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2026 summer festival

KEYNOTE DINNER

Thursday August 6, 2026, 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM 

Sierra Vista Golf Center, 2770 St Andrews Drive, Sierra Vista

We are privileged to welcome distinguished local naturalist Peg Abbott as our 2026 Keynote speaker. She will be talking about Arizona's fabulous Sky Islands. 

​​Peg has lived in Portal Arizona on the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains since 2003. She is the owner of Naturalist Journeys, a worldwide travel company established in 1998, and finds Portal to be a perfect base for anchoring between travel adventures. She is a keen birder dedicated to wildlife conservation, and also an enthusiastic naturalist with a particular interest in geography and speciation. At home she enjoys gardening using native plants to attract pollinators, and has conducted the annual spring Breeding Bird Survey in Cave Creek Canyon for many years. In 2022, she published a review of Arizona’s Eared Quetzal sightings in Arizona Birds, Journal of the Arizona Field Ornithologists.

Arizona’s Sky Islands: Insights and inspiration
Southeast Arizona ranks as a global biodiversity hotspot largely due to its spectacular geography of Mountain Islands and Desert Seas. The Madrean Archipelago, shared with Sonora, Mexico, provides endless fascination for naturalists and engrossed in understanding how elevation, and both the size and position of nearly 50 Sky Island mountain ranges, provide sustenance for so many species. Our Sky Islands act as ecological stepping stones between the Rockies and Sierra Madres, and within them reveal patterns a species distribution that often create more questions than answers. Peg will compare Arizona’s Sky Islands with some 20 other mountain archipelagoes around the globe, and provide insight into what makes our geography so significant. She’ll also provide tips for visitors on what to keep an eye out for as you explore Southeat Arizona to best sample this biodiversity.

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The Keynote Dinner is $65 per person.

Limited Seating. Reservations accepted until Monday, July 20, 2026. 

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​If you are not participating on Field Trips, you do not have to register for the dinner.  You may reserve and purchase the Keynote Dinner in advance through our SHOP by Monday, July 20.

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​​You can also pay by PayPal

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Or call us by July 20 at 520.263.4507 to make advance reservations and purchase your dinner by cash, check or credit card in person at the Keynote Dinner on August 6.

Should you have any questions email admin@swwings.org or call us. 

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Delight in a delicious meal at the beautiful Sierra Vista Golf Center, 2770 St Andrews Dr, only five minutes drive from the Mall.

We hope you can join us for this special night!

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