SASers’ Annual Fall Picnic and BirdWalks at Horseshoe Ranch

Saturday, October 23, 2021: 8 AM to 1 PM

This popular brown bag and bird-walking event will take place on the lovely campus of the Horseshoe Ranch complex. HORSESHOE RANCH is an inholding in the Agua Fria National Monument owned by the AZ Game & Fish Dept. The ranch is about 65 miles north of the Phx Metro Area.

RSVP to Karen at [email protected] OR Donna at [email protected].

The Chapter Provides: Coffee and breakfast munchies courtesty of Andree’ Tarby will be available. For lunch, bring your own brown bags, water and your own drinks.

Bird Walk Guides: Bob McCormick “McBob” and Jim Consolloy plan to lead small groups to the upper Agua Fria River Important Bird Area and Silver Creek (McBob) and around the ranch birding spots (Jim).

What other items to Bring: BINOCULARS and CAMERAS! Lawn chairs if you want to do a “Big Sit”!! Some of the best bird sightings have been made from these chairs!

RAFFLE: Bird Friendly Plants, books, other items.

CAR POOLING: For those of you who have room in your cars to take riders to and from the picnic at Horseshoe Ranch, please contact Karen or Kathy with that information—see above e mails. We have SASers asking for rides right now and will put these folks in touch with you! Thanks.

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. Go partway down the hill, then Turn LEFT into the Ranch Road, drive OVER (through!) the stream (yes, it is the river) and up into the Ranch yard to park.

COVID PROTOCOLS: Please be reminded of COVID protocol from the US CDC as SAS will be observing these measures: go to the latest guidance https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/index.html . Generally said, on SAS in-person Field Trips, share rides with your family and/or others who have been fully vaccinated. For those who are not fully vaccinated, for everyone’s comfort, drive yourself; if not fully vaccinated but are car-pooling, mask up and maintain social distancing. For the un-vaccinated, the CDC says “get vaccinated”; for those in between 2-shot vaccination protocols and therefore not fully immunized, continue to mask up for these SAS Field Trips. And, for all of us, make sure your vehicle has good ventilation.