Oracle State Park Spring Weekend Programs Appeal To Nature Lovers

Remaining programs exploring the natural world are featured at Oracle State Park Center for Environmental Education in May 2016.

Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to Noon: On the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the oak grasslands hike with Sonoran Desert herbalist, John Slattery, discover the variety of park plants as they relate to food, medicine, ethno- botany and local landscapes. Reservation is suggested. Sponsored by Friends of Oracle State Park.

Guided tours of the historic Kannally Ranch House are scheduled for 11 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday.The 45-minute tour visits rooms and patios extending down the hillside.The multi-level Mediterranean-Revival style house, built in 1929-33 by one of the earliest cattle ranching families in Oracle, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.An exhibit of impressionistic-style cowboy paintings by self-taught artist Lee Kannally is on display in the living room and dining room.

The cost of each program is Oracle State Park's Entrance Fee of $7 per vehicle (up to four adults) unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit the Web site at AZStateParks.com/parks/ORAC for up-to-the-minute event information or to make a reservation call Oracle State Park at (520) 896-2425.

Oracle State Park is located northeast of Tucson in the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains. The Park is a 4,000-acre wildlife refuge, environmental education center and day-use recreation park. The Park features a diversity of animals, plant species and rock formations. There are also oak tree-shaded washes, mesquite scrub habitats and riparian woodlands with manzanita and beargrass.

Arizona State Parks' mission is managing and conserving Arizona's natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people, both in our parks and through our partners.

For information about all 30 Arizona State Parks and Natural Areas, the Trails and Off-Highway Vehicle Programs and State Historic Preservation Office call (602) 542-4174 or (877) MY-PARKS or visit AZStateParks.com. Campsite reservations can be made online at AZStateParks.com or by calling the Reservation Call Center at (520) 586-2283. Open 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST. Follow AZStateParks on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.