STEVE BUCKLEY brings a deep critical awareness of the literature of place-based educational experience along with a broad ecological science background to his work with Ironwood Tree Experience. Most recently, Steve was farm manager for a small start-up organic farm near Patagonia, AZ, where previously he had worked with Native Seeds/SEARCH on a 60-acre farm. He has worked professionally as a botanist and has worked on wild land and agricultural restoration projects throughout the southwestern United States. Steve’s passion for all things planted and flowering is not only evident in any of the numerous gardens he has his hands in, but also in his work organizing local food systems through Slow Food USA and his work with agro-ecological restoration techniques. He has taught place-based classes at Northern Arizona University and holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing along with a Master of Liberal Studies focusing on Ecology. Steve is always looking to add to his awareness of how to live in place and live ecologically. He lives in Tucson with his beautiful wife Tasha and their beloved dog Mona.
SUZANNE DHRUV, CO-DIRECTOR
Suzanne, a native Tucsonan, has established deep, strong roots in the Sonoran Desert Region. Her passion to reconnect children with the natural world is fueled by a lifetime of playing, living, learning and teaching within a dynamic, colorful, and detailed landscape. In an effort to develop authentic, engaging, and educational opportunities in nature for adolescents, Suzanne achieved a Prescott College Master of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, investigating youths’ implicit theories of the natural world and their experiences within. This graduate research project builds upon Suzanne’s academic and professional foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona and has over ten years professional experience that includes directing, designing and instructing environmental education programs for all ages. Most recently, Suzanne directed the educational efforts of Tucson Audubon Society, a local non-profit that focuses on conservation, education, and recreation in the Sonoran Desert Region. Prior to this she worked as a museum educator which allowed her to create and manage programs for high school students to work and learn in a museum environment. Her experiences with local nonprofit organizations foster the ability to collaborate with community organizations, educators, and parents in an effort to enhance learning opportunities for adolescents and children throughout the Tucson area. Suzanne is also certified as a Wilderness First Responder and in First Aid/CPR.
ERIC DHRUV, CO-DIRECTOR
Eric began his love affair with the Sonoran Desert and Tucson, Arizona while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Arizona. The romance and desire for immersion in the natural world led to several years of field work in such places as Arizona, Alaska and Papua New Guinea. Eric was employed by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum as an environmental educator and interpretive manager working with community members of all ages. Eric went on to earn an M.A. from Prescott College in Place-Based Education and enjoyed a position as Sustainability Director and professional naturalist at Miraval Resort in Catalina, Arizona. He is currently Associate Faculty for the Liberal Arts, Adult Degree Program at Prescott College Tucson Center and is LEED accredited and a member of the Tucson branch of the US Green Building Council Chapter. Eric’s passions are discovering and relating to others the intrinsic bond between nature and humanity and the potential of an enduring biologically diverse future for our children’s grandchildren. Eric hosts the local Tucson TV program “Desert Living” which provides the opportunity to share the human-nature sustainable connection with many others.
DEB HILBERT is a registered dietitian who is dedicated to bringing nutrition awareness into the lives of people everywhere. Deb’s commitment to sharing her knowledge of healthful living has taken her to Guyana, South America, where she and her family offered aide to local people. She most recently helped to plan the National Health for Humanity conference in Tucson, in February of 2006. Deb has worked in a variety of settings including a hospital, a college, community health, long-term care, worksite health, and currently, Miraval Life in Balance Resort. She is a member of many organizations centered on healthful living, including Health for Humanity, American Dietetic Association, Southern Arizona Dietetic Association, Hunger & Environmental Practice Group, Advisory Board for Commit to Fit Program of Northwest Medical Center, and ITE board member since spring of ‘06. Deb shared in the excitement of Ironwood Tree Experience by remembering her early connection to nature, chasing lightning bugs in New Jersey and at age 12, watching the Perseid meteor showers in the Adirondack Mountains. Currently, Deb is hoping to link her love of nature to her love of nutrition in becoming an expert on sustainable cuisine.
AMI MAGISOS, is an adult and family literacy educator, trainer, and organizer, bringing a passion for civic involvement and social change to the Ironwood Tree Experience. As the coordinator of the Civics and Citizenship program for Pima Community College Adult Education, she helps students and staff develop their leadership skills, integrate the community into the classroom, and explore ways to make positive change in the community. In five Family Literacy sites in Tucson and Sells, she taught parents English and literacy skills and helped them develop their strengths as their children’s first teachers. She collaborated with Inner City Outings to teach environmental awareness and interactive science learning with Family Literacy, and led family outings to explore Tucson’s beautiful desert and mountains. She is currently experimenting with uses of digital storytelling in civic education, helping students create multimedia personal narratives for community reflection and dialogue. She has loved traveling, studying, and volunteering in Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, and most recently in the French Alps…but is always drawn back to the desert Southwest. She enjoys border culture, hiking, language learning, altitude changes, and home-grown greens.
RUTH MARBLESTONE
struggled in the traditional academic system until she participated in the South West Field Studies Program her sophomore year at Earlham College. This semester-long survival wilderness program/mobile classroom began Ruth’s love of the desert southwest and introduced her to ‘experiential’ learning.
The immersion style of education enabled Ruth to feel success academically. She was living what she was learning and loving it! Ruth began to feel a sense of responsibility that extended not only to herself, but to the natural environment and to the health of her peers. Her self-confidence began to emerge and she developed skills that have stayed with her. Understanding and appreciation of her learning style motivated her to finish college and earning a Masters of Fine Arts in Photography and combined Media at California College of The Arts in San Francisco.
Ruth works to make experiential learning opportunities available to youth as an art educator. Ruth has collaborated with Tucson artists, the City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department and participated in an Art Intervention Project that provided alternatives to vandalism and graffiti. She also coordinated First Exposures: Youth Opportunities Through Photography at SF Camerawork gallery in San Francisco. Currently Ruth coordinates the City of Tucson Parks and Recreation’s Art In Reality Program; a free arts program for Tucson’s youth ages 13-21. Ruth is thrilled to participate as an ITE executive committee member and is committed to work to ensure that Tucson’s young people have opportunities to gain experiential knowledge of the southwestern deserts. Ruth lives in Tucson with her husband Rafael, their son Ving and cat Esperanza (ESB!)
AXHEL MUÑOZ is a naturalist and dynamic environmental educator from the Sonoran Desert region. He has participated in a variety of projects as a research assistant ranging from pollination biology of an endangered species to intertidal plant-animal interactions. This provides him with a broad ecological perspective. In Puerto Rico he was involved in conservation research that led to the creation of the Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge. In California he co-founded the Rainforest Action Group at California State University, Fullerton. As vice-president and then president of the group he helped conservation projects in Costa Rica and Brazil and brought speakers such as Norman Myers and Daniel Janzen to the university. In Arizona he has worked for Oracle State Park, The Nature Conservancy, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum as an environmental educator for kids of all ages. He has created many science-based environmental curriculum based on the Sonoran Desert Region as a model. He has taught students from kindergarten to university, as well as designed and taught teacher workshops. He enjoys camping, snorkeling, tide pooling, birding, playing guitar or bongos, and getting together with friends.
ERICA BENNETT is thrilled to play a significant role for Ironwood Tree Experience and brings to the organization a combined background in program administration and outdoor facilitation skill. Erica’s experiences and deep appreciation for all outdoor environments has driven her to earn and maintain certifications from the American Mountain Guides Association as a Top Rope Site Manager and a Wilderness First Responder Certification. Erica earned her Associates degree in Fire Science Technology, specializing in backcountry fire fighting in 1987 and in 2000 earned her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Erica is employed at Miraval LIfe in Balance as Assistant Director of Programs and over the past six years at Miraval, Erica worked as a hiking and mountain biking instructor, naturalist, photography instructor, ropes course facilitator, and Manager of the Hiking and Mountain Biking Department. Erica’s passion is her family; Deb, Baker, Zeke, Riley, and Elli.
Advisory Committee
LYN FLEMING, Ph.D. has spent more than 30 years designing, facilitating, and evaluating programs and materials for educators. Two of those programs, Project WILD and The Green Scene, received Gold Medals for Education and Communications from the first President George Bush’s Environment and Conservation Challenge Award Program. Lyn has directed residential environmental education programs, chaired a college Environmental Studies program, led month-long trips to study the ecology of the Virgin Islands, and facilitated Project Learning Tree workshops throughout North America. She has worked with school districts and nature centers; private organizations including The Zoological Society of San Diego, The Wilderness Society, and the National Wildlife Federation, along with government agencies, including NASA, EPA, and the United Nations.
CHRIS SCHOLL brings a diverse background of knowledge, culture, and experience to Ironwood Tree Experience. Chris started his life journey here in Tucson growing up a “military brat” on Davis Monthan Air Force Base. At the age of five, his family was stationed in Germany. During this time, he was immersed in the European culture both in the small German village where he lived and in his travels to other European countries with his family. After three years, Chris returned to the States and was relocated to the Florida Panhandle. Here Chris spent every free moment in the local waters and vast pine forests where he began his appreciation of the natural world. Chris returned to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona where he graduated with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. With this foundation, Chris began his career in medical imaging as an MRI Technologist for hospitals in Tucson and Phoenix. After ten years and wanting to try something new, Chris went back to college and obtained a Masters degree in Computer Information Systems. Chris presently works at Miraval Life in Balance in Catalina, Arizona as a systems analyst. Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, camping, fly fishing, and skiing. Other hobbies include aviation, automobiles, amateur radio, and studying medicine.
SUSAN WILLIAMS is a free-lance writer and education consultant. Her experience in educational fields ranges from students with disabilities to high school and community college science instruction, to serving as administrator at three environmental education institutions. Most recently Susan directed the Education Department at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum before establishing her own grants consulting business. Write for Change serves educational organizations working toward a more sustainable society. Her clients include food banks, public policy institutions, private and public schools, natural history centers, environmental education organizations, tribal communities, and individual artists. Susan writes and publishes her own essays and articles on social, political, and ecological perspectives. Formal training: B.S. in American Literature from East Tennessee State University; M.S. in Special Education from University of Tennessee; post-graduate training at Columbia University (Biology), Barnard College (Biology), and Arizona State University (Bioethics). Susan is a certified teacher in grades 7-12 and Community College certified in Arizona.
