(Tom) This week on Arizona Illustrated, a desert oasis in the middle of the city celebrates 40 years.

(Janel) I think that that is the ultimate gift so the rest of us could enjoy what is so unique and special.

(Tom) Get out and visit Tucson's outdoor art galleries while the weather's nice.

(Alfonso) It's just a huge fusion of how you think that makes Tucson what it is, especially here in Bario Viejo.

(Tom) Some advice on what to do if you see a rattlesnake this year.

(Christopher) There's a healthy respect for them.

They're not my friends.

I don't pick them up, I don't pet them.

I respect what they do and I hope they leave me alone too.

(Tom) And remembering a Tucson icon, Tiger.

(John) I work with this guy.

He's so iconic.

He knows everything.

He's seen it all.

Hello and welcome to Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara.

Spring has sprung in the Sonoran Desert and today we're joining you from beautiful Tohono Chul Park in the middle of the city.

Now this community oasis was originally dedicated 40 years ago on April 19th of 1985.

♪ UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC (Jamie) I call it a mosaic of experiences.

You know, we have beautiful gardens, we have a restaurant, we have an art gallery.

We really have kind of all the best of Tucson in one place.

And we have 49 acres, so you can actually feel like you're escaping the kind of urban pressures.

(Suzie) My folks bought this place.

When they were looking for a house that was bigger than what we had before because they had adopted another child and needed more rooms.

It was all natural desert.

You don't have any of the botanical garden aspect at all at the time you were growing up.

(Jamie) There was a family here called the Wilsons.

They were approached by developers in the 80s when growth was coming this way.

And they said, "No, we want to create this for future generations so that they can appreciate the Sonoran Desert, escape for a few hours, and maybe learn something in the meantime."

(Suzie) I don't remember the year, but what is now the Foothills Mall, the person who built that, wanted to buy this piece of property to put the Foothills Mall on.

And my parents wanted this kept open space, so they said, "No, we're not going to sell it."

And the developer told them that he would buy my mother a piece of property anywhere she wanted if she would sell this land to him.

And she just said, "Nope."

And I'm actually going to turn it into a park, which she did.

I grew up here since the 1960s until I graduated from college.

In the end there were six kids, so I imagine it was chaotic.

And we kids just played a lot.

It was really fun.

Of course, the desert surrounded us, so that was nice.

We could just go out and be wild.

We played a lot in this courtyard, all of us.

There's a stairway going up to the roof over on the other side, which we used every day because we flew the flag and needed to put it up and take it down.

And there was a little deck on the roof, too, where sometimes we would sleep outside.

At one point I remember my sister and I setting up jumps and pretending to be horses running around.

These tiles, this little bench area, was like this when I was a kid with these tiles.

What used to be my parents' room is now the gift shop.

That gift shop actually extends into the two bedrooms for my brothers along this side of the house.

You know, now I go in and I really feel at home because so much of it is still the way it was when we were growing up.

(Todd) It's really been fun to be part of the growth of this from the very beginning.

But truly one of the most fun things is when we bring people for lunch at the bistro and Suzie will be telling a friend, "This is my bedroom."

Whoever hears that wants to hear more of that story.

That's just really delightful.

I think when people know that something like this came into effect because of the generosity of specific people, I think that's a great message.

It's fun to help tell that story.

(Janel) I think that that is the ultimate gift so the rest of us could enjoy what is so unique and special.

And that act of generosity, in my humble opinion, generates other acts of generosity.

And as you go through the park or preserve, you will see sculptures that have been left for us, things that have been left for us as acts of generosity, understanding that the Wilsons gave the original amount to us.

We weren't brought up to think of that as our money.

This was their land.

And we wanted it preserved too.

We did not want what was our childhood home to be turned into a mall.

It would have been really, really depressing.

So the kids were totally fine with it.

That was not an issue.

I was always worried that he wasn't going to be able to get off the ground because this was quite a while back and it was really pretty remote.

Not so much now.

There's lots and lots of neighbors.

But at the time I was thinking, how do we get people out here to actually come and see it?

How do we get it known at the time?

We're trying to create plans that outlast us.

Really, the future stewards are the little kids running around here today.

♪ ORCHESTRAL MUSIC SWELL For more information about this park and its 40th anniversary, visit tohonochul.org And if you stick around till the end of the show, we'll be interviewing their CEO, Jamie Maslyn Larson about this important milestone.

Spring is a season for growth, flowers, blooms, and of course, rattlesnakes as they emerge from their winter slumber.

This next story highlights this often misunderstood species' importance to our ecosystem and why you should be careful around but not afraid of them.

(Narrator) Hummingbirds and other popular colorful birds or butterflies are often called beautiful, brilliant and even mystical.

Big horn sheep and other well liked mammals are cute, energetic and cuddly.

[ SNAKE RATTLE ] But when it comes to snakes, specifically rattlesnakes and other venomous creatures the descriptions can be very divergent.

Aggressive, dangerous, slimy and scary usually come to mind.

(Smith) The list of rattlesnake myths and just snake myths in general is endless.

(Narrator) For Jeff Smith and Melissa Amarillo myths perceptions and negative attitudes make up some of the biggest roadblocks they encounter in their quest to protect rattlesnakes and related reptiles.

(Smith) It's a diamondback.

(Narrator) Amarillo and Smith are the founders of Advocates For Snake Preservation.

A group that promotes conservation and coexistence with snakes.

(Smith) We have a western diamondback rattlesnake that was moving across the trail.

He was maybe five to 10 yards in front of me.

And he gave me just a little warning rattle, a really slow kind of tail shake, and then continued to move up into the weeds here and just coiled up at the base of this tree.

That's very typical behavior for a rattlesnake it doesn't want to be in the way.

It gave me a warning that it was there and just got out of my way as quick as it could.

Alright, I'd love to see a black tail.

This is another western diamondback.

So this is a female.

(Narrator) Amarillo believes snakes definitely need a break They've been cast as villains or malicious animals for centuries (Amarillo) A lot of us grew up with that story from the bible of Adam and Eve and all evil basically came from this one individual snake, or the devil, looking like a snake, but the snake very much embodies evil.

Most people are scared of snakes.

For a lot of people this turns into just an outright hatred, and that in many places has turned into persecuting snakes.

(Narrator) And this includes events such as rattlesnake roundups which attract tourists and their money to communities across the country.

The reptiles are intentionally gathered and frequently exterminated.

(Amarillo) We don't have large festivals where people collect thousands of tigers for instance and kill them for entertainment and profit.

But that's something that happens every year in the U.S. with rattlesnakes.

We want them to be give a fair shake, if you will for a rattlesnake.

(Narrator) Amarillo says rattlesnakes are not out to kill us because we are not their prey.

They would never be able to eat a human being, although they can strike if you get too close.

Step on them or try to handle them.

Many animals will hunt rattlesnakes for food including eagles, roadrunners, bobcats and coyotes.

And the snake tries to protect itself.

(Vincent) So right there is where a little cotton rat lives in here.

And this is where the snakes will go, frequent these areas to try to get the creature.

(Narrator) Christopher Vincent and his partner Mary Ellen Landon are also supportive of respecting snakes.

(Vincent) So when people are worried about snakes by their home, as long as they don't create an environment for them they won't be right next to their house.

(Narrator) Vincent and Landon operate Wow Arizona, a nonprofit origination north of Tucson that focuses on getting people outside to enjoy the environment.

For them there is no good species, or bad species.

Rattlesnakes are just a natural part of the local landscape.

(Vincent) I think that they all belong here.

There's no deep religious or philosophical aspect, just watching how they all work together.

One is prey for another is prey for another.

Taking photos of little insects, then you blow them up and there's an insect parasitizing that.

(Narrator) Vincent and Landon have even named their resident rattlesnakes.

(Vincent) Pretty Brow Floyd.

George, or Sazusa.

Or Cartman's our biggest favorite.

He's big and fat and healthy.

(Narrator) The reptiles are not pets however, and they are still treated as the wild animals that they are.

Human paths are cleared for visibility and guests are reminded to stay alert and keep their distance.

(Vincent) There's a healthy respect for them.

They're not my friends, I don't pick 'em up, I don't pet 'em.

I respect what they do and I hope they leave me alone too.

(Narrator) By using science and education Amarillo also hones in on respect, awareness and being cautious around snakes.

Don't approach them or harass them she says to captive audiences.

(Amarillo) I don't want to call it licking 'cause it doesn't feel like it.

He's sniffing is what he's doing.

(Narrator) She's equipped with a group of non-venomous gentle snakes that don't mind handling and rattlesnakes that remain in their enclosure.

Those are for looking, not for touching.

(Amarillo) A good rule of thumb, even though, you know snakes are nice, I want you guys to like snakes, I want you to appreciate snakes, but because we do live someplace where we do have snakes that can potentially hurt you and it's really painful and really expensive if it happens, if you don't know 100% sure what it is and your parents aren't there to also tell you it's okay, don't pick them up.

- My take on snakes, if they hold 'em it's good.

I don't know that I wanna hold 'em.

It's okay with me.

They don't bother me, I don't want one in my house but I think it's very educational.

I think it's really good for us to learn all about 'em.

Learn everything we can about 'em.

The way she was holding him, it opened my eyes a little bit.

(Narrator) Advocates for snake preservation admit it isn't always an easy sell.

They cannot rely on a fluffy black and white panda as a mascot for example or a bold vermilion fly catcher which appears so pleasant to a lot of people.

Still the advocates take their message wherever possible because if snakes can thrive in healthy habitats they say, other creatures, including humans will also do well.

(Amarillo) I have loved snakes since I was a little kid, but for awhile I worked with birds.

I worked with peregrine falcons, I worked with California condors and I came back to snakes because I thought they really needed someone.

You know, even among scientist snakes are not as popular to study, but you know, snakes don't have an advocate.

I know I'm not gonna turn everyone into snake obsessed crazies like me, but I think we can all respect them and appreciate them and just, you know, let 'em do their thing like every other animal that's here.

While the weather is nice this time of the year, it's also a good time to take in some of Tucson's ever expanding murals.

So next, artist, gardener and social media star Alfonso Chavez takes us on a tour of some of his favorites.

(Alfonso) I don't even know the first time that I noticed it.

I mean, it's such a prominent thing in the community.

and I feel like I've been around it so long.

It's just like part of the experience.

This piece was painted by Martin Moreno.

This itself was a community project that was done with a lot of local youth, painted at sometime in the '80s.

And then it was repainted in 2011.

My name is Alfonso Chavez.

I go by Fonz520, I'm a local artist, muralist, community organizer.

The imagery of industrialization.

But at the same time, it's coming from, Quetzalcoatl which represents knowledge.

And it's also like a very prominent part of our pre-colonial history.

It's just a huge fusion of everything that makes Tucson what it is, especially here in Barrio Viejo.

So this is another original from Martin Moreno, same artist that painted the one that we saw at the Pilita Center, except this isn't the one that we're here to see today.

This is a mural that we're here to see.

This was originally painted by David Tineo as well as his collective and some community folks and restored by myself and a few of my good friends.

We included around 15 community youth specifically from this area.

The whole reason why the El Rio community center even exists is through a series of protests that took place in West Tucson.

There was no sidewalks in that area.

There were no parks.

There was no place for community to gather.

This is relevant to the petroglyphs and the hieroglyphs.

We've always told our stories through writing on walls.

David Tineo is one of those iconic figures that I grew up seeing.

When he reached out to me, it's a really humbling experience to be recognized by someone that you look up to like that.

This is a mural that's painted by Jonny Bubonik.

He uses vibrant colors and he uses neon paint.

And he's an aerosol artist.

First of all, I'm like a huge hip-hop head.

And so I think it's cool that a piece like this exists in Tucson Andre 3000 actually started a clothing brand based off of these messages.

And all of the proceeds went to BLM.

The murals that we saw have a lot to do with like the native Chicano community here in Tucson.

And this is more for like the Black community.

And so you're getting all these modern twists and different cultural implications that are telling the story of what's going on right now.

A lot of the stories that our murals tell are what are considered counter narratives to the dominant, which we often hear.

This is our way of telling our own story and telling our own messages and our own lived experiences.

Next, you'll meet one of the most iconic people we have ever featured on our program.

Tom Ziegler, more commonly known as Tiger, started bartending in the taproom at Hotel Congress way back in 1959.

And he witnessed downtown Tucson transform many, many times over the decades.

[ BUS ENGINE RUNNING ] (Richard) We've been true and authentic to what we are, forever, and that's why we remain relevant.

As I sit here and look across the street and look at the Rialto, which is a wonderful venue and a great asset for the community, I think about the fact that it was boarded up.

Congress Street was largely boarded up.

We've been here now operating the hotel for 32 years.

♪ LIGHTHEARTED PIANO MUSIC And Tiger was here, Tiger is the constant.

I can't imagine him not being here.

(Tiger) Here you go.

(Customer) Thank you, Sir.

(Tiger) Thank you.

You want an orange this morning?

(Customer) No, thank you.

(Tiger) It's good for you, vitamin C. (Customer) That's quite all right.

(Tiger) How about licorice, no?

(Richard) I've never known him as anything but the most polite, sweet, and sincere man.

(Tiger) There you are, young man.

(Customer) Thank you, Sir.

(Tiger) I'm not Frank Sinatra, I do it the customer's way.

They're number one, my boss told me, you better be nice to your customers.

My favorite's my Bloody Mary, I like my Bloody Mary.

We make everything from scratch, we don't have any premix.

[ ICE CLICKING AGAINST GLASS ] We had Coors and Bud I believe on tap, 15 cents a mug and a quarter for a pint of beer then.

Well, I'm pouring a beer and I hear a scream, I turn around, I see this guy that just came in had his hands on this lady's breast.

I dropped my beer and I come over and I said, "Mister, there's two doors, there's one there and there's one there, and I suggest you get out, and I mean now."

Well, he could of plunked me with one hand but my friends were all, it was crowded.

He meekly walks out the door.

My boss says, "Go get 'em, Tiger!"

And the moral of the story is any single lady, or any lady coming in this bar is not gonna be bothered.

That's the story.

Most people don't even know my name is Tom Ziegler, they call me Tiger.

What's my name?

(Man) Hey, Tiger!

(Tiger) How are you doing?

(Man) Not bad, how are you?

(Tiger) Okey dokey.

♪ LIGHTHEARTED MUSIC ♪ I graduated in '51 in Iowa.

This man owned this Adams Company, it was a big company, and he didn't want a female for a secretary.

The wife said that he was flirting with her, so he hired me and I worked one year, and they treat me darn good.

And so after the year, I got a week's vacation.

So, my aunt and uncle had moved out to Tucson, she said come out for a week.

I come out for a week in 1952 and I'm still here.

(John) You took the train way.

(Tiger) I did take the train, yeah.

(John) And you got off right here?

(Tiger) And I got off here and the first place that my aunt and uncle they picked me up, come in here, I got a coke, I got a beer.

(John) That's the first place he went to Tucson was right here.

Right off the train.

(Tiger) It was very convenient.

(John) Well, yeah.

(Tiger) But this is all the same as when I first come here and all the pictures and is the same you know.

Pete Martinez was the painter.

He stayed upstairs in the hotel as a guest.

♪ SOFT JAZZY MUSIC (John) I'd never been to Tucson, I moved here, one of the first places I came, just like Tiger, was right here into the Tap Room.

And I walked in and he was bartending.

He looked like he does now.

(Richard) Tiger is unchanged and almost ageless.

♪ PLAYFUL JAZZY MUSIC (John) When I pull up and I see him out here having a cigarette, I get the biggest smile everyday because I'm like, I work with this guy, he's so iconic.

He knows everything, he's seen it all.

(Tiger) Yes, I've heard a lot of stories, good and the bad, and the ugly, and you gotta tell somebody sometimes.

I can't tell you how many stories.

They're private, they trust the bartender.

(Tiger) I'm coming.

♪ I just need to keep my whistle wet ♪ (Richard) The regulars are lifetime regulars.

People come in day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, and they pass through and some pass on.

But once again, Tiger's the constant, and that's why the Tap Room really had a name change on his 80th birthday, it became Tiger's Tap Room.

(John) His 80th birthday was beautiful.

This place was packed.

All these people who spend decades of partying at Congress were all here for him.

He was overwhelmed a little bit.

Everyone hugging him, it cracked me up that he got so many cases of Milwaukee's Best for his birthday, it was bizarre.

(Tiger)I have two Milwaukee's Best Ice when I get home at night and that's all I drink, when I leave the bar.

I could drink all night, people offer me beer, no thank you.

I go home, it's a 10 minute drive to my apartment and I get my PJ's on and have my food and dinner and watch TV, and have my two Milwaukee's Best, that's it.

(Customer #2) Just don't take a sip of it, that's mine.

(Tiger) Can I pour it on your head?

[ LAUGHING ] I've kind of matured in my gambling.

Those darn lottery tickets, ugh!

In fact, I bought two this morning, so we'll see what happens tonight.

You look like a, you know Tony Curtis maybe a little bit.

[ LAUGHING ] ♪ LIGHTHEARTED PIANO MUSIC ♪ I love my place.

I'm happy right where I'm at.

I don't wanna sit at home in a rocking chair.

It's great getting old, I love it!

I don't like the gray hair but that's okay too, alright that's nothing I can do anything about.

♪ SOFT RELAXING MUSIC ♪ LIGHTHEARTED PIANO MUSIC Tom "Tiger" Ziegler died on December 21, 2024, at the age of 91.

He's being remembered for his kindness, discretion, and charm, and for treating all people with respect and dignity.

Well, joining us now is the CEO of Tohono Chul Park, Jamie Maslyn Larson.

Jamie, congratulations on a 40-year anniversary.

What does that mean to the park?

What does that mean to this community?

In 1985, our world was incredibly different.

That's when Tohono Chul was founded.

We didn't have cell phones.

We didn't have technology.

Kind of constantly at us.

And this was meant to be a place where people could escape, and that is so much more meaningful now more than ever.

Isn't it?

Yeah.

What do you see with people?

What do you hear from them when they come here to escape?

(Jamie) People love being in nature.

They just love the tranquility.

The beauty of the Sonoran Desert is always kind of changing and unfolding and mysterious.

They also love to be together with each other, experiencing it here.

This is a place that people can leave their cares behind and just be together in this beautiful Sonoran Desert.

A real oasis is our area becomes more and more city-fied, isn't it?

Yeah, and that was the vision of the Wilsons.

They were approached by a developer to sell this land.

They said, "Nope, we're going to keep this for future generations."

And what to me is so visionary and relevant to our 40th anniversary is how much the city has grown and how Tohono Chul is now really surrounded by development and so accessible to so many people.

So how could they have seen what I think of it very much like Central Park of Tucson.

(Tom) Right.

Right.

(Jamie) Coming from New York, it was really an icon for New York City, and I feel like Tohono Chul is coming into its own as being an icon for Tucson.

You know, the park is such a great place.

It speaks for itself.

But how are you marking the anniversary, you know, as far as events and history and things like that?

We want to keep things simple and non-commercial here.

We're going to have a community day where we celebrate music, food, culture of Tucson.

Just a simple gathering where people come together and really celebrate the simple joys of living here in this great city.

You have a very deep, solid, professional background that lends itself so well to Tohono Chul Park as a landscape architect.

So what do you have in mind now going forward from that 40th anniversary for this place?

There are a lot of pressures on our gardens and our landscapes because of lack of water, extreme heat.

So we're really focusing on making sure that we're planting plants now and trees that will be here for the next generation and the next generation.

Along with creating comfortable spaces for people to relax and hang out, you know, and just be immersed in this landscape, be together and enjoy this place.

Jamie, we do enjoy it.

We value this place.

And congratulations on the 40th anniversary.

And thank you.

(Jamie) Thank you.

Before we go, here's a snake peek at a story we're working on.

It's a different kind of nature here, and it makes me really appreciated.

Oh my God, so exciting when a roadrunner comes through.

That's going in the bushes, and I hate going in the bushes, so he knows that he has a little bit of freedom when I let him off the leash, but we're fenced in here.

How you doing?

Yes, look at you.

But I'm glad he gets to go out, you know, and not just keeping him indoors and relieve my guilt of having indoor cats.

Thank you for joining us for Arizona Illustrated here at beautiful Tohono Chul Park on their 40th anniversary.

I'm Tom McNamara.

I'm going to wander around a little bit.

See you next week.