Category Archives: National Parks Service

Northern AZ land managers recognized for leadership in fire management

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WILLIAMS — Managers of both the Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona were recently recognized for the leadership role they’ve played in managing wildland fire across the landscape and jurisdictional boundaries for the purpose of improving forest health conditions.

From the Kaibab National Forest, former Forest Supervisor Mike Williams, North Kaibab District Ranger Randall Walker, Tusayan District Ranger James Simino, and Williams District Ranger Danelle D. Harrison were honored with the “Excellence in Line Officer Commitment to Restoration of Fire Adapted Ecosystems” award by the Forest Service National Line Officers Team. The group award recognizes the efforts made by the leadership of the Kaibab National Forest in the restoration of forest ecosystems through the use of a variety of tools including wildfire, prescribed fire, and manual and mechanical fuel treatments.

“This group award represents well-deserved, national-level recognition of the significant work accomplished on a landscape scale by these line officers and by all the employees of the Kaibab National Forest,” said Art Gonzales, fire staff officer for the Kaibab. “These individuals have provided an unwavering level of support that has allowed the Kaibab National Forest and its employees to be national leaders in restoring fire-adapted ecosystems.”

In 2014, the Kaibab National Forest treated almost 29,000 acres with wildfire managed to achieve resource objectives, including the approximately 11,000-acre Sitgreaves Complex Fire that was active for two months in an area extremely visible by local communities and members of the visiting public. Of particular note, the Kaibab’s average cost per acre of wildfires managed to benefit forest resources was about $133 per acre, versus the average cost of $2,500 per acre for wildfire with a full suppression strategy. The forest also treated thousands of additional acres with prescribed fire and various vegetation treatments.

From Grand Canyon National Park, Superintendent Dave Uberuaga was the recipient of the “Superintendent Fire Management Achievement Award” from the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. The award is given annually to an Intermountain Region park superintendent who actively supports and is fully engaged with their unit’s fire management program.

“Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most complex programs within the agency both in terms of park and fire management,” read the letter to Uberuaga announcing his selection for the award. “The park has recognized that wildland fire is an integral part of the landscape. … Without your leadership the 2014 fire season would not have been as successful as it was.”

During the 2014 season, the park managed both the Kanabownits and Galahad fires over an extended period of time and had identified large planning areas for the potential expansion of the fires. Also noted in the award citation were Grand Canyon National Park’s mechanical and prescribed fire applications used to manage vegetation, and the Slopes Prescribed Fire project on the North Rim that was highlighted for its role in enhancing the park’s ability to better manage large fires in mixed conifer fuels in the future.

“Dave is very deserving of this recognition,” said Jay Lusher, chief of fire and aviation for Grand Canyon National Park. “He takes a hands-on approach with our fire program by making the time to interact and engage with crews on the ground during fire operations. To me, this instills confidence and camaraderie and allows for shared vision and purpose as we implement projects.”

Not only do Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park share borders both north and south of the canyon, but the managers of each share a commitment to restoring fire-adapted ecosystems on a landscape scale and providing the leadership necessary to accomplish that important work.

The forest and park work together daily across jurisdictional boundaries on a variety of projects and even share a fire management organization on the north side. The North Zone Fire Management organization includes personnel from both the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

“Managing fire on a landscape scale and across administrative boundaries is key to building resiliency throughout the ecosystem,” said North Kaibab District Ranger Randall Walker, who was one of the recipients of the Forest Service award. “Together, we can maintain and build resilient landscapes; help protect the public, nearby communities and important infrastructure; and create a safe, effective and appropriate response to wildfire.”

Gosar submits bill for cull hunt of bison at Grand Canyon

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(Because of the deadline for this article, the office of Representative Gosar could not be reached for comment)

White Bison at Bearizona Wildlife Park.

White Bison at Bearizona Wildlife Park.

WASHINGTON — In 1906, Charles “Buffalo” Jones brought bison to northern Arizona in an unsuccessful attempt to breed them with cattle. The descendants of these bison have been managed since 1950 by the state of Arizona in the House Rock Wildlife Area (HRWA) on the Kaibab National Forest, through an inter-agency agreement with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In 1990 the 1990 the bison started moving to the top of the Kaibab Plateau and into the Grand Canyon National Park.

The Grand Canyon National Park began a request for input on a Bison Management Plan that ended in June of 2014. The effort was an attempt to balance their mission to secure natural vegetation, archeological sites and water resources while maintaining the bison as wildlife.

On March 18, Paul Gosar [R-AZ-4] submitted H.R. 1443 (S. 782 in the Senate by McCain) to permit a cull hunt for Bison at the Grand Canyon National Park.

The bill calls for the Secretary of the Interior to publish a management plan for Bison no later than 180 days after H.R. 1443 is enacted. The plan would be to reduce, through humane lethal culling by skilled public volunteers and other non-lethal means the population of Bison in the park.

Skilled public volunteers are defines as those with a valid hunting license issued by the State of Arizona and other qualifications the Secretary may require after consulting with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Kirby Shedlowski, Acting Public Affairs Officer at Grand Canyon National Park, said, “In order have allowed cull, there’s usually a very large management planning process.”

She said, “There has never been a cull hunt for bison at the Grand Canyon. There has been a cull on the forest. On the Kaibab Forest on the north side.”

Kirby said she was not sure of cull hunts for Bison in other parks, such as Yellowstone. “There are different culling hunts in different parks for different animals. Rocky Mountain did it for elk. Rock Creek Park has done it for white-tail deer. Getteysburg has done it for white-tail deer. But, as far as Bison go—I’m not sure. But Grand Canyon National Park has never had a cull for Bison.”

National Park Service Sitting On Half-A-Billion Dollars Of Concessions Obligations

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640-gc-eltovarAcross the National Park System, there is an estimated half-a-billion-dollars of obligations owed concessionaires who run lodges, restaurants, and even some activities, for the National Park Service.

It’s a sum that, while Park Service officials say is manageable, has seemingly stifled concessions competition in some parks and led the agency to divert tens of millions of dollars from some parks to others to reduce the debts.

At Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, the outstanding amount is more than $57 million. At Glacier National Park in Montana, it’s $22 million. At Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, it’s nearly $100 million. At Yellowstone National Park, the sum is $21.5 million.

Read more at National Parks Traveler

Injured hiker rescued from the Grand Canyon Monday

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640-GC-Rescue-01

Photos courtesy of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department.

640-GC-Rescue-03GRAND CANYON – Elements from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, Arizona DPS, Flagstaff Fire Department and National Park Service performed a dramatic rescue at the Grand Canyon in the early morning hours Monday. A 68-year-old Tuscon woman was injured when she fell from a trail while hiking.

The female hiker was hiking with two others along the Clear Creek Trail on Sunday, November 2 when about 7 p.m. she slipped and fell down a slope off of the trail. The hikers fall stopped with her head down slope and about three feet from a cliff’s edge that dropped down 80 feet to the creek bed below. When the hiker attempted to recover and move, she would slide further down slope due to very loose soil and rocks. The victim, fearing that she would slide over the cliff edge, lay still as her two friends activated a satellite emergency notification device or SPOT device.
640-GC-Rescue-02The National Park Service at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim was advised of the emergency notification and sent a ranger to area of the SPOT alert. The park service ranger hiked for six hours from Phantom Ranch, reaching the victim around 3:00 a.m. Rangers determined the victim had suffered some type of injury to her leg. Due to the dangerous and unstable ground, the Park Service requested assistance from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit and the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter, who have the capability to conduct night operations.

The DPS helicopter flew two heli-rescue members, one from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the other from the Flagstaff Fire Department into the canyon where they were able to land about a mile away from the victim. Rescuers hiked to the area where they had to secure ropes and rappel down to the victim. The victim was secured by a harness and then “short hauled” or flown out with a rescuer.

The victim was flown to the Grand Canyon Heli-base at the South Rim where she was transferred to a ground ambulance and taken to the Grand Canyon Clinic. She was treated for a fractured ankle and hypothermia and later released.