ADOT rolling out online scheduling for VIN inspections

PHOENIX – Until now, getting a more involved vehicle identification number inspection through the Arizona Department of Transportation has required a trip to an inspection site or Motor Vehicle Division office and waiting on a first-come, first-served basis.

That’s changing. Customers are now able to schedule Level 2 and Level 3 VIN inspections through ServiceArizona.com for the Glendale MVD office location. ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division, which handles these inspections, anticipates adding online scheduling for five other locations in Maricopa and Pima counties later this summer.

These inspections confirm the identities of vehicles by matching VIN numbers to titles and other ownership documents.

Offered at MVD offices and Authorized Third Party providers, Level 1 VIN inspections are for out-of-state vehicles without proof of title or registration and for bonded titles. While most vehicles are verified at this level, follow-up inspections sometimes are required by officers at Enforcement and Compliance Division inspection locations:

Level 2 when a vehicle’s VIN number can’t be matched or the VIN number isn’t there.
Level 3 when a vehicle is a restored salvage or recovered stolen vehicle, or has been involved in a collision.

The change, part of ADOT’s efforts to continuously improve its customer focus using the Arizona Management System, adds to online appointments launched in 2016 for road tests and those applying for a Voluntary Travel ID.

“This scheduling feature will provide a lot of value to our customers by allowing them to fit the inspection into their schedules instead of arriving early at an office and waiting,” said Jeff Stanhope, Enforcement Services Bureau chief for the Enforcement and Compliance Division. “The new feature made sense given that our officers inspect an average of 840 vehicles per week in the large metropolitan areas.”

To schedule an appointment, visit ServiceArizona.com and click on “Vehicle Inspection Appointments.”

Customers should arrive 15 minutes prior to their appointments and check in with the Enforcement Services representative.

ADOT’s goal is to have all VIN inspection locations statewide available for online scheduling by the end of the year.

A list of VIN inspection locations can be found at azdot.gov/mvd under Enforcement.

Forest Service fosters stewardship through youth conservation education

WILLIAMS – In late June, Kaibab National Forest employees spent time educating young campers at the Pine Combs 4-H Camp near Williams in order to help create future public land stewards. The 34 campers, ranging in age from 9 to 13, eagerly participated as specialists showcased natural and cultural resources from across the Kaibab National Forest.

“The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and positive youth development,” said Misti Todd, youth development program coordinator for Pinal County 4-H. “Our slogan is ‘learn by doing’ and having the representatives from the Forest Service come and interact with our kids helps to not only broaden their horizons, but allows them to learn things while they are in the situation.”Over two days, the 4-H campers and counselors were treated to a series of interactive programs and activities presented by Kaibab National Forest specialists. On the first day, fire prevention specialists provided information on fire safety and protecting public lands through Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. Kids also learned how to extinguish a fake campfire and participated in an exercise designed to highlight the importance of forest restoration treatments. Even Smokey Bear made an appearance, reminding campers, “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

The second day brought a rotation of activities, with four separate stations highlighting Kaibab National Forest resources. At one station, campers learned about forest restoration and tree measurement tools with a forester from the Williams Ranger District. Under the guidance of an archaeologist, kids were given the chance to replicate 3,000-year-old willow branch figurines using pipe cleaner. Soon, the campers were excitedly trotting their colorful, deer-like miniatures around the table, giggling as they playfully sparred with each other.

“It is crucial that we pass on messages of conservation to youth so that when they visit the forest, they do so with respect for public lands,” said Neil Weintraub, an archaeologist with the Kaibab National Forest. “For archaeology, this is critical. Artifacts and cultural sites are fragile and irreplaceable traces of history, so conserving them on the landscape is critical to be able to reconstruct the past.”

Additional programs included outdoor safety and orienteering. During the outdoor safety session, campers learned the importance of being prepared and packing the correct equipment. As part of the orienteering lesson, the kids were taught to use a map and compass. Forest Service specialists even brought along aerial maps of the camp, giving the kids a birds-eye view of everything from the outhouses to the dining hall.

“For many of the 4-H campers, this was one of their first experiences with a National Forest and meeting Forest Service employees. I think they got to see another side of Arizona and were interested in the skills presented by our employees,” said Mark Christiano, GIS coordinator for the Kaibab National Forest. “The best way to protect and conserve our public lands is though creating good stewards of the forest. This all starts with our youth, helping them to make that connection to the outdoors. We plant the seeds now to grow strong stewards of the future.”

For pictures of Kaibab National Forest’s involvement in the Pine Combs 4-H Camp, please visit the Flickr album at bit.ly/4HKidsCamp2018.

Kaibab National Forest to Manage Three New Lightning Caused Fires

Officials on the Kaibab National Forest will begin managing three new lightning caused wildfires for the benefit of accomplishing land management objectives that include reducing hazardous fuel accumulations and restoring overall forest health.

The Pine Ridge fire at 5 acres and the JD fire at half an acre were discovered on July 8 and are located on the southern portion of the Williams Ranger District near Pine Flat. The 1 acre Blue fire also discovered on July 8 is located approximately 5 miles east of Red Butte on the Tusayan Ranger District. All of these fires will be monitored closely over the next several days with the intent of allowing fire to burn as it would naturally over the landscape as long as it can be safely managed while benefiting forest resources.Each of these fires will have a designated planning area that will identify management objective priorities within the individual locations.

Recent moisture from monsoon rains has created ideal conditions to allow for low to moderate fire intensity to occur in these areas that are in a predominant ponderosa pine fuel type. Weather forecasts are predicting more rain in the week ahead so growth potential is expected to be minimal over the next several days.

Smoke may be visible at times from the surrounding areas. Fire managers will monitor smoke closely and take precautions to minimize impacts to adjacent residential areas. Motorists are asked to be aware of fire personnel and vehicles and use caution when driving near the vicinity of these fires.

For additional information on these fires and for the Kaibab National Forest the following sources are available:

InciWeb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5916/ inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5917/ inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5918/
Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
Twitter: twitter.com/kaibabnf
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF/
Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311.