Park Manager: KeithAyotte

Assistant

Park Manager: Eric Buzonas

Volunteer

Coordinator: Dee Woolf

Newsletter

Editor: Carolyn Meehan

Upcoming Events For

“Footprints” Newsletter

Nov 2nd 2pm Sunday Lecture Series:

Elena Diaz Bjorkquist: Dia de los

Muertos- The Meaning of

The Day of the Dead

Nov 8th 10am-2pm Al Cornell:

Primitive Fire Making

Nov 9th 1pm Geology Hike

Nov 15th 10am-2pm Cathy Stedman:

Watercolor Class:

“Autumn Images”

Nov 27th HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Dec 5th 5:30 Volunteer Christmas Party!!

Dec 7th Sunday Lecture 2pm: Wallace

Brown: Walking the Corn Pollen

Path

Dec14th 1pm Geology Hike

Dec 25th MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Dec 31st HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!!

NOTE:

Nov 8am Wed & Sat Bird Walks

Dec 9am Wed & Sat Bird Walks

Nov/Dec 10am & 2pm Daily Guided

Nature Walks & Activities

Vol 6 Nov/Dec 2014

HO HO HO!!

12/5/2014

Early this fall,

while the weather

was still warm, we

had a very unusual

visitor at Red Rock

State Park. A single

juvenile American

W h i t e P e l i c a n

( P e l e c a n u s

erythrorhynchos), one of the largest birds in North America,

decided to see the great sights of the Southwest and have a short

layover at RRSP. Visitors were delighted to see this handsome

bird strutting around the Visitor Center’s parking lot and a lucky

few had the chance to snap some photos.

This species can be found throughout much of North America;

breeding in inland prairie regions of the United States and Canada

during the summer, and wintering in coastal estuaries and

significant inland bodies of water in the south. The American

White Pelican migrates during the day in large groups, sometimes

numbering in the hundreds. Though this is not an entirely

uncommon event during migration, this may have been a first here

at RRSP.

Migration Layover

Photo courtesy:

Caroline

Montgomery-Wade

On November 2nd Red Rock State Park was honored to host Elena

Diaz Bjorkquist for its most recent Sunday Lecture. Elena’s

presentation, “Día de los Muertos - The Meaning of The Day of the

Dead” was well received. The lecture was very informative, and

further enhanced by a colorful display of decorations significant to

the Day of The Dead Celebration. Coincidentally, the lecture took

place on the last day of this traditional holiday lending even more

credence to its overall meaning.

The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is highly celebrated

in Mexico, Latin America, and the Southern United States. To many

Hispanic people, death is not something to be feared or ignored, but

something to celebrate. One cannot celebrate life without also

celebrating death.

Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took

place at the beginning of summer. It was then moved to October 31,

November 1 and November 2 to coincide with the Roman Catholic

triduum festival of Allhallowtide: All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowmas, and

All Souls' Day.

Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars

called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of

the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Visitors also leave possessions of the deceased at the

actual gravesites.

Scholars have traced the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back

hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl.

Elena Diaz Bjorkquist, originally from Morenci, Arizona is now based in Tucson. She is the author of two

books, Suffer Smoke and Water from the Moon, and the co-editor of Sowing the Seeds, una cosecha de

recuerdos and Our Spirit, Our Reality: Celebrating Our Stories. As an Arizona Humanities Council (AHC)

Scholar, Elena has performed as Teresa Urrea in a Chautauqua living history presentation and done

presentations about Morenci for thirteen years. Ellena’s presentation was partially funded through the Arizona

Humanities Council. Over the past year RRSP has established a working relationship with the Arizona

Humanities Council. This relationship has enabled us to acquire top quality presenters, such as Elena, at a

significantly reduced rate.

The Arizona Humanities Council was founded in 1973, and is an

independent non-profit organization and the state affiliate of the

National Endowment for the Humanities. Arizona Humanities

builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore

our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and

reflection.

Be sure to check our RRSP website, as more Arizona

Humanities lectures have been scheduled for the months ahead.

Dia de los Muertos - The Meaning of The Day of the Dead

Top: Painted as a half-skeleton, Ellena's make-up symbolizes her living

self and her cyclic "return" to the Earth.

Bottom: The lecture was further enhanced by a colorful display of

decorations significant to the Day of The Dead Celebration.

Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars

called ofrendas, to honor the deceased.

Submitted by Assistant Park Manager Eric Buzonas

Photos by Ranger Halley Bagley

Let’s begin by saying, without our

dedicated volunteers at Red Rock, the park

would not be what it is today. In the last few

years we have seen programs not only

develop, but also thrive, which inspires the

volunteers, staff, and visitors.

Red Rock State Park is happy to announce

that one of our many motivated volunteers,

Marna Onorato, has not only developed, but

also launched a brand new Butterfly Program

this fall. Not only will this affect the park by

bringing in more butterflies, but it will give

the visitors a chance to see the many stages of

the transformation cycles and potential for a

hands-on experience releasing adult Monarch

Butterflies.

The program began its roots the day Marna

Onorato discovered two Monarch caterpillars

in her garden in Sedona at the end of October.

Marna has experience raising Monarchs

previously in her extensive gardens in

Massachusetts and saw this as a golden

opportunity to start the program at Red Rock

State Park. With her attentiveness and

patience over the next 3-4 weeks, she was

able to watch the caterpillars create their

chrysalis and transform into butterflies, which

hatched mid-November.

Luckily, with our unseasonably warm

weather this fall, Marna was able to

successfully release one of the

butterflies with the help of a visiting

family. The children were able to

hold and observe the butterfly right

before it took off into the

hummingbird garden. We’re excited

to have more events like this in the

upcoming year as the Butterfly

Program takes flight and we’re able

to breed and raise butterflies here at

the park. The program will be yet

another great reason to visit RRSP!

Butterfly Program at Red Rock State Park Takes Flight

Article by Ranger Halley Bagley

Photos by Ranger Todd Campbell

Just beneath the surface of the “Dig” Ranger

Allyson has systematically arranged the

“artifacts” according to a set plan. In this

manner our “artifacts” will tell a story to our

students. A story that interprets how ancient

people might have lived and interacted on a

daily basis.

Red Rock State Park's newly developed

Archaeological Dig Site will certainly enhance

our standing within the educational

community.

A newly added pinyon pine has received a new home at RRSP. In

time, the pinyon will serve as a windbreak for participants.

Just Beneath The Surface… At Red Rock State Park

Thanks to the efforts of Ranger Allyson Holmes and our 501C3

Benefactors Group, Red Rock State Park is proud to announce that

our mock Archaeology Dig Site is now complete and ready for use.

This newly completed project will undoubtedly enhance our

standing within the educational community.

The Archy-Dig was thoughtfully built from native stone, and

further adorned with a permanent shade structure. The shade

structure will provide comfort to both teachers and students for

many years to come. The adjoining LaFon Outdoor Classroom has

also been refurbished, and we have even planted two pinyon pines

that will in time, serve as a windbreak.

Just beneath the surface of the “Dig” Ranger Allyson has

systematically arranged the “artifacts” according to a set plan. In this

manner our “artifacts” will tell a story to our students. A story that

interprets how ancient people might have lived and interacted on a

daily basis.

Our teachers emphasize that these “artifacts” represent part of a

cultural heritage and must remain within the context of their use to

be of any scientific value. We further ensure that our students are

aware of the Antiquities Act; one mustn’t remove or deface any

archaeological resource from public or Native land. The penalty for

doing so could result in a $100,000 fine and/or a five-year prison

term.

Archaeology is an integrative, interdisciplinary field.

Archaeologists ask questions rooted in social sciences and research

questions using scientific methods. It is an excellent way to teach

students to integrate knowledge from different topics. Article submitted by Ranger Eric Buzonas

Archy-schematic designed by Ranger Allyson Holmes

Photos submitted by Ranger Halley Bagley