As the new year begins I am excited to say that I am finishing up the details for at least 3 Nature’s Classroom opportunities that will be occurring in the next few months, including a repeat of a VERY exciting one from last year. So stay tuned in the very near future (next week or so) for the information and registration requests. I have no doubt that they will fill up quickly, even within a couple of hours.
In the meantime, I have a unique, but severely limited opportunity. The details are below. However, I ask that if you or your family do not qualify, please don’t ask for an exception to this one. I know it sounds like an exciting opportunity, but because of safety reasons I cannot allow anyone who is not old enough to participate. Yes, I know the eligibility requirements eliminate almost everyone (and the description may keep others out), but that’s just the way it has to be this time around. Thanks.
So here is the event information and how to register:
What:
Nature’s Classroom Pronghorn Capture
The pronghorn in this particular area (near Prescott) are doing quite well. For this project, we will be capturing some pronghorn to relocate them to another part of the state where the population needs some assistance. During the trapping, pronghorn will be herded into a large temporary enclosure. At which time, Department staff, volunteers, and Homeschool participants will enter the enclosure in teams of two and physically catch the animals. Yes, you will basically wrestle the pronghorn to the ground. The antelope will be blindfolded and looked after by trained vets and staff. Appropriate ones will be carried to a transport trailer where they will then travel to the predetermined location to be released. There is a chance of injury. The last time this was done, three people were injured. One sliced open his hand, another broke his thumb, and a third was poked in the bottom. I say this because I want you to be aware of what you are in for. It is a great opportunity, but it is not without risk.
Date:
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Time:
Likely meeting time of 6am. Plan to be gone most of the day.
Who:
Spots are extremely limited. Only 10 spots available. Must be 18 or older to participate. Parents cannot participate by themselves. In order to participate, they must have a child who is eligible (18 or older). In addition, as a participant you should be in good health, physically capable of doing the activities described above. This will best prevent injury to yourself or the animals. It will be a rough, tough, and fun experience.
What you need:
You will need to bring gloves and eye protection. Shatterproof/non-glass sunglasses would be sufficient. You should wear a long sleeve shirt and pants. Since the weather in February can be unpredictable, you should bring a jacket. Please do NOT wear fleece. Antelope hair comes off the animal’s body really easily but is nearly impossible to remove from fleece. You will need to bring your own food and drinks.
Additional Information:
If it rains, there is a possibility that the event will be cancelled. In fact, last year, it did not take place because of weather. Therefore, it is possible that a last minute cancellation may occur. If you are accepted to participate, additional information will be provided.
How to register:
Since this event is happening very soon, registration, whether all the spaces are full or not, will close by 3pm on Friday, January 23. However, spaces are extremely limited so do not wait until the last minute. Spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis according to availability. So, if there is one spot left and the next person to register signs up for two people, then I cannot take them and will move to the next person with only one registration. If all of the spots are filled up, a small waiting list will be started and an additional email will be sent out notifying everyone that spaces are filled.
To register, please send an email to eproctor@azgfd.gov with the following information (please note if you are registering more than one person, you need to include the information for each person):
· Name
· Age
· Email
· Contact Phone 1 (Please indicate if it is a work, home, or cell phone)*
· Contact Phone 2 (Please indicate if it is a work, home, or cell phone)*
· How late to call on each of the phones*
* Note: Most correspondence for this event will take place via email. The phone numbers are being collected in order to notify you of any last minute changes (i.e., cancellation) to the event.
Good luck and hopefully I will see some of you at this event. As I said, if you cannot participate in this one, stay tuned because other registrations are going to open up very soon.
