If you'd enjoy a fun, FREE family-oriented day in the country with lively entertainment and up-close and personal views of many wildlife species, mark your calendar and plan to attend Walk on the Wildside on Saturday, May 15th, 2010. Join Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and its partners in celebrating local conservation successes. The free event is held from10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. near the town of Freeport, California, at the Beach Lake Picnic Area. Highlights of the event include: • Live wild animal presentations by Wild Things, Inc. • Live falconry demonstration by Karl Kerster • Live folk music by Horse Sense • Children’s puppet show by Jason Adair • Petting Farm by Elk Grove High School FFA (Future Farmers of America) • Guided and self-guided tours of wetlands and heron rookeries • 30+ Conservation exhibitors • Special presentations • Children’s activity center, games, and prizes hosted by local Girl Scouts • Ollie Otter & Blue Goose Mascots • Outdoor BBQ hosted by Elk Grove High School FFA and Rotary Club • Event and Parking are FREE! Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is located just ten miles from the State capitol in Sacramento. Explore wetlands and a riparian forest on your own or with a guided tour, and discover the rich natural history right in Sacramento’s own backyard. This is a great opportunity for adults and children to experience a fun peaceful outdoor event with many activities and live ‘edu-tainment’. Children will win a prize by participating in fun activities run by the local Girl Scouts and watch live wildlife during special presentations by Wild Things, Inc. Visit exhibits, buy a snack to eat, and listen to toe-tapping music by Horse Sense. This fun outdoor celebration highlighting local efforts in protecting and restoring native Central Valley habitats and wildlife offers a great opportunity to access normally closed wildlife areas. Be sure to enjoy the special guided tours of restored wetlands, checkout active heron rookeries on the Bufferlands, and spruce-up your garden with a native plant sale hosted by All Things Wild showcasing many local native species that are hard to find! Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 540 federal refuges in the United States. Its location in southern Sacramento County makes it readily accessible to millions of people, as well as the migratory birds navigating this stretch of the Pacific Flyway. Directions to Event: This free, family-oriented event will be held at the Beach Lake Preserve on Freeport Boulevard: From Sacramento, travel Interstate-5 south and exit at Pocket/Meadowview Road and head east. At Freeport Blvd., turn south (turns into the 160 river road). Continue two miles on the river road through the town of Freeport and past the golf course. Turn left at the signs (just opposite Cliff’s Marina) and continue until you reach the Beach Lake Picnic Area. For more information or to download the event flyer with directions in pdf, visit www.fws.gov/stonelakes,or listen to the prerecorded event information by calling 916/875-WILD