Connecting people with nature is one of Audubon Arizona’s primary goals, according to the organization’s executive director Sam Campana. In October, Audubon Arizona will host a grand opening for its recently completed Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center. After seven years of working to establish a presence in South Phoenix, primarily along the banks of the Salt River, Audubon Arizona is poised to better connect Phoenix residents – children and adults alike – with the nature experiences available in their own backyard. But, what’s more, Audubon, with its recognizable brand and well-known reputation, is reminding those outside the South Mountain/Laveen communities that they are great places to live.

“Audubon Arizona is exposing people to the assets and value of the area and drawing them into the community where they understand the importance of investing,” said Victor Vidales member of Audubon Arizona’s board of directors and owner of RE/MAX New Heights Realty just two miles south of the new center. “South Phoenix has the unique opportunity to be a vibrant place to work, live and play.”

As the executive director of Audubon Arizona, Campana worked for a year to develop the bylaws, identify donors and create a local and influential board of directors. In February of 2003, the organization held its first formal board meeting and a year and a half later decided to build an urban nature center on the banks of the Salt River. The decision embodied the vision of John Flicker, National Audubon Society’s sitting and current president, whose goal has been to re-invest in inner city communities and bring nature to the urban realm. The centrally located Salt River presented Audubon Arizona and the South Phoenix community with an ideal opportunity.

The Salt River, a free-flowing source of water until the early twentieth century, dried up when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built dams to create a more reliable and constant source of water for the Valley. The loss of the wetlands created a major decline in the area’s bird population, and while the state is home to more than 300 species, the Salt River, until recently, had only 40. Today, after a joint effort between the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County and the Army Corp of Engineers, the five-mile stretch of river between 24th Street and 19th Avenue, now known as the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, has witnessed more than 200 bird species, including egrets, turkey vultures, and even the occasional bald eagle.

To further enhance the habitat project, the City of Phoenix agreed to provide Audubon Arizona four acres of land on the south bank of the Salt River. True to Flicker’s vision, the Audubon Arizona office has invested more than four years and $4 million dollars to build the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center. The nature center will provide a tangible complement to Audubon Arizona’s existing efforts to connect Phoenicians with Arizona’s natural environment.

A partner in the community, Audubon Arizona has developed and tested a series of pilot programs for community educators and students; works closely with local school districts and organizations such as the Herbert Kieckhefer Boys and Girls Club and the Valley Christian Center to provide joint programs to children; and has established a collaborative relationship with the staff at the Rio Salado Habitat.

“We’ve partnered with Audubon Arizona for many years, we hold joint meetings to review programs and make sure that we’re offering complementary programs,” said Chris Parks, Rio Salado Habitat Supervisor in the National Resources Division. “The center is really taking [the relationship] to the next level.”

Seamlessly connected with the five mile stretch of Salt River known as the Rio Salado Habitat Area, Audubon’s new center will provide residents, tourists, teachers and students with an interpretive space to the 595-acres of restored natural habitat, including its birds, plants, animals, creeks, ponds and rivers as well as access to more than 20 miles of hiking, biking, walking and riding paths. Volunteers will offer Audubon chapter-sponsored bird walks, hands-on educational programs and presentations.

Audubon Arizona continues to raise funds to reinvest in the South Phoenix community and on June 10th will host its 7th Annual Nature Film Festival. The annual event, which includes a silent auction, picnic supper and film viewing and typically raises between $20,000 and $25,000, will be hosted at the Camelview Theatre in Scottsdale.

In the last seven years, Audubon Arizona has established itself as an integrated member of the South Phoenix community – investing in the community’s future and connecting its residents with nature and opportunity.

“We’re an example of how sincerely the City [of Phoenix] is in supporting an organic revitalization of the area. We’re happy to be part of the first wave of investors,” said Campana, “and we hope to be a resource to homebuilders, business people, teachers, students and South Phoenix residents.”

For more information about Audubon Arizona visit www.az.audubon.org; for details about the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area visit http://phoenix.gov/riosalado.