Tucson Festival of Books & the Desert Legume Program

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DR. JACQUELINE A. SOULE

Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB) is worth the visit – every year! It is now the nation’s third largest book festival, and two days are simply not enough time to see everything. There are so many authors, books, and people presenting their book related “stuff ” - not to mention Science City! Science City is where all the cool kids hang out – showing off all manner of science-related projects and books, and we are there – both the Desert Legume Program (DELEP) and folks representing the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Why should a seed bank go to a book festival? The DELEP Mission Statement is four-fold – first to acquire and preserve seed of legumes native to the arid and semiarid lands of the world; second, to learn more about the nature and utility of these unique species; third, to share legume germplasm; and perhaps most important - to aid in the preservation and conservation of desert legume biodiversity. This last objective, preserving and conserving legume biodiversity, can only be achieved by educating the public about why legumes are important and why biodiversity is critical for human survival on this planet.

DELEP started being part of the Tucson Festival of Books in 2012. Armed with a dissecting scope, some seeds, and lots of literature, we invited people to learn more about legumes, and about a “best kept secret ” Arizona State Park – the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. We kept track, and when the dust settled, we had personally interacted with over 1200 visitors in two days. Many more did not talk to us but picked up the handouts. Mind you, the organizers estimated that over 120,000 people visited TFOB that year, so we figure we did good. Since DELEP was part of Science City, we have stressed the scientific aspect of the work at DELEP, and had hands-on activities for visitors to our area ever y year.

One year, folks were invited to hypothesize: which emerges from a legume seed first - the root or shoot? Then they “planted” the seeds in a transparent grow bag so they could carry it home and observe for themselves.

In 2014, over 1000 visitors learned that observation is an important part of science, and were invited to observe and record growing seeds. Some of the younger visitors were amazingly artistic, and quite painstaking with their observations.

Observing can use more senses than just vision. Our “Sonoran Sounds” in 2015 was a real hit, with the opportunity to make sounds with desert legume wood and legume pods. Everyone (that wanted to) then decorated legume seed pods with glitter and took them home with them. Again, over 1000 people participated in the activity, wearing out the volunteers!

In 2016, DELEP became been part of “ The Science of Food”, and since then we have shared thousands of tasty treats made with flour from the pods of mesquite, a local desert legume now grown around the world in arid areas, in part due to the efforts of DELEP. The recipe for gluten-free mesquite muffins is elsewhere in this issue.

Each year, the DELEP volunteers interact with over 1,000 visitors during the two days of the Festival of Books, and while it may not sound like many sitting in the comfort of your home and reading this, I invite you to join us at TFOB in 2019, and help us talk to a fraction of the thousands of people that flock to Science City! If interacting with total strangers is not your cup of tea, we have other activities that could use your help. Volunteers meet once a month, September through May, on the second Wednesday, to assist with seed processing and storage. We also welcome help on field trips to collect wild seed, work with living plants, and help in the office. To volunteer, please contact Ken Coppola: (520) 647-2460 or email: kcoppola@ag.arizona.edu.

The Desert Legume Program’s Publications

Aridus

DELEP published a newsletter, Aridus, from 1989 to 2010. Back issues of the newsletter are available on request. Beginning with the April 2005 issue, Aridus is also available online at www.cals.arizona.edu/ desertlegumeprogram/pub.

Desert Plants

Desert Plants is a journal published by Boyce Thompson Arboretum with support and guidance from the Desert Legume Program. To learn more, visit www.cals.arizona.edu/desertplants

Legumes of Arizona: An Illustrated Flora and Reference

Projected publication in 2018 Published by Boyce Thompson Arboretum Legumes of Arizona: An Illustrated Flora and Reference, will provide an up-to-date, scientific description of all native, naturalized and cultivated legumes in Arizona. For further information, visit ag.arizona.edu/herbarium/projects/az_legumes or contact Kirsten Lake, Managing Editor, Legumes of Arizona, The University of Arizona Herbarium, PO Box 210036, Herring Hall, Tucson, Arizona 85721 or at klake@email.arizona.edu.

Cacti, other Succulents, and Unusual Xerophytes of Southern Arizona

Matthew B. Johnson This pocket-sized field guide features 83 species of cacti and other succulent plants that may be found in southern Arizona. It is available through CALSmart, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona, 4042 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, Arizona, 85719. Toll free: 1-877-763-5315, 520- 318-7275, online: http://cals.arizona.edu/calsmart. Proceeds from the sale of this handbook support the Desert Legume Program. It is also available at the BTA gift shop.