Projects - Slide Rock State Park
Adopt a Tree
The Adopt-a-Tree project provides sustained funding for the caretaking of the orchard through annual donations of $500 per sponsor/per tree. Funds are directed to Arizona State Parks for needs related to maintenance of the Heritage Orchard at Slide Rock State Park.
If you are interested in supporting this project of the Arizona State Parks Foundation, make a secure online donation and add "Adopt A Tree" to the comments section or email azstateparksfnd@yahoo.com.
Background
Slide Rock State Park, originally the Pendley Homestead, is a 43-acre historical apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon. Frank L. Pendley, having arrived in the canyon in 1907, formally acquired the land under the Homestead Act in 1910. Due to his pioneering innovation, he succeeded where others failed by establishing a unique irrigation system still in use by the park today. This allowed Pendley to plant his first apple orchard in 1912, beginning the pattern of agricultural development that has dominated the site since that time. Like many orchards in the canyon, the trees are dying from old age. Apple trees have a life span of about 100 years or less in arid or drought-stricken areas like Arizona. Most of the apple trees were planted around the turn of the century or before. In 2007 the trees were grafted onto new rootstock to remain viable so that the historic varieties can continue to grow in the canyon. The EMA Program, the Center for Sustainable Environments (CSE) at Northern Arizona University, and Arizona State Parks are working together to ensure that the apple tree varieties that have survived at Slide Rock State Park continue to thrive.
