Desert Don
Update as of
Nov. 2009Don Fedock better know as "Desert Don" is a resident of
Ajo, Arizona.
Don holds degrees from Arizona State University and the University of California
at Berkeley, including a master's degree in electrical engineering. Nearly
thirty years ago, Don decided that he wanted to live a non-traditional life
style and moved to the desert of America's southwest.
Don lives in Ajo in the Sonora Desert. Don exemplifies a genuine
respect for the land and this delicate environment. He lives in harmony
with the terra, vegetation, and the critters.
Like many others, Don has seen the Southwest and other desert-like areas of American succumb to population growth and urban development. This story is about a man who wants to keep individual and urban development from
endangering or destroying indigenous plants when land is cleared and to work
within the topography of the land surrounding development. He would like to see
plants moved and utilized again. The State of
Arizona appreciated Mr. Fedock's dedication, study, and application. In
1999, Former Governor Jane Dee Hull presented Donald Fedock an environmental achievement award.
The award stems from Don's study and application of being able to move
indigenous plants with a high degree of success. He chose to share his methods
at no cost to other landscapers. Fedock's methods are being used
throughout the Southwest today.
According to a Cal Tech study, "the Western U.S. has been one of the most rapidly growing regions of the country over the last 100 years. Agricultural output from this region comprised more than 18 percent of the total agricultural output of the United States
..." Cal Tech's study notes several factors that are important to understanding desertification. They are:
natural and human interactions, socioeconomic impacts, society's reactions, wind
and soil erosion, and pastoral practices.
The following resources address the issues in a variety of
ways:
Arizona Cactus &
Succulent Research
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Desert Harvest by Kevin Dahl--gathering the saguaro fruit
Desert USA
Saguaro National Park
Biosphere 2
Sonora Arthropod Studies Institute
Sonora Desert Naturalist
SW Center for Biological Diversity
www.plantadviser.com, Southwest Deserts Edition