SEDONA — The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Northern Arizona Audubon Society will hold a dedication ceremony for the Bubbling Ponds Preserve at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7. The dedication will be at the Anita MacFarlane Ramada, located adjacent to the Bubbling Ponds native fish ponds on the west side of the Page Springs Fish Hatchery grounds, about 10 miles south of Sedona.

Bubbling Ponds Preserve is a wildlife-viewing and outdoor educational facility located on the grounds of the Page Springs Fish Hatchery, an approximately 100-acre facility that raises both native and sport fish for Arizona’s rivers and lakes. It consists of a recently upgraded 1.8-mile Black Hawk Nature Trail together with a large ramada, two wildlife-viewing decks, an outdoor educational area, informative signage, and conveniently located benches.

The preserve project is a great example of a public-private partnership. Arizona Game and Fish provided the land and staff who supported the project from its inception. The $45,000 cost of the project was funded by Northern Arizona Audubon, thanks to donations from its members. Members of Audubon also handled the design and project management, and assisted in constructing many of the improvements.

The dedication will feature comments from the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Northern Arizona Audubon Society, and culminate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The public is invited to attend. Hosts will be available for tours after the ceremony and refreshments will be served. Carpooling is suggested.

The Bubbling Ponds Preserve is located on Oak Creek approximately 10 miles south of Sedona and 10 miles north of Cottonwood, off Highway 89A on the Page Springs Road.