August 26th marked the first Seeds of Stewardship outing of the 2021-2022 school year! In fact, it was the first outing we’ve gotten to do with a school group since the lockdown started in March 2020. It was wonderful to once again bring the classroom outdoors. SoS instructors met Flagstaff Junior Academy fifth graders in Mrs. Chapman’s classroom for an […]

On November 1st, 2020, The Arizona Trail Ambassadors gathered under Cienega Creeks Riparian Gallery Forest canopy. This was our third trip together, and the group seemed more confident and comfortable. The landscape was beginning to change as winter approached. In the Sonoran Desert, seasonal changes are observed in daily temperature swings, systematic flower blooms, and odd rains; unlike other places […]

October 4th, 2020 was the inauguration of the Arizona Trail Association’s Ambassador Program. The ATA Ambassador Program is an 8-month internship for High School Seniors who are interested in becoming Environmental Educators and advocates for the Arizona Trail. Our first trip began at the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead, Passage 7. This was the first time the group of 10 met in […]

For our last outing, we wanted to celebrate. Over the winter season of After School on the AZT, participants collectively hiked and cross country skied 104 miles; each spent 18 hours learning and adventuring outdoors; visited 6 unique sections of the Arizona Trail; and engaged in numerous outdoor skills and ecology-based lessons. Immeasurable, but perhaps even more important this season, […]

On February 17, After School on the AZT spent a brisk afternoon hiking at Rocky Ridge, learning proper muddy trail etiquette, and diving into the fascinating topic of public lands. With the recent snowmelt, we were very intentional about where we chose to hold this outing. Because, in Flagstaff, wet trails mean muddy trails, and traveling on muddy trails can […]

  For our fourth outing of winter After School on the AZT, we met for an afternoon of hiking, team building, and some good ol’ forest relaxation.  It was a lovely afternoon, which only seemed to get sunnier and more pleasant as we progressed along the trail. The Arizona Trail led us toward a beautiful view of Mount Elden, passing […]

Thirty inches of snow! Sitting at 8,000 feet, Arizona Nordic Village finally got plenty of snow to open for snowsports. Thirty inches from one storm! The accumulation was exciting, as it meant opportunities for snowshoeing and cross country skiing awaited us—alas! After School on the AZT participants had been looking forward to this for weeks. The storm was backed by […]

The day before our second After School on the AZT outing, we were finally graced with some snow. Up until this last snowstorm, it had been a really dry winter in Flagstaff; the precipitation was worth celebrating. On January 20, our small group met up at the Kachina Trailhead for a hike on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Our goal for […]

Twenty-twenty-fun here we go! Tis a new year and a new season for Seeds of Stewardship’s extracurricular program!  Last fall, in response to some of the challenges our community faced throughout the pandemic—a lack of opportunities for youth socialization, increased human impacts on trails, elevated strains on families, more hours spent on screens, the list goes on—we launched After School […]

On December 11th, 2019, 12 students from Edge High School left for an amazing adventure into the Rincon Mountain Foothills. Our goal was to hike to Bridal Wreath Falls, and gain a better understanding of high desert grasslands in our Sonoran Desert. Outdoor learning is a variable as the weather, and goals and plans are often flexible to meet the […]

On January 29, 2020, 16 fifth graders from Ms. Maggie’s class at Mountain Charter School strapped on snowshoes for their first outing with Seeds of Stewardship. We shared a wintery day full of learning, ecology, and group-forming at the Flagstaff Nordic Village. Most students had never been snowshoeing before and were surprised to find that it was a lot like […]

On November 14th, 2019, 5 students from Empire High School left for a fantastic expedition into Cienega Creek. It was a perfect November day for a hike through such a diverse place. Our goal was to explore three different eco-systems, to gain a better understanding of the adaptation of the flora and fauna and the watershed in each area. To […]

On December 17, 2019, 14 fifth graders from Mrs. Chapman’s class at Flagstaff Junior Academy Middle School braved a particularly chilly morning in pursuit of adventure, discovery, and expression. Our goals were to identify why we felt connections with certain special places, to deepen our sense of place in Flagstaff’s local environment, and to create meaningful collages using natural materials. […]

On November 7th, 2019, 35 students from Mt. Vista Elementary School explored Catalina State Park. We traveled from the town of Oracle to the park to adventure in low thorn-scrub biome, learning about the flora, fauna, and the indigenous peoples that had villages where Catalina State Park now is. The students were excited to learn about the ecosystems in this […]

Authored by Kim Cleary On September 19, 15 students from Mrs. Chapman’s fifth grade class at Flagstaff Junior Academy ventured into the Coconino National Forest along the Arizona Trail to observe and learn about the fire-dependent ponderosa pine ecosystem they live in. Being their first outing with Seeds of Stewardship, students were introduced to our program as well as the […]

On December 4th, 2019, 12 students from Kino School explored the incredible Cienega Creek Natural Preserve. This expedition would walk students through a variety of biomes, displaying desert watershed at its finest. The paths winds though time petrified in stone and rock, while observing key pathways and habitats of Southern Arizona’s rarest and most wonderful animals. These students had been […]

On December 2, 18 students from Mt.Vista Elementary School left for one of the most unique and wonderful Seeds of Stewardship expeditions ever. This group gained special access to Aravaipa Canyon, and thanks to our friend and BLM Ranger Heidi Blenkinship, they had wonderful leadership in this wild place. The students were very excited. I had prepared them for a rugged […]

On November 22, 2019 12 students from Mansfeld Middle School arrived at the Gabe Zimmerman trailhead on the Arizona Trail. Our goal was to explore three general ecosystems represented here: Desert Thorn Scrub, Arroyo, Riparian Gallery Forest. These students were on their way to having an awesome adventure, without more than a clue of this areas awesomeness. They knew of […]

On November 6th, 2019, 11 students from Edge High School left a rainy Tucson for an adventure into the Santa Rita Mountains. Early winter storms had forced us away from the Tucson Valley, removing us from the surrounding mountains. Instead, we drove south to Madera Canyon in hopes that the northward storms had passed the area. The drive brought us […]

On November 18, 2019, 19 fifth graders from Mr. Ross’s class at Flagstaff Junior Academy Middle School explored Picture Canyon via a three mile loop, encompassing part of the Arizona Trail’s Elden Mountain Passage 32. Our goal was to infer why and how the Sinagua People lived in Picture Canyon approximately 1,000 years ago. We would accomplish this goal by […]

On October 25th, 2019 12 students from Mansfeld Middle School left Tucson for an adventure high in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Some of these students had never explored this mountain range, and for them, this was a mysterious and new experience. For those that were returning, this was a special chance to see and experience something new. This was the […]

On November 16th, 2019, 15 students from Basis North School left to help install a new sign on the Arizona Trail at the Cienega Creek intersection. This is the 5th expedition of the season, and the students were more than excited to learn how to help beautify the trail. The group had hiked here in the past, and now they […]

On November 16, 2019, 20 students from Basis North left for a wonderful day in Cienega Creek. This was a stewardship expedition, and these students were excited to improve this part of the Arizona Trail. Our group was diverse in age, with students ranging from 10 to 8 years. This meant the labor of the day had to be strategically […]

On October 11th, 2019, 10 students from Empire High School left for a wild adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. Hiking Sunset trail, we hoped to beat the heat by hiking Sunset Trail through mixed coniferous forests. We wanted to observe how altitude effects desert mountains, discussing Sky Islands and their greater ecological effect on the Sonoran Desert. To understand […]

On October 29th, 2019, 9 students from Project More High School left for an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. Using the Arizona Trail, we ventured into a wonderful landscape that was like nothing the students had seen before. We wanted to learn about high desert biomes and how riparian areas change the arid landscapes. For this, Sycamore Reservoir was […]

On October 16, 2019, 9 students from Edge High School found themselves in the Santa Catalina Mountains ready to hike the Arizona Trail. Hiking from the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead, our mission was to spend the day learning about the Sonoran Desert by observing adaptations, ecosystems as they relate to watershed, and the different types of flora and fauna. This was […]

On September 2, 2019, 9 students from Superior Jr/Sr High School came to school prepared for an adventure. This was the 1st of 4 expeditions this semester and the students were incredibly excited. Our goal was to use Six Shooter Canyon Trail to explore the Pinal Mountains. We hoped to use this area as a classroom to discuss and learn […]

On September 18th, 2019, 6 students from Kino School embarked on an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains to explore the mixed coniferous forests that surround Sunset Trail. This is the 1st of 5 expeditions which intends to provide students with the experience and understanding of Sonoran Desert ecology. On this adventure, we explored biomes and Sky Islands, riparian areas, […]

On March 27th, 2019, 8 students from Empire High School left for an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. From Empire High School, students can see the full range of the Catalinas, but few have the opportunity to explore them. We intended to hike to Sycamore Reservoir and observe and learn about the flora and fauna that exists within the […]