- Arizona hunting and fishing licenses now available online
- Williams Ranger District seeks public comment on Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment
- Recent condor mortalities used to expand conservation efforts
- Cowboys to show off their six-shooters at Winter Range
- Protect wildlife habitat when collecting shed antlers
- Senate confirms appointment of 35-year law enforcement veteran to commission
- Visit the International Sportsmen’s Exposition Feb. 26-28
- Public forums, open houses scheduled for 2010 fall hunting regulations
- Lend a hand at the Alamo Lake cleanup on March 6
- Get ready for family fun at the free Game and Fish Outdoor Expo
- Arizona Game and Fish Commission to meet on March 5
- Plan seeks to further recover endangered Sonoran pronghorn
- Come observe the release of California condors to the wild on March 6 in Arizona
- Tres Rios nature festival to be held at Estrella Mountain Regional Park
Arizona hunting and fishing licenses now available online
They’re back: Arizona hunting and fishing licenses are available online once again.
It’s simple and easy: just visit the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Web site at www.azgfd.gov to decide what license or license package suits you or your family best, and make the online purchase using your Visa or MasterCard from the convenience of your own home or office.
“It’s been a long time coming, but the timing is superb for hunting and fishing conditions,” said Game and Fish Deputy Director Bob Broscheid. “Our interior lakes are filling and spilling. There’s a lush green-up in the desert low lands. Plus we have a tremendous snow pack in the high country.”
A $1.50 Internet fee will be charged for buying a license online, which will pay for the service expense. Be sure to have a printer hooked up; you must print out the license you purchase online (color or black and white will work).
If you need help while purchasing the license online, telephone assistance is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling (602) 942-3000.
There are lots of hunting and fishing license options available, including some exceptional deals on Family Licenses. Be sure to shop online at "Buy a License" for the license package that works best for you.
You will also find lots of online help deciding where to go on your hunting or fishing adventures.
The Game and Fish Department’s Web site is full of where-to and how-to fishing and hunting information. In fact, you can even subscribe to the weekly Fishing Report or the Hunter Highlights e-news products and have them delivered directly to your computer.
Online license sales and other online services were suspended almost three years ago due to workload difficulties the former vendor experienced during the online big game draw process. There is no projected date for when the online hunt draw process will be available online again, although agency officials are actively working on the issue.
Williams Ranger District seeks public comment on Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment
The Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has released its Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment for public review and comment. The document and accompanying maps are available on the Kaibab National Forest Web site at http://fs.usda.gov/kaibab.
Forest managers are seeking input on the environmental assessment, which includes the proposed actions to improve the management of motorized vehicle use on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest. In addition to the Proposed Action (Alternative 2), the document includes descriptions of the other action alternatives that were developed.
The Williams Ranger District will host a community meeting on the Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment in order to provide an opportunity for the public to review information contained in the document, view large-scale maps of the proposed project, and submit comments. The meeting is scheduled for March 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Williams Recreation Center in downtown Williams, 301 Railroad Ave. A previous meeting was held in Williams on Feb. 24.
The public can also submit written, faxed or e-mailed comments to the Forest Service. All comments must be received by March 9. Written comments must be submitted to Martie Schramm, Williams District Ranger, 742 S. Clover Rd., Williams, AZ 86046 or by fax to (928) 635-5680. Hand-delivered comments must be submitted between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an e-mail message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to comments-southwestern-kaibab-williams@fs.fed.us.
Recent condor mortalities used to expand conservation efforts
After three years without a confirmed mortality from lead poisoning, three California condors have recently died from the biggest challenge to the species’ recovery. The condors, including a female and her chick from the previous year, were recovered by The Peregrine Fund.
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“While the deaths of a breeding female and her wild-hatched chick are a significant loss, condor conservation has been gaining ground since lead poisoning was first identified as a leading cause of mortality and we began to educate hunters about the effects of spent lead on condors,” said biologist Chris Parish, head of The Peregrine Fund’s condor recovery operation in Arizona. “But, as the condor recovery program progresses, new challenges have been identified.”
The three dead birds had been outfitted with tracking equipment that allowed field biologists to monitor daily movements. In recent years, that radio tracking data has identified increased use of southern Utah as a major foraging area for the flock.
“When we first reintroduced condors to northern Arizona in 1996, the birds primarily foraged closer to home,” said Parish. “Now that we have observed the condors expanding their range into Utah and foraging more frequently outside of the local release area, conservation partners are working with Utah and its hunters to reduce the amount of spent lead ammunition available to condors in gut piles and carcasses left in the field.”
The Peregrine Fund tries to capture all condors twice yearly to test for lead exposure, the leading cause of condor death. Birds with high blood lead concentrations are treated with chelation therapy to reduce the lead in their system. Condors are scavengers, and research in the last five years has proven that they consume tiny fragments of lead in the remains of gunshot animals.
To aid condor conservation, the Arizona Game and Fish Department started a non-lead ammunition outreach program in 2003 to hunters drawn for hunts in the condor’s core range. Surveys show that 85 percent of hunters took voluntary measures in 2009 to reduce the amount of available spent lead ammunition in the condor’s core range.
Now the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is implementing a similar program for hunters on the Zion unit in southwestern Utah.
“We’ve started educating our hunters about the effect that lead ammunition has on condors,” said Jim Parrish, nongame avian coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. “The next thing we’re going to do is give everyone who hunts on the Zion unit a coupon for a free box of non-lead ammunition.”
Condor conservation partners include The Peregrine Fund, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Wildlife in Need, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service.
For more information on condor conservation and non-lead ammunition, visit www.peregrinefund.org or www.azgfd.gov/condor.
Cowboys to show off their six-shooters at Winter Range
The Old West will come alive once again when more than 600 men, women and juniors gather for the 19th annual Winter Range hosted at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Ben Avery Shooting Facility from Feb. 24-28.
Winter Range is an exciting “Old West” style, five-day event that provides the backdrop for the Single Action Shooting Society’s National Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting. This annual event traditionally draws thousands of spectators and Old West enthusiasts.
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In addition to the competitive events, Winter Range will also feature displays of period militaria, exhibitions of western skills and crafts, and vendors purveying everything from period clothing to antiques and reproductions. Entertainment will be available in the form of a number of singers, cowboy bands, and the authentic history of gaming and masterful sleight of hand by the amazing Lafitte, Knight of the Green Cloth. A variety of food services are also available – from authentic chuck wagon cooking to hot dogs. This is an exciting event for the whole family.
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility is located in north Phoenix on Carefree Highway just west of I-17 (Exit 223). Daily event times are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Wednesday, Feb. 24 through Saturday, Feb. 27, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28. Admission is free, but parking is $5. While in the shooting areas, spectators will be required to wear eye protection (sunglasses and corrective glasses are acceptable) and ear protection is strongly suggested, especially for children.
For more information about Winter Range, visit www.winterrange.com.
Protect wildlife habitat when collecting shed antlers
This is the time of year when many people take to the field, scouring the countryside on foot or by vehicle, in hopes of finding freshly shed wildlife antlers or perhaps a carcass with antlers still intact. The competitive rush to be the first to find these antlers, and make a profit from them, results in several unethical or illegal activities that are of concern to Arizona Game and Fish Department officials.
Male deer and elk shed their antlers annually. Larger bull elk generally begin shedding their antlers the first part of March, while deer do their shedding about a month later in April. New antler growth begins almost immediately thereafter. A by-product of this natural cycle is that antlers have various commercial values. Antlers are used for arts and crafts such as earrings, necklaces and lamps.
“Antler collecting is a legal activity,” says Dan Dymond, law enforcement program manager in the Pinetop Game and Fish office. “However, one of the department’s primary concerns is an ever-increasing number of individuals who are no longer walking as they look for antlers. Instead, they’re driving four-wheel-drive vehicles or ATVs off-road, across the countryside, to aid them with their search.”
In sensitive habitat areas, such as alpine meadows and riparian areas, deep tire ruts, soil erosion, and other extensive damage can and frequently do occur because of this vehicular activity, especially after a wet winter such as this one. This type of habitat damage can take years to erase, and you can be cited for it, says Dymond.
“Actually, driving off-road on State Lands in search for antlers is not legal,” notes Dymond.
An additional concern of wildlife biologists is increased interactions between people and elk while the animals are on critical winter ranges. Forage quality this time of year is poor, yet elk are in a crucial developmental period. Bulls are still recuperating from the fall rut, and pregnant cows are entering their critical third trimester. The quality of their body condition at this time will result in either a good, healthy calf crop, or they will produce lower numbers of calves that may have a more difficult time surviving. As people encounter elk groups in the field and move them around, they increase the stress level of these animals.
“There are also increased incidences which involve people who are deliberately harassing bulls,” adds Dymond. “Animals are pursued either on foot, horseback, or with ATVs in hopes of causing them to knock their antlers off while escaping through the trees. This kind of behavior, besides being unethical, is illegal.”
The department is often asked if a person that finds a bull or buck carcass with the antlers still intact can legally cut the antlers off and keep or sell them.
“If the animal died of natural causes, permission can be given to keep or sell the antlers,” says Dymond. “However, the finder must first contact a local Game and Fish office to allow an officer to determine how the animal died before that individual can take legal possession of the antlers. Citations can be issued for possession of parts of an animal that died of unnatural causes.”
Please, do your part to ensure that antler collecting remains a legal activity in Arizona by following the set regulations in a responsible and ethical manner.
Senate confirms appointment of 35-year law enforcement veteran to commission
John Harris, the police chief of Sahuarita, Ariz., and a veteran reserve Arizona game ranger, has been appointed to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission by Gov. Jan Brewer.
On Feb. 16, the Arizona State Senate confirmed the nomination. Harris, a 35-year law enforcement veteran, will be filling the commission seat of outgoing commissioner Bob Hernbrode, who lives in Tucson.
In an interview following his confirmation, Harris said he has had phenomenal opportunities during his lifetime to experience the outdoors and participate in wildlife-related recreation. “My goal now is to ensure that my 22-year-old daughter and her future children are also able to have such experiences.”
Harris added that he wants to take the great things that have been done regarding wildlife and work to make them even better.
“There are always ways you can make improvements. But I have also learned that it’s always easy to come up with ideas while sitting on the sidelines, but you can see things differently once you are actually involved and learn more. I want to learn more before putting forth a lot of ideas.”
Harris has been a police chief for 15 years, serving two years in Pleasant Hill, Mo., eight years in Springfield, Ill., three years in Evanston, Wyo., and currently three years in Sahuarita.
Harris started his law enforcement career with the Tucson Police Department and he retired in 1993 after achieving the rank of assistant police chief. For 10 of those years he volunteered as a game ranger for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. On returning to Arizona in 2006, Harris was reinstated as a reserve game ranger and serves in that capacity in southern Arizona.
Wildlife and wildlife issues have been a lifelong passion for Harris. Along with professional experience and education, he has been very active in the conservation field. He is a life member of the National Rifle Association, the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, the Wild Sheep Foundation, the Grand Slam Club, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He is a member of the Arizona Antelope Foundation, the Safari Club International Arizona chapter, and the Mule Deer Foundation.
Harris is past president of both the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and the Wild Sheep Foundation. While serving as president of the Wild Sheep Foundation, Harris partnered with Warren Parker from Safari Club International and helped to start the United States Congressional Sportsman Caucus.
Harris holds a Master of Arts degree in criminal justice from Western Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona in public administration with the major field of study being law enforcement. He attended the 151st session of the FBI MLEEDS Executive Development program, the Illinois Law Enforcement Executive Institute, and the FBI’s Southwest Command College.
Harris will serve a five-year term on the Game and Fish Commission. The commission is comprised of five members (serving staggered five-year terms) appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. No more than one commissioner may be from any one county. No more than three may be from the same political party.
The commission is the civilian policy setting board overseeing the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Since its inception in 1929, this organizational structure has served as a buffer for the best interests of wildlife conservation during eight decades of back-and-forth political change.
Visit the International Sportsmen’s Exposition Feb. 26-28
Want to catch a fish, shoot a bow and arrow, see life wildlife, experience all of Arizona’s venomous reptiles, and shoot top-notch air guns?
If so, come to the International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) on Feb. 26-28 and visit the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s many activities and booths in the Youth Outdoor Fair section.
And right next door, the Dock Dogs Competition is back this year.
The 10th annual ISE show is Arizona’s largest fishing, hunting and outdoor travel event. Expo hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale (Glendale Avenue and Hwy 101).
General admission is $15 for adults, and free for children 15 years and under. Parking is free with paid admission.
Don’t miss your once-a-year chance to celebrate the outdoors with family and friends, capture show-priced bargains, and meet with guides, outfitters and experts from nearby and around the world.
See the newest hunting, fishing and outdoor equipment, find out about places to hunt and fish, hear from many outdoor experts during seminars throughout each day, and watch the experts test their skills in competitions.
Kids will have a blast participating in fishing and shooting sports at the Youth Outdoor Sports Fair, presented by the Game and Fish Department. The kids fishing tank will be loaded with trout for them to catch and release for free. For more information, go to www.sportsexpos.com
Public forums, open houses scheduled for 2010 fall hunting regulations
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is hosting a series of public forums followed by open houses across the state to allow constituents an opportunity to provide their input, learn about the process, and then see the preliminary hunt recommendation package before it is set by the commission in April.
“If you have ever wondered why the department recommended an increase or decrease in harvest in your favorite unit, these public forums offer that level of explanation,” said Brian Wakeling, chief of game management. “You will hear from a representative who has the knowledge from the survey data, hunter surveys, as well as the on-the-ground reports from wildlife managers.”
Wakeling added, “This improved hunt recommendation process allows us more flexibility in hearing from our constituents and making modifications, if they are warranted, before presenting the package to the commission.”
Each Arizona Game and Fish region will be hosting a public forum and providing details about the populations within their jurisdiction. This means that if you have interest in a particular unit, you will need to attend the public meeting in that region to discuss management direction.
Public forums will be held on the dates below:
- March 4 – 6-8 p.m. - Yuma regional office, 9140 E. 28th St.
- March 4 – 6-8 p.m. - Tucson regional office, 555 N. Greasewood Road
- March 8 – 3-5 p.m. - Flagstaff regional office, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road
- March 10 – 6-8 p.m. - Mesa regional office, 7200 E. University Drive
- March 15 – 6-8 p.m. - Pinetop regional office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
For those interested in attending the forum in Flagstaff, ask at the front counter about the meeting, and expect an informal atmosphere because of ongoing construction on the conference room at this location.
One public forum was already held in Kingman on Feb. 24.
The final draft of the hunt recommendations will be made available for public review through six regional open houses prior to being presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. No formal presentation will be made. However, a knowledgeable staff person will be available to discuss regional hunt recommendations.
A PDF version will be available at the Game and Fish Department's Web site beginning Saturday, April 3 at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.
Open houses will be held from 3-5 p.m. on the dates below:
- April 7 – Kingman regional office, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road
- April 12 – Pinetop regional office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
- April 12 – Flagstaff regional office, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road
- April 12 – Yuma regional office, 9140 E. 28th St.
- April 12 – Mesa regional office, 7200 E. University Drive
- April 14 – Tucson regional office, 555 N. Greasewood Road
Each year, the department makes recommendations to the commission regarding the management of game species for the annual hunting and trapping regulations, which establish the seasons, dates, bag limits, open areas, and hunt permit-tag allocations based on the framework of the hunt guidelines set by the commission every two years.
The final proposed recommendations will be presented to the commission for consideration during its April 16-17 meeting in Phoenix at the department headquarters at 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix (1.5 miles west of I-17). The agenda will be posted at www.azgfd.gov/commission under commission agenda.
Lend a hand at the Alamo Lake cleanup on March 6
A fishing hot spot needs your help – the Alamo Lake clean up is set for Saturday, March 6 starting at 8 a.m.
Arizona Game and Fish Department experts predict that this 2,500-surface-acre desert lake west of Wickenburg will be one of the state’s hottest fishing spots this year.
“The problem is, Alamo needs to be cleaned up,” said Wildlife Manager Stew Kohnke. “The solution? Come join the volunteers and department employees cleaning up the shoreline at the Alamo Lake Wildlife Area.”
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is holding its 11th annual Alamo Lake cleanup March 6 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. In the past 10 years, volunteers have picked up over 23 dump trucks full of trash from around Alamo Lake.
"Volunteers have removed everything from a kitchen sink to an old truck frame including the engine block," says Kohnke. "This is a great opportunity to give something back to a lake that so many people enjoy."
The department will provide boat transportation and trash bags for those who do not have them. The Alamo State Park will waive camp and launch fees for participants staying at the Cholla Campground Group Use Area. Registration begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and runs through March 6 at the group use area.
Get ready for family fun at the free Game and Fish Outdoor Expo
You and your family will want to mark your calendars now and make plans to attend one of Arizona’s largest outdoor expos.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo will be held Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, located off Carefree Highway just west of I-17 in Phoenix.
There will be activities galore for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages:
- See live wildlife demonstrations (hawks, owls, snakes, more)
- Take your kids to the huge catch-and-release fishing tank
- Test your skill at archery
- Try target shooting with different firearms on the range
- Hike a nature trail/field course
- See off-highway vehicle and boating exhibits
- View exciting demonstrations by the cowboy mounted shooters, cowboy action shooters and more
- Attend informative workshops on fishing, hunting, wildlife conservation
- Visit with exhibitors—sportsmen’s organizations, conservation groups, shooting clubs, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services
This is a great event to experience or learn more about the amazing outdoor recreational opportunities in Arizona. Outdoor recreation is an ideal way to spend quality time with family and friends.
Admission to the Expo and parking are free, but bring a little cash for snacks and drinks at the food court or to purchase ammunition (nominal fee) if you want try out firearms on the range.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is operated on a “user pay, user benefit” business model. The Outdoor Expo promotes wildlife-related and other outdoor activities to current and future customers who support the department’s mission and funding through their engagement in those activities. The department receives no Arizona tax dollars, and no tax dollars are used in conducting the Expo.
For more information about the Expo, visit www.azgfd.gov/expo.
Arizona Game and Fish Commission to meet on March 5
The next scheduled meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission is Friday, March 5 at the Game and Fish Department headquarters located at 5000 W. Carefree Highway in Phoenix (about 1.5 miles west of Interstate 17). The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. with an executive session, followed by the public session.
The public is encouraged to attend the commission’s meetings to learn more about management activities around the state, the challenges wildlife faces now and in the future, and opportunities for getting involved in conserving Arizona’s wildlife.
The public has three options for viewing the meeting: (1) attending the meeting in person in Phoenix; (2) viewing it via video stream at five of the six Game and Fish regional offices (Flagstaff is unavailable at this time due to office construction); or, (3) viewing it over the Web at www.azgfd.gov/commissioncam.
Those wishing to submit “blue slips,” to present oral comment during the meeting, must do so either in person at the Phoenix meeting or at one of the five regional Game and Fish offices that will be showing the video stream. For office addresses, visit www.azgfd.gov/offices.
The commission may vote to take action or provide the department with direction on the agenda items. A link to the complete agenda will be posted at www.azgfd.gov/commission.
Plan seeks to further recover endangered Sonoran pronghorn
On the brink of disappearing from the United States with only 21 animals remaining in 2002, the endangered Sonoran pronghorn population in the U.S. is growing. An estimated 68 animals grace the landscape, thanks in part to extensive cooperative management efforts, captive breeding, irrigation for forage, and protection from predation. Now, the species is ready for the next step — recovery.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted an environmental assessment (EA) as part of the process to establish a second U.S. population into its historical habitats of southwestern Arizona. The two areas being considered are in the King Valley of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (Kofa NWR) and the Barry M. Goldwater Range-East (BMGR-E).
To allow for greater management flexibility in the reintroduction effort, the plan proposes that these new populations be designated as “experimental, nonessential populations” as classified under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act.
A public meeting was held in February on the experimental population designation, but the public can submit comments on the proposals until April 5, 2010 by:
- U.S. mail: Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Attention: Refuge Manager, 1611 N. Second Ave., Ajo, AZ 85321.
- Fax: (520) 387-5359
- E-mail: James_Atkinson@fws.gov
- Online: www.regulations.gov, reference document id FWS-R2-ES-2009-0077
The draft environment assessment for establishing additional locations and the Federal Register listing proposing the populations as experimental are available for review at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Library under “documents added within last 90 days” or by contacting the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge at (520) 387-6483.
“10(j) designation goes a long ways towards facilitating the actual release of animals on the ground,” said Eric Gardner, nongame branch chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “The experimental designation allows a more collaborative approach, garners support, and helps develop partnerships between stakeholders, landowners, and other federal, state and local officials.”
Previous reintroduction efforts of endangered species using 10(j) classification include the black-footed ferret and the California condor.
Gardner added, “Multiple populations for a species are critical to recovery efforts and are more desirable than one population because they help prevent a single regional catastrophic event (e.g., disease, weather events, high predation rate) from causing the entire species or population to disappear from an area or altogether become extinct.”
For a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fact sheet on experimental populations, visit www.fws.gov/southwest/docs/ES10jFactSheet.pdf.
To learn more about the Sonoran pronghorn, one of five subspecies of the American pronghorn, visit the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Web site at www.azgfd.gov.
Come observe the release of California condors to the wild on March 6 in Arizona
Two California condors will be released to the wild in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 6. The public is welcome to observe the release from a viewing area where spotting scopes will be set up and experts will be available to answer questions.
This will be the 15th annual public release of condors in Arizona since the recovery program began in 1996. Condors are hatched and reared in captivity at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Idaho and transported to Arizona for release to the wild.
Currently, 74 condors are flying free in the Grand Canyon region. The world’s total population of endangered California condors is 348, with 186 of them in the wild in Arizona, Utah, California and Mexico. Condors were reduced to just 22 individuals in the 1980s when a program was begun to save the species from extinction.
To view the condor release, drive north on Highway 89 out of Flagstaff. Turn left (west) onto Highway 89A toward Jacob Lake and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Drive about 40 miles past Marble Canyon until you turn right onto House Rock Valley Road (BLM Road 1065). Travel about three miles to a shaded viewing area on the right. On top of the cliffs to your east will be the location where the condors are released.
Tres Rios nature festival to be held at Estrella Mountain Regional Park
The Tres Rios Nature and Earth Festival will be held March 6-7 this year at Estrella Mountain Regional Park. Heavy runoff from this winter’s rainstorms have made the usual site near Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) temporarily unusable.
"We regret having to move the festival at this late date, but our usual site was not conducive to hosting a safe and comfortable venue for this great event," said Tom Hildebrandt of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, chair of the Tres Rios steering committee.
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Attendees will continue to enjoy a wide variety of activities, including hiking, bird watching, kids' fishing and nature areas, educational and entertaining booths, great music from the Back Porch Bandits, plus quality food and drink booths.
From central Phoenix, Estrella Mountain Regional Park is reached by taking I-10 west to Estrella Parkway. Take the parkway south to Vineyard Ave., and then turn left to the park entrance on the right side. For more information, visit www.tresriosnaturefestival.com or call (623) 932-2260.