A popular preserve for fishing and bird observation.
Basic Preserve Overview
• A very wide variety of birds
• Fishing
• Plenty of trails to keep you there for hours
• Observatory with free viewing hours (it can be closed based on weather and current events, you can check the current status here)
• Duck Feeding (one lake and specific food only, more information below)
• Three geocaches (What's a geocache?)
• Dino Dig, playground, and plenty of space for kids to run.
• Parking tends to fill up fast. You can find additional parking at the nearby library and recreation center.
• Here you can use the Agent's of Discovery app. This app is all about getting kids thinking outdoors, be sure to give it a try!
Duck Feeding & Requirements
“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.”
- Michael Cane
Feeding ducks is an extremely fun activity, and you can do it right here at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. There are some guidelines to feeding our feathered friends. First off, what exactly you can feed the ducks? You can feed them birdseed, corn, or whole grain cereal. This means no loafs of bread should be thrown out to them. Secondly, you should only be feeding the ducks, and none of the other wildlife. The lake you can feed them at is the one closest to the library and recreation center. This is also the lake closest to the observatory.
Observatory
The park features an observatory. The inside of the observatory is featured to the right. The observatory hosts star parties, private viewings, and public events. You can check the current status of the observatory here.
Picture courtesy of the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory.
Southeast Regional Library, located right next to the preserve
“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”
- Albert Einstein
Directly next to the preserve is the Southeast Regional Library. The parking lot of this library is a great place to park if the preserve's official spots are taken. This library has some unique features, such as:
• 'Zombee' hunting kit (along with other Citizen Science kits): No, that is not a misspelling. Some zombie flies are laying eggs in bees, causing them to behave more like moths. This library has a Citizen Science kit available for you to check out to see if there are any 'zombees' in your area. You can learn more about 'zombees' here. They also have other Citizen Science activities that are fun and educational.
• Binocular rentals: For free, you can rent binoculars for one week. If there is no one on the waiting list, you can renew them up to five times.
• Telescope rentals: Similarly to their binocular rentals, you can rent telescopes for free at the library.
Interested in learning more about the library? Click here for their official website!
Extras
Pictures
Below is a collection of pictures the G.O.T. Team took so you can see the environment of the preserve.
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