Dave DeGroot-Grand Canyon
One of the great benefits of the Tortolita Alliance (TA) is meeting and working with wonderfully talented individuals. Dave DeGroot is a dedicated naturalist and outdoor enthusiast. He has provided invaluable service to TA and the entire region with his work cataloging plants and animals in the Tortolita Preserve (TP) with his grandson Ethan and as a key player in organizing the Fall and Spring TP BioBlitz's.
Dave was raised in South Dakota and other western states. He did postgraduate work in journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism and then was involved in magazine editing, advertising and public relations for 33 years. He and his family came to Tucson in 1985 when his wife, Irene, did a medical residency at the University of Arizona. In 2007 he began a 10-year second career as a public school teacher in Sahuarita, AZ.
For almost 40 years, Dave has guided groups on all the main trails of the Grand Canyon, with a personal goal of backpacking at least once through all of the National Park's list of the top maintained and unmaintained trails between Lee's Ferry and the South Bass (and including Havasu Canyon on the Havasupai Reservation).
Dave has written a book about his Grand Canyon Trail experiences entitled, Each Trail His Its Own Story. You can learn more about the book and order a copy at Dave's Website.
For those of us that live in Del Webb Dove Mountain, Dave's book has particular meaning as all the streets are named after the Grand Canyon Trails! We hope to have Dave provide a presentation to the community in the Fall.
In addition to being a TA member, Dave is a certified Arizona Master Naturalist and a registered docent with Friends of Madera Canyon and Marana Parks & Recreation.
Thanks Dave for all you do and best of luck with your book!