This week on Arizona Illustrated…Arizona’s sky islands are a mecca for mushroom hunters; meet rapper and poet Priscilla Nefftys who wants to turn Nogales into an outdoor urban art gallery; the aftermath of the Bighorn Fire gives researchers a unique opportunity to understand Arizona’s sky island ecosystems and learn why Grotto Hill is architect Bill Draper’s favorite place.
Story descriptions:
The Foray
Mushrooms play a vital role in decontaminating soil and keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. They're also a delicious, sustainable, and nutrient-rich food source. We went to the White Mountains to learn more about these mysterious fungi at the Annual Foray of the Arizona Mushroom Society.
Morley Arts District – Priscilla Neftys
Rapper, poet and community organizer Priscilla Nefftys explains how she’s been creating music since she was a teenager and how important those early formative years are to teens as they define who they are in the world. Describing Ambos Nogales as “one big city split in half by the border,” she conducts history investigations to learn more about the treasures and legends of her hometown of Nogales. After traveling around Mexico and Europe, she’s settled back in Nogales. She is making a big difference in the Morley Arts District, by heading up the Nogaleria mural project in both Sonora and Arizona. She coined the word Nogaleria to reflect her and other artists’ efforts to make Nogales an outdoor urban gallery.
After the Burn
In the aftermath of the Bighorn fire in the Catalinas, researchers see a unique opportunity to better understand how fire impacts the delicate sky island ecosystems here in Arizona. How was this fire different from historical blazes? And what can we learn about nature's resiliency in the face of such cataclysmic events? We follow a research expedition led by fire and forest ecologist Don Falk and tree ring expert Laura Marshall to the high elevation forests atop Mt. Lemmon, to learn how this sensitive region has fared immediately following the blaze.
Favorite Places: Grotto Hill
Our series featuring southern Arizonan architects speaking thoughtfully and personally about a special building, place, or space in southern Arizona returns! This week, Bill Draper, AIA member and owner and president of JSRa Architects, describes Grotto Hill.
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