State Parks

Kartchner Caverns hosts astronomy night

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[Source: azcentral.com]

Stars shine brighter away from city lights. That’s why astronomers look for remote places to place telescopes, and why stargazing events often take place in parks away from towns.

This weekend, Arizona State Parks invites you to spend an evening with astronomer Bob Gent at Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson.

“He’s . . . an avid astronomer. He’s done it all over the country,” assistant park manager Chris DeMille said.

This is the second year of the event. “Last time we did this, we had five telescopes. This time we’re shooting for a little bit more.”

Visitors will be able to see Jupiter, Venus, craters of the moon, stars and galaxies. Gent is a past president of the Astronomical League and the International Dark Sky Association, and other astronomers will assist him during the event.

Visitors are asked to bring a folding chair and a flashlight covered with a red cap (available at sporting-goods stores). A piece of red cellophane placed over the flashlight beam also works. The event starts before sunset so people can learn a bit about astronomy before the viewing begins. The park’s café is closed at night, so bring snacks and drinks if desired. Bring a sweater or jacket, too.

“We’re at 4,600 feet, so it’s a little more comfortable,” DeMille said.

Kartchner Caverns is known for its colorful stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws and other features. The park is at the base of the Whetstone Mountains, with views of the San Pedro Valley.

The park has two main caves open for tours, the Rotunda and the Big Room. The Big Room is open from Oct. 15 to April 15 and will be closed during this event.

Stargazers can camp at the park’s campground ($22 per night) or find a room in Benson.

Southeast Arizona has attractions in addition to the caverns.

“The city of Tombstone is about 30 minutes away from us,” DeMille said. “There’s also Ramsey Canyon, which is a nature preserve.”

Also within driving distance are Bisbee, with restaurants, galleries and a mine tour; Coronado National Memorial, with hiking trails and great scenery; and the Amerind Foundation, a museum with a top-notch collection of Native American art and artifacts near the Dragoon Mountains.

Details: Stargazing at Kartchner Caverns

When: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11. Park hours are 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

Where: Kartchner Caverns State Park. From central Phoenix, take Interstate 10 east past Tucson to Exit 302 at Benson. Take Arizona 90 about 9 miles south to the park entrance.

Admission: $6 per vehicle for stargazing. Cave tours, $18.95-$22.95.

Details: 520-586-4100, azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA.

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Arizona weighs privatization for state parks

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[Source: AP via azcentral.com]

Lyman Lake State Park is closed. (Photo credit: Arizona State Parks)

Arizona officials might turn over management of two small state parks to private operators so they can reopen the sites that were closed because of budget trouble.

The 28-park state system already uses concessionaires to provide some services but now may go further by turning to the private sector for the actual operation.

The parks system has requested proposals due Sept. 23 for operation of Oracle State Park in southeastern Pinal County and is considering whether to issue a request for proposal for Lyman Lake in southern Apache County.

Ultimately that could result in the parks being operated by private companies, parks Executive Director Renee Bahl said Wednesday.

The move is being viewed with some skepticism by at least one potential bidder.

Arizona lawmakers wrestled with parks-related funding issues throughout their 2010 session, ultimately passing legislation specifically authorizing state officials to contract with public, tribal and private entities to operate parks.

Recreation Resource Management, a Phoenix-based company that operates campgrounds and marinas in about a dozen states, in February offered to take over operations of some Arizona state parks for a year so they could remain open.

Parks officials did not reject the request outright but said privatization was not a “silver bullet.” Instead, they have turned to cities, counties and other public entities, reaching agreements that help pay for continued state management of certain parks and management of others by non-state public entities.

Now, nine state parks remain open under state management, while seven others are being operated by state employees through partnership agreements. Five others are being run by other public entities and six are closed.

Partnership agreements haven’t proved to be feasible with all parks, including Oracle and Lyman Lake, said Renee Bahl, the parks system’s executive director.

“We weren’t able to find a solution for the public sector,” Bahl said of Oracle, which is located near a small unincorporated community of the same name and which closed in October. “Everything is on the table right now. We want the parks to be open for the public and the economy too.”

However, a Phoenix-based company that operates parks in about a dozen states and that previously offered to run some Arizona parks to keep them open to help out the state expressed only cautious interest in bidding to operate Oracle.

“The Oracle RFP is pretty thin gruel,” said Warren Meyer, president of Recreation Resource Management.

The park has many restrictions that appear to undercut its value as a “good commercial opportunity,” particularly as a stand-alone project without opportunities to spread overhead costs over several parks, he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

However, Meyer said RMM still might bid to operate Oracle to pre-empt any strategy by parks officials to undercut privatization efforts.

Meanwhile, Cindy Krupicka, president of a booster group for Oracle State Park, said she’d welcome privatization. “I’d just like to see the park open,” she said.

More Arizonans likely to travel for Labor Day weekend than in ’09

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[Source: Emily Gersema, azcentral.com]

More Arizonans than last year are expected to travel this holiday weekend, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport hopes to cash in on those who fly by offering a parking discount.

Even though fuel prices are slightly higher this year compared with last year, AAA Arizona predicts that 665,541 residents will drive 50 miles or more this Labor Day weekend, nearly 12 percent more people traveling by car than last year.

The company also projects that 40,561 people will fly this holiday – a nearly 6 percent increase from last year.

Michelle Donati of AAA Arizona said travelers will fly or drive an average of 845 miles round-trip – a longer trip than the national average of 635 miles.

And most travelers fleeing the state for the weekend are either going solo or in pairs, based on the IHS Global Insight survey for AAA Arizona.

Few Arizona travelers compared with those in other states turn Labor Day weekend into a family vacation.

“It’s not really average for this area, mostly because school has already started in Arizona,” Donati said.

Students in other states often begin school at the start of September, allowing families to plan their vacations late in the summer break.

Lake Havasu. Photo Credit: Arizona State Parks

But Arizona families who do travel are encouraged to consider a weekend at one of the 23 state parks, said Ellen Bilbrey, a spokeswoman for the Arizona State Parks.

Campsites near rivers or lakes will fill up quickly this weekend. At Lake Havasu, about 500 boats a day may launch, she said.

She said campers who begin their holiday early will nab the best spots. By Thursday, the $50-a-night cabins at Lyman Lake in eastern Arizona will have been booked, and dozens of campers will have pitched tents in campsites near Flagstaff, Payson and Prescott. Despite the projected increase in travelers this year, the AAA Arizona survey results indicate the economy’s health is a looming concern.

Arizonans are on a tighter budget than travelers from other states. AAA Arizona expects they’ll spend about $348 per trip, about 50 percent less than the national average of $697.

Phoenix Sky Harbor is offering a deal on parking to appeal to price-conscious travelers.

A parking coupon that travelers can download and print from the skyharbor.com website ensures motorists who park at the airport during their holiday can come back and get a 40 percent discount on the $25 daily parking rate, lowering the cost to $15.

Republic reporter Salvador Rodriguez contributed to this article.

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Summer’s almost over at Slide Rock State Park

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[Source: Bruce Colbert, Prescott Daily Courier]

Photo Credit: Bruce Colbert/The Daily Courier

With the intensity of an Olympic swimmer, little 6-year-old “Mya” adjusted her swimming goggles, stepped to the rock ledge, and catapulted herself into the air landing about 15 feet below in a cool pool of Oak Creek.

“Yeeeah,” she shouted after popping her head out of the water.

Welcome to a typical summer day at Slide Rock State Park, located about five miles north of Sedona.

“We’ve got people coming from all over the world,” said Ellen Bilbrey, Arizona State Parks Chief Public Information Officer.

Elaine and Graham Norris traveled from England to do some touring, and found themselves this past week marveling at the red rock spires surrounding Slide Rock Park.

“We were talking to someone and said we wanted to go see Sedona, and he said, ‘You’ve got to go to Slide Rock, it’s fantastic,'” Graham said in a clipped British accent. “So here we are and he was right.”

However, out of the more than 1,000 visitors per day on weekends (about half that on weekdays) most are local Arizonans who know all about the park and its famous creek. Oak Creek is fed by a spring about seven miles upstream, and with runoff from the surrounding mountains.

But the pastoral park is not just about the creek.

“There are hiking trails that people can continue on into the Coconino National Forest. There’s rock climbing, picnicking, volleyball, shaded ramadas, fishing, bird watching, photography, a gift shop, and you can have weddings here for an incredibly low price,” Bilbrey said. “It’s like a theme park, except it’s a natural theme park.”

Made to order for nature lovers, the park also caters to history buffs.

In 1907, Frank L. Pendley settled in Oak Creek Canyon, planted vegetables and apple and pear orchards on 43 acres of creek side land, and in 1910 took ownership through the Homestead Act.

Pendley’s son, Tom, continued managing the property until 1982 when the family decided to sell it. Gov. Bruce Babbit heard about the sale, bought the property through the Arizona Parklands Foundation, and state officials opened Slide Rock State Park in 1987.

Many of Pendley’s apple trees still produce fruit; his house and cabins still stand; some of his farm equipment still works; the apple sorter still sorts; and his hand-built irrigation system still irrigates.

“We’ve got 13 different species of apples and get phenomenal apples in the fall,” Bilbrey said. “During the fall Apple Festival, if we’ve got a crop, you can pick your own heritage apples.”

Although the park is open year-round, Bilbrey said that for some people, winter is the time to go.

“If you are a photographer, the fall and winter are absolutely gorgeous,” Bilbrey said. “And there are hardly any people then.”

If you go to the park for a summer swim, Bilbrey cautions parents that there are no lifeguards on duty, but park rangers patrol the slide area on a regular basis.

“All the rangers are first responders, and I’ve never heard of a drowning in at least 15 years,” she added.

It costs $20 per vehicle to visit the park. Park hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Labor Day weekend, and then rangers shorten the hours. To get to the park from Prescott, which is about 70 miles north, drive Highway 89A north, or I-17 north and exit at SR 179 to Sedona.

To learn more about the park and its amenities, Junior Ranger program, or how to become of Friend of the Park, visit azstateparks.com, or go to Facebook, Twitter or MySpace social networks.

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