Tucson Audubon's Mason Center is a place where youth, families, educators and others can appreciate the beauty of our native desert and participate in a great variety of natural history learning experiences. Owned and managed by the Tucson Audubon Society, it is located on 20 acres of mostly undisturbed saguaro-ironwood desert donated by its former owner, Mrs. Orpha Mason, in an area of Tucson’s northwest side that is rapidly growing and in great need of outdoor education opportunities. As a protected area adjacent to additional natural desert in Arthur Pack Park, it provides habitat for the preservation and study of many desert plants and animals.
The Mission of Tucson Audubon's Mason Center
- Safeguard saguaro-ironwood habitat
- Foster awareness, understanding and stewardship of our desert environment
- Provide educational programs and research opportunities at the Center and throughout the community
- Honor Mrs. Orpha Mason by protecting this land for future generations
News and Upcoming Events
Saturday, May 15, 8am-12noon
Ironwood Festival at the Mason Center
8am - Noon: Environmental Education Fair
Presentations: Paul Green, Birds of an Ironwood Forest; Lahasha Brown, Friends of Ironwood Forest; and more
Activity Booths: Tucson Audubon Society; Friends of Ironwood Forest; Arizona Native Plant Society; Ironwood Forest National Monument; Tucson Herpetological Society; Sustainability Demos
Used Book Sale: nature-related books for adults and children
Live Critters!
Trail Walks!
Noon - 1pm: Picnic Lunch with A Ray of Hope Band
Bring a lunch or purchase a hot dog and enjoy the music!
Admission to the event is FREE
Construction on the Mason Center Composting Toilet is Finally Complete!
This is certainly an event worth celebrating- this restroom contains the first commercial-sized composting toilet in a developed area in Pima County and demonstrates the progress Pima County has made in accepting sustainable technologies beyond the residential scale. Another angle of accomplishment is that the completion of this restroom symbolizes the readiness of the Mason Center to fully launch itself as Tucson Audubon’s conservation and environmental education resource for Tucson and the Northwest communities of Tortolita, Oro Valley and Marana.
Mason Center Support Fund
As the major upgrades to the Mason Center property near completion, Tucson Audubon is looking forward to enhancing the Center's education programs and community resource opportunities. Please consider donating to the Mason Center Support Fund to help us reach this goal. To make a contribution to the Mason Center Support Fund, please pick an amount below.
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Mason Center Field Trips - Suspended until further notice
Educational and environmental groups may schedule a visit to this 22-acre, ironwood-saguaro habitat site for a fee of $25/hour with a minimum of 2 hours. Groups are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be accompanied by MasonCenter staff or naturalists for the duration of the program. To learn more about the site and its resources, see contact information below. Limit of 30 students per visit.
Address:
3835 W. Hardy
Tucson, AZ 85742 (See map)
SEND ALL MAIL TO:
Attn: Mason Center or Lia Sansom
300 E. University Blvd, Ste 120
Tucson, AZ 85705
Phone: (520) 971-6238
Fax: (520) 623-3476
Email:
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Links
Mason Center on KUAT’s Arizona Illustrated
