CPNHA President Linda Robbins called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., and welcomed members, guests and speakers, a crowd of about 40 people. Robbins reminded the group of upcoming events, including lectures scheduled for the next three consecutive Thursdays as part of CPNHA's annual winter lecture series. The upcoming February speakers are Rick and Sandy Martynec, with "Watering Places in the Western Deserts: Nature's Grocery Store," on February 8; Richard Laugharn on "Following Desert Plants," on February 15; and Cecil Schwalbe on "Herps and Perps," on February 22. She noted that all lectures will be in the Ajo Ambulance building and are free and open to the public.
Robbins announced that CPNHA naturalist Hank Jorgenson would lead a hike up the North Fork of Alamo Canyon, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, on February 10, and to Diablo Canyon in Organ Pipe, on February 22.
She reminded the audience that registration is open for the Sonoran Symposium, and that field trips for the event are filling fast. The Symposium, for which CPNHA is a co-sponsor, is scheduled for March 5-8, 2018.
The Sonoran Shindig will happen on March 2018 in the Ajo Plaza. Entries for the popular Shindig photo contest must be in by February 28.
Robbins then introduced guest speakers Torsten and Sabine Koschny, who have spent most of the last three and a half years living in the Sonoran desert just west of Ajo. The two showed an engaging series of slides and short video clips, following the five seasons of the desert described by the native Tohono O'odham people - spring, summer, second summer (marked by the monsoons), fall and winter. Torsten's photographs of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, cacti, landscapes, and night skies vividly showed the rewards of patient and consistent attention paid to this fascinating and challenging part of the world.
The meeting concluded at 8:30, and provided guests an opportunity to chat with the speakers about their lives and work.
The next regularly scheduled membership meeting will be on March 31, and will feature a sunset and full moon potluck at Childs Mountain.