Spring things in IL, AZ, and Mexico

 2018 marked 20 years of annual trips to Starved Rock with Illinois State students to explore Illinois' most popular state park.

ISU high ropes course. We nearly froze, but it was great fun!

In March Tom and I visited Karen and Joel in Tucson. Karen works at the Sonoran Institute whose goal is to help people and communities achieve harmony between the built environment and the natural world. Specifically Karen and her colleagues have been working to restore the Colorado River Delta.

"The Wall."  This portion separates California with Mexicali, Baja California.

South of Mexicali, the Sonoran Institute has partnered with the Arenitas Wastewater Treatment Plant to establish a 250 acre wetland which provides further treatment to wastewater and serves as a refuge for wildlife in the Delta.

Here is Karen checking out the native grasses planted in the wetland adjacent the water treatment ponds.

In another region of the Colorado River Delta, efforts are underway to reestablish wildlife habitats through the planting of cottonwood seedlings and other plants native to the region.  Here are the trenches where the water will flow to new seedlings. 

This iPad is supposed to be showing the GPS maps which locate where the trees and shrubs will be planted. Instead, it is showing a fine reflection of Tom Schlatter!

Here is another area of the Delta where plants have already been established.

 Later in the week we caught up with niece Teri and fiance Ryan at the Culinary Dropout restaurant.  

Sabino Canyon hike with Karen and Joel. Dr. Joel has been a Post-doc at the U of AZ conducting research and teaching several classes.

Sitting the Selkow sibs.