Restorying the Land

Sharing stories of our connections to the land in the San Pedro River Valley.

We cannot restore the land without restorying the land.” — David Abram

Celebrating the Legacy of Jim Corbett

Quaker philosopher Jim Corbett inspired a group of friends to create Saguaro Juniper 29 years ago. He set the group on its path of respecting and caring for land in Cascabel. Sue Newman’s latest Valley View newsletter celebrates Jim through the memories of his widow Pat and others who knew him. Jim died in 2001 and his ashes were placed on Saguaro Juniper land. Nearby, a plaque says, “Warmed a newborn lamb; opened a desert spring.”

Connecting with the Land through Others, by Cindy Salo

Lillie Bennett Finch’s daughter, Sharon, visited Cascabel in February 2015. We showed her where her family homesteaded in Hot Springs Canyon; she showed us the people who have shared the land we care for. It was a full day of hiking, talking,  and potlucking.

The Coati Encounter, by Mick Meader

Hot Springs Wash, on land now cared for by Saguaro Juniper, is a busy corridor for animals moving between the San Pedro River and upland areas. Mick Meader shares an encounter he had with a group of four-legged travelers in the wash. Mick is a member of Saguaro Juniper and a Cascabel landowner. He mentions in the story two people who are no longer with us, Richard Holmes and Judith McBride. Judith passed away in August, 2014.

Lillie Bennett Finch Remembers, Part 2

Lillie’s father build their house and dug the well by hand. She shares more memories in Sue Newman’s article in the latest Cascabel Newsletter.

Lillie Bennett Finch Remembers, by Sue Newman

The 25 years many of us have been in Cascabel seem like a long time to us, but people have lived in our valley for thousands of years. Lillie Bennett Finch lived in Hot Springs Canyon in the early 1900s, on land now cared for by Saguaro Juniper.  She shared her stories with Tom Orum; Sue Newman made them available in the Cascabel Newsletter.

Molly and Her Calf, by Sue Newman

Our friends at Saguaro Juniper raise grass-finished beef, but their cattle are more than livestock. The animals provide a connection to the land, which enriches all our lives. Every member of the herd has its own personality and we become fond of each one. When a new calf had a rough start in life, his human friends sprang into action. Sue Newman told the story in words and photos for her granddaughter.