The Nature Conservancy (1510 E Ft. Lowell, Tucson (520) 622-3861) invites you to tour the Tucson Conservation Center's Rainwater Harvesting demonstration site.

SCHEDULE OF TOURS
September through November 2008

8 a.m. on the first Tuesday     (Dec. 2, Jan. 6, Feb. 3, Mar. 3, Apr. 7)
8 a.m. on the second Thursday   (Dec. 11, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, Mar. 12, Apr. 9)
4 p.m. on the third Wednesday   (Dec. 17, Jan. 21, Feb. 18, Mar. 18, Apr. 15)
8 a.m. on the third Saturday    (Dec. 20, Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 21, Apr. 18)
1 p.m. on the second Saturday     (Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Feb. 14, Mar. 14, Apr. 11)
8 a.m. on the fourth Friday        (Jan. 23, Feb. 27, Mar. 27, Apr. 24)

The one hour tours are free to the public. Meet at the front entrance (northeast corner) of the building at 1510 E. Ft. Lowell Road. Groups of five or more, please call 520-547-3437 or e-mail dboone@tnc.org to schedule a tour.

Click here for TNC Tour Brochure and Schedule

Groups may schedule tours at times other than the regular schedule. Meet at the front entrance (northeast corner) of the office building at 1510 E. Ft. Lowell.

Why Do Rainwater Harvesting?

The purpose of this rainwater harvesting demonstration project at the Tucson Conservation Center is to promote and showcase appropriate rainwater harvesting to Tucson residents and organizations, augment selected rainwater harvesting areas on the Conservancy campus to make beneficial use of rainwater run-off and reduce soil erosion, and develop the campus into a high-visibility training and demonstration site to illustrate the beneficial effects of designing with nature.

History of Project

The Tucson Conservation Center includes three buildings - the The Nature Conservancy office, a dance studio designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and an adjacent former residence used as offices by our partner organization, the Arizona Open Land Trust.  All of the land (2.29 acres), the dance studio, and the former residence were donated by Barbara Mettler, a prominent dancer and choreographer whose love of nature played a significant role in her work.  The office building was subsequently added to the site and completed in 2000.  The project includes retrofitting these buildings and the surrounding landscape to capture as much as possible of the approximately 11 inches of annual rainfall on the campus and adjacent areas.  The retrofitting involves both active and passive rainwater harvesting techniques.  The Nature Conservancy and it’s partners see the grounds as a community asset where one can learn about sustainability and common sense approaches to sustainable design and practices.