Virtual Presentation: Building Homes for Desert Purple Martins with Olya Weekley ⋆ Tucson Bird Alliance Skip to content
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Virtual Presentation: Building Homes for Desert Purple Martins with Olya Weekley

Thursday, January 8th, 11am – 12pm

The Desert Purple Martin relies on nest cavities carved into saguaros and cardón cacti – plants that take over a century to grow large enough for their use. As development, invasive grasses, and wildfires shrink these natural nest sites, finding safe alternatives has become critical.

Unlike eastern martins, this desert subspecies hasn’t been known to use standard nestboxes. To tackle this challenge, Tucson Bird Alliance launched a project to design artificial cavities that copy the natural cooling abilities of a saguaro. A community contest produced 22 creative prototypes, and the top three were tested across 25 field sites in 2024 and 2025.

Join Tucson Bird Alliance’s Applied Conservation Program Manager, Olya Weekley, to learn what worked, what surprised us, and what’s next in this innovative conservation effort.

This virtual event is free to join. Registrants will be emailed a Zoom link prior to the presentation.

Presenters: Olya Weekley (oweekley@tucsonbirds.org)

Header image: Desert Purple Martins Nestbox Installation by Milly Lierman

Register Here

Date

2026-01-08

Time

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Trip Features

All Levels
Zoom (virtual)

Location

Zoom (virtual)

Presenter

Olya Weekley
Email
oweekley@tucsonbirds.org

Tucson Bird Alliance Applied Conservation Project Manager

Paton Center for Hummingbirds- test embed form

Donate a Vehicle

Cars- Moving Forward Together

Tucson Bird Allaince is able to accept donated vehicles. We use teh proceeds from donated cars, trucks, SUVs, RVs, boats, motercycels and even airplanes to help fund our mission. Tucson Bird Allaince partners with CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services) to help run our vehicle donation program. CARS is a nonprofit that has been processing vehicle donations for nonprofits since 2003. 

 

Donate your Vehicle

Donate Stocks or Give Through your IRA

Gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, and mutual funds

If you would like to donate stocks to Tucson Bird Alliance, please use our Stock Donation Form. 

After completing and signing the form, please: 

  • Send one copy to your broker (only your broker can initiate the stock transfer)
  • Email a copy to efreese@tucsonbirds.org or mail to
    Tucson Bird Alliance
    Attn: Erica Freese
    PO Box 91770
    Tucson, AZ, 85752

Gifts through your IRA

If you are 73 years of age or older, your gift may count toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year in which the check is issued and is excluded from your taxable income.

Please provide your broker or financial institution with the following information:  

Legal Name:  Tucson Audubon Society (DBA Tucson Bird Alliance)

Mailing Address: 
Tucson Bird Alliance 
PO Box 91770
Tucson, AZ, 85752

Phone: (520) 629-0510

Tax ID#: 86-6053779

Give Through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

Ways to give through a donor-advised fund (DAF)

  • Make an outright gift now by recommending a grant to Tucson Bird Alliance.
  • Make recurring gifts with ease so that your contributions can make an immediate difference when needed most. 
  • Create a succession plan to recommend that Tucson Bird Alliance receives all or a portion of your DAF’s value upon it’s termination. 

You can select the option that best suits your philanthropic and financial goals. Contact your DAF administrator to recommend a grant to Tucson Bird Alliance and use the following information: 

Legal Name: Tucson Audubon Society (DBA Tucson Bird Alliance)  

Mailing Address: 
Tucson Bird Alliance 
PO Box 91770
Tucson, AZ, 85752

Phone: (520) 629-0510

Tax ID#: 86-6053779

If you make a contribution to Tucson Bird Alliance from your DAF, please let us know at efreese@tucsonbirds.org along with the date the request was sent, grant or reference number, name of the issuing institution, and gift amount. We value the opportunity to thank you. 

Workplace Giving & Corporate Matching

Workplace Giving

Contact your HR department to see if your company’s giving program includes Tucson Bird Alliance (formerly Tucson Audubon Society).  With this option, you can have your contributions automatically deducted from your paycheck. You choose how much and how often you’d like to give. 

Corporate Matching

If your company has a matching program, you can make your donation go twice as far! Use the information below to fill out your company’s matching gift form. 

Organization: Tucson Bird Alliance (formerly Tucson Audubon Society) 

Mailing Address: 
Tucson Bird Alliance 
PO Box 91770
Tucson, AZ, 85752

Phone: (520) 629-0510

Tax ID#: 86-6053779

Tucson Bird Alliance Vermilion Legacy Society

There are many types of Planned Gifts to Explore: Gifts left by bequest in a will or trust, charitable gift annuities, and beneficiary designations for your IRA or 401k.

Please consult with an experienced estate planning attorney and financial advisor to determine the right legacy choice for you. 

If you include Tucson Bird Alliance in your estate plans, we hope you will let us know. Please fill out the form below and send it back to us at efreese@tucsonbirds,org.

Planned Giving Form