Mission
The mission of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.

History
Founded in 1952, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is widely recognized throughout the world as a model institution for innovative presentation and interpretation of native plants and animals featured together in ecological exhibits. The Museum is regularly listed as one of the top ten zoological parks in the world because of its unique approach in interpreting the complete natural history of a single region (in our case this is the Sonoran Desert and adjacent ecosystems). This represents a significant achievement, as the Museum's collections and size are smaller than many of its counterparts. Not a "museum" in the usual sense, it is an unparalleled composite of plant, animal, and geologic collections with the goal of making the Sonoran Desert accessible, understandable, and treasured.

Today, this approach can be most easily understood by noting that the collections consist of 2,744 animals (representing 320 vertebrate and invertebrate taxa); 1,217 plant taxa cataloged (an estimated 72,000 plants are found on the grounds, but most are in the natural desert areas and are not accessioned); and 14,482 rock and mineral specimens (including 2,068 fossils). More than 175 of the plants and animals in the collection are of conservation concern in the Sonoran Desert region.

William H. Carr inspired and founded the Museum with the support of his friend and the Museum's initial benefactor, Arthur Pack, conservationist and editor of Nature Magazine. Carr had earlier founded the Bear Mountain Trailside Museum in New York , affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History, where he developed his ideas at Bear Mountain working with native plants and animals to create a regionally-focused collection.

Carr moved to Tucson in 1944 where he found "a gross lack of knowledge [about the desert] among the local populace as well as in the national mind." He became acquainted with local naturalists, and then affiliated with the Pima County Park Committee. This connection eventually led to the establishment of the " Arizona-Sonora Desert Trailside Museum ," today called the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum . In those days Carr faced "tremendous opposition" because the local knowledge of zoos was largely limited to the "terrible, little roadside snakefarms" seen by many of Tucson 's residents.

The site selected was 12 miles west of Tucson in the Tucson Mountains -- much further from the Tucson of 1952 -- with no paved roads and over Gates Pass. The site was mostly natural desert with a few buildings, known as the Mountain House, originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. These structures are still in use today as part of the Museum's entry. The 98 acres of the Museum continue to be owned by Pima County and leased to the Museum which is governed by an independent Board of 24 members.

Carr's view and vision set the tone for displays as can be understood from his description of the first mammal enclosures that were designed, in his words, "as a balance between animal comfort, ability for the visitor to see the animals, and interiors that would be kept as much like the natural habitat of the animal as our scanty funds would permit."

Opening day was on Labor Day 1952, and the crowds came over the dirt road confirming Carr and Pack's hopes that the community was anxious to learn more about the Sonoran Desert . Months after the opening, the first Board of Trustees was formed including key people from the Tucson community selected by Carr, Pack, and William Woodin who was one of the first staff members and would eventually succeed Carr as director. Among the first Board members was Joseph Wood Krutch, the renowned naturalist author, who had retired to Tucson . Another noteworthy founding Trustee was Roy Chapman Andrews, a noted paleontologist who was devoted to the science programs of the Museum. Today, the Museum's science program continues to be funded in part by a fund set up by Chapman. One of the research legacies of the Museum that continues today is to tie research programs directly to educational interpretation so that visitors may gain a sense of scientific inquiry and the vital importance of ongoing science study to society.

One of the first actions of Woodin and the new Board was to drop the word "Trailside" from the name since this continued to conjure images of a roadside attraction, not an institution committed to education and excellence in the care of its living collections. The Board also remained committed to showing its strong tie to Mexico by including Sonora , the name of the state of Mexico immediately south of Arizona , in its official corporate name. This symbolic act was profoundly important in underscoring and promoting relationships with the country of Mexico throughout the history of the Museum.

These ties continue today in a host of ways: education programs that are conducted throughout the Sonoran Desert , research programs in all parts of the region, and staff exchanges with various Mexican institutions.

The early vision of having plants and animals from the region displayed together demonstrating their interdependence as the focus of the Museum was unusual enough, but Carr's vision went further. He insisted that there be ethnology of the region displayed, and created a Papago House on the grounds. Today, ethnology and its interpretation continue to be a strength of the Museum with regular demonstrations, for example, by Tohono O'odham basketweavers surrounded by the native plants they use in their craft.

Early on, particularly due to the work of Lew Walker, Associate Director, the Museum began to have direct impact on various conservation programs in Mexico . Continued to this day under the leadership of Richard Brusca, the greatest impact has been on the protection of the islands in the Sea of Cortez .

An early innovation developed during the first years of Woodin's directorship was the famous Water Street - a series of displays about water usage and conservation in the desert. This effort, along with the beginning collections of regional minerals, underscored that the Museum's mission includes interpretation of the entire natural history of the Sonoran Desert . Today, the Museum has one of the greatest collections of minerals from a single region to be found anywhere in the world, and geology enthusiasts from around the globe come every year to view these specimens.

Carr resigned in the fall of 1954 after an illustrious career. His vision, drive, and enthusiasm set the Museum on the path that has never varied: integrated, innovative exhibits of all aspects of the natural history of the Sonoran Desert coupled with strong education programs. He attracted a small, but remarkably talented staff and supporters, including Woodin; Mervin Larson (also to become director); Walker ; and Merritt Keasey, each of whom made important contributions to the institution.

The Museum originally opened as a free facility, with no public tax support. Pack, through his foundation, had provided the sum of $200,000 to begin the Museum and pay the initial operating costs, but it was essential that a gate fee eventually be charged. In 1953 an admission charge of 50 cents was instituted. Today the admission charge for adults is substantially higher and there is still no direct tax support for the Museum.

The docent program, which has grown to become one of the hallmarks of the Museum and is recognized by our industry colleagues as one of the finest docent corps in existence today, began in the fall of 1972. The genesis was a small group of volunteers trained to take school children on tours of the grounds, but now the docents are stationed around the grounds to provide live interpretation to all who visit. These docents, who undergo a rigorous 15-week training program, are now devoted to giving demonstrations on the grounds, and contribute today more than 75,000 hours annually to do this.

The Museum's other education programs have also developed over the years, most notably by Hal Gras who created a program to take live animals to schools and other venues. His program, begun in 1955, dubbed "The Desert Ark" by Joseph Wood Krutch, touched tens of thousands of people. Even though Gras retired from the Museum in 1985, many people today recall being inspired to learn about the desert from Gras. Through the generous support of the Red Acre Farm and Bert W. Martin Foundations the "Desert Ark" program has been reimplemented and is visiting children and schools throughout southern Arizona .

Woodin and Larson both made lasting contributions to the Museum. Woodin was Director for 17 years, and to date, the longest tenure for a director. He institutionalized and solidified the founding vision which he, of course, helped create as one of the first staff members hired by Carr. Under Woodin, the exhibits dramatically expanded including the Underground Tunnel (now called "Life Underground" and dedicated to Carr), Water Street USA, and the Sunset Demonstration Garden to promote desert landscaping. Many people today credit the large amount of desert landscaping in Tucson to the Museum's natural and naturalistic landscape. Under Woodin the reputation of the Museum grew rapidly at both a national and international level. He was an important figure in zoos nationally, becoming one of the initial incorporators of the AAZPA, now the AZA (American Zoo & Aquarium Association).

Larson, who succeeded Woodin as Director, was known even before he was named as a great creative talent who worked tirelessly to design the most naturalistic exhibits possible. He perfected techniques of creating artificial rock work and was responsible for numerous exhibits including the beaver and otter exhibits, the desert bighorn sheep enclosure, cat canyon, and the cave, all of which stand today. This spirit of innovation in natural history displays continued during his tenure as director and until he left to found the Larson Company, which itself has had a profound impact on the entire world of zoo exhibitry.

New exhibits, programs, and facilities for visitors continued to be built under the guidance of Directors Dan Davis and David Hancocks, including the Mountain Habitat, the Grassland, the Hummingbird Aviary, and a restaurant/gallery complex. In the Hummingbird Aviary visitors can see up to eight species of hummingbirds and these animals regularly bring off clutches in the enclosure. For its successful work on hummingbird propagation, the Museum received an AZA "Significant Achievement Award" in 1998.

Years ago, the Museum developed a television series that has become known as "Desert Speaks" and is produced in cooperation with the local PBS affiliate (KUAT) and broadcast in 200 market