Cactus Rescue

Activities Schedule
Crew costs for rescue plants

Native Cactus Rescue Lead: Donna Ellis

Email

Urban Cactus Rescue Lead: Julie Shulick

Email

People planting a tall cactus in a desert landscape with sandy ground, trees, and a blue sky.
“When we have the opportunity to rescue saguaros, everybody feels so good about it because they’re not going to be destroyed.”
— Richard "Dick" Wiedhopf, President of Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society
Native Cactus Rescue
Urban Cactus Rescue
FAQs
Activities Schedule

Native Cactus Rescue

The Native Cactus Rescue program salvages native plants in undisturbed areas undergoing development.

  • Public utilities - Gas, Water, Electric, etc.

  • Road construction

  • Schools

  • Home builders

  • Davis Monthan Air Force Base

  • Mines & Quarries

  • Tribal land

  • Private land owners

  • AZ Sonora Desert Museum

  • Our work crew volunteers dig up and move the cacti out of harm’s way. Some plants go home with the volunteers, some are transplanted to Pima Prickly Park, and the rest are sold at our plant sales.

    Our efforts are supplemental to the on-site preservation that may be required by development permits and Native Plant Protection Ordinances (NPPO). 

    By selling our rescued cactus at reasonable costs to the public, we not only save these native plants, but encourage homeowners to use native plants in their landscapes, saving water, and preserving our Southern Arizona plant gene-pool.       

    Proceeds of sales and silent auctions support TCSS’s many educational and conservation programs and activities.

Native Plant Rescue Training, Calendar, and Volunteering pages

Activities Schedule
Two rescue workers with yellow helmets and orange vests植ration digging near a desert plant in a rocky landscape.

Rescue volunteers digging a Sotol (Desert Spoon).

Four volunteers, one on a ladder, wrapping a saguaro with carpet.

Wrapping a saguaro in preparation for digging.

People planting a large cactus in desert soil, some wearing safety vests and equipment, under a clear blue sky.

Triple saguaro fully wrapped and ready to dig.

Three men in orange vests labeled 'TCSS CACTUS RESCUE' planting a cactus in desert terrain, with bushes and a partly cloudy sky in the background.

Volunteers carrying a saguaro out of the rescue area.

Volunteers lifting a saguaro onto the trailer to be tagged and taken to Pima Prickly Park or to sell in one of the club’s many public sales.

Always have to look for the hidden treasures!

Urban Cactus Rescue

The Urban Cactus Rescue program works to save cacti and succulents at the request of homeowners.

  • The cactus rescue program often gets call from homeowners wishing to donate cacti. These donations are often the result of plants that have outgrown their space or are located in a place where a home remodel or landscape change might otherwise destroy the plants.

    The Urban Rescue team determines what plants will benefit the club and are able to be rescued safely with the equipment and volunteers available.

    We also re-home special collections (in pots or in the landscape) where the homeowner is moving and would like to donate their collection to be cared for by members who love cactus and succulents. These are often considered special rescues and may lead to a club silent auction of the plants.

    Proceeds of sales and silent auctions support our many educational and conservation programs and activities.

Urban Plant Rescue Training, Calendar, and Volunteering pages

Activities Schedule
Desert yard with of several large barrel cacti, tall saguaro cacti, pink flowering shrub, gravel ground, and a beige house in the background.
Close-up of a large, round cactus in a desert landscape with scattered rocks and other cacti in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Collection of various small cacti and succulents in terracotta and plastic pots, arranged on a metal surface with a backdrop of a light-colored wall and large prickly pear cactus.

A collection of donated cacti and succulents.

Close-up of a cactus with multiple green pads covered in long white spines in a desert garden setting.

A special prickly pear cactus rescued.

Desert landscape with cactus, drought-tolerant plants, and a house with a window, in a sunny setting.

A saguaro growing too close to the house.

Two volunteers in orange vests working together to move a large cactus away from a tree using a hand truck in a desert landscape.

Volunteers planting the Crazy Saguaro donated to Pima Prickly Park.

Frequently Asked Questions

Large saguaro cactus growing next to a beige brick wall in a desert yard, with pots and a small cactus plant nearby, under a partly cloudy sky.

  • Suh WAHR oh

  • Well, it depends. A saguaro growing in the open desert grows slowly depending on our yearly rainfall. A saguaro growing in a landscape can grow much faster since it can get more water from other sources, like, a nearby drip system, a neighbor’s grass, or runoff from your roof.

  • We limit the height of saguaros to about 7 or 8 feet depending on the diameter. They are very heavy at the height and become dangerous to rescue and to sell.

  • We rescue cacti for many different reasons. We work with Pima County, Tucson Electric Power Co., developers and many other companies. When areas are being developed the companies may call us to remove Native Cacti that are in the way and could be damaged or destroyed.

  • We accept cacti and succulents on a case by case basis. If you can email us photos of what you would like to donate that will help determine if we can rescue it.

  • Sometimes. It depends on the variety and condition. Contact us and send us a photo to get a better idea.

  • Sorry, you will need to hire a landscaper for moving your cacti. We only take saguaros as donations.

  • We often plant the donated cacti we rescue in Pima Prickly Park located at 3600 W River Road in Tucson, AZ. Sometimes very beautiful specimens are added to our Sales area for upcoming public sales.

  • The Cactus Rescue Program is a free service. We do not charge for donated cacti. The costs of running the Rescue Programs are offset by the sales of rescue cacti and monetary donations. We will gladly take monetary donations in any amount.

  • Arizona Native plants are protected. When TCSS is called to rescue saguaros or other native plants, the correct tags and permits are acquired to comply with State laws.

    AZDA Native Plant Rules

  • We don’t judge. People want to donate their cacti for many reasons. We live in the desert and we all know it saves water to plant native species, but many of us have non-native plants in our own landscapes.

Committees & Programs