ARIZONA STATE PARKS: For Immediate Release
Managing and conserving Arizona’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people, both in our Parks and through our Partners. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Bilbrey at (602) 542-1996 or (602) 228-8518, or Monica Enriquez at (602) 542-6997. Contact by Email: pio(at)azstateparks.gov

Walks, Workshops and Tours at Oracle State Park

(Phoenix, Arizona - June 10, 2009) - Oracle State Park offers outdoor activities for the entire family in July 2009.

Friday, June 12: Astronomy Night with Starizona from 7:30-9:30 pm on the upper patio of the Kannally Ranch House. Starizona experts will be on hand with two telescopes to interpret the planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, moon views and constellations of the early summer skies. No reservation required. Free with park entrance fee ($5 per vehicle, summer fee). Family-friendly. Call (520) 896-2425. This event replaces the Evening Wildlife Walk previously scheduled on this day.

Saturday, July 11: Evening Guided Bird Walk from 6-8 pm with Audubon specialist Kathe Anderson. Meet at 5:30pm at the Kannally Ranch House for bird watching from the patios. Follow along on a bird walk from 6-8pm through the corrals, washes and trails of Oracle State Park, where you will see owl, woodpecker and hummingbird nests, warblers, flycatchers, hawks, towhees and more. Bring binoculars if you have a pair. Reservation preferred, please call (520) 896-2425 or by email: jenar2@azstateparks.gov.

Sunday, July 12: Morning Guided Bird Walk from 7-9 am with Audubon specialist Kathe Anderson. Go birding before breakfast. Meet at 7 am on the upper patio of the Kannally Ranch House for more bird identification with Anderson around the ranch house, corrals and trails of the park. Anderson is back by popular demand for these two back-to-back dusk and dawn bird walks, so take advantage of her rare visits to Oracle State Park. Binoculars help; Reservation preferred, please call (520) 896-2425. Free with park entrance fee, $5 per vehicle.

July date TBA: Mesquite Bean Harvesting Workshop. Help harvest ripe mesquite beans and learn how to preserve and store them for grinding into mesquite flour. Learn recipes for cooking with locally collected mesquite meal. This year's 10th Annual Fiesta de las Calabazas at Oracle State Park will feature wild foods, and a hammer-mill to grind your own mesquite beans into flour for home cooking use.

Ongoing Weekends: Historic Kannally Ranch House Guided Tours, each Saturday, Sunday and holiday, beginning at 10am and again at 2pm; 45-minute duration. The four- level Mediterranean revival style adobe ranch house was built from 1929-33 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours are scheduled by reservation, please call (520) 896-2425.

Oracle State Park Summer Open Hours Have Changed!
Oracle State Park is open Thursday through Monday, 7am-3pm. The park is closed to the public Tuesday and Wednesday (the main gate on Mt. Lemmon Road is locked). The American Avenue parking lot and trailhead remain open seven days, dawn to dusk. The park entrance fee through Labor Day is $5 per vehicle ($2 per person non-motorized entry on bicycle, horseback, or walk-in; kids free).

Oracle State Park is a 4,000 acre wildlife refuge in the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains. Once part of the Kannally family cattle ranch, the unique Mediterranean style ranch house in the park is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ranging from 3,700 to 4,600 feet in elevation, the surrounding landscape transitions from oak woodland to desert grassland, with sweeping views of the Catalinas and granite boulder outcrops to the south; and San Pedro River Valley and Galiuro Mountains to the north-east. The diverse vegetation, slope and elevation within the park provide habitat for a variety of animals. Oracle State Park offers day-use picnic sites and over 15 miles of trail for use by hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. A four-mile section of the Arizona Trail passes through the park, connecting Mexico to Utah. For more information, call (520) 896-2425.

For information about Arizona State Parks call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit the website at AZStateParks.com.

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Learn more about Oracle State Park (Learn More)

link to this page:
http://azstateparks.com/press/2009/PR_06-10-09.html

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