A Perfect Tribute Enhances Tucson Bird Alliance's Nature Shop Garden

Earlier this summer, the front yard at Tucson Bird Alliance's downtown Nature Shop got a very special upgrade. Tucson Bird Alliance member Damiana Cohen generously donated a lovely bench for the yard. The bench now provides a place for visitors to sit, relax, and enjoy the plants in the yard and the many different birds that visit this urban habitat. The story behind the bench adds to its poignancy.

Damiana envisioned the bench as a way for her and her children to commemorate Damiana's parents. The bench is a memorial to Augusta and Lester Cohen, who tragically died on June 10th, 2013. As Damiana shared, "The bench is a perfect tribute to them, as they were lovers of nature, gardens, and birds. They took great delight in watching birds at their feeders in their beautiful backyard. We wish to remember them with peace and beauty, which is exactly how the garden at Tucson Bird Alliance feels."

Damiana is a Tucson Bird Alliance member who really became involved with TBA when she took Lynn Hassler's Backyard Birding & Beyond class at Tucson Bird Alliance last spring. Lynn, Tucson Bird Alliance instructor, author, and gardener extraordinaire, has been the leading force behind the transformation in the garden at the Nature Shop. You can read more about Lynn's endeavors as the spotlight volunteer in the current issue of the Vermilion Flycatcher. A big thanks goes to Lynn for working closely with Damiana to realize this vision.

Damiana not only generously funded the bench, she was passionately involved in every step of the process. She worked with Lynn and Tucson Bird Alliance staff to determine the best bench, taking aesthetics, fabrication materials, and comfort into consideration. The result, a bench from Zona Fountains, is attractive, comfortable, a perfect complement to the landscape, and a lasting memory.

Damiana, thank you for this gift, it will be enjoyed by nature lovers for years to come.