Tucson lawmaker will pay tribute to trail namesake Bud Gode of Green Valley
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday will deliver the keynote address at the dedication of a new interpretive trail at Madera Canyon, a world class destination for hikers, birders, campers and other nature lovers.
The Bud Gode Interpretive Nature Trail is named after the retired civil engineer who spent countless hours enjoying the canyon, 32 miles south of Tucson. Gode served as a volunteer and board president of the Friends of Madera Canyon, a non-profit organization working with the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Tourism to preserve the canyon. He grew to love the canyon after moving to Green Valley from Iowa with his wife Mary in 1998. Before his death in 2005, Gode studied dragonflies, published several scientific papers and promoted science through volunteerism.
According to the Friends website, http://www.friendsofmaderacanyon.org/, the trail will be a self-guided tour that includes 29 interpretive panels describing the natural history of the canyon and more than 50 plant identification signs. The dedication is open to the public.
WHAT: Keynote address by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at the dedication of the Bud Gode Interpretive Nature Trail
WHEN: 10 a.m.-Noon, Saturday, October 13
WHERE: Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area and Trailhead, Madera Canyon, Coronado National Forest, Green Valley. (From Tucson, take I-19 south to exit 63, turn left on Continental Road, then right on Whitehouse Canyon Road at the four-way stop sign, and follow signs to Madera Canyon.)