Profiles 2013

Profiles, 2013 Special supplement to the Nogales International / Weekly Bulletin / 2

O’Brien,Reesedoingtheirshareforconservation

Small clouds of dust set-tle along the trail behindher as Maura O’Brien stopsat a spot overlooking an im-pressive arroyo. She dili-gently jots down a fewnotes,workingonanassess-ment of an ecologically im-portant property locatedwithin the San Pedro Riverwatershed.

Miles away, her co-work-er James (Luke)Reesecriss-crosses the seemingly end-less grasslands of the SanRafael Valley helping outresearchers. Eventually helocates a watering hole,wherehebegins looking forthe sometimes telltale bril-liant yellow stripes of theTiger Salamander.

Under theauspicesof theAmeriCorps, these twoyoung greenhorns havebeen earning their spurs soto speak by helping TheNature Conservancy withits efforts in Arizona, in-cludingSantaCruzCounty,a part of the state that isrenowned for its naturalbeauty and critical habitat.

Forthosenot intheknowthe AmeriCorps is a federalprogram that aims to getadults involved in theircommunities. Each branchfocuses on critical localneeds such as education,public safety, health care,

and environmental protec-tion.

This March Reese andO’Brien helped lead a vol-unteer work party at Cane-lo Hills Cienega Preservenear Elgin where theyworked on fire fuel removalalong a game trail, tore outan old fence line, and re-moved invasive species suchas horehound in an effort torehabilitate the native habi-tat on the preserve.

In January O’Brien andReese along with two otherAmeriCorps members,Cameron Becker andMelissa Russell, visited an-other preserve in SantaCruz County belonging toThe Nature Conservancy,the Patagonia-SonoitaCreekPreserve.There theyjoined in on a conservationretreat and applied theirimpressive GPS skills in afield exercise involving Fre-mont Cottonwoods thatweremeasuredandmappedwith a focus on riparianrestoration.

Originally fromPennsyl-vania, O’Brien graduatedfrom Oberlin College witha bachelor’s in geology andis not a stranger to hardwork and getting out in na-ture. As a high school stu-dent O’Brien participatedwith the StudentConserva-tion Association buildingwater bars in several parksalong the Blue Ridge Park-

way in North Carolina, andhas also helped build a trailnear historic battle site inPecos, New Mexico.O’Brien said she majored ingeology to better under-stand how humans and na-ture interact.

So far O’Brien said themost fun part of her currentwork with the AmeriCorpshas been exploring south-eastern Arizona, however,having just left a collegecampus setting, she said ad-justing to the contrast ofworking inremoteareashasbeen a bit of a challenge.

“It’sareallydifferentrou-tine,”saidO’Brien.“Alotofmy work is largely inde-pendent, and I’m usuallyaloneinthefield, so it’sbeena big adjustment in workand lifestyle.”

O’Brien said in the endshe hopes to gain “life expe-rience.”

“I want to get a sense ofhow much I enjoy being inthe field and what kind ofwork atmosphere and envi-ronment I want to live in.This is a good way to get afeel for that,” said O’Brienwho added that eventuallyshe would like to go back toschool and earn a Mastersor Ph.D. in geology.

Reese, who holds a BS inForest Resources from theUniversity of Minnesota,said he first hooked up withthe AmeriCorps ten years

ago as a volunteer with TheNature Conservancy ofGeorgia to restore longleafpine habitat.

“The experience led meto study forestry in pursuitof a natural resources relat-ed career,” said Reese whoalso took internships in for-est ecology, field forestry,and environmental educa-tion, which resulted in himacquiring “a critical eye inthe field.”

Perusing a list of dutiesrelated to stewardship, in-terpretive materials, andeducational outreach Reesesaid he enjoys conservationwork because there is al-ways something to do.

“Having recently movedto Arizona it’s been a goodopportunity for me to un-derstand the natural re-sources in the southwest

and its challenges,” saidReese who resides in RioRico. “This AmeriCorpsexperience has been a realgood way for me to get myfeet wet.”

Reese said this most re-cent gig with the The Na-ture Conservancy has alsobeen a great way for him tohook up with other agen-cies such as the ArizonaGame and Fish Depart-ment thathemightnotnec-essarily have come in con-tact with.

“My background is inforestry, somuckingaroundin ponds looking for theTiger Salamander is notsomething I’d necessarilywould have gotten to dowithout this AmeriCorpsprogram, said Reese. “It’sbeen a good way for me tomake connections.”

Inadditiontoworkingonthe Canelo Hills CienegaPreserve and Patagonia-Sonoita-Creek Preserve inSanta Cruz County,O’Brien and Reese have al-so been spending timealong the San Pedro RiverandatRamseyCanyonPre-serve in Sierra Vista amongotherplacesacross thestate.

Formore informationonwhat O’Brien and Reeseand the rest of the Ameri-Corps are doing for conser-vation in Santa Cruz Coun-ty and the rest of Arizonacheck out the followingweb-site:http://www.nature.org/ourinitia-tives/regions/northamerica/united-states/arizona/placesweprotect/arizona-volunteer-newsletter.pdf.

By JB Miller

PHOTO/JB MILLER

James (Luke) Reese works alongside volunteers at Ramsey CanyonPreserve near Sierra Vista.

(Left) Maura O’ Brien workson an ecological assessmentof the River Stone propertylocated near the San PedroRiver, which was recentlyacquired by The NatureConservancy.

PHOTO/BROOKE BUSHMAN

(Right) Reese and O’ Brienhelp remove an old fencelineduring a volunteer work partyat Canelo Hills CienegaPreserve on March 14.

PHOTO/JB MILLER

Artistic Trioceatesbagsfromboots

At the Stage Coach Col-lectibles studio in the Elginhome of Debra Fink, threesisters transform vintagecowboy boots into fabulousupscale designer handbags.Their workshop is so artis-tically appointed that it eas-ily doubles as a showroom,where clients are welcometo bring in their own bootsand decorations or browsethrough materials the sis-ters have on hand to createcustom purses with a west-ern flair.

Cowboy boots are neatlylined up on shelves, alongwith thewesternbelts, reinsand brow bands used for

handles. There is also animpressive collection of ex-otic leathers used for trimand colorful calico westernprints for lining the finishedhandbags. And then there’sthe bling. Lots of bling.Conchos, rhinestones,beads, tacks, and spots willsoon find new life adorninghandbags that the sistershavebeensellingonlineandatcraft showsfor thepast12months.

What started outas a lark has turned into abooming business. “ThisFebruary was our one-yearanniversary,” Debra ex-plains. “Gayle (Maloney,her sister) saw an article inMary Jane’s Farm Maga-

zine about taking boots andchanging them into purses.So we started playingaround with it and madesomeforourselvesand ites-calated. Over the monthswe’ve expanded and per-fected.”

They formed a partner-shipthat includesathirdsis-ter, Vicki Mabery, who livesin the Phoenix area. TheirTexas roots influence theirart, although they spenttheir working life as citygirls. Debra retired fromthe City of Tempe after 32years as a city planner,Gayle taught elementaryschool in Phoenix for 20years and Vicki is the Mari-copa librarian.Gayle laughs

that she never owned a pairof cowboy boots until lastyear. “Now I have four pair.I had a purple pair I woreonce and within a week itwas a purse!”

Gayle recently moved toSonoita where her husbandwill joinherwhenhe retiresasaschoolprincipal inJune,but Vicki still lives in thePhoenix area. To solve thelogistical challenges, theycame up with the idea of“Boot Camp.” Three orfour times a year they gath-er at one of their homes fora weeklong working ses-sion. They cut off soles, re-condition leather, sew lin-ings, add glitz, and glue onwoodenbases for14hoursaday, sometimes until 2:00a.m. Husbands John Finkand Dave Maloney pitch intoo, cutting poplar woodfor the base of the pursesand creating rustic exhibitbooths for craft shows.“Even our 88 year-oldmother, Joanna Gillespie,gets in the act. She does allthe cooking during themarathons,” Debra said.

Creative juicesflow when the three puttheirheads together, choos-ing the perfect lining to co-ordinate with individualboots and selecting just theright straps and bling to en-

hance the finished look.“We enjoy each other’scompany, and watchingfrom one day to the next asa boot begins to look like apiece of art,” Gayle said.The next step is a produc-tion line where each sisterutilizes her own area of ex-pertise in creating the fin-ished product. During thelast Boot Camp, theyturned out 21 new bags inone week.

Alwaysonthelookoutforfresh designs, the sistershave just introduced a newline,WesternScrunch.Theideacamefromarequestforapurse thatwould “scrunchup” to fit under an airplaneseat.Adurable leatherpiecereplaces the wood bottomsand is whip stitched aroundthe edges. It was so well re-ceived that they have nowmade three others in thesame style.

They credit much oftheir success tonetworking.An article in theAhwatukeeFoothills News near Vicki’shome, led to a call fromstu-dents at the WalterCronkite School of Jour-nalism at Arizona StateUniversity who did a YouTube piece, which was fol-lowed by an article in theFebruary 2013 issue ofPhoenix Magazine. Mean-

while, requests to exhibitpour in. They have eightshows lined up for this year,beginning with Tucson’sFourth Avenue Street Fairin March and finishing upin December at CowboyChristmas in Las Vegas.

Their purses can befound at three shops inSonoita. Debra says,“Wylie Glad, owner ofDesert Legacy Gifts andCollectibles, is our biggestpromoter. She came upwith the idea of attachingour SCC logo with a littlechain thatwehangoneverypurse. We have also createda few biker bags for SweetRide and are planning a lit-tle hipster bag that shouldgo well in the new CowgirlFlair.”

Although expansion istempting, they aim to staysmall. “We want to keepthat personal link to ourcustomers, especially thecustom orders. We get toknowwhere theboots camefrom and why they’remeaningful to them. That’simportant to us,” Gaylesaid.

Visit their website at:www.stagecoachbagsandcollectibles.com.

3 / Special supplement to the Nogales International / Weekly Bulletin Profiles, 2013

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Sisters Gayle Maloney (left) and Debra Fink prepare to add linings andbling to cowboy boots that they have cut open and stitched together toform a handbag.

By Betty Barr

Left: Gayle Maloney (left) and her sister Debra Fink prac-tice cutting the sole off a boot with their new band saw.The saw replaces their original method of using a boxtype cutter and lots of elbow grease.Right: Vicky Mabry preparesto wait on customersin the Stage CoachCollectibles exhibitbooth at a recent artshow.Middle: The three sis-ters created 21 newhigh fashion bags in arecent one-weekmarathon they dubbed“Boot Camp.” A groupof nearly completedbags sitting on a workbench is waiting for thebottoms to be attached.


Terry Colungahasbravedpeaksandvalleysinhermedicalcareertrek

Since participating inPatsyBachelier’sCNApro-gram at Nogales HighSchool, Terry Colungaheard the calling. On herbirthday in February, 32years after graduating fromNHS, she passed herboards and is awaiting hernurse practitioner license.No, it’s not that she’s an

extremely slow learner, butthat she has accomplishedthis fetemostlywhilework-ing full-time,undeterredbylife’s trials and tribulationsincluding the loss of herbeloved father to cancer, adivorce and raising threechildren practically on herown.Dr. Eladio Pereira, med-

ical director at MariposaCommunity Health Cen-ter, was instrumental in lin-ing up Colunga for herpracticum. “Since I’veknown her she has exhibit-ed a lot of compassion andempathy for patients.Above all, she has been in-strumental in the lives ofmany of our patients, pro-viding services at the hospi-tal and now as a nurse prac-titioner. The fact that shecontinued her educationand training through allthese years shows howmo-tivated she is to providequality health care for indi-viduals in this community.”As a nurse practitioner,

she has completed gradu-ate-level education andtraining and will soon beable to prescribe medica-tion and even serve as a pri-mary-care provider. She’sonly one of an elite few inthis county licensed to doso.Colunga’swork ethic and

values were fomented byher mother Cuquina, whoin her 70s is still in demandat the local branch ofChaseBankwhere she hasworkednearly three decades andher dad Armando, whoworked for the U.S. PostalService here for 27 years.Colunga certainly dis-

played a tender side duringthis interview when remi-niscing about her dad andthen while cuddling a new-born at Carondelet HolyCross Hospital. But makeno mistake she’s an un-apologetic “TomBoy.”“I was the first girl at

NHS allowed on the foot-ball field” as an assistantathletic trainer, sherecalled.“Only thing is I had to trav-el with the Pom Poms forthe away games. You haveno idea what that’s like. Iwould have rather travelledwith the guys, smellingdirty gym socks.”Mydadalways taughtme

I could dowhatever I want-ed regardless of my gender,except an archeologist, hesaid, because they travel allover the place” and hewantedhercloseby,Colun-

ga said.After high school she

earned a nursing assistant’sdegree from Pima MedicalInstitute. She interned inTucsonwithNogalesnativeDr. Humberto Gonzalez ageneral surgeon and thenworked for Dr. James Mc-Cullough in Rio Rico be-fore joining Holy CrossHoly Cross as an emer-gency room technician andclerk.She got married in 1984

andsoonhadher first-born,Naomi. After a brief time-out, she needed to get backto work and her then hus-band decided she should goout into the world of busi-ness.“Theexperience I gained

working for Mr. (Tom)Morgan at Citizens AutoStage is invaluable. He wasa greatmentor. I learned somuch from him; multi-tasking; the importance ofmeeting deadlines; and justthe managerial basics,”Colunga said. “But Ilearned something else;business is notmy forte.”Two more babies --Ser-

gio IsaacandSophia --bornover the next five years anda secondhiatus brought herto her senses. “Financeshappen. I needed to getback to work. But this timeIwas going toworkwhere Iwanted,” she said.There weren’t many op-

tions inSantaCruzCounty.“I was determined to be-comeanurse.But letmetellyou, at least 10 peoplewould not have their nurs-ing degrees here had it notbeen for SueNielsen,” whoat the time was the coordi-nator of Pima College inSanta Cruz County. “Shemaneuvered it so that wehad the pre-requisites – sci-ence, human anatomy,physiology, micro biology,chemistry. I remember Iwas pregnant with Sophieand I couldn’t fit into thedarn desk. I had to sit side-ways!”She got her CNAdegree

and returned toHolyCrossto the geriatrics ward. “Ihad to work nights becauseI had my kids. I workedfrom 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. andwould walk back and forthfrom our house at CaminoLa Paloma. I would sendNaomi off to school and Istayed with the babies.Sleepingwas a luxuryuntil Ifinallywasable toget some-one to help with the kids.It got too depressing for

her in geriatrics, Colungasaid. One day, “The babieswere coming out of thewalls, and I got called tohelp (in the maternal andnewborn department).Theonly time I had ever beenback there Iwasonmybackwhen I had my children!But I learned on the fly.About a week later theyasked if I was interested in

becominganOBtech.Isaidyes. Ididn’tknowwhatIwasdoing, but I said yes. AndI’ve stayed there ever since.I like to say I work where Iwas born.”All throughout she kept

“sneaking in courses” andby 1993 she had completedall of her requisites. Thefollowingyear,Colungagota notice from Cochise thatshe was on a stand-by list.Two weeks later, a slotopenedupandsheenrolled.Now it got really inter-

esting as she had to travelfor her clinical training inBisbee, Benson and SierraVista and classes in SierraVista and Douglas. Therewere times when she couldonly catch some Zs in theparking lots.In 1996 she graduated

with a registerednurse’s de-gree or RN. Then she tookthe test for national certifi-cation.“Twoweeks latertheenvelope arrives. I couldnot bear it. I told my momto open it and said, ‘Mom,what are the first words?’and she said, ‘Congratula-tions.’ She didn’t need toread any further. It was avery emotionalmoment forboth of us.”Colunga’s areaof special-

ty is advanced fetal moni-toring to, as she puts it,“catch emergencies beforetheybecomeemergencies.”In 2000, she was selectedfrom among her colleaguesas team leader for the laborand delivery department.She served as mediator be-tween staff and administra-tion, addressing in-house

issues and “putting outfires.” In 2003, shewas pro-moted tomanager.Her goal was to garner a

Level I designation fromthe Arizona Perinatal Trustto provide hospital servicesfor low-risk obstetrical pa-tients, including cesareandelivery and basic and tran-sitionalnewborncare.“It’sabig deal. It took us until2007tohavetheunitupandreadyto justevenbeconsid-ered.”

Out of actionIn 2006 she was again

sidelined. While attendinga patient undergoing a ce-sarean, “A tech scrub tech-nician started to pass out. Iwent to reach him, and Ihurtmy back.”It was like someone

slammed the brakes on herlife. She was out on disabil-ity for three months. “Thiswasaveryreflectivetimeforme. Nevertheless she con-tinued taking courses on-line -- sharing one comput-er with her three teen-agechildren - through a bache-lor’s program offered byGrandCanyonCollege.It all got too heavy and in

2007. After the hospital fi-nally attained the Level Idesignation, “my childrenconvincedme to step downas manager, and I wentback” tomaternal and new-born.A year later Colunga was

hitting the books again, thistime for a master’s in nurs-ing education program of-feredbyCarondeletHealthNetwork. Life threw her a

curveball once more whenin 2009 her dad was diag-nosedwith cancer. So in ad-dition to working at HCHand taking courses for hermaster’s she tookon a job inhome health care to helpthe family financially.But someone or some-

thingwith an amazingly re-silient fish linekeepsreelingColunga toward an as-of-yet unclear ultimate desti-nation. In the middle of allthis she decided to work ona second master’s degreethrough the University ofPhoenix. Inspired by thelikesof JubyBellofNogalesClinic and Rosa Garcia,who worked at Mariposa,Colunga decided she want-ed to be a nurse practition-er.Devastated by her fa-

ther’s death in 2010, shestumbled and was bootedout of the nurse practition-er’s programwhen shegot aConapharmocologyexam.Undeterred, she dustedherself off and moved for-ward. “I toldmyself if I stepaway, I’ll never comeback,”she said. Plus, it’s what herfather would have wanted.Armando Colunga’s goodfriend Jim Price, becameone of her biggest cheer-leaders throughhis encour-agement, counsel as well asediting her papers.Colunga graduated from

the master’s nursing educa-tion program in 2011.Through tears, she said,“My dadwasn’t there. But Iknow hewas withme.”InJuly2012shecomplet-

ed the theory-based com-

ponent for the nurse practi-tioner’s course. Colunga’sconnection to the localhealth care world and therespect she earned alongthewaywaskey tohercom-pletion of 460 hours ofpracticum during sixmonths of intense intern-ships with Pereira andNurse Practitioner JohnKnoblock at MariposaClinic, as well as with Pedi-atric Dr. Oscar Rojas andOB/GYNDr. JoseDuran.All thewhile, shewas still

attending class and takingtests. Had she failed one orthe other, she would havebeen thrownoutof thepro-gram. On her birthday inFebruary, she took her“boards,” a computerizedexam comprising 150 ques-tions she had to completewithin three hours. She fin-ished in one and the pro-gram instantly notified hershe had passed.“I kept my composure

until I got into my Jeep,then I just totally lost it. Ihad a five-minute melt-down. Then my first callwas to my honey Gilbert(Alvarez) and then I calledmy mom. Jimmy (Price)was the third call.”Where will that fish line

pull her now? “Back toma-ternity and newborn atHoly Cross as long as theywill have me. In April I willhave been there 23 years,”Colunga said.Has she considered a

doctor’s degree? She didn’tsay, but for Colunga, noth-ing seemsoutof reach– justlike her dad said.

By Manuel C. Coppola

PHOTOS/MANUEL C . COPPOLA

While an admitted Tom Boy, Colunga has a much softer side she shares with newborns she helpsbring into this world, like Kevin Castro Benitez, who was born at 7:01 a.m. Wednesday, March 20.

Terry Colunga, left, and Patient Care Technician Ana Solis, review medical charts at Carondelet HolyCross Hospital.

BaltazarGarciacame back and contributed

BackwhenBaltazar “Bal-ty” Garcia was teachinggovernment at NogalesHigh School – a class thatstudents were required topass before graduating – hewould start each semesterby laying out the course re-quirements.He’ddescribe thevarious

assignments and the scoresthe students would need toget on their exams. “Andthen I told them, ‘You haveto leave this community,learn something, comeback and contribute to thiscommunity. Or else youdon’t graduate,’” he said.Whether the Catch-22

was an effort to mess withhis students’heads,or togetthem thinking metaphori-cally about the learningprocess, it was an apt sum-mary of Garcia’s own lifetrajectory.Raised in Nogales in the

turbulent 1960s, Garciagraduated from NogalesHigh School in 1970 andheaded first to PhoenixCollege and then toNorth-ern Arizona University forhis higher education.Alongthe way he became politi-cally active in the ChicanoMovement, and startedworking in social services inthe Flagstaff area.By the end of the 70s he

returned to Nogales, butwhen he couldn’t find work

in social services, he startedsubstitute teaching at theNogales Unified SchoolDistrict.“My intentions were not

to be an educator,” Garciasaid, but he would end upspending more than 13years as a teacher atNUSD– in addition to a stint at theSunnyside Unified SchoolDistrict in Tucson – beforeopening his own charterschool in Nogales in 1998with his wife and fellow ed-ucator, Veronika Pasos-Garcia.Since then, Mexicayotl

Academy has beenworkingto empower local childrenby offering a high-expecta-tion,dual-languageK-8ed-ucation that stresses hands-on and intercultural learn-ing.“Whatwe’re trying to do

is create a choice in thiscommunity,” Garcia said.“Is it going to be for every-body?Weknowit’snot.Buthopefully peoplewhocomehere will choose it for thereasons that the school is setup and established.”

Themission“Learning because of

who we are...” is the firstpart of the Mexicayotl mis-sion statement, which isconspicuously posted inEnglish and Spanish on aninterior wall facing the en-trance to the school at 850NorthMorley Avenue.

“…to become criticalthinkers,withinaprocessoflearning through applica-tion, resulting in the fullspectrum of ‘intercultural-ism,’” it concludes.As Garcia explains: “If

youknowwhoyouare, thenyou have to respect your-self… and what makes youis all these cultural relevan-cies.”For many members of

the Nogales community,those relevancies includethings like the Aztec calen-dar that hangs on awall in alarge common room (“Re-allywhat it is is anAztechis-tory book,” Garcia ex-plains) or a poster displayabout the “bracero” guestworkerprogramthat standson a nearby table.There’s also the Native

American shrine setupnearthe cafeteria; amural repre-senting Cuauhtemoc, theAztec leader who led the fi-nal resistance against theSpanish; and an Earth flagin the common room.“We’re an environmen-

tal school,” Garcia said,pointing to the flag. “Why?Because of the traditionalteachingsthattaughtusthatwehave to respect our envi-ronment.”As part of its emphasis on

self-respect, the school alsoteaches respect for others.Students politely greet visi-tors and school staff, andthe Mexicayotl cafeteria at

lunchtime is a model oftable manners and deco-rum.“Those little values that

are how and what we are,they’re cultural values,”Garcia said.

EducationaswealthGarcia’s own experience

in the Nogales communitybegan when he was an ele-mentary school student.Hemoved here from Flagstaffwith his mother, who wasfrom the area, and his fa-ther, a Methodist ministerwhohadworkedhereprevi-ously.His father’s job and faith

made him different fromother kids, but bridgingthose differences turnedout tobeavaluable learningexperience.“Itwasn’t justgrowingup

as a preacher’s kid, whichhad its challenges, I guess,but growing up in a pre-dominately Catholic com-munity,” he said.“I had to interact with

people based on who andwhat I was at that time,” hesaid. “We had to interactand work together. So ifanything, it was a benefit inthat respect.”Garcia saw his parents

working with poor peopleon both sides of the border,and that affected him, hesaid. He also recalled acommon refrain from theera, in which parents withlittle economic wealthwould tell their childrenthat the only inheritancethey could give them is ed-ucation.“Once you learn that,

you view education as awealth,” he said.While at NUSD, Garcia

taught at the high school aswell as theoldPiersonMid-dleSchool.Then,when theArizona Legislature passedthe Charter School Law in1994, he saw a chance tocreate something new.“I was a classroom

teacher, and I realized thatsometimes, to be able tocreate change is difficultwithin certain structures,”he said. “So there was anopportunity,with the law in1994 to say, ‘You know

what, you can start aschool.’ I saidmaybe there’san opportunity to finallycreate something that Ithink is valid as a choice forthis border community.”He andVeronika opened

Mexicayotl Academy in1998 with 88 students attwo locations in Nogales:the Morley Avenue build-ing that’s now home to theAlexander’s formal wearshop, and another nearbystructure known locally as“Dr. Leon’s office.”Enrollment would grow

as large as 180, and theschool relocated about 10years ago to the former fur-niturestorethat it stilloccu-pies.Today, enrollment is atabout 140.

‘I really believe’The name “Mexicayotl”

comes from the indigenousNahuatl language, andmeans “the heart of theMexica,” or “the heart ofthe people ofMexico.”“The idea of the heart of

theMexica is the essence ofbeing Mexican,” Garciasaid. “It’s theessenceofwhoyouare. It’s this ideaofvalu-ingwho you are, andwhereyou come from. And that’swhyweusealotof thesetra-ditional teachings.”Thenamehas led tomis-

conceptions in the commu-nity, he said, ashas thedual-language approach, andeven the fact that Mexicay-otl is a charter school.“People say, ‘It’s a charter

school, it’s an at-riskschool.’ We’ve had to fightthat. ‘Oh, it’s a charterschool, they don’t teachEnglish; all they do is Span-ish.’Why?Becausewehavea dual language program,”he said.In fact, since Arizona

charter schools are statefunded, their students haveto pass the AIMS tests likeany other public school. In2012, Mexicayotl Academyreceived a grade of “B” onthe state’s new A-F gradingsystem that is determinedby such factors as studentAIMS performance, stu-dent improvement on thetest, and English LanguageLearner reclassifications.“We’reheld tohigher ac-

ademic standards in this re-

spect than the publicschools: If we do not meetthe academic levels and fis-cal accountability levels,they’ll closeusdown.Char-ter schools are held to a dif-ferent criteria in terms ofbeing able to be shutdown,”Garcia said.The dual language ap-

proach is a point of pride atMexicayotl. Garcia notesthat his is the only localschool to offer dual Eng-lish-Spanish instruction,andthatSpanishis taughttosuch a high level that one-third of his last eighth-grade class entered highschool with AdvancedPlacement credit in Span-ish.“You’ve seen it in this

community; the use of bothlanguages,” Garcia said.“You can do everything youneed to do in either lan-guage, from get arrested tobuyacar toorder ameal.Sothere’s a validity to it. Basedon that validity, it’s our re-sponsibility to teach it to ahigh academic level.”Like a Montessori

school, Mexicayotl offersleveled instruction, whichputs students in classes to-gether according to agerather than grade. It alsoemphasizes activity-basedlearning,which iswhyavis-itor might see students fil-ing out of the classroom topractice their multiplica-tion tables through a jump-ing jacks-like exercise.“Learning is actually

practicing something,rather than just beingtaught and lectured,” Gar-cia said.Another selling point at

the school is the 13-to-1student-to-teacher ratio.“I really believe, my wife

really believes,” Garcia saidof his school, which recent-ly had its charter re-author-ized for another 20 years.“We wouldn’t be here for13 hours a day if we didn’tbelieve that what we have isgood.”Learnmore aboutMexi-

cayotlAcademyatmexicay-otlacademy.com.

By Jonathan Clark


PHOTOS/JONATHAN CLARK

Baltazar "Balty" Garcia stands in front of the school logo at MexicayotlAcademy in Nogales.

Above: Garcia checks in with students at Mexicayotl Academy. Below: Hestands in front of the charter school’s mission statement.


DynaChinleatherartist, chef has‘generousspirit’

Dyna Chin expresses herinborn creativity as an artistin leather and a chef whocaters parties and teachescooking classes.

Chin’s small Tubac busi-ness is Stone Dragon Stu-dio Leather and Textile Art.The studio, located across atree-shaded patio from herapartment, brims withitems for sale, projects un-der way, and materials suchas rolls of leather and arange of metal fasteners.

“Dynahasawayofbring-ing people together, and indoing so, she advances asense of community in asmall town likeTubac,” saidKim Etherington, a friendand former co-worker.“She’s always gathering dif-ferent groups of friendsaroundherdinner table andtreating us to her culinarycreations.”

Chin’s leather studio is aunique creation in whichshe took advantage of avail-able space and materials.She built her own workbench, recycled and in-stalled a patio roof that afriend was going to send tothe landfill, andconstructedefficient storage areas.

She stocks backpacks,wallets, purses, shoppingtotes,passportholders, cardcases, digital camera hold-ers, and much more. Hold-ers for smart phones andcustom luggage ID tags areon view. Dog leashes andtack repairs are also sought-after by customers.

Thebelts shecrafts aren’tones typically seen instores.Rather, she offers what she

calls a story belt. “This isjust startingtotakeoff.Peo-ple come to me with a storyand we write it together.ThenIsymbolize it, inlay it,and the entire story is im-printed on the back of thebelt,” she said.

Most of her work is cus-tom so what’s on view caneither be used for ideas or isavailable for sale. She saidshoppers “decide what theywant. I give them an idea ofwhat I can do and showthem some styles. If a per-son has an idea, I’ve got theknow-how.”

Working with leather,Chin said, is gratifying and“gives me a satisfaction thatfulfills my creative side. Ican accomplish what I setout to do.” She approachesher work as a problem to besolved. “That’s why I don’tmind doing repairs on old-er pieces, because I learnfrom every piece I take in,how it was made, and thatgivesme ideasonhowto in-corporate it into what I’mdoing at the present.”

Her interest in volunteerwork has built respect andstrong friendships. She’s anassociate member of theboard of directors of theTubac Community CenterFoundation.Her long-timeinterest in older people ex-tends to personal visits andcooking for them.

Etherington explainedhow a new cookie-givingtradition started: “Abouttwo years ago, Dyna cameup with the idea of doingsomething special for ourlocal seniorsduringthehol-idays. She rounded up vol-unteers to bake batches of

different types of cookies,then packaged a variety indecorative gift bags and de-livered them to the seniorsat their holiday lunch. Itbrought a lot of smiles tomany. She repeated her ef-forts again this year and thefoundation has embracedthis as an annual tradition atthe center.”

Birdie Stable, a friend,said Chin “is tremendouslycreative, has an eye for de-sign, is very organized, andis soverygoodat staying fo-cused on her work. She istalented in textiles, leatherwork, gardening, stonework,andmostespeciallyasachef.AmealatDyna’s isanunforgettable gastronomictreat and her food is alwaysbeautifully presented.”

Chin’s talents emergedand flourished even thoughshe didn’t attend art school.She studied psychology andsociology and later workedas a fashion designer inBoston. She learned hercooking skills through ex-perience, starting as a childin Boston.

“I’ve been working inrestaurant kitchens since Iwas seven. My dad hired us.After school we had timebetween 2:30 when Ameri-canschoolendedand6p.m.when Chinese school start-ed,” she said. She speaksToisan, aCantonesedialect.

When she moved toTubac in 2000, Chin need-ed to find work and she de-cided to hold cooking class-es. “I posted something inthe post office and an hourlater I got a call” from a lo-cal resident asking if shewanted to cook a Thai din-

ner for six people the fol-lowing night. That led toyears of local catering.

Although it’s part timework, Chin approaches itprofessionally. In bookcas-es, she stores white note-books filled with details oneach party she’s cateredwith the menus, recipes andkey notes. In late Februaryshe began a weekly Asiancooking demonstration onWednesday afternoons atthe Tubac Market in thePlaza de Anza.

Anothervolunteer activi-ty is doing animal trackingfor Sky Island Alliancethrough its citizen scienceproject using animal trackand sign identification sur-

veys to monitor at-riskwildlife linkages.

Chin helps support sev-eral non-profit groups inthe county by donating herbeautiful leather pieceswhichare auctioned to raisemoney. Those have includ-ed the Santa Cruz CountyFair and Rodeo Associa-tion, Nuestra Casa domes-tic violence shelter and theTubac Center of the Arts.

StabelsaidChinisoutgo-ing and cheerful. “Whenshe first arrived here, I in-troduced her to a few peo-ple, butbefore shehadbeenhere for more than a fewmonths, she was introduc-ing me to people. She is in-terested in everyone, and

respects the work of otherartists and artisans.”

For information, visit herstudio at 2369 E. FrontageRd. in Tubac about twomiles north of the village.Hours are Saturday andSunday from 9 a.m. to 5p.m., or call (520) 398-3038for an appointment. Herweb site iswww.stonedragonstudio.com.

Etherington summed upChin’s personality: “Dynahas a very generous spirit…she looks out for others. Ifshe sees a project that needsdoing or way to assist afriend, she doesn’t hesitateto jump in to help.”

By Kathleen Vandervoet

PHOTO/KATHLEEN VANDERVOET

Dyna Chin models a popular backpack style of leather purse that shemakes.


DynaChinleatherartist, chef has‘generousspirit’

Dyna Chin expresses herinborn creativity as an artistin leather and a chef whocaters parties and teachescooking classes.

Chin’s small Tubac busi-ness is Stone Dragon Stu-dio Leather and Textile Art.The studio, located across atree-shaded patio from herapartment, brims withitems for sale, projects un-der way, and materials suchas rolls of leather and arange of metal fasteners.

“Dynahasawayofbring-ing people together, and indoing so, she advances asense of community in asmall town likeTubac,” saidKim Etherington, a friendand former co-worker.“She’s always gathering dif-ferent groups of friendsaroundherdinner table andtreating us to her culinarycreations.”

Chin’s leather studio is aunique creation in whichshe took advantage of avail-able space and materials.She built her own workbench, recycled and in-stalled a patio roof that afriend was going to send tothe landfill, andconstructedefficient storage areas.

She stocks backpacks,wallets, purses, shoppingtotes,passportholders, cardcases, digital camera hold-ers, and much more. Hold-ers for smart phones andcustom luggage ID tags areon view. Dog leashes andtack repairs are also sought-after by customers.

Thebelts shecrafts aren’tones typically seen instores.Rather, she offers what she

calls a story belt. “This isjust startingtotakeoff.Peo-ple come to me with a storyand we write it together.ThenIsymbolize it, inlay it,and the entire story is im-printed on the back of thebelt,” she said.

Most of her work is cus-tom so what’s on view caneither be used for ideas or isavailable for sale. She saidshoppers “decide what theywant. I give them an idea ofwhat I can do and showthem some styles. If a per-son has an idea, I’ve got theknow-how.”

Working with leather,Chin said, is gratifying and“gives me a satisfaction thatfulfills my creative side. Ican accomplish what I setout to do.” She approachesher work as a problem to besolved. “That’s why I don’tmind doing repairs on old-er pieces, because I learnfrom every piece I take in,how it was made, and thatgivesme ideasonhowto in-corporate it into what I’mdoing at the present.”

Her interest in volunteerwork has built respect andstrong friendships. She’s anassociate member of theboard of directors of theTubac Community CenterFoundation.Her long-timeinterest in older people ex-tends to personal visits andcooking for them.

Etherington explainedhow a new cookie-givingtradition started: “Abouttwo years ago, Dyna cameup with the idea of doingsomething special for ourlocal seniorsduringthehol-idays. She rounded up vol-unteers to bake batches of

different types of cookies,then packaged a variety indecorative gift bags and de-livered them to the seniorsat their holiday lunch. Itbrought a lot of smiles tomany. She repeated her ef-forts again this year and thefoundation has embracedthis as an annual tradition atthe center.”

Birdie Stable, a friend,said Chin “is tremendouslycreative, has an eye for de-sign, is very organized, andis soverygoodat staying fo-cused on her work. She istalented in textiles, leatherwork, gardening, stonework,andmostespeciallyasachef.AmealatDyna’s isanunforgettable gastronomictreat and her food is alwaysbeautifully presented.”

Chin’s talents emergedand flourished even thoughshe didn’t attend art school.She studied psychology andsociology and later workedas a fashion designer inBoston. She learned hercooking skills through ex-perience, starting as a childin Boston.

“I’ve been working inrestaurant kitchens since Iwas seven. My dad hired us.After school we had timebetween 2:30 when Ameri-canschoolendedand6p.m.when Chinese school start-ed,” she said. She speaksToisan, aCantonesedialect.

When she moved toTubac in 2000, Chin need-ed to find work and she de-cided to hold cooking class-es. “I posted something inthe post office and an hourlater I got a call” from a lo-cal resident asking if shewanted to cook a Thai din-

ner for six people the fol-lowing night. That led toyears of local catering.

Although it’s part timework, Chin approaches itprofessionally. In bookcas-es, she stores white note-books filled with details oneach party she’s cateredwith the menus, recipes andkey notes. In late Februaryshe began a weekly Asiancooking demonstration onWednesday afternoons atthe Tubac Market in thePlaza de Anza.

Anothervolunteer activi-ty is doing animal trackingfor Sky Island Alliancethrough its citizen scienceproject using animal trackand sign identification sur-

veys to monitor at-riskwildlife linkages.

Chin helps support sev-eral non-profit groups inthe county by donating herbeautiful leather pieceswhichare auctioned to raisemoney. Those have includ-ed the Santa Cruz CountyFair and Rodeo Associa-tion, Nuestra Casa domes-tic violence shelter and theTubac Center of the Arts.

StabelsaidChinisoutgo-ing and cheerful. “Whenshe first arrived here, I in-troduced her to a few peo-ple, butbefore shehadbeenhere for more than a fewmonths, she was introduc-ing me to people. She is in-terested in everyone, and

respects the work of otherartists and artisans.”

For information, visit herstudio at 2369 E. FrontageRd. in Tubac about twomiles north of the village.Hours are Saturday andSunday from 9 a.m. to 5p.m., or call (520) 398-3038for an appointment. Herweb site iswww.stonedragonstudio.com.

Etherington summed upChin’s personality: “Dynahas a very generous spirit…she looks out for others. Ifshe sees a project that needsdoing or way to assist afriend, she doesn’t hesitateto jump in to help.”

By Kathleen Vandervoet

PHOTO/KATHLEEN VANDERVOET

Dyna Chin models a popular backpack style of leather purse that shemakes.


GaryNabhanplantingseedsof successinSCC

Gary Nabhan is various-ly described as an ecologist,an ethnobotanist, an eco-nomic botanist, a food his-torian, founder of the localfood movement, and awriter. Keith Goetzman inUtne magazine, labeledhim “Mother Nature’sFoodie.” Perhaps ‘crusad-er’, admittedly a word witha slightly evangelical after-taste, is an appropriate labelfor thismanwho is, after all,an ecumenical Franciscanbrother, on top of every-

thing else.Nabhan lives with his

wife, Laurie Monti, on 5.5acres outside Patagonia,just above the gardens ofNative Seeds/ SEARCH, anon-profit organization heco-founded 30 years agowhosemissionistopreserveand promote the agricul-tural plants that were his-torically important to thisregion.“I want to find the seeds

we used to have,” saidNab-han. He and Monti havenamedtheir farmAlmuniyade los Zopilotes, which

translates as ‘PrivateExper-imental Farmof theTurkeyVultures’. Here they aregrowing heirloom plantsand trees, many of whichwould have been cultivatedduring the mission era inMexico and the southwest-ern United States. Thefarm also serves as a learn-ing center for “desert agro-ecology, agro-biodiversity,seed-saving, water-harvest-ing, on-farm pollinationenhancement or climate-friendly strategies for localfood production,” accord-ing to Nabhan’s website.

He founded the ForgottenPollinators Program at theArizona Sonoran DesertMuseum, and has workedto raise awareness for plantand pollinator conservationissues.Nabhan received his

bachelor’s degree fromPrescott College andearned his PhD from theUniversity of Arizona. Hewas the director of conser-vation science at the Ari-zona Sonoran Desert Mu-seum, an associate directorof the Desert BotanicalGardens in Tucson, afounding director of theCenter for Sustainable En-vironments at NorthernArizona University, and in2008 joined the Universityof Arizona as a research so-cial scientist. He holds theKellogg endowed Chair inBorderlands Food andWa-ter Security at the South-west Center at the UA. Hehaswrittenorco-written24books, and has won severalawards, including aMacArthur ‘Genius’ Fel-lowship, the Pew Scholar-ship for Conservation andthe Environment, the JohnBurroughs Medal for dis-tinguished natural historywriting, the Utne‘s Vision-ary award, two SouthwestBook Awards, the Societyfor Conservation BiologyDistinguished ServiceAward, Western Parks andMonuments Associationand the MOCA Local Ge-nius Award. In addition, hehas been awarded two hon-oraryPhD’s,andhashadar-ticles written about him intheNewYorkTimes,Timemagazine and MotherEarth News. Not too badfor a high school dropout.Two success stories that

Nabhan points to in the ef-fort to expand local agricul-ture through the reintro-duction of heritage crops

are white Sonoran wheatandChapalote corn.WhiteSonoran wheat was intro-duced into Mexico in 1622and it rose in popularity tobecome an important cropin the southwest. After al-most becoming extinct, it isnowbeing grown commer-cially again in the SantaCruzRiverValley,andisbe-ingmarketed as an artisanalflour, prized by bakers andbrewers.Chapalote corn is the

oldest corn in the south-west, according toNabhan,dating back 4,200 years. “Itfell out of fashion in Ari-zona,’ said Nabhan, “Butcontinued to be grown inMexico.” An early matur-ing, nutritionally superiorflint corn that can be grownwith little supplementalwa-tering, it is now beinggrown again in Santa CruzCounty, and will be show-ing up in restaurants thisfall. “It’s wonderful in po-lenta,”Nabhan said.Another project he is

workingon,withthehelpofone of hisUAgraduate stu-dents, is thedevelopmentofa local composting busi-ness. “Most of our compostavailable at stores here iscoming from Ohio,” hesaid. He has been meetingwith local food banks, freshproduce brokers and thelandfill inRioRicotodevel-op a business plan to utilizedamaged produce. Woodymaterial is needed, as well,to produce good compost,and Nabhan feels thiswould be a good use for themesquite that are being up-rooted to improve range-land in many areas in thecounty. “How do we makesomeproblemslikegarbageand too many scrubmesquites into a solution?”he asked.Nabhan is also develop-

ing a summer program for

Santa Cruz County teens,called the “Earth CareYouth Core” which willwork on erosion control inwashes, water harvestingand planting pollinatorplants. The program,which will focus on landstewardship projects andenvironmental issues, isaimed at 16 – 20 year oldswho are preparing for col-legeorcareers innatural re-sources.Nabhan considers him-

self an economic botanist.As a nationally recognizedleader in the local foodmovement, he believes thatthe economic success ofSanta Cruz County de-pends, in large part, on thedevelopment of local agri-culture. “A lot of my effortis focused on what to doabout food insecurity,” hesaid. “We have so muchfood insecurity along theborder. There are lots ofunemployed and food inse-cure families. It’s not justabout conservation, it’sabout creating new jobs,”he said. “It’s time for us toassess what we can do withthe natural resources in ourcounty, rather than expect-ing tourismormining to bethe silver bullet.”As an ecumenical Fran-

ciscan brother he is part ofthe Franciscan ActionNet-work, an organizationwhich,accordingtoitsweb-site, is “designed to bring acoordinated and effectivevoice to matters of justice,peace and care for creationin our world.” Nabhan de-fines this as “work in serviceto your community.” Thisis actuallyaprettygooddef-inition of Nabhan himself,as his work continues toserve all the pollinators, theplants, the watersheds andthe people who are part ofthe borderland community.

By Marion Vendituoli

PHOTO/MARION VENDITUOLI

Gary Nabhan sits in the butterfly garden in Patagonia, which he calls “ThePollinator Capital of North America.”

JavierBarajaseducatorhascross-borderexperience

Javier “B.J.”Barajas is theepitome of the bicultural,bilingualSantaCruzCoun-ty resident who is comfort-able and most welcomed inany situation, especiallythose involving childrenand teens.Born in Nogales, Sonora

Mexico, B.J. as he is knowncrossed theborder toattendpre-school and kinder-garten inNogales,Ariz.Buthe completed his elemen-taryyears inNogales,Sono-ra and later attended schoolin Mexico City and at atechnical and science insti-tute before immigratingwith this familyback toNo-gales, Arizona.Hematricu-lated into Nogales HighSchool for three years,graduating in 1975.This mixture where he

started and ended school inthe United States whilespending years in betweenat Mexican schools honedhis bilingual skills as well ashis multi-cultural persona.“Wecelebratedthe4thof

July, Thanksgiving, andHalloween even though wewere in Mexico,” Barajassaid. In turn, he celebratesall the major Mexican holi-days while living in No-gales, Ariz.He and his fam-ily are especially tied toMariachimusic.Barajasgraduatedcollege

with a double educationmajor in social studies andSpanish, with a minor inBilingual Education beforeearning amaster’s degree inMulticultural Education.

After receiving his teach-ing degree, Barajas becamea Spanish teacher at WadeCarpenter Middle Schoolwhere he also coached andwas athletic director. Hethen went to work at Pier-son Middle School when itfirst opened, and it wasthere that he began his ca-reer as an administrator.It was his seven years as

principal of Mary L. WeltyElementary where Barajasmade lasting memorieswhen the school earned thetop score in the state for itsReading First program.“Myothergreatestmem-

ory was overseeing the re-modeling and constructionof the new Welty; to havebeen there and see theschool being rebuilt day af-ter day for three years wasvery exciting,” he added.After a three-year stint as

an assistant principal atNo-gales High School, Barajasserved as Nogales UnifiedSchool District’s grant di-rector for one year and thenended his educational ca-reer as an assistant principalat Desert Shadows MiddleSchool.Even his family is inte-

grally tied to Nogales Uni-fied School District No. 1.His wife Alma Eloisa washis high-school “sweet-heart,”he said, andworks asa paralegal and all three ofhis children went throughthe NUSD school system.Son Cristobal is an instruc-tor with the JobCorps pro-gram inTucson, son Sebas-tian is studying journalismand interning with "Access

Tucson," anddaughterZai-da is a freshman at theUni-versity of Arizona studyingspecial education. All threestill serve asmusicministersin the Catholic Churchwhen they areback in town.One role Barajas played

throughout the years re-gardless of where he wasservingwasasmasterofcer-emonies for numerousevents and also as a guideproviding new teachers anintroduction to the districtand community. When heannounced he was retiringat the end of this schoolyear, several fellowadminis-trators expressed concernover who could possibly fillthe shoes of “Mr. Micro-phone.”But actingas emcee isnot

hismost treasured role.“My favorite memories

always involve students,whether at graduations orend-of-year programs.Watching some of my for-mer students come backand become distinguishedteachers, principals and dis-trict administrators is alsospecial,” he said. “As one ofmy compadres says, ‘It's allabout the kids.’ The specialmemories I have withcountless students are theones Iwill carry inmyheartforever.”What’s next in his life?“Having kids in college, I

plan to keepworking some-where but I don't knowwhere yet. I also look for-ward to serving the com-munity in some capacity,”Barajas said.

By Kathy Scott

PHOTO/KATHY SCOTT

Born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Javier “B.J.” Barajas crossed the borderto attend pre-school and kindergarten in Nogales, Arizona.

My favoritememories always involve students,whether at gradua-tions or endof year programs.Watching someofmy former studentscomeback andbecomedistinguished teachers, principals anddistrict

administrators is also special. As one ofmy compadres says, ‘It's all about thekids.’”Javier “B.J.” Barajas

‘‘


Sarah Barchascreativeconservationist,cattlewoman

Sarah Barchas wears abeat up old straw cowboyhat as she walks around theranchheadquartersofHighHaven Ranch nearGreaterville in Sonoita,checking her cattle, feedingthebirds anddescribingherBranguscowcalfoperation.But in her life she has wornsomanydifferenthats.Thisslight, energetic 74 year oldhas followed a path that hastaken her from an urbanchildhood in Los Angeles,theeldestdaughterofahighpowered attorney to arancher, teacher, librarian,poet, songwriter, per-former, producer, author,cancer survivor and conser-vationist.It was a book that

brought the Barchas familyto southern Arizona in1956. Her father, SamuelBarchas, happened to pickup a copy of J.B. Priestley’s“Midnight on the Desert,”while recuperating from aserious heart attack at theage of 44. An amateur as-tronomer, Samuel BarchaswascaptivatedbyPriestley’s

descriptions of the beauty,the open spaces and theclarity of the night skies insouthern Arizona. Thefamily set out to explore theareaaroundSierraVistaandended up purchasing theOY Ranch in Herefordfrom Roy and Stella Ram-bo, who were pioneers inthe breeding of HerefordBrahma crossbred cattle.“My parents didn’t know

anything about ranching,”saidSarah.“MymotherwasfromSan Francisco andmyfather was from New YorkCity.” But 18-year-oldSarah was hooked immedi-ately. “I loved ranching somuch,” she said. “I felt like Iwas in heaven. It was adream I never knew I had.”Luckily for the Barchasfamily, Roy Rambo men-tored first her parents andthen Sarah, sharing withthem his considerableknowledge of ranching andworking cattle. When herfather’s health forced himand her mother to move toTucson, they gave Sarah160 acres in BrownCanyon, aswell as their for-est lease, a ranch she held

onto for the next 37 years.Meanwhile, Sarah fin-

ishedcollege, earnedaPhDand began a career as an el-ementary teacher and li-brarian in Tucson elemen-tary schools, while continu-ing to run the ranch inHereford. As her father’shealth improved, he andher mother looked for aranch closer to Tucson.They bought High HavenRanch in Sonoita in 1967.Sarah moved to HighHaven when she was 29years old, ranching boththere and at the BrownCanyon Ranch. “My dad,mom and I worked theranch ourselves,” she said.After her first bout with

cancer and her father’sdeath she had to give up theBrown Canyon. “I knew Inever wanted that land cutup,”shesaid.“Itwas just toobeautiful.” She was able toexchange the ranch inHereford forForestServiceland in Sonoita. Sarah isthrilled that the BrownCanyon Ranch is now awestern heritage and edu-cation center, open to thepublic. Sarah has remained

very involved in the pro-grams at the ranch. “We’rejust so excited for the op-portunities for the kids inthe schools,” she said.Working with children

has been a large part ofSarah’s life. She was ateacher and school librarianat five different elementaryschools in Tucson for morethan 30 years. “Cows andkids were my life,” shejoked. The Sarah BarchasLibrary and Media Centerat theHollingerSchoolwasnamedforheras a tribute toher work with the childrenthere. “It isoneofmygreat-est honors,” she said. Shewas also honored by theArizonaStateLibraryAsso-ciation for “her service tothe underserved.” Forthree years after her retire-ment in 1994, she served asa consultant to TUSD,sharing multicultural folk-tales.High Haven Music,

Sarah’s production compa-ny, evolved from her workwith children. “I alwaysshared songs with the chil-dren. “If I didn’t find a songfor a unit, Iwould justmakeoneup.,” shesaid. “Littlebylittle I was building up alarge number of children’ssongs.”Sarah has produced five-

song CDs for children andtwostorytellingCDs.Inad-dition, she has three chil-dren’s CDs that were pro-duced by SmithsonianFolkways Recordings.Many of her songs are inSpanish and celebrate theHispanic culture of this re-gion. “The Giant and theRabbit”wasnamedanALANotable recording. She hasalso written two children’sbooks printed by ScholasticPublishing. Her CDs areavailable online and at localstores, including HighNoon Feed in Sonoita.

“If a person wants toknow me, just listen to my

songs,” she said. She has awritten, recorded and pro-duced four adult CDs. Oneof these, “Seeds of SongThrough Time,” includeseight songs that evolvedfrommelodies hummed byher 96 year oldmother. “Tome it was almost like a reli-gious thing,” she said, “somuch of an interweavingbetween her andme. “Sarahis still verymuchan

active rancher. With thehelp of her ranch manager,AlfonsoLeon, she runs cat-tle onboth sides of highway83. She worries about thefuture of her ranch, andwould like to see it remainas open space permanently.A portion of the ranch is al-ready under a conservationeasement with the ArizonaLand andWater Trust, andshe would like to see a sec-ond easement protect theremainder of the ranch.“For it to continue as

open space, ranching coun-try must be operated withstewardship and conserva-tion for the land,” she said.She has had to cut her herdbecause of thedrought. Shebreeds her cattle earlierthan most ranchers, so thatthe calves can be weanedand shipped before therains. “Those big calves

aren’t eating the grass,” shesaid. “It conserves the grassand protects the range.”The biggest threat that

Sarah sees for her ranch isthe Rosemont mine. “I’msurrounded by Rosemont,”she said. “It’s a source ofchronic angst to me. Manypeoplewhoare for theminesee Rosemont as ‘jobs, jobs,jobs’. I see Rosemontmineas ‘jeopardy, jeopardy, jeop-ardy.’ I see tremendousjeopardy to humans, towildlife, to domestic ani-mals, to livestock, to thecharacter, integrity andbeauty of this area.”Even after three bouts

withcancer,Sarahshowsnosigns of slowing up. She hasrecently written a protestsong about the mine thatdescribes its devastating ef-fects on the region. Shehassung at folk festivalsthroughout Arizona, andmay perform at the TucsonFolk Festival this spring.She continues to make ap-pearances in schools toshare her storytelling, andstays involved with conser-vation and education pro-grams at the BrownCanyon Ranch, sharingwhat she calls her “utter joyof being part of these openspaces.”


PHOTOS/MARION VENDITUOLI

Sarah Barchas visits with one of her cows at ranch headquarters.

By Marion Vendituoli

Sarah Barchas has run cattle at High HavenRanch for the past 46 years.


Documents

Profiles 2013