The (COVID Compliant) SAS ANNUAL PICNIC AT HORSESHOE RANCH is Saturday May 1, 2021 from 7:30 AM to about 12 noon. We’ll be in the shade on the lovely campus of the Horseshoe Ranch complex using one of the houses—the cook shack — as our gathering place. HORSESHOE RANCH is an inholding owned by the AZ Game & Fish in the Agua Fria National Monument. The picnic gathering will be RAIN or SHINE!

DRIVING TO THE RANCH: Please be Covid Compliant. See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/community-based.html for the latest Covid measures from the CDC. Recommended: drive your own car to the ranch.

AT THE RANCH: Again, please be prepared to be Covid compliant—social distancing and masks when you are visiting neighboring picnic groups/pods that are not part of your household and, if for some reason, you might be inside a building.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES: SAS this year will NOT BE PROVIDING ANY provisions for the picnic; you must bring enough water, coffee, donuts, lunch, utensils and condiments for “breakfast”, “breaks” and “picnic lunches” for yourself or your household group/pod… and your lawn chairs and binoculars. NO POT LUCK: YOUR PICNIC is truly “yours”: Some may feel the need to bring something for others to eat or taste—thanks but no thanks….really.

The Bird Watching: Start time: 8:00-8:30 AM: in groups of 3-5 persons maintaining social distancing and wearing masks — for when you get too close to others while checking out a “rare” bird—. You’ll be able to meander around the property and potentially walk to the ford over the Agua Fria River or down/ up the river a bit. We are not formally announcing any guides; once you get to the ranch on May 1st, small informal groups are likely to form around an SASer who knows the area and the birds. Please keep these groups to a family group or a small “pod” of no more than ten persons wearing masks.

Around the Ranch Easy Walking OR The Big Sit Not-A-Walk: Yep: around the Ranch—big trees full of birds… A Golden Eagle flew right over a few years ago! And three years ago, we had the Long-Billed Curlew in the field next to the picnic area lawn…all day. Bring your lawn chairs & look for birds from your catbird’s seats. Little exertion required.

Bring your boots, hats, sun screen and binocs!… There will be Plants for Birds raffles courtesy of Jim Consolloy and SAS’ fabulous intern Kaylee Delcid.

AZ GAME & FISH: SAS is grateful to the AZ Game & Fish—especially to Kelly Wolff— and to the new manager at Horseshoe Ranch whom we will be meeting there, for their hospitality.

Directions to Horseshoe Ranch: Drive north toward Flagstaff on Route 17 out of Phoenix to the Bloody Basin Road exit #259 about 50-60 miles from Phoenix. Drive EAST on BB Road for six miles. The dirt road is OK for regular cars; just go slow in some places as there may be rough spots with all the rain lately. As you come over the rise at about Mile 6 and see the Upper Agua Fria River/big trees below in the valley you will also see the Ranch complex across the river. Turn LEFT into the Ranch Road, drive OVER (through!) the stream (yes, it is the river) and up into the Ranch yard to park.

RSVP BY THURSDAY APRIL 29th to Karen 602-809-3360 (LEAVE MESSAGE) or [email protected] OR to Donna, [email protected]. SAS must have an accurate count of attendees and everyone’s names. YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS LOOKS FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE! PLANTS FOR BIRDS RAFFLE AND PICNIC IN THE SHADE….