Tucson Weekly: Outdoors (April 26

OUTDOORS

ARCHAEOLOGY DIG. Join in a real archaeological excavation April 28 from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Sabino Canyon Ruin. The program includes a discussion about archaeological interpretation methods and time to dig for pottery, stone, bone and other artifacts. Cost of the session is $35 per person or $50 for a two-day program. Call 798-1201 to register. Directions to the site are provided upon registration. Minimum age to participate is 12.
BIRDING TRIP. Tucson Botanical Gardens. 2150 N. Alvernon Way. Join birder Lynn Kaufman on an all-day outing to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation area. Walk streamside for several miles and into adjacent bird areas to see, with luck, vermilion flycatchers, Abert's towhees, song sparrows, black Phoebes, Cassin's kingbrids and various migrants April 28 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost of the trip is $20 for garden members and $25 for non-members. Meet at the gardens to carpool. Bring binoculars, hat, lunch and good hiking shoes. Call 326-9686 to register and for more information.
BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES. Tucson Audubon Society. Join Will Russell and Jim Brock on a birds and butterflies trip to Arivaca and/or Patagonia April 29 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. The general focus of the trip is identification and life history information. Lunch is provided. Cost of the trip is $60 for society members and $70 for non-members. Call Donna Jester at 628-1730 to register.
NIGHT WALKS. Saguaro National Park East. 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail. Take a walk on the wild side with a naturalist-guided excursion into the Sonoran Desert twice a month on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. Naturalists discuss and demonstrate nighttime adaptations and scan the skies with an audible bat detector. The free program is open to all, and reservations are required. Call 733-5153 to reserve a space.
SABINO CANYON NATURE WALKS. Sabino Canyon Visitors' Center. Lace up your hiking boots, grab a bottle of water and join in a variety of weekly walks with Sabino Canyon naturalists through May 4. On Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. take a plant and bird walk, or join the 1:45 p.m. nature walk. On Wednesdays there is a nature/bird walk at 9 a.m. and a geology activities session at tram stop 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Finally, on Fridays at 8:30 a.m. gear up for a 3-4 mile trail hike. All activities are free. Call 749-8700 for more information.
SIERRA CLUB TOURS. The Sierra Club is coordinating a series of tours and events to introduce citizens to Arizona's five new national monuments. Join Mike Seidman for a day of road inventory in the Ironwood Forest National Monument April 28. Botanist Richard Felger and professional photographer Dick George lead a nature hike/botanical tour/photo safari through the Sonoran Desert National Monument April 29. All trips are weather permitting and subject to change. Call Julie Sherman at (602) 254-0361 or e-mail Julie.Sherman@sierraclub.org for details.