In the Visitor Center, we currently have an old display of herbarium sheets – dried and pressed plant samples for about 35 species that are found in the park. These herbarium sheets have been around for quite some time and are showing their age. The samples have faded and the protective plastic cover sheets are cracking, separating, and deteriorating. 

To update this display, and the plant information available for park visitors, we’ve created the Herbarium Project. The project goal is to replace the pressed flower herbarium sheets with a digital library of the plants that can be found in San Pedro Valley Park. For each plant species, we will, at a minimum, create an information page, hosted on our Friends website, containing plant descriptions and identification characteristics, bloom time, trail locations, photographs and more.

Our Project Manager, Melanie Heisler, is currently looking for some interested volunteers to help collect plant data, provide photographs, identify trail locations, and help create content for the plant information pages.   You don’t have to be a botanist or a plant expert. Curiosity and willingness to investigate and learn will get you started. And of course, any plant knowledge and education will always be appreciated.

Contact Melanie Heisler at [email protected] if you are interested in helping out or just want to learn more about this project. You can also leave your name and contact information with one of our Visitor Center hosts if you’re visiting the park on the weekends.