The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality is issuing an air quality advisory due to the potential for elevated levels of particulate matter this afternoon and tonight.

The dry conditions and winds are causing higher than normal levels of airborne particulate matter today and wind gusts are predicted to be as high as 34 miles per hour tonight and 47 m.p.h. tomorrow afternoon.

Particulate matter is made up of tiny specks of soot, dust, and aerosols that are suspended in the air we breathe.

Individuals with heart disease and respiratory sensitivities may wish to reduce exposure to outside air this afternoon and tonight. And if you need to go outside, it is suggested you reduce your level of exertion to decrease the amount of particulates you breathe into your lungs.

This advisory will be in effect as long as current weather conditions continue.

PDEQ monitors air pollution in our region at 18 air quality monitoring sites. Up-to-the-hour air pollution levels are available online at the PDEQ website www.airinfonow.org or by calling the PDEQ hotline at (520) 882-4AIR.

Looking for ways to get creative, try something new or find “cool” activities to keep busy during the hot summer days? From May 24 to July 21, the Pima County Public Library (PCPL) annual summer reading program has something for everyone. The statewide theme for this year’s program – “Our State, Our Story: Celebrating 100 Years of Arizona“ – honors Arizona’s centennial and is woven throughout many of the programs, workshops and events that will be offered throughout the summer.

PCPL is excited about the new focus of this year’s program: reading for pleasure, instilling a love of reading for all ages and encouraging people to participate in activities that they get to choose. Adults can explore and experiment with native plants, learn about being a better photographer, or paint a desert landscape. Teens can create their own anime superhero when they’re not busy getting fit with Cardio Kung Fu. Families and children can discover the art of juggling, enjoy storytimes and learn how to build and launch a rocket.

Starting May 24, here’s how you can participate:

• Visit any Pima County Public Library to sign up and receive your Summer Reading Passport, Arizona Adventure Pass and summer events calendar newspaper.
• Decide what your personal reading goal will be, and write it in your passport.
• Take a look at our list of 100 activities inside the summer events calendar or at www.library.pima.gov. Choose any six activities from the list.
• Log the completed activities in your passport all summer long.
• Get your passport stamped at your library as you complete your reading goal and activities.

Summer Program Special Events

Teens Unite & Write – Teens ages 13-18 are invited to collaborate in writing an online story that will be posted on the library’s website as it unfolds. A local author writes the first part; teen writers create what happens next!

Summer Reading Night – Saturday, June 23, 6–10 p.m., Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Free for readers 2 -14 with their Adventure Pass and one paid adult admission. Come hear the tales of coyotes, cats, beavers, bats, owls, tarantulas and other nocturnal creatures!

Harry and the Potters – Thursday, July 19, 5 p.m., Hotel Congress. Free for all ages. Wizard rockers Harry and the Potters return for a night of magic and book-ish hard rock!

Summer Reading Finale Celebration – Saturday, July 21, 8–11 a.m., Reid Park Zoo. Free for readers ages 2-14 who complete their six activities. Say “hi” to the animals, make crafts and celebrate reading!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert – Saturday, July 21, 8–10 p.m., Joel D. Valdez Main Library. Free for all ages. Join us for a truly rockin’ concert featuring three local teen bands!

FC Tucson is beginning a special intrastate rivalry with National Premier Soccer League team Phoenix Monsoon.

Both clubs have agreed to a home and home series, currently labeled the “I-10 Clasico,” that begins Wednesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at the Kino Sports Complex North Field #5. The game comes just four days after FC Tucson’s thrilling home-opening win over the Southern California Seahorses.

“We were very happy to finally get a chance to schedule the Monsoon and play a full, two-leg series,” said FC Tucson head coach Rick Schantz. “For us these games are a chance to give some of our starters a rest while giving our talented reserves the kind of high-intensity experience that a regular training session can’t provide.

“We’re looking forward to seeing some hometown heroes such as Jesus “Freshman” Ortiz, Kyle McQuown and Edgar Reyna get serious minutes in the first game. All three of them have been with the team since the open tryouts in January and the fact that they’re still here every week is a testament to their devotion and dedication to the team.

“Jesus was even on the team last season and is the only player who has been with FC Tucson from the very beginning back in 2010. So seeing him get a chance to start and representing Tucson in this ‘Tucson-Phoenix’ rivalry is great.”

The second leg of the series will be Wednesday, May 29, at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix. The two-leg series will be determined by the combined score of both games. If the teams are tied after both games, the series will be decided on penalty kicks.

FC Tucson is in third place in the Premier Development League Southwest division with a 2-1-0 record. The Monsoon are in sixth place in the NPSL West-Southern Conference with a 0-5-0 record.

About FC Tucson

FC Tucson, established in 2010, is committed to bringing the highest caliber of competitive soccer to Tucson and establishing a successful and long-lasting source of pride for city, county, state and country. FC Tucson owns FC Tucson Soccer, Tucson’s top-level soccer team and the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup, a Major League Soccer pre-season tournament. Check out the team’s website at www.fctucson.com. You can also visit the team’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FCTUCSON and follow all of the news related to FC Tucson on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FC_Tucson.

About Phoenix Monsoon

The Phoenix Monsoon is an American soccer team based in Phoneix. Founded in 2012, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division.

Kino Sports Complex is the largest professional sports and entertainment venue of its kind in Pima County.  It includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, 11 baseball fields (four with lights) and lighted softball and soccer fields.  With its panoramic view of the Santa Catalina Mountains, it is a natural fit for youth, high school and collegiate sports. Plus, it makes a great setting for social gatherings, concerts, and community events. To learn more, or to schedule an event, go to www.kinosportscomplex.com.

ANIME AND COMICS EVENT TO KICK OFF LIBRARY’S SUMMER READING PROGRAM

The Pima County Public Library invites Tucson-area tweens and teens to kick off its annual Summer Reading Program with MangaMania!! on Saturday, May 19, 6-10 p.m., at the Murphy-Wilmot Branch Library, 530 N. Wilmot. The free event drew 500 attendees last year.

Manga, a form of comics that originated in Japan, is wildly popular with teens and young adults in the United States. Tweens and teens ages 11-18 who love everything manga – including “cosplay” (costuming), gaming, crafts and origami, watching anime, or writing and drawing manga – will want to get there early. Party-goers can earn manga money to buy merchandise and food, make costumes on-site or come wearing their own, and exchange manga at the  Bookmans booth. Teens who bring two cans of food for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona will earn extra manga money.

Jennifer Caldwell, Electronic Resources Librarian for Pima County Public Library and one of the event organizers, said that close to 1,000 teens are expected to attend this year. “Our goal is to have something fun for everyone, including parents,” Caldwell said. “MangaMania!! will have workshops, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and opportunities to meet and talk with other fans, as well as professional writers and artists. We’ll have it all!”

Event Highlights

• Costume contest at 8:15 p.m.
• Be the first to check out brand new manga.
• Sign up for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament sponsored by Showtime Cards.
• Talk one-on-one with artist Aaron Ancheta of Scott Pilgrim fame at the Heroes & Villains table, and then attend his comic writing workshop
• Enjoy demonstrations in martial arts, sushi-making, and Japanese writing.
• Parents: Learn all about manga and comics at the “Manga 101” panel discussion.

Visit  http://www.library.pima.gov for the full schedule of events.

About Pima County Public Library

The Pima County Public Library (PCPL) enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact, and grow. With 27 branches and one affiliate library serving diverse communities across Pima County in southern Arizona, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community and provide individuals with educational and recreational opportunities to improve their lives. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov or call 791-4010.

Flowing Wells Pool

Flowing Wells Pool, 4545 N. La Cholla Blvd., will open for the summer beginning Memorial Day weekend – Saturday, May 26 – and be open through Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 3.

Renovations planned for the summer have been postponed until later in the year.

Adult lap swim is noon to 5 p.m. and open recreational swim is 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday through Thursday.

Swim lessons and swim team activities will be available.

Swim lesson registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 1.  Lessons begin June 4.  Lessons cost $20 for a two-week session (8 classes).

Registration for swim team for children ages 6 to 18 begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 26.  The first practice is May 29.  Meets begin June 2 and end with the Championship meet on July 14.  The fee is $20 for the entire summer (includes practices and meets).

For more information, please visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/index.htm.

Lifeguards wanted

The Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department is looking for Red Cross-certified lifeguards to work at County pools this summer.  Currently certified lifeguards who are interested can call Andrew Ivy at 520-877-6126 to request an interview.

The Department will be holding a lifeguard class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 28-31 to certify individuals to work at County pools.  The lifeguard class is $100.  Individuals must be at least 16 years old.  Contact Andrew Ivy at 520-877-6126 to register for the class.

Bear Creek flowing through the Segurson property. Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is donating to Pima County for conservation 151 acres of Bear Canyon property once cherished and protected by a local teacher.

The donation is subject to approval of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and is on its May 15 meeting agenda.

Jack Segurson, a long-time Tucson teacher and nature enthusiast who died in 2008 at age 90, deeded the property to The Nature Conservancy to keep it protected forever.

“Pima County ownership is consistent with Jack’s wishes and makes sense from a management perspective,” says Holly Richter, the Conservancy’s Arizona director of conservation. “The county manages open space next to the Segurson property. We know the county will take good care of this special place, too.”

Bear Creek runs through the property, which is about a half-mile northeast of the creek’s confluence with Sabino Creek and about one-third mile south of the Bear Canyon trailhead that leads to Seven Falls.  Its northern boundary abuts Coronado National Forest’s Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.

Cottonwood trees line the creek, and saguaros, chollas and prickly pears dot the property’s slopes. Deer, mountains lions, ringtail cats and lowland leopard frogs are at home there.

The property will be managed as open space by the Pima County Regional Flood Control District, which owns and manages other lands along Bear Canyon and Sabino Canyon, as part of its riparian habitat and upper watershed preservation program.

“In addition to the property’s proximity to other District and public lands, the rare water resources such as springs, a frequently flowing Bear Canyon Wash, and presence of shallow groundwater really make this parcel an ideal riparian habitat acquisition,” said District Director Suzanne Shields.

Segurson, who had been a wrestling and swimming coach and teacher at Catalina and Amphitheater high schools, bought the property more than 50 years ago.

“Pima County is delighted to receive this gift from Mr. Segurson and the Nature Conservancy,” said Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. “The Bear Canyon land will be managed consistent with the values expressed in our Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. These values benefit all of Pima County by protecting and maintaining riparian ecosystems for present and future generations.”

Kino Sports Complex is the largest professional sports and entertainment venue of its kind in Pima County.  It includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, 11 baseball fields (four with lights) and lighted softball and soccer fields.  With its panoramic view of the Santa Catalina Mountains, it is a natural fit for youth, high school and collegiate sports. Plus, it makes a great setting for social gatherings, concerts, and community events. To learn more, or to schedule an event, go to www.kinosportscomplex.com.

Pima County’s seasonal swimming pools will open Memorial Day weekend – Saturday, May 26 – and be open through Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 3.

For admission fees, pool addresses and phone numbers, and other information, please visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/index.htm.

Swimming Classes – Swim Lessons

The first of four sessions of swim lessons begins Monday, June 4.  Lessons cost $20 for a two-week session (8 classes).  Register at your local pool.  Classes are available for children as young as 6 months. For specific class offerings and times, please call your local pool.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Knights of Pythias Tucson Lodge #9, in partnership with the Picture Rocks Fire District, the first 50 area residents to register will get FREE swim lessons at the Picture Rocks pool (see flyer below).

Session I: June 4-June 14
Session II: June 18-June 28

Registration for Sessions I and II begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 1 (Ajo pool swim lesson registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 2) and continues during open hours.

You may register for both Session I and II at this time.  If your child progresses in one session to the next skill level, every effort will be made to accommodate him/her in the next level class in the next session.

Session III: July 9-July 19
Session IV: July 23-August 2

Registration for Sessions III and IV begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 29, and continues during open hours. You may register for both Session III and IV at this time.

If three or more lessons are cancelled in any given session due to lightning or mechanical malfunction, lessons will continue past August 2.

Swim lessons at Kino and Northwest YMCA-Thad Terry pools are taught through the YMCA.  Please call 838-0938 at Kino or 229-9006 at Thad Terry for information on swim lessons and fees.

Swim Team

The Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department’s Novice Summer Swim Team Program provides a fun, exciting, and rewarding swimming experience for children ages 6 to 18 at all Pima County pools except the Thad Terry and Picture Rocks pools.

The fee is $20 for the entire summer (includes practices and meets).

Registration begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 26, at any pool offering the program and will continue during regular pool hours until June 21 (or until the team at a specific pool reaches capacity).

The first swim practice is May 29.  Swim meets are on Saturday mornings or nights during June and July. Swim meets will begin on June 2 and will continue until the Championship swim meet on July 14.

For additional information, please call (520) 877-6126 or (520) 877-6109 or visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/swimteams.htm.

The Thad Terry swim team is offered through the YMCA. Please contact Thad Terry at 229-9006 for more information.

Pima County, Ariz. (May 3, 2012) – Pima County Animal Care Center is making it easier for owners to get a rabies vaccination for their pet.  Beginning Tuesday, May 8, PACC will hold two-hour rabies vaccination clinics at its headquarters at 4000 N. Silverbell Road. The clinics will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. You must arrive before 11 a.m. to be served.

The cost is $15 per animal. There is no charge for the vaccination if the owner buys a dog license at the same time.  A dog must be at least 12 weeks old to receive a rabies vaccination.

Rabies clinics will be held on the second Tuesday of each month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. through December 2012. The dates are: May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9, November 13 and December 11. Clinic customers will be taken on a first-come, first served basis.

The fee for a dog license varies, depending on whether the animal has been altered or if the owner is a senior citizen, disabled or qualifies as low income. In some instances, a late fee may be assessed. Go to www.pima.gov/animalcare to determine the eligibility for discounted fees and find out which documents you’re required to have with you in order to qualify for a discount.

You may also call PACC’s Licensing Department at 243-5969 for more information. All dogs that live in Pima County must be licensed by the county.