Bird walk
The Ogden Nature Center, 966 W. 12th St., Ogden, will host a bird walk on Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. around the center's trails. Jack Rensel will lead the walk. Cost is $3, free for members. For details, call 801-621-7595.
Birding trips
Great Salt Lake Audubon is holding the following bird trips.
Bob Huntington and Deedee O'Brien will lead a bird watching trip Wednesday in the Farmington Bay area. The group will meet at 7:30 a.m. inside the McDonald's just north of the Centerville exit 319. A $3 donation is suggested for trips of less than 40 miles; $5 for longer trips. For more information, call 801-272-8060.
Another birding expedition in the Jordan River restoration site will head out Saturday at 7 a.m. after meeting in the southeast corner of Shopko in Sugarhouse, 2290 S. 1300 East, or at 7:30 a.m. at REI in Sandy, 230 W. 10600 South. Bring your own water and snacks. Call Nathan 801-755-4480 if you plan to attend.
Great Basin NP scenic drive open
Great Basin National Park's Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive has opened for the season. Park superintendent says the route is free of snow. He hopes to have 10 campsites in the Wheeler Peak Campground open for Memorial Day weekend.
All campground sites in the park are open on a first come, first served basis. It is recommended that tours of Lehman Caves be reserved in advance. While higher altitude sites are open only during warmer months, Great Basin National Park is open year round. For more information, call 775-234-7731.
Utah State Park events
The following events will be held at state parks throughout Utah:
Tonight - Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding is hosting "Cultural Migration through Time, Space and Perspective: Ancient Chacoans to Modern Tarahumara" by Richard Fisher at 6 p.m. A slide show, dance and music will be performed by Tarahumara. Call 435-678-2238.
Tonight- Snow Canyon State Park near Ivins is holding a "Make Your Own Rock Art" event. Activities are from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Explore a rock art site and learn who created it, discuss its meaning, and create your own rock art. The program is free with $5 park entry fee. Registration is required. Call 435-628-2255
Friday - Antelope Island State Park near Syracuse is holding a four-mile sunset hike along the Lakeside Trail. Pre-registration required. Call 801-721-9569.
Friday - Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding is holding "Ancient Skies: Archaeoastronomy in the Southwest" with archaeoastronomer and environmental educator Bryan Bates. He will talk about the tradition of using the night sky, stars, light and landscape as a seasonal calendar. The free program begins at 6:30 p.m. Call 435-678-2238.
Friday - Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville is holding "Nighttime in the Goblins," an evening walk led by a park naturalist through the rock formations. Find out how the goblins came to be and who lurks in the night. Meet at 8:30 p.m. at the Observation Point above the Valley of the Goblins. Call 435-564-3633.
Saturday and Monday Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum in Fairfield, in conjunction with the Utah Civil War Association, is hosting a Civil War Encampment. Learn to drill and march, load and fire a Civil War period rifle, watch a battle and medical display, and participate in 1861 period games. All events are free; however standard museum entrance fees of $2 per person or $6 per family apply. Call 801-768-8932.
Saturday - Antelope Island State Park in Syracuse hosts a "Walk in Utah," a park naturalist will lead an earth geocache adventure. Participants should bring food, water, sturdy shoes, bug spray, sunscreen and a GPS unit. Preregister by Wednesday at 801-721-9569.
Saturday - Antelope Island State Park in Syracuse celebrates Memorial Day weekend at the historic Fielding Garr Ranch with a variety of pioneer activities. Learn to make handkerchief dolls, pick up a needle and quilt, dip candles and make a pioneer lantern, or learn such pioneer games as farm ball. Participants need to bring an empty vegetable or soup can to make their own pioneer lantern. Also this weekend, celebrate the west in the 3rd annual Cowboy Poetry and music gatherings. Call 801-649-5742.
Saturday- Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway is holding an animal tracking Junior Ranger Program for children from 6 to 12. The program starts at 1 p.m. at the campground office. Call 435-654-1791.
Saturday - Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway hosts "Bats! Nature's Do-Gooders": Learn how many species of bats are there and if they are they helpful or harmful to humans. The program starts at 8:30 p.m. at the campground amphitheater. Call 435-654-1791.
Saturday - Snow Canyon State Park near Ivins is holding a scorpion search at 9 p.m. on the sand dunes. Space is limited and registration is required. Call 435-628-2255.
Saturday - Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville is holding a Junior Ranger Program on "Predators and Prey: Who are the predators and who are the prey at Goblin Valley?" Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Observation Point above the Valley of the Goblins. Call 435-564-3633.
Saturday - Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville is holding the "The Wet Desert" program. From violent flash floods to ephemeral water pockets, Park staff will explain how water carves, nurtures, and defines the desert. Meet at 8:30 p.m. at the amphitheater just past the campground. Call 435-564-3633.
Sunday - Antelope Island State Park near Syracuse is holding a Junior Ranger program on the giant animals that once roamed the shore of ancient Lake Bonneville. Junior Rangers will identify many extinct animals that used to inhabit this area and discuss reasons for extinction. Participants should meet at the visitor center at 10 a.m. or 4 p.m. Call 801-721-9569.
Monday - Antelope Island State Park near Syracuse is holding a bird walk through the historic Fielding Garr Ranch area. Meet at the museum entrance at 11 a.m. Call 801-721-9569.
May 30 Goblin Valley State Park, Green River: Ever wonder how much city lights affect our night sky? What is the sky like without nearby lights? Join park staff to take a deeper look at Goblin Valley's night sky. Meet at 9 p.m. at the Observation Point above the Valley of the Goblins; 435-564-3633.
May 30 through Oct. 30Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, Blanding: The Art of Dominic Arquero and Imogene Goodshot. A display of finely-painted gourd pots, prints, and delicate beaded pendants and jewelry; 435-678-2238.
May 31 Wasatch Mountain State Park, Midway: Geocaching: A High Tech Treasure Hunt. If you are between the ages of six and 12, you can become a Junior Ranger by joining the naturalist in this exciting Geocaching adventure. Learn to use a GPS and find cool stuff. Program begins at 1 p.m. at the campground office; 435-654-1791.
May 31Wasatch Mountain State Park, Midway: Join the park naturalist at 9 p.m. for an evening viewing and learning about the stories of light in our night sky. Learn some constellations and get a glimpse of just how big space really is. Program is held at the campground amphitheater, weather permitting; 435-654-1791.
May 31 - Goblin Valley State Park, Green River: Incredible Insects. What is the difference between a bug and an insect? Find out that and more as we search for the mini-beasts of Goblin Valley. This program is geared toward children six through 12, but everyone is welcome. Earn a Junior Ranger badge. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Observation Point above the Valley of the Goblins; 435-564-3633.
May 31 - Goblin Valley State Park, Green River: The Wet Desert. Water has unmistakably left its mark all over this dry landscape, from violent flash floods to ephemeral water pockets. Join park staff to see how water carves, nurtures, and defines the desert. Meet at 8:30 p.m. at the amphitheater just past the campground; 435-564-3633.
Great Basin NP scenic drive open
Great Basin National Park's Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive has opened for the season. Park superintendent says the route is free of snow. He hopes to have 10 campsites in the Wheeler Peak Campground open for Memorial Day weekend.
All campground sites in the park are open on a first come, first served basis. It is recommended that tours of Lehman Caves be reserved in advance. While higher altitude sites are open only during warmer months, Great Basin National Park is open year round. For more information, call 775-234-7731.
Camp Floyd anniversary
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Camp Floyd, the park's staff is partnering with the Fort Douglas Museum on a trail ride, June 20 and 21, from Fort Bridger, Wyo. to Camp Floyd in Utah's Cedar Valley. Participants will travel part of the path taken by Captain Simpson in 1858 to establish a new route from Fort Bridger to Camp Floyd. The ride will tour forts Bridger and Scott, stop overnight in Evanston, and return through Echo Canyon tso Camp Floyd. The ride begins and ends at the Fort Douglas Museum.
The tour is limited to 27 people, requires advanced reservations and costs $130 per person. The fee includes transportation, park entrance fees, motel (based on double occupancy), and two lunches.
Noted author and historian John Eldredge is the tour guide and will share stories of the army's experiences traveling from Fort Bridger to Camp Floyd in the spring of 1858.
Camp Floyd State Park is 22 miles southwest of Lehi on Highway 73 in the town of Fairfield. The park and museum are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the park or the historic trail tour, call 801-768-8932.
For registration information, contact the Fort Douglas Museum at 801-581-1251, or voyles@fortdouglas.org.
Cedar Breaks scenic drive to open
Cedar Breaks National Monument will open its scenic drive and visitor center on Saturday. The Utah Department of Transportation has cleared the road through the park. The center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with extend hours later in the season; naturalist talks will be offered throughout the day. The park entrance is $4 for visitors 16 and older. For more information, call 435-586-0787.
State Parks boating tip
Utah State Parks boating education specialist Chris Haller reminds boaters that every vessel, including motorboats, sailboats and personal watercraft, must carry basic safety equipment: a wearable Type I, II or III properly sized, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each person on board the vessel; bailing device, such as a bucket or bilge pump; spare propulsion, such as an extra paddle, oar or motor; sound producing device, such as a horn or whistle; an appropriately numbered U.S. Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher for motorboats with gasoline or diesel engines; at least one Type IV throwable PFD for vessels 16 feet or longer in length; and navigation lights for operating a boat between sunset and sunrise. A U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket must be worn by anyone under 13. For more information, call 801-538-BOAT or visit www.stateparks.utah.gov.
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* To get your event listed, e-mail the information to brettp@ sltrib.com or by mail to Brett Prettyman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 90 S. 400 West, Suite 700, Salt Lake City, UT 84101.
