COVID-friendly Desert Awareness program was launched at North Ranch.
2020 Activities
North Ranch Escapees Hangouts group helped cleanup nearly a ton of trash from the Hassayampa River/Box Canyon Corridor. Cleanups are part of WCF's Clean and Beautiful program to keep our desert clean. Escapees also helped rehab the Morristown Elementary School nature trail.
Pulte trail signage was completed, students painted and hung bird houses, and eight Lucy's Warbler's Nest Watch boxes were placed in mesquite trees before programming was halted due to Covid. Citizen Science projects and birding programs will resume when restrictions are lifted.
WCF participated in the Desert Foothill's Foundation's Desert Awareness Committee's 2020 Prickly Pear Festival to share information about this iconic desert plant.
WCF celebrated it's 20th Anniversary on November 2, 2019 with a free Dutch Oven lunch for the community.
From outdoor events to community education, here's a taste of what we do!
Nadaburg Elementary School's Monarch Waystation is now complete with interpretive kiosk and signage. Mrs. Watson's 4th graders "dug" right in to help plant Autumn Sage, Mexican Honeysuckle and Desert Milkweed, all of which attract pollinators (butterflies, hummingbirds and bees) needed to grow fruits and vegetables.
Eagle Scout candidate Nicholas Gebhardt along with 31 troop members and parents installed 7 benches, each with a Leave No Trace principle etched in front, installed interpretive signs, and did major improvements on the trails at the Pulte Outdoor Education trail. The trail area abuts the Hassayampa Elementary School along the Hassayampa River.
After many years of work by Wickenburg Conservation Foundation leaders, BLM, Maricopa County, and Wickenburg Town and Chamber, an agreement was signed on March 27, 2019 between BLM & Maricopa County to start implementing Vulture Mountains Regional Park. Our representatives former supervisor Max Wilson and present Supervisor Clint Hickman made sure our local voices were heard. By unanimous vote, the Board of Supervisors approved the agenda item and signed documents to move forward. Attending from Wickenburg were: Penny Pietre, Bernadine McCollum, Julie Brooks and Royce Kardinal.
American Hiking Society crew spent a week in March 2019 improving and re-routing approximately 5 miles of trails at Sophie's Flat. They truly made a difference.
Hassayampa 5th grade trail blazers mapped and marked the "Coyote Trail" on the TNC property east of the school. WCF's Educational Use Agreement with The Nature Conservancy makes it possible for students to use the property for outdoor education.
Desert Awareness program encourages students to observe, ask questions and understand the interrelationships between the desert's plants and animals and the importance of water.
Desert Survival presented by the Yavapai Search and Rescue team.
