Category Archives: Phoenix

Come on out to the AZGFD Outdoor Expo March 24-25

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PHOENIX – The largest hands-on outdoor recreation expo in Arizona is coming soon! Dates are set for the Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo presented by Shikar Safari Club International. Come out Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 to the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. Admission and parking are free.

One big change this year is we’re expanding the size of our amAZing wildlife tent, which has been a huge attraction the past couple of years.

You’ll have the opportunity to see live “ambassador animals” from the department’s Wildlife Center and learn fun facts. As always, there will be plenty of hands-on fun for all ages like kids fishing tanks, target archery and other shooting sports in a safe, supervised, controlled environment on the range.

Get a feel for specialty shooting disciplines like clay target, cowboy action, practical pistol, black powder, and air gun. Check out the many firearms manufacturers, including some new brands this year.

Don’t miss the always popular cowboy mounted shooting competition. See OHV and ATV exhibits. Give kayaking a try at the “Lake Paddlemore” kayaking pond. Hike a field course and learn cool camping tips. Learn about boating and how to stay safe on the water. Talk to experts about Arizona’s wildlife, fishing, hunting and more. Visit with more than 100 exhibitors, including outdoor recreation and conservation groups, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services.

The department will auction off its annual collection of wildlife assets at the Expo. Sets of antlers, hides, skulls and head mounts, as well as wildlife artwork and taxidermy – all seized during law enforcement investigations, obtained from animals killed in vehicle collisions, or acquired through donations – will be put on the auction block both days. Funds generated from the auction are used to purchase equipment and technology used in the investigation of wildlife crimes and to protect the state’s wildlife resources.

Concessionaires will have food and beverages available for purchase, and many accept only cash — ATMs will be on site. There is a nominal charge for ammunition at some of the target shooting venues.

Expo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. The Outdoor Expo is easy to find, located on Carefree Highway, about 1/2 mile west of I-17 in Phoenix.

See more information about the 2018 Expo.

Governor Ducey appoints Sam Elters to State Transportation Board

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PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Sam Elters, a transportation engineer with more than 30 years of experience in planning, design, construction and operations, to serve on the Arizona State Transportation Board.

Elters, who is senior vice president and national director of transportation for Matrix Design Group Inc. of Phoenix, will serve on the seven-member panel upon confirmation by the state Senate. He will succeed Joseph E. LaRue, who served as the board’s chairman in the final year of his term.

State Transportation Board members prioritize transportation needs, projects and funding on behalf of communities throughout Arizona. Each serves a six-year term.

Elters’ transportation experience spans the public and private sectors and includes serving as the Arizona Department of Transportation’s state engineer from 2005 to 2008. He also has served as a chief engineer for the Transportation Corridor Agencies providing toll roads in Orange County, California.

Elters has been in Arizona since 1981 and has been a resident of Maricopa County since 2005.

“It is an honor and a privilege to serve on the State Transportation Board,” Elters said. “I look forward to collaborating and working with the other board members and the Arizona Department of Transportation to promote and advance transportation solutions that will energize Arizona’s economy and enhance our quality of life.”

Meanwhile, William F. Cuthbertson, a Freeport McMoRan civil engineer who is from Greenlee County’s York Valley near Duncan, has been named chairman of the State Transportation Board.

Army Corps of Engineers looking to lower lake level at Alamo Lake

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PHOENIX — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, has a draft Environmental Assessment for the Alamo Dam Flushing Flow Release available for public review and comment. According to a public notice issued by the Corps, it proposes to release water from Alamo Dam outside of the normal non-flood release schedule in order to facilitate required maintenance activities.

According to the public notice, the proposed release would occur as a flood pulse hydrograph designed to mimic a typical rain event in the downstream watershed released with appropriate seasonal timing. While the exact details of the release are subject to variation based on conditions at the time of release, such as water surface elevation and weather, the release will conform to the following general
parameters:
​​​​​​​

  1. Maximum release will not exceed 5,000 cfs.
  2. Total release time, including ascending and descending limbs, would not exceed 20 days.
  3. Ascending limb of the hydrograph will be moderate.
  4. Descending limb of the hydrograph will initially drop steeply, followed by a gradual return to base flow.
  5. The peak of the hydrograph will be completed prior to March 15.

The Corps is soliciting comments from the public; federal, state, and local agencies and officials; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed project and alternatives.

Comments will be accepted through February 10, 2018.

There are two ways to submit comments. Either by mail to:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Los Angeles District
ATTN: Pam Kostka, CESPL-RGN-L
915 Wilshire Blvd., 13th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Or, comments can be sent electronically to: pamela.k.kostka@usace.army.mil.

Arizona state fish returns: AZGFD to resume stocking Apache trout

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PHOENIX – The Apache trout, one Arizona’s two native trout, are returning to lakes and streams in the White Mountains by May. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is scheduled to stock around 55,000 Apache trout of a catchable size from its Silver Creek Hatchery from May through September.

Stockings could not occur in 2017 due to federal hatcheries having tested positive for Bacteria Kidney Disease (BKD). The state relies on federal hatcheries to supply the eggs necessary to raise Apache trout.

This year, AZGFD is expecting to receive about 200,000 Apache trout eggs. AZGFD has around 100,000 Apache trout eggs (BKD free) at its Tonto Creek Hatchery that came from Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery and are scheduled to be stocked next year.

AZGFD typically stocks Apache trout into Lee Valley Reservoir, East Fork of the Black River, West Fork of the Black River (campground), West Fork of the Little Colorado River at Sheep Crossing (below Mt. Baldy), West Fork of the Little Colorado River in Greer, and Upper Silver Creek.

Subscribe to our fishing reports and stay tuned for more stocking details. Apache trout can be caught by a variety of methods, including wet or dry flies, small lures, or natural baits, in either lakes or streams. Artificial flies produce the best results. Best natural baits tend to be worms or grasshoppers.

See more information about Apache trout.

MVD makes tax time a little easier

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PHOENIX – With tax season in full swing, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is taking some of the hassle out of filling out those forms for Uncle Sam.

MVD has unveiled the 2017 “Vehicle Fees / Taxes Paid” report, which is now available for free at ServiceArizona.com. This service provides vehicle owners a consolidated report on how much was paid in taxes and fees for every registered vehicle in 2017.

“This is the simplest way for customers to get this information for filing their taxes,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards. “Getting this report just takes a few minutes and it’s much easier than going into your garage, collecting all your registration forms and copying them for your tax files. It’s one more convenience that MVD provides to stay ahead of the curve serving our customers.”

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd, or ServiceArizona.com

Pony Express to ride along state highways February 7-9

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PHOENIX – Motorists traveling state highways between Holbrook and the East Valley this week may see a caravan that includes Pony Express re-enactment riders carrying mail along state highways.

The 60th annual Hashknife Pony Express ride is scheduled to begin in Holbrook at 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 7, and reach Old Town Scottsdale at high noon on Friday, February 9.

On Wednesday, riders with the Navajo County Sheriff’s Posse will travel along State Route 77 south of Holbrook to SR 377 and SR 277 to reach the Heber-Overgaard post office at about 11:30 a.m. They will then travel along SR 260 to the Payson post office, arriving at about 4:45 p.m.

On Thursday, the Hashknife horsemen will ride along SR 87 from Payson to reach the Fountain Hills post office at about 3 p.m.

The final leg on Friday, from Fort McDowell to Scottsdale, will take them south on SR 87 to the Arizona Canal, where riders will head west to end the 200-mile trip at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

Law enforcement officers will provide a safety escort for the riders, who will hand off the mail bags every mile of the relay route. The riders will travel along the edge of the highway or shoulder.

Motorists shouldn’t stop along the highway to photograph riders. Highway shoulders are for emergencies only.

More information on this event is available at HashknifePonyExpress.com.

Arizona’s “Conserving Wildlife” license plate benefits habitat, education and youth

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PHOENIX — Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation’s (AZSFWC) “Conserving Wildlife” license plate ended 2017 surpassing the prior year both in license plate sales and grant awards from the proceeds.

Last year, AZSFWC, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, awarded 16 different grants totaling $170,665 in funding. Putting this into perspective, it means 10,039 Conserving Wildlife license plates were purchased or renewed to fund those projects. Since 2012, the organization has awarded 100 grants totaling more than $520,900.

Every time someone purchases or renews one of these specialty license plates through the state of Arizona, AZSFWC receives $17 of the $25 cost. These funds are placed in a dedicated account and each quarter AZSFWC assesses grant proposals from qualified organizations.

Grant money benefits conservation education efforts, youth recruitment and retention, and important habitat projects. Three notable projects were landscape-scale habitat efforts requiring significant coordination by AZSFWC member organizations with other partners, including federal and state agencies (such as the Arizona Game and Fish Department), other nongovernmental organizations, private landowners, and volunteers:

  • A National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) project continues with a multi-year landscape restoration in the Pinaleno Mountains (Mt Graham) in southeastern Arizona. The Pinaleno Ecosystem Restoration Project will reduce dense timber stands in this part of the Coronado National Forest and will directly benefit both Gould’s turkeys as well as the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel. This project began in 2013 and is projected to continue through 2020.
  • An Arizona Elk Society (AES) project is another long-term, landscape-scale habitat effort in the Coconino National Forest near Clints Well in north-central Arizona. The Long Valley Meadow Restoration Project has several partners restoring a forest meadow as well as enhancing the drainage, water table and waterway.
  • An Arizona Deer Association (ADA) project is a landscape-scale habitat project near Payson in the Tonto National Forest. The Round Valley Grassland Restoration will remove juniper and other woody plants that have taken over former grasslands. The project will begin in 2018.

To see a list of past grant recipients and funded projects, visit http://azsfwc.org/license-plate-fund-projects/.

Arizona residents can purchase a Conserving Wildlife license plate at http://servicearizona.com/.

MVD revolutionizes customer service with personal accounts

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PHOENIX – It just became easier to do business with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, and more enhancements are on the way.

For the first time ever, customers can now set up an online personalized account to manage all their MVD needs through the new AZ MVD Now portal, which is accessible through ServiceArizona.com.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “AZ MVD Now works like having an account with an online retailer. This will revolutionize how people do business with MVD much like people’s shopping habits have been transformed by the internet. This will open the door to maximize the number of MVD transactions done online. Right now that number is a little more than half, but eventually most will be available through AZ MVD Now.”

“Among the first major improvements we will unveil sometime in 2018 is allowing customers to transfer titles online, which will make it much easier for people to buy and sell vehicles without having to do paperwork at a physical location,” he added.

The current ServiceArizona.com method for conducting individual, point-in-time transactions remains in place, but AZ MVD Now, which represents the ongoing implementation of the Arizona Management System championed by Gov. Doug Ducey, provides a higher level of individualized service, including:

  • Create an account: AZ MVD Now allows you to manage your interactions with MVD. All of the vehicles titled and/or registered in your name are associated with the account.
  • Fund the account: When paying at an MVD office or online, you can still use a traditional form of payment such as debit, credit or EFT. Or you may pay with funds in your new financial account.
  • Issue a prepaid voucher: This functions like a store credit and allows flexibility of who pays for transactions.
  • View a title: A vehicle owner can see full title details on vehicles they own. Additionally, there is a limited view where a citizen can look up a vehicle to confirm the vehicle is eligible for transfer.

Jorgensen noted, “Arizona’s MVD is among the first motor vehicle agencies in the U.S. to adopt this technology that will make it easier for MVD to fulfill its vision to get Arizona out of line and safely on the road.”

Double your outdoor fun: Buy a hunt/fish combo license!

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PHOENIX — With the approaching elk and pronghorn hunt application deadline, this is a time when many hunters buy their license.

If you’re someone who typically buys only a hunting license (or an angler who only buys a fishing license), you’re missing out on one of the BEST DEALS around. Consider buying a hunt/fish COMBO LICENSE this year and double your outdoor fun!

A combo license costs Arizona residents $57—only $20 more than buying just a hunting or fishing license. It includes all the privileges of a general hunting license as well as fishing privileges for state waters and Community Fishing Program waters, and privileges for trout, two-pole and Colorado River fishing. Nonresidents can buy their Arizona hunt/fish combo license for only $160.

During the next month, there should be some hot fishing for yellow bass and crappie – both are excellent table fare. Hot spots for yellow bass in Arizona are Apache, Saguaro, and Canyon lakes in the Tonto National Forest. Prime waters for crappie are Roosevelt, Bartlett and Alamo lakes.

If you haven’t already purchased your license, you can conveniently buy it online 24/7 or when you are submitting your elk/pronghorn draw application.

So make it a COMBO LICENSE this year and be ready for your upcoming hunting and fishing adventures!

Budget request would expand pavement preservation work

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PHOENIX – With transportation funding limited, a simple yet highly effective way to protect Arizona’s $20 billion-plus investment in state highways is sealing road surfaces against the ravages of weather, heavy use and time.

To help the Arizona Department of Transportation expand this preventive maintenance, Governor Doug Ducey’s executive budget for fiscal 2019 includes $25.6 million for pavement treatments known as fog seals and chip seals. This would be added to the $15 million ADOT currently has programmed for such work.

The funding would allow ADOT to address approximately 3,000 lane miles, 14 percent of all lane miles in the state highway system, with surface treatments to extend the life of pavement along many higher-volume routes.

“Highway maintenance is very much a case of pay now or pay more later,” said Dallas Hammit, ADOT’s state engineer and deputy director for transportation. “The requested funding would be used to prolong the life of pavement and reduce the need for more costly repairs later due to deterioration.”

ADOT has identified 132 highway stretches as needing surface treatment projects that have yet to be funded. While specific funding decisions would come later, these areas include – but aren’t limited to – interstates 8, 10, 19 and 40, state routes 85, 87 and 260, and US 93 and US 95.

It costs $3,000 per lane mile for a fog seal, which applies a diluted asphalt emulsion to the road surface. Chip sealing, a more involved and lasting treatment mixing gravel or similar material with liquid asphalt, costs $36,000 per lane mile.

Once pavement deteriorates, it costs $300,000 per lane mile to mill down and replace the asphalt surface. Replacing pavement in its entirety is far more expensive. For example, ADOT has invested $34 million in an ongoing project to rebuild 5 miles of Interstate 40 from the ground up in each direction west of Williams, a stretch that sees scores of freeze-thaw cycles each year along with regular snow and snowplowing.

With paved surfaces the main asset in Arizona’s overall transportation system, federal funding for preventive maintenance has been insufficient for ADOT to follow the recommended schedule for preserving taxpayers’ investment in state highways. As a result, maintenance work is becoming increasingly reactive and will fail to maximize the life expectancy of pavement.

“While Arizona’s transportation system remains one of the nation’s best, this request looks to the future,” Hammit said. “If we don’t adequately fund this essential maintenance, pavement will deteriorate faster than it would otherwise, leading to more expensive reconstructions in the long run.”