The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino National Forest wants citizens to be aware of the work being done by the Coconino Sheriff’s Inmate Work Crew and Forest Service personnel to help mitigate the unsightly broken sleds and other trash left behind on public lands during winter recreation. Many residents and visitors have voiced their concerns about large amounts of trash that has been left behind during winter recreation. Few agencies have enough resources to handle the trash issues alone and there are no trash services on public lands, which is why it is important for people recreating in the snow to clean up any trash or broken sleds before leaving the area.
As more and more people leave their trash behind, more and more help is needed to clean it up. The Coconino Sheriff’s Inmate Work Crew helping to pick up trash and take care of public lands is yet another example of the many ways inmates are giving back to the community in a positive way. The Inmate Work Crew has worked closely with the Coconino National Forest on this and other projects such as flood mitigation and cleanup of transient camps in the area. The Inmate Work Crew is regularly involved in picking up trash on public lands and has had work days in Williams, Tusayan, Tuba City, Timberline, and Picture Canyon, to name a few. The Crew also regularly assists other organizations such as County Public Works with graffiti removal, social service organizations with wood cutting for people in need, and County Parks and Recreation with projects.
Please help keep Flagstaff and the surrounding communities beautiful, and take care of your public lands so everyone can enjoy them. Pack out your trash after enjoying time playing in the snow in Northern Arizona.
Daily Archives: January 14, 2017
Two Recent Winter Recreation Rescues on the San Francisco Peaks
FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Arizona Snowbowl has conducted two search and rescue missions on the San Francisco Peaks in the last couple of days.
The first was a search for two lost hikers who had attempted to summit Humphrey’s Peak by using the Humphrey’s Trail on January 10th. The trail was mostly indistinguishable due to the snow cover. The adult male and adult female called 911 at approximately 4:45 PM from a location at approximately 10,750 feet. The two hikers were unable to navigate back to the trail head and were becoming cold and did not have equipment for night time hiking. Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue personnel responded to the call and were assisted by the Arizona Snowbowl grooming snowcats so that they could be inserted near the wilderness boundary near the top of the Humphrey’s Chair Lift. The SAR personnel then hiked to the location of the hikers and provided them with warm clothes, food, and water before bringing them back to the top of the Humphrey’s Chair Lift where the snowcats transported them back to the Agassiz Lodge at 9:00 PM. Neither hiker requested any medical attention.
On January 11th at 12:45 PM Arizona Snowbowl Ski Patrol notified the Sheriff’s Office about two lost snowboarders who had left the ski area boundary and were in the area known as First Gully south of the ski area. The two snowboarders were separated by approximately half a mile. Ski Patrol, at the request of the Sheriff’s Office, left the ski area and skied down First Gully to locate one of the snowboarders. SAR personnel hiked in to the Viet Spring area to attempt to locate the second snowboarder. The second snowboarder eventually hiked out to the Viet Spring parking area where he was located by SAR personnel. Both snowboarders were reunited at the Viet Spring parking area and then reunited with friends at the Agassiz Lodge. Neither requested any medical attention.
In both missions the subjects were not adequately prepared for the winter backcountry. Winter trails that appear on maps may not be discernible in the field due to snow cover. Good backcountry navigation skills may be necessary including map reading, compass skills, and GPS skills. All backcountry travelers should be prepared with the “ten essentials” plus three winter backcountry essentials in addition to a cell phone. The “ten essentials” include water, food, extra warm clothing, navigation equipment, headlamp/flashlight, first aid kit, shelter material/space blanket, fire starting kit, pocket knife/mulit-tool, and whistle/signal mirror. The winter backcountry essentials are an avalanche shovel, avalanche probe, and avalanche beacon. A cell phone is a good item to carry but backcountry travelers should be aware that cellular service may not be available. Even if your cell phone does not indicate that it has signal, if you have an emergency you should still attempt to call 911. All backcountry travelers should leave a detailed trip plan with a trusted person who can contact emergency services in the event that the traveler does not check in or return by a specified time. When exploring the winter backcountry on the San Francisco Peaks the backcountry travelers should be aware of the potential for avalanche hazards. Additional education about avalanche hazards and avoidance is available from the Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center at www.kachinapeaks.org.
Need a driver license? More Authorized Third Party offices now do that
PHOENIX – One of the most common Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division transactions just got a bit easier with the addition of more Authorized Third Party providers permitted to offer driver license services including road testing, written testing and photos.
There are now 22 third-party providers, operating at 33 locations, authorized to offer these transactions. To do so, they must meet stringent qualifications set by MVD.
These services are provided at all MVD offices and require an in-person visit. Customers looking for convenience may wish to consider an Authorized Third Party.
“Partnering with Authorized Third Party providers is a very successful example of government and the private sector cooperating to offer outstanding customer service,” Motor Vehicle Division Director Eric Jorgensen said. “These offices are a convenient and popular supplement to MVD locations. Having more of them offering driver licenses is another great example of MVD getting people out of line and safely on the road.”
All Authorized Third Party providers must follow MVD guidelines and are monitored for compliance. Operators that offer driver license services have additional requirements, including having been a third-party provider for at least three years, conducting at least 1,000 transactions per month for one year, having an appropriate facility and meeting certain financial requirements.
With several more Authorized Third Party locations expected to open before the end of the year, information about which offices provide driver license services can be found at ServiceArizona.com or azdot.gov/mvd.