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Day of the Dead Altar in El Charco: 
Saturday & Sunday, November 1st & 2nd in the Boveda

As in previous years, the Botanical Garden, under the guidance of Hermes Arroyo, will prepare an altar and offering for Day of the Dead.  This year the altar is dedicated to two prominent cactologists, world renowned scholars and defenders of Mexican biodiversity:

The altar will be open to the public starting on Saturday, November 1st  at 4:00p.m.  There will be punch, atole, tamales as well as music and eulogies. We hope our members and friends will be able to join us in this celebration. Entrance is free.

Visit from the Desert Botanical Garden of Phoenix, Arizona During the last week of October, we had the pleasure of receiving members of the Board of this Garden, headed by the General Director, Ken Schutz.  DBG is one of the most important Botanical Gardens in the United States, dedicated to conserving, studying and exhibiting desert flora of North America.

In addition to enjoying their week in San Miguel, our guests had the opportunity to learn about the developments at El Charco such as the restoration of the wetlands and scrubland of the reserve, the environmental education programs, and a point of mutual interest to both Gardens – our cacti and succulent collection - the second most important in Mexico after the UNAM. 

The visit finished with a presentation on the poaching of cacti in Mexico, a practice that is increasing and threatening the biodiversity of our country.  We are also happy to announce a series of agreements of collaboration between the two Gardens which means support for the continued development of our Botanical Garden.  We hope our friends from DBG will return to San Miguel in the near future.

Garden Lecture Series: BONSAI presentation
November 21st, 10:00a.m.

Dan-Horia will be starting a weekly bonsai class in January, limited to 10 people.  More details will be available at the presentation. You can find out more about Mr. Chinda at http://atelierdhc.com/chindadojo/master/master.htm and you may email him at dan-horia@atelierdhc.com if you are interested in attending the classes.

Membership Drive

Volunteers of both El Charco and Audubon will be in the jardin from 11a.m.-2p.m. on Nov. 22-23, Nov 29-30 and Dec 6-7.  Membership is an easy way of showing support and receiving several benefits.  We would like to see each one of our members have a friend of theirs join during this drive.  The first 50 people to join El Charco will get a free copy of the book, Wild and Wonderful: Nature Up Close at El Charco.  Another idea – buy a membership for a friend as a holiday gift or to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary.

Botanical Illustration courses March 2009 This is an early announcement to El Charco members.  From March 23 to the 27th, Charlotte Staub-Thomas will teach from 9a.m.-1p.m. at the Botanical Garden using pen and ink, colored pencil and watercolor.  Charlotte Staub Thomas teaches workshops at Art Center Manatee, and the Corcoran School of Art and Design (in conjunction with the United States Botanic Garden) in Washington, D.C.  After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, she studied botanical art at the New York Botanical Garden.

Ms Thomas painted twenty-five watercolors for the book, Common to This Country: Botanical Discoveries of Lewis and Clark (Artesan 2003). Those paintings were exhibited at the South Florida Museum, New York Botanical Garden, Smith College, and the Missouri Botanical Garden.  Class is limited to 15.  On the weekend, we will have a local artist giving 2 classes of 4 hours each in Spanish.  Alifie Rojas Candanedo is a scientific illustrator who has had individual shows throughout Mexico, has illustrated several books and worked as a scientific illustrator for laboratories and universities in Mexico. Classes limited to 5 people.  For more information on both sessions, contact nzerriffi@yahoo.com

Guided Tours in English

Tuesdays at 10:00a.m. sharp; duration 2 hours. A hat, water and good walking shoes are recommended. 50 pesos for members and 80 pesos for non-members. Private tours are also available for 150 pesos per person (minimum 5 persons). Reservations are not necessary.

Expo Reptiles 08:

During the months of September and October, approximately 7,000 people from San Miguel and other cities, visited the Charco to observe the snakes, lizards, turtles and other live specimens of our area, Mexico and the world.  Most of these specimens came from the Herpetarium of San Luis de la Paz headed by Raul Hernandez Arciga, who also gave workshops on the prevention of accidents with reptiles.  Many school chlidren visited the exhibit and left with more knowledge and a new respect for these animals which are part of our world’s biodiversity.

A Fountain for El Charco

With an artistic and natural design, formed with rocks from the reserve and succulents from the botanical collection of the Garden, this fountain is now in operation near the entrance.  We thank Timoteo Wachter, well known landscape architect in San Miguel, for this beautiful gift of freshness to El Charco.

The Boveda: A Community Space

New Website for El Charco

If you haven’t already done so, we recommend visiting our new internet site which has updated and extensive information about all aspects of our project:  creating the garden, the botanical collection, biodiversity, the historical site, activities, publications, how to contribute, and much more.  It is also now possible to donate online and there are downloadable forms for becoming a member, renewing membership and volunteering. 

FULL MOON CEREMONY
Thursday, November 13th at sunset

El Charco Gift Shop

Have you visited the new gift shop at El Charco? We recommend that you stop by to see a series of new products at the Botanical Garden. And don't miss the juice bar and cafeteria next to the Visitors Center of the Botanical Garden.

You can make a difference

And you can make a difference with your contribution - volunteer or donate. We appreciate your support!! Please contact Naomi at nzerriffi@yahoo.com

E-mail any comments or questions to the Editor at charcodelingenio@gmail.com

“Botanical Gardens are not just places for conserving and displaying plants.  At the dawn of the new millennium, they are main actors in the defense and protection of the planet’s biodiversity, with a growing focus on the regional – thinking globally and acting locally.  And they are also builders of a new environmental culture for the societies that inhabit the Earth.”