Rush Ranch Stewardship Campaign!
Activities & Events
All events are free and require no reservations unless otherwise noted. Bring drinking water, weather appropriate clothing and a hat. For more information call Teri Engbring at 707.432.0150 x200.
Access Adventure Wagon Rides & Blacksmith Shop Demonstration
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Hosted by Rush ranch Educational Council and Access Adventure with Michael Muir
Volunteer blacksmith Virgil Sellers will demonstrate traditional blacksmithing tools and equipment in the Ranch's historic shop. At the same time, the public can explore the ranch in a horse drawn carriage specially equipped for persons with limited mobility. The wagon, drawn by an impressive team of gentle giant draft horses, is equipped with a wheelchair lift. Able-bodied riders are also welcome. Program cancels if weather makes it unsafe.
For anyone whose mobility is affected by disability, experience the freedom and excitement of exploring beautiful wild and preserved open space lands with a gentle horse and experienced carriage driver. Access Adventure has two new carriages with hydraulic lifts. The larger carriage can accommodate ten ambulatory visitors or six wheelchairs. Free rides are provided from April through October by pre-arrangement. To make reservations contact Michael Muir at (707) 432-0512 or info@access-adventure.org. For more Access Adventure events and activities go to www.access-adventure.org.
Getting the Rush: A Guided Nature Walk
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Meet docent at the Nature Center main entrance. Be prepared for weather and uneven trails.
Rush Ranch Improvement Day
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Join Ken for outdoor stewardship activities. Meet by Kit House by 9 a.m., 3-4 hours
Raptor ID Workshop with Larry Broderick
Sunday, February 28, 2010
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Meet in the Nature Center for lesson. Followed by a field tour at Rush Ranch. Pack a lunch along with your binoculars.
Birding Walk
(This is a San Francisco Flyway Festival event)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
10 a.m. to noon
Docent Joanne Castro will lead a birding walk of the diverse habitats of the open space from marsh to uplands. Heavy rain cancels this free event.
Winter Raptor Recap Event with Larry Broderick
Sunday, March 21, 2010
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Meet in the Nature Center. Larry Broderick will offer a condensed visual presentation with a recap of the season (all SLT sites), followed by a short birdwatching walk. Bring lunch and photos to share with the group. Please contact Teri at (707) 429-3529 x 200 or teri@solanolandtrust.org to sign up as seating is limited.
20th annual Rush Ranch Open House
Saturday, April 24, 2010
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
See the Rush Ranch Education Council at www.rushranch.net for full schedule of free activities involving ranch life, music, dancing, carriage rides, traditional crafts and wildlife demonstrations, and art show. New this year: Ranch Life Kid´s Art Station!
Self-guided Hikes
Marsh Trail
This popular trail is an easy, mostly level 2.2-mile walk that begins at the Visitor Center and heads west to an overlook of the Suisun Marsh and adjacent lands.
South Pasture Trail
A mostly level (but wet in winter) 2.4-mile trail that begins at the water tower south of the barn and leads to a small overlook and a large Native American grinding rock. The trail loops back around the south pasture, crosses a boardwalk and brings you back to the visitor center.
Suisun Hill Trail
Located across from Rush Ranch on Grizzly Island Road, this 2-mile trail climbs 500 feet to Suisun Hill where you have a 360-degree view of the area. Park near the entrance to Rush Ranch, cross the road, enter the gate and follow posts up the hill.
Please: No dogs, horses or bicycles on Rush Ranch trails (dogs are allowed on Suisun Hill Trail only), and no collecting of flora and fauna.
About Rush Ranch
Imagine a time when Native Americans descended from the nearby hills to hunt for waterfowl. Tule canoes snaked silently through the slough while women pounded dried fish on the grinding rock. Imagine the same landscape where a family later ran a cattle ranch, but left its marshy edges untouched. Enter Rush Ranch, a 2,070-acre open space that has won countless hearts with its vast open spaces, tranquility, history and excellent birding. Rush Ranch supports more than 200 species and 47 families of plants, 15 mammal species and 123 bird species. Three self-guided trails lead through grasslands, provide spectacular views and take you along the edges of the Suisun Marsh. Visit the Kit House, a 1930s Sears and Roebuck mail-order house now used as a museum and visitor center.The Rush Ranch Educational Council (RREC), an all-volunteer organization, is dedicated to providing education and outreach programs from September to June. For information about RREC and the Patwin Program offered to local schoolchildren visit www.rushranch.net.
Real time weather at Rush Ranch
Hours
Rush Ranch is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (or dusk, if earlier) from March 1 to October 31, and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from
November 1 to February 28. The Suisun Hill Trail across from the ranch is open from dawn to dusk everyday.
Amenities
New and improved facilities are available to rent, including a meeting room for 80; an outdoor, shaded picnic area with barbeque pit; and fully-furnished two-bedroom guest quarters.
Rules
Please, no dogs, horses or bicycles on Rush Ranch trails (dogs are allowed on Suisun Hill Trail only). No collecting of flora and fauna.
Directions
From Highway 12 in Suisun City, head south on Grizzly Island Road for about two miles. The entrance gate is on the right.
Contact Anne DeLozier at (707) 432-0150 x209 or anne@solanolandtrust.org.