What's New

What's New (Updated 5/6/08)

Register Now -- Wild About the Grasslands! Summer Day Camp at Empire Ranch, June 16-20

Let your son, daughter, or grandchild be part of the fun and excitement this summer at the Empire Ranch! Registration is now open for the 2008 Wild About the Grasslands! Outdoor Education Summer Camp, June 16-20, for youngsters who have completed grades 5 through 8.

This unique 5-day-long ecology and ranching heritage program is designed to foster environmental literacy by bringing kids to the Empire Ranch, one of Southern Arizona's oldest working cattle ranches. Established under the auspices of the BLM's Hands on the Land Program, it provides engaging hands-on, minds-on experiences to foster environmental literacy and grasslands appreciation, while hiking nature trails, learning naturalist and outdoor navigation skills, ranching history and preservation techniques. See photos from 2007 session and learn more at: http://handsontheland.org/profiles/profile_details.cfm?sitecode=emra

Click here for this session's descriptive brochure (.pdf)

Click here for Registration Form (.pdf)

ERF Recognized by BLM National Award

The Empire Ranch Foundation was recently awarded the BLM's Public Lands Partnership Excellence Award for 2008, a national award granted bi-annually to recognize exceptional contributions by a BLM not-for-profit partner organization. The award was accepted by ERF board member Sarah Miller, at the 2008 Association of Partners for Public Lands (APPL) convention held in Denver, Colorado.
The outstanding volunteer efforts and financial support of our members have made ERF achievements and this recognition possible. Thank you! Our thanks also to our colleagues at BLM's Tucson Field Office who nominated ERF for this competitive award.

ERF president Alison Bunting and Sarah Miller, with BLM Award.

2008 Preservation Plans and Volunteer Opportunities

This coming year we'll undertake a number of important new preservation tasks. A structural evaluation of the Empire Ranch House, the Adobe Haybarn, the Grove House and the Hired Man's House, now being done by our preservation specialist Statistical Research, Inc., will identify problems and deficiencies and provide guidance for strengthening and retrofit measures. It will be a critical tool for prioritizing our work for long-term preservation of these adobe structures.
     Planning and work will also move ahead for interpretation of rooms in the ranch house, beginning with the Victorian Addition, and for landscaping compatible with the ranch's history and environment. Please contact us if you have an interest in helping out with either of these initiatives.
    Volunteers will begin hands-on work to repair deteriorated posts and rails of ranch corrals, keeping as much of the existing material as possible. If you would like to volunteer to help on these or other volunteer projects, please call (888) 364-2829.
     *(Click here to see a cumulative list of Empire Ranch preservation projects completed or scheduled since 2000.)

November 1, 2008 - Come On Out to the Empire Ranch Roundup Open House

"Cowboy Life on the Empire Ranch" will be the theme for the 2008 Empire Ranch Roundup Open House, to be held at Empire Ranch Headquarters. In the good ol' days, the cowboy was the glue that held the West together. The 2008 Roundup will pay homage to that icon of the West, showcasing past and present cowboy (and cowgirl) traditions, and featuring arena events, skills demonstrations, wagons, kid's corral, entertainment, barbecue, auctions and raffles. Save the date -- November 1 -- and plan to join us! Click here for more information.

Your Membership Is More Important than Ever!

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Our annual Membership Drive is now underway, and again we need your help. We've made great strides this past year, with member's help, and are very proud to have been selected to receive the 2008 BLM Excellence in Public Lands Partnership Award, to have completed major improvements in and around the Ranch House, and to have launched the new Wild About the Grasslands! summer program for kids. But much remains to be done. Even with our progress, the challenges that face us are daunting and your membership contribution is more important than ever! Members, when you receive your renewal mailing, please reply as generously as you can. And if you are not now a member, please join today! Thank you! Click here for Membership form.

2008 "Empire 100" Art Show a Standout Success

The 2008 Empire 100 Art Show and Sale at Northern Trust was an unqualified success, with 42 pieces of artwork sold with total value of more the $60,000, and a final tally adding a net of $10,800 to the Empire coffers. Our sincere thanks to Northern Trust and Northern Trust staff members for their outstanding contributions on our behalf; to our hardworking volunteers and talented artists whose efforts made the event possible; and to our enthusiastic visitors and patrons.

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"Empire Ranch" oil painting by Michel Ewing was winner of the show's
"Best of the Empire" award.

"Rule No. 1: Never Touch a Cowboy's Hat" bronze by Deborah Fellows
was winner of the show's "People's Choice" award.

Planning for the 2009 Empire 100 Art Show and Sale is now underway. Information will be available on the website after August 1, 2008. Please plan to join us again next year!

Latest Newsletter
The latest issue of the Empire Ranch Foundation News contains more information and detail on our activities. Click below to download a copy (requires Acrobat Reader; 4 page document in .pdf file format). Second link provides access to articles in previous newsletters.

	May 2008 ERF News
	Cumulative Index of Newsletter Articles

Current Working Calendar

MAY
7              Legacy Day student education day, Empire Ranch Headquarters
17              ERF Board Meeting, 9am-Noon, Empire Ranch Headquarters
JUNE
16-20         Wild About the Grasslands! Hands on the Land Summer Institute, Empire Ranch Headquarters
                      (Click here for Registration Form (.pdf))
21               Volunteer Work Day at Empire Ranch Headquarters, 8:00am-Noon
                      (Please contact admin@empireranchfoundation.org for more information, or if you plan to come.)
JULY
17               ERF Board Meeting, 9am-Noon, Empire Ranch Headquarters
AUGUST
16               Volunteer Work Day at Empire Ranch Headquarters, 8:00am-Noon
SEPTEMBER
20               ERF Board Meeting, 9am-Noon, Empire Ranch Headquarters
OCTOBER
18               Volunteer Work Day at Empire Ranch Headquarters, 8:00am-Noon
NOVEMBER
1                2008 Roundup Open House: "Cowboy Life on the Empire Ranch"
15               ERF Board Meeting, 9am-Noon, Empire Ranch Headquarters

ONGOING
*                   Volunteers needed for special events, preservation projects, other Foundation activities
                      (Please contact admin@empireranchfoundation.org )

Send e-mail correspondence to: info@empireranchfoundation.org