FRIENDS OF TUCSON'S BIRTHPLACE

Leads bird walks with expert birders to identify seasonal and resident birds and learn their calls and songs. Offers Healing Herb Walks in the Michael Moore Medicinal Garden to teach about native Southwest Desert herbs and their use in herbal medicine.

Provided expertise and footage for an episode of the television show "Top Chef" to promote awareness of heritage agriculture and traditional foodways.

Grows traditional crops such as Tohono O’odham 60-day corn, Ha:l squash, teparies, and yellow O’odham melon in the Pre-Contact O’odham Garden, reflecting Indigenous agricultural practices.

Hosts a speaker series featuring Indigenous leaders discussing traditional agricultural practices and foodways, celebrates the wheat harvest through the San Ysidro Festival, and organizes Archaeology Day events with hands-on activities.

Organizes a 7-day cultural tour to Oaxaca, Mexico, which includes visits to botanical gardens, archaeological sites, nature reserves, museums, markets, and workshops.

Operates a Garden Shop that includes an Exhibit Room displaying historic photos and artifacts, and sells products made in the garden (jams, jellies, dried herbs), heritage plants, fresh eggs, books, local art, and apparel.

Conducts school tours during public operating hours, offering funding for transportation costs for Title One schools, and leads specialized walks such as "Healing Herb Walks" and bird walks in Mission Garden.

Offers free and low-cost in-person workshops and recorded video classes on topics including fig cultivation, palo verde harvesting, hydrosol making, agave fiber extraction, O’odham agricultural techniques, herbal salve creation, and tree care. Also provides recorded video workshops for at-home learning.

Hosts a speaker series featuring six Indigenous leaders who discuss reclaiming traditional agricultural practices and foodways.

Organizes a 7-day cultural tour to Oaxaca, Mexico, including visits to botanical gardens, archaeological sites, nature reserves, museums, markets, and workshops. Hosts special events such as the San Ysidro Festival for wheat harvest celebration and Archaeology Day with hands-on activities for all ages.

Operates an Exhibit Room in the Garden Shop displaying historic photos, artifacts, and informational displays. Provides illustrated stories about timeline plots, special features, and an encyclopedia of plants for visitor education.

Operates a 4-acre living agricultural museum showcasing Sonoran Desert-adapted heritage fruit trees, traditional heirloom crops, and edible native plants. The site has been continuously farmed for thousands of years and includes culturally specific garden plots such as Hohokam, O’odham, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, Yoeme, African in the Americas, and medicinal plants.

Maintains various specialized garden plots within Mission Garden, including the Moore Medicinal Garden with 50 native medicinal plants, an "Africa in the Americas" garden, and a Chinese Garden, cultivating heritage crops and telling the stories of diverse agricultural traditions.

Provides free admission to Mission Garden while accepting voluntary donations to support operations.

Sells products grown or made in the garden, including fresh eggs, jams, jellies, marmalades, dried herbs, heritage fruit trees, grape vines, vegetables, and herbs. Also sells books on local agriculture and history, greeting cards and art by local artists, and Mission Garden-branded apparel.

Hosts the public Wednesday through Sunday with seasonal hours (8am–2pm October–March, 8am–12pm April–September), including school tours during these times. Offers transportation funding for Title One schools within Tucson to visit the garden.

Operates Mission Garden as a living agricultural museum and public garden, showcasing Sonoran Desert-adapted heritage fruit trees, traditional local heirloom crops, and edible native plants. The garden is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, with free admission and extended hours during cooler months.

Prepares and shares produce through various culinary activities to promote local agriculture and has contributed expertise and footage for television shows like "Top Chef."

Maintains the Chinese Gardening Group to preserve and share the history of Chinese farmers in the region, including their plant varieties and farming methods. Developed and inaugurated an "Africa in the Americas" garden to represent African diasporic agricultural traditions.

Offers free and low-cost in-person and recorded video workshops and classes on topics such as identifying and preparing local plants, making hydrosols, herbal healing salves, agave fiber extraction, traditional O'odham agriculture, and tree care and planting.