Location: Arizona Sprouts Farmers Market Locations
Guests: Janet Hawks, Chief of Park Operations for ASP, and Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition and Public Relations for Sprouts
Summary: Hear an overview of the agency and learn about Stand Up For State Parks.
Time: 6:30
Intro Music
Host:
Welcome to the Arizona State Parks Audio Update. Today we’re talking about Stand Up For State Parks, a special event that is being co-sponsored by the Arizona State Parks Foundation and Sprouts Farmers Market. From April 8 to the 22 volunteers from Arizona State Parks will be attending select events at Sprouts Farmers Markets throughout the Phoenix and Tucson area to educate the public about their Arizona State Parks. Joining us today to tell us more about the events, the parks, and the sponsors are Janet Hawks, Chief of Park Operations for Arizona State Parks, hi Janet.
Janet Hawks, Chief of Park Operations
Hi Tye, how are you?
Host:
Great. And also joining us is Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition and Public Relations for Sprouts, welcome to the program Patti.
Patti Milligan, Director of Nutrition and Public Relations for Sprouts
Oh thanks for having me.
Host:
Let’s start with Janet in 2008 Arionza State Parks had about 2.3 million visitors. Give us an introduction to the system.
Hawks:
Well Arizona State Parks manages some of the most unique cultural, recreational and natural properties in Arizona. We have 9 Historic & Cultural Parks and 21 recreational and educational parks and natural areas across the state. With hundreds of yearly ranger-led tours we offer a broad spectrum of recreational activities, from fishing and boating to camping and hiking, to learning more about history, and seeing wildlife, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Arizona State Parks are also a great place to create family memories, and all the parks offer a Junior Ranger programs for kids. There’s always something interesting going on at an Arizona State Park. And did you know that in addition, Arizona State Parks has an impact on the local economies in Arizona that totals over 260 million dollars.
Host:
And just like being active at state parks helps promotes a healthy lifestyle so does eating well and nutrition, which leads us to Patti, give us an introduction to Sprouts Farmers Market.
Milligan:
Oh sure be happy to. Sprouts Farmers Market is a natural foods grocery store chain and there are 15 locations in Arizona. A total in four state of 31 stores. And you are exactly right we recognize the link between healthy lifestyle and a heathy environment so we committed to the wellness of the public, the preservation and sustainability of our planet and the conservation of natural resources. And that’s why this April we thought how unique if we could really put a campaign together for our customers and employees called Stand Up For State Parks. And really treat Earth Day in a very unique fashion.
Host:
So then tell us more specifically about Stand up for State Parks.
Milligan:
Well just as you did in the intro we are quite excited to partner with you folks and bring rangers to the floor our grocery store to really interact with the folks that might not have had a chance to meet a ranger and to understand more of the educational opportunities that Janet talked about with the unique state parks that we have. So we’ll host close to 60 events in our stores related to Stand Up For State Parks. And we’re also hosting a donation campaign. Sprouts on behalf of the employees are going to donate up to $15,000 to Stand Up For State Parks and then asking our customers to try to match us in that donation. So it’s quite simple a customer coming through the cashier register can go ahead and do a donation of $1, $2, or $5 really to Stand Up For State Parks and offer it to the Foundation.
Host:
Great and Janet can you give us an example of a speaker?
Hawks:
Both volunteers and park staff, who will volunteering their own time, at various Sprouts locations. For example, Assistant Park Manager Dennis Lockhart will be at the Sprouts in Scottsdale on April 8 not only educating the public about his park, Fort Verde State Historic Park in Camp Verde, but he’ll also be re-enacting General George Crook who ‘s tied to the history of the park. At all of the events, there’ll also be an information booth with handouts, maps, and brochures about Arizona State Parks, leading up to Earth Day which of course is April 22. And let me take this opportunity to thank all the park volunteers who will be attending and educating the public about the agency.
Host:
And another informative handout we have is a Recipes of Arizona State Parks, can you tell us a little about that Patti?
Milligan:
Well I understand the ones I have seen are put together with some of the unique, really ingredients if you will, from Arizona. The one that caught my eye was the prickley pear jelly because we’re all very aware of prickley pear and it’s uniquely fashioned into a jelly and very good tasting.
Host:
Well great, thank you both for joining us today.
Milligan:
Oh thank you, we are ready for April 8 to launch Stand Up for State Parks and thanks to Janet and her crew and volunteers. I’m hoping we add several hundred more volunteers by you coming into Sprouts and our customers getting excited.
Hawks:
Thank you Patti and thank you Tye and I would like to encourage everyone to get out both to Sprouts and to our parks this perfect time of the year to be out there. And bring your kids and make some memories.
Host:
Stand Up for State Parks will be taking place April 8 to the 22, at 14 Sprouts locations in the Phoenix Metropolitan area as well as one Sprouts in Tucson. The co-sponsor of this event is the Arizona State Parks Foundation, which promotes fund-raising, friend-raising and advocacy for the Arizona State Parks system. To learn more about the Foundation visit their website at arizonastateparksfoundation.org. To learn more about Sprouts Farmers Market visit their website at sprouts.com. To see list a complete list of Stand Up For State Parks events, as well as other park events, visit the Arizona State Parks website at azstateparks.com and check out the calendar of events. For Arizona State Parks, I’m Tye R Farrell.
Music
Commentator:
Arizona State Parks: Managing and serving Arizona’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people both in our parks and through our partnerships. Visit us on the web as azstateparks.com.
Music Ends
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