Blog

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The Sonoran Desert’s landscape is constantly changing with the seasons. One plant that goes through a major transformation every year is the Ocotillo. With its distinctive appearance and vital role in the desert ecosystem, the Ocotillo captures the essence of adaptation, resilience and beauty. 

There are many Ocotillos at the Cooper Center, and we like to study them with students regularly. We often look at how they change based on the weather, as well as dive into the various elements that set them apart from other flora in the Sonoran desert. Here is what we have found through learning about these amazing plants over the years: 

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In a world where environmental concerns are at the forefront, integrating sustainable practices into your daily life has never been more important. By following mindful guidelines in your routine, you can contribute to a healthier planet and support future generations in the fight against climate change. 

The Cooper Center for Environmental Learning’s mission is to support you in making environmentally sound decisions. Modeling sustainable practices at Camp Cooper inspires the children in our field trip programs and our adult visitors. One example is our use of rainwater in our composting demonstration garden. The garden is maintained by our partners, the University of Arizona Compost Cats, which when starting in 2011, was the only organization in Southern Arizona accepting large volumes of food scraps, manure, brush and other landscaping materials. The Compost Cats teach the sustainable concepts and practices of composting and the ecological cycles that function during the process. The garden features different fruits, vegetables and pollinator plants - you can quite literally see the fruits of your labor involved with composting.