By Kathleen Kennedy, Co-Executive Director
This past spring, the Coalition lost a longtime supporter and volunteer, Elizabeth Deupree, when she passed away in March 2024. We want to acknowledge and celebrate Elizabeth’s amazing contributions to the Coalition’s mission and her passion for the Sonoran Desert. Elizabeth and her husband Caleb have been donors, volunteers, and supporters since 2009. After our wildlife camera program launched in 2012, they quickly volunteered to monitor and manage one of our wildlife cameras in Oro Valley and remained involved in the program for many years. They also enthusiastically funded and helped launch our Desert Wildlife Internship program from 2022-2024 through their affiliation with the Deupree Family Foundation.
I have had the pleasure of getting together with Elizabeth and Caleb many times over the years for lunch and I have always been inspired by their passion and curiosity about the Sonoran Desert, along with their desire to support local youth through various non-profit organizations. Elizabeth and Caleb have been champions of our Critter Cam for Kids program through the Catalina Foothills School District and, again, a huge supporter of our internship program.
Elizabeth also contributed photos to our weekly A Dose of Desert Joy emails, including a wonderful series of photos highlighting a Gila monster that had taken up residence in her garden. During Covid, we exchanged emails about the wonderful native habitat she was nurturing in her garden, her artistic pursuits, and the joy and solace she found in the natural world. She and Caleb also participated in one of our Lighthawk flights and Elizabeth took photos of the Oracle Road wildlife crossings that we use in our communications to this day.
We will miss Elizabeth’s voice, heart, and spirit and remain grateful that she was part of the Coalition for so long.
Here are a few of Elizabeth’s photos that she shared with us over the years:
