Hike highlights nature of Papago Buttes

<p>From 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., April 5, the red rocks of Papago Buttes will witness a surge in maroon and gold as ASU School of Life Sciences’ faculty and students put aside their microscopes and lecture notes to lead guided hikes for the community in the park, starting from ramada No. 16.</p><separator></separator><p>SOLS Takes a Hike organizers James Elser, an ecosystems biologist, Pierre Devich, a birding expert, and Susanne Neuer, an oceanographer, will just be three of more than a dozen ecologists, geologists and field biologists who lead four short nature walks looping through the park.</p><separator></separator><p>Families will get a broad perspective about Papago Park, its wildlife, fauna, and underlying geology. Besides these guided tours, reptile experts Andy Holycross and Dale DeNardo will attend with rattlesnakes, to talk about snake safety, and share the beauty of Gila monsters.</p><separator></separator><p>Holycross is the co-author of “A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona,” with co-author Thomas Brennan. The guide was recently released by Arizona Game and Fish.</p><separator></separator><p>SOLS Takes a Hike was launched in 2006 as an annual community outreach event and is one of the many in the quiver of community events and programs in which students, staff and faculty are actively engaged. This event is free and open to the public.</p><separator></separator><p>For more information on the hike, call ASU’s School of Life Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at (480) 965-2705 or send an e-mail to Margaret Coulombe at <a href="mailto:margaret.coulombe@asu.edu">margaret.coulombe@asu.edu</a>.</p&gt;