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Dodge Flower Community Clean Up this Saturday, March 2
 RSVP here!
Free Booster Seats, Bike Helmets and More! at Public Safety Day this Saturday, March 2 at the Tucson Mall
 The event, which is also part of Tucson Medical Center’s Be Safe Saturday, will feature booths providing various health and wellness tips, car-seat safety checks, and fun and games.
Learn more here.
Barnyard Trot on Saturday, March 2
 Hoof it on over to Tucson Village Farm on Saturday, March 2 for the Barnyard Trot, a fundraiser to build and support the new Animal Education Center!
Work as a team to complete a 1-mile adventure course around the farm. Visit a dozen egg-tivity stations that promote healthy living.
Meet animals like chickens, goats, and sheep that we will house in our new center, and discover why they are an important part of the farm. Get silly, get active, and meet some cute farm animals!
We have incredible prizes and raffles, including (but not limited to):
· Annual Desert Museum Membership
· Family stay at a lavender goat farm in Sonoita
· Reid Park Zoo Membership
· Spa day for your dog
· 2 tickets to Ignite Sign Museum
· 2 $100 gift cards to Petsmart
· Dinner for two at True Food
· A week of CAMP!
· And much more!
It’s Stinknet Season!
Stinknet is an invasive weed that has taken over Maricopa County in just a few years, and it's threatening to do the same to Tucson. This innocent-looking plant has spherical yellow flowers and feathery leaves, but it spreads like wildfire, crowding out our native desert plants and fueling wildfires that produce an acrid, irritating smoke. This article describes the extent of the problem to our north, where stinknet has fueled wildfires like the Ocotillo Fire in Cave Creek in 2020.
 An aerial photo from April 2023 above Cave Creek, Arizona shows the proliferation of stinknet. Image from the linked article above by Zach Duncan and Samuel Shaw.
Local land managers have been watching with concern as stinknet has continued to move south from Phoenix, following the I-10 corridor. Ward 3, located where the interstate first crosses the city, has been the area most affected. A large patch of stinknet was found near Prince and I-10 in 2020, and last year another dense patch was reported near Stone Ave. and Pastime St., with more plants scattered throughout the surrounding Amphi neighborhood. Most of these plants were either sprayed with herbicide or removed by hand by volunteers, but millions of tiny seeds were left behind, and they are sprouting this spring. The race is now on to remove these plants before they mature and produce more seeds. We don’t want this problem to spread to the precious wildlands that surround our city, nor do we want to live in a sea of stinky stinknet.
 A close-up of stinknet
Want to help?
- Join a stinknet volunteer event where you can learn how to recognize and remove this invasive weed. Upcoming events in the Amphi neighborhood fall on 3/07 and 3/16. Signup on the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Invasive Plant Volunteer Event page;
- If you already know how to identify stinknet, help us find and report infestations on Stinknet.org;
- Tell your friends and neighbors about this new problem plant and encourage them to take a closer look at what’s growing in their yard and around their neighborhood;
Ready, Set, REC! in March
2024 César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta Scholarship Deadline to Apply is March 8
$5000 Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors
Tucson Home Sharing March 2024 Event Calendar
Cascarón Crafting Party at the Blue Moon Community Garden on March 9 at 10 am
Tree Festival and Climbing Championship on March 15 & 16
 The Arizona Community Tree Council (ACTC) in conjunction with The City of Tucson and Tucson Clean & Beautiful host the annual Tree Festival & Climbing Championship, fun for the whole family at Reid Park in Tucson. The Tree Climbing event is Friday, March 15 and 16, 2024 from 8am-4pm. The Tree Festival is Saturday, March 16, 2024 from 10 AM – 4 PM. Arizona arborists will participate in a tree climbing competition throughout the days that are designed to simulate the challenges they face in their daily work. Festival-goers can watch the competition on both days while on Saturday perusing exhibit tables, food trucks and fun family activities.
Tucson Parks & Recreation Summer Job Fair on Friday, March 15
Tucson Water is testing their new Home Water Works Calculator
 https://www.tucsonaz.gov/Departments/Water/Conservation/DIY-Water-Audits to sign up for this test program. This opportunity is open to the first 2,000 customers who opt-in.
Lend a Hand Senior Assistance Volunteer Opportunity
St. Francis Soup Patrol Monday- Friday at 5pm
 St. Francis Shelter Community has partnered with Caridad Kitchens to provide Ward 3 unhoused with hot soup and Hot Cocoa. We serve Monday thru Friday starting at 5 pm until soup is gone. Caridad Kitchen has done a fantastic job with providing delicious, hearty and nutritious soup. We are pleased serve from Salvation Army at 218 E Prince Rd. This is their first go with soup patrol and so far things are going well. They also have blankets, cold weather items to hand out based on various donations St. Francis Shelter Community receives.
If you'd like to volunteer please reach out to Shawn Milligan, Director of Operations at 520-461-4943.
Prince Food Pantry 7-8:30 am the First Friday of Every Month
Yoga in the Garden Every Wednesday at 2 pm
Grocery Sharing at Tucson Food Share - 2500 N. Stone Ave.
 Groceries are shared Mondays 4:30- 6:00 pm,
Thursdays 6:00 - 7:30 pm, and Saturdays from 8am-9:30am.
https://tucsonfoodshare.org/ has more information about volunteering, donating, or requesting delivery.
Prevent Lead Exposure in Your Home
Programa de Control de Peligros de Pintura a Base de Plomo
Home Repair Program for Low income Homeowners
Tucson Water Discounts
Call 520-791-5443 to make an appointment or visit this site for more information: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/water/low-income-assistance-program
We welcome your feedback !
Please feel free to email us at Ward3@tucsonaz.gov
To subscribe to this newsletter go to https://www.tucsonaz.gov/ward-3
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