee

Desert Plants Pre-Harvest Seminar

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Learn tips & techniques for harvesting, handling, processing, prepping, and preparing ten of the most productive Sonoran Desert plants: saguaro, mesquite, mormon tea, prickly pear, ocotillo, wolfberry, jojoba, hackberry, ironwood, and palo verde. Plus learn about seasonality, flavors, varieties, and other fine points of their bounty. FORMAT: In-Person – lecture. AGES: Adults 18+, Youth Ages 14-18 EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Novice PREREQUISITES: None FEE: This event is free and open to the public. [...]

Featured Desert Education – Desert Awareness Committee

Desert Awareness Park Tours

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

  Join us for a leisurely stroll through a native desert park with a Desert Awareness Naturalist. Learn the plants of the Sonoran desert upland and how they survive. Walks last for 90 minutes and begin at 10am.  The Nature Trail is relatively flat and a slightly uphill Saguaro Trail. For more information, click HERE.  Tours are the 1st Saturday of the month, December through April and begin at 10am. [...]

Featured Desert Education – Desert Awareness Committee

Walk, Talk, & Taste in the Park- Celebrating 50 Years!

Desert Awareness Park 38100 N. Vermeersch Road, Cave Creek, AZ, United States

You can live off the desert if you know what to pick and when. Find out more as our Signature Program Desert Awareness Committee takes us for a stroll to see food producing plants and learn about harvesting techniques and food preparation ideas... and even taste some recipes from the “Our Tastes of the Desert” recipe book. Small guided groups will be led continuously throughout the morning and our volunteers [...]

Featured Desert Education – Desert Awareness Committee

Desert Landscaping & Healthy Backyards Earth Day Workshop

Holland Community Center 34250 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Learn from the "master gardeners" from our Signature Program Desert Awareness Committee how to maintain your desert landscaping and raise healthy plants. You'll learn how you can keep your yard looking like a native lush, colorful desert, but with little water and no pruning -- and also where and what to plant and how to care for it. Topics covered: placement, coverage, color, growth rates, water use, and pruning strategies [...]

34250 N. 60th St., Bldg. B
Scottsdale, AZ 85266
(480) 488-1090
info@hollandcenter.org

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