Get caught up on latest happenings…

Friends of the Tonto National Forest –
Our Mission

Friends of the Tonto National Forest is a group of volunteers who assist the Forest in its critical mission of natural and cultural resource and visitor use management. We promote public understanding of the Tonto National Forest’s policies, programs, and projects.

Riparian Photopoint Program  2025 Season is Starting!!

If you’ve participated in this program before, you know how fun it is.  We’d love to have you back!  Some of you have done this for many years, and we REALLY want YOU back, so click here for registration and site selection.

If you are a new volunteer, this project provides monitoring information on watershed and stream conditions to Tonto National Forest specialists by way of repeat photography. You can find more detailed information about the program here, as well as statements from Tonto resource managers about how important this program is to them.

Weed Manager of the Year – Don Pike!

SW Vegetation Management Association is the non-profit organization for all noxious weed managers in Arizona.  It has a large and diverse membership, from AZ Dept of Transportation highway right-of-way managers and landscape architects, to university students and professors, federal, state, county and tribal land managers, commercial weed control companies, non-profits and non-professionals who are active and involved in weed control across the state.

They hold their annual meeting every fall.  Professional papers are presented, certified herbicide applicators can update their training and gain credit hours toward re-certification, there is a field trip, and an award is presented for Weed Manager of the Year.  

This year was very special because the award went to a volunteer invasive plant manager, our own Don Pike!  Congratulations, Don!

Saguaro Monitoring – New Project

Saguaro cacti are a keystone species of the Sonoran Desert, and inhabitants of the desert ecosystem rely on them for food and shelter. When keystone species disappear from an area, the entire ecosystem changes. Saguaros in the Sonoran desert are facing a multitude of threats including wildfire, human encroachment, extreme heat and drought. While several saguaro restoration projects are currently in progress, the lack of detailed health data hinders efforts to effectively prioritize restoration areas. Better monitoring data on planted saguaros could enhance strategies for future plantings. 

To assist in these efforts, Friends of the Tonto is developing a Saguaro Monitoring Project which YOU can help with. Taking a citizen science approach, we will be training people how to document saguaro health assessments using an ESRI Fields Map app so that the condition of saguaros across the Tonto National Forest can be recorded.

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Monarch Joint Venture Partnership

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Monarch Joint Venture, a network of over 130 federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academic programs working towards a common goal of protecting the monarch migration across the United States. This partnership allows us to access the latest monarch conservation, training and research information. Our milkweed conservation and monitoring efforts, in turn, will contribute to the little-understood monarch behavior and migration in the U.S. Southwest. More information may be found here.

Invasive Plant Management

Our progress from October 2021 through April 3, 2022.

Removal Events

Look what we do at a Removal Event!

Events are planned for every 2nd and 4th Saturday from October through April.

First, to participate in any Invasive Plant Management event, sign a Liability Waiver form. The liability waiver is valid for the season.  Second, it is important that you become familiar with the safety requirements which can be seen here Safety Analysis.

You can easily complete the required registration for the removal events at Removal Event Registration. We meet at different times and locations as shown in the event registration form. Additional dates will be added to the registration form as soon as the locations are determined.

Mapping and Monitoring

Mapping and monitoring is a great way to get outside and explore on your own schedule.  With the addition of the Superstition Fire Burn Area, we are asking for more volunteers to participate in this ongoing activity.  We’ll use ArcGIS Field Maps which is a free app for your smart device.  There are 4 species of non-native plants we’ll be monitoring — fountain grass, buffelgrass, stinknet and Sahara mustard. Depending on the time of year, they are quite easy to learn to recognize.  Since the plants are seasonal, there will be an opportunity and need to cover the same territory multiple times. 

We look forward to seeing you in the fantastic Superstition Mountains!

Learn more about invasive plants and Defending the Desert

Milkweed for Monarchs

Information about the Milkweed for Monarchs Project may be found here.

Watch Susan Sridharan talk about the Monarch program here!

Membership Drive

Did you know that for $25 a year you can become a member of Friends of the Tonto National Forest? Besides the satisfaction of supporting our operations, members receive a discount on Keen products, and get you on the invite list to attend members-only events. Membership also allows you to run for board and officer positions, and to vote for board members each year.

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