Maricopa County Parks and Recreation: Evening Nature Hike

Learn about wildlife of the Sonoran Desert and easy citizen science you can help with on this late afternoon-evening hike with Ranger Eric. Join Ranger Eric to look for and learn about diurnal and nocturnal critters of Sonoran Desert riparian areas. We will start out in the late afternoon but will be hiking back after dark (sunset is about 7pm). We will hike about 2 miles roundtrip on moderate grade along the Dragonfly Trail, with frequently rocky and uneven surfaces. Wildlife may include scorpions, spiders, insects, owls, nightjars, reptiles, and mammals. Please bring your own ample water and electrolytes, flashlight or headlamp, and wear sturdy footwear. A blacklight is recommended, but the ranger will have one to point out scorpions with. Porta-potties are located 200 ft beyond the Spur Cross parking lot. No water available, so bring your own. Along the hike we will also discuss a couple of related apps that you can use to identify any living organism on the planet, Seek and iNaturalist. Seek is the basic version for identifying organisms, but iNaturalist takes it a step farther by allowing you to share your photographed sightings to a global citizen science database to help scientists and conservationists learn more about biodiversity of our world. If interested in learning how to use Seek or iNaturalist, please download one of them before the program (both are free and available for iOS and Android smartphones) and register an account with the app, as cell service can be spotty in the backcountry of the park. MEETING LOCATION: Dragonfly Trailhead. *Note: this trailhead is small and quickly fills up, so you may need to continue down to the end of the road at the Spur Cross parking lot, then walk along the frontage trail from the lot along the road back down to the Dragonfly Trailhead. See park map here: https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/assets/1/6/spur-cross-8x11-combined.pdf Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/WnmiwdJ1aN4LXvfy7 *Please note: Entry to Spur Cross Conservation Area is $3 per person. Annual Pass or CASH are accepted, and exact change is much appreciated. If the fee station past the parking lot is closed, there are iron rangers with envelopes to place your payment in. The porta-potties are located nearby here. Limit 15 participants. To register, please call the Cave Creek Nature Center at 602-506-2930 ext. 8 with your name, phone number, and number of people attending. If you find you cannot attend a program after you have registered, please call back ASAP so those on the waiting list may be contacted. Registration for this program will close on Wednesday, 4/16. P.S. If you would like to get more practice with the iNaturalist app, check out the Greater Phoenix City Nature Challenge on the weekend of April 25-28! We will have events scheduled at many of the Maricopa County Parks that weekend, but you can participate across the Phoenix Metro area. More information on this 4-day event here: https://greaterphoenixcnc.com/