Storm Sparks Eight Fires on North End of Prescott National Forest

Posted on June 19, 2021 by GCD

Location: Eight different fires across the north end of the Chino Valley Ranger District
Start Date: 6/17/2021-6/18/2021
Size: Rock Butte -120 acres, Red Hat – 49 acres, Limestone – 33 acres, Silent – 26 acres, Rafael – 9 acres, Sandflat – 5 acres, Archibald – 3 acres, Hornet – 1 acre
Percent Contained: Varies among fires
Cause: Lightning
Vegetation: Grass, Brush, and Pinyon juniper

Summary: Fire managers’ main objective today is determining access routes for the various fires. Yesterday they were able to put retardant on several of the fires. All of the fires were started by the lightning storm that passed through on Thursday. Due to the extreme drought conditions, all fires are being managed in a full suppression mode. Some of the fires are in remote locations and are being monitored via air until ground crews can gain access.
The Silent and Rock Butte Fires are just north of Paulden. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has issued a “ready status for the area north of Paulden . Under “ready” conditions, residents are asked to stay informed through local media and public safety officials. (https://www.facebook.com/YavapaiCountySheriff/ ).
Red Hat and Limestone Fires lie a few miles to the northwest of Paulden. The Rafael Fire lies about 2 miles north of Perkinsville; the Sand Flat, Archibald and Horney Fires lie 3-4 miles north of Perkinsville.

Resources: 1-Air Attack, 1-Type 3 Helicopter, 3-Engines, 2-Hotshot Crews, 1-Fire Crew

Weather: Hot very dry conditions through Sunday with temperatures peaking in the afternoons around 100 and overnight to early morning temps in the 60’s, relative humidity ranging from 10-30%, winds out of the East at 5 MPH, shifting in the afternoon to the West up to 20 mph. There is a 0% chance for precipitation to occur in the area.

Closures: None at this time.

Highway 180 reopens as 11,000-acre Slate Fire moves east

Posted on June 15, 2021 by GCD

FLAGSTAFF — Highway 180 has reopened following a week-long closure caused by the Slate Fire, which is located 23 miles northwest of Flagstaff and is now at 11,012 acres and at 16 percent containment.

While Highway 180 has reopened, motorists are asked to reduce their speeds and keep an eye out for crews still working in the area. Additional portions of the Coconino National Forest are closed to the public for safety reasons.

Adverse wind shifts Monday contributed to the spread of the fire, and crews spent the day using engines, hand crews, dozers, and helicopter water bucket drops to tend to spot fires on the south side of the fire.

Crews also took advantage of adverse winds by running a line of retardant on the west side of Missouri Bill Hill, followed by dozer and crew work Monday night in an effort to protect firefighter safety.

Crews plan to spend Tuesday continuing to secure Cedar Ranch with two engines while putting water on hot spots in the area. Additionally, resources will likely be relocated from the west side of Highway 180 to the southeast side of the fire. Work is still being done to survey archaeological sites in the area.

Several recreation sites in the area remain closed, including the Red Mountain and Slate Mountain trailheads, Kendrick Cabin and a portion of the Arizona Trail from Kelly Tank (mile 603.3) to Cedar Ranch (mile 616.2). A Forest Order was also issued over the weekend to close nearby parts of the Coconino National Forest.

About 190 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, including three Hotshot crews, two hand crews, nine engines, three water tenders, two dozers, two helicopters and miscellaneous overhead.

The fire was called in by a Coconino County Sheriff’s Officer at 3 a.m., and the cause is still under investigation.

Details about the Slate Fire will be posted on InciWeb, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

SLATE FIRE OVERVIEW:

Current size: 11,012 acres
Containment: 16 percent
Reported: 3 a.m. June 7, 2021.
Cause: Under investigation.
Origin location: Roughly 23 miles northwest of Flagstaff. (35.492, -111.847)
Fuel types: Pine, pinyon, juniper, brush.
Current resources: Three Hotshot crews, two hand crews, nine engines, three water tenders, two dozers, two helicopters and misc. overhead. Total personnel: Approximately 190.
Predicted smoke impacts: Winds will continue to move in a northeast direction Monday and into Tuesday.
Current closures: A portion of the Arizona Trail from mile 603.3 to 616.2, Slate Mountain and Red Mountain trailheads and Kendrick Cabin. A Forest Order was issued Saturday closing parts of the forest located near the fire for safety reasons.
Recent and current operations: Crews are tending to spot fires, conducting bucket work with helicopters and securing lines. A line of retardant was dropped and crews continue to secure Cedar Ranch.

Public comment period extended for draft Environmental Assessment for continued fish stocking in Arizona

Posted on June 15, 2021 by GCD

PHOENIX — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) today extended the deadline for the public to comment on the draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) of Arizona’s sport fish stocking program. The original June 11 deadline has been extended for two weeks, until June 25, 2021, to allow for more comment opportunity. The methods of providing public comments remain the same as in the original announcement and are described below.

The dEA is part of a process to continue to allow federal Sport Fish Restoration funding to support AZGFD’s long-standing program of stocking fish for public recreational opportunities, and for hatchery operations and maintenance. Each year, thousands of anglers in Arizona take advantage of the fish stocking program, which is funded in part by federal dollars from the Sport Fish Restoration Program and augmented by state dollars from fishing license sales.

Every 10 years, USFWS and AZGFD evaluate the social, economic and environmental effects of Arizona’s stocking program, and pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), prepare a dEA that analyzes possible actions or alternatives. The preferred alternative for the agencies, also known as the Proposed Action, would allow AZGFD to continue its stocking program for the next 10 years and also includes conservation measures to reduce potential impacts on federally listed or sensitive native aquatic or semi-aquatic species.

Members of the public are encouraged to review and provide comments on the dEA. Written comments can be submitted from May 11, 2021 through 5 p.m. (Arizona time) on June 25, 2021. Comments can be either:

• Emailed to fw2fa@fws.gov, or
• Sent by U.S. Mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attention Dave Weedman, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086 (must be postmarked no later than June 25, 2021).

Your written comments—including personal identifying information, such as name, address, phone number, and email address—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask that personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Two Facebook Live sessions with information about the dEA were held June 1 and June 2 and are available for on-demand viewing:
• View the June 1 session – covers AZGFD northern regions (1, 2, 3).
• View the June 2 session – covers AZGFD southern regions (4, 5, 6).

View the draft Environmental Assessment.

Central West Type 3 Incident Management Team assumes management of Cornville Fire

Posted on June 15, 2021 by GCD

SEDONA — The Central West Type 3 IMT assumed command of the Cornville Fire Monday evening, which has grown to 1,241 acres just east of the Cornville community and is currently zero percent contained.

The wildfire, reported on Sunday at about 12:30 p.m., was mistakenly reported that it originated from a structure on fire on private property. Investigators have found that the origin of the fire actually began on national forest land and rapidly grew throughout Sunday, encroaching upon private land.

The fire activity for Monday was minimal and burned away from homes and populated areas, while firefighters worked to secure lines around Cornville.“Firefighters have done good work the last couple of days on suppression efforts around the community,” said Incident Commander Trainee Charles Ebert. “We’re continuing to focus on suppression efforts around the communities and on the north flank of the fire. Forward progress of the fire has been slowed or stopped.”

Firefighters patrolled the fire lines overnight and will be focusing today on the northern and eastern flanks to keep the fire from progressing any further.

Extremely warm temperatures and windy conditions will persist throughout the next several days and will challenge firefighters as they work to increase containment of the fire and keep it from moving or growing any further.

There are currently no evacuations or structures threatened, but residents in the area are encouraged to remained prepared and be ready to evacuate if necessary.

V Bar V Heritage Site, Red Rock visitor center to reopen next week

Posted on June 15, 2021 by GCD

FLAGSTAFF — The V Bar V Heritage Site and the Red Rock Ranger Station Visitor Center will both reopen to the public beginning next week.

V Bar V Heritage Site:

The V Bar V Heritage Site, located at 6750 N. Forest Road 618 in Rimrock, will reopen on June 18.

Operating hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Monday.

COVID-19 restrictions include group size limitations and requested mask usage for unvaccinated individuals.

Either an America the Beautiful Interagency Pass or a Red Rock Pass (available on site) is required for access to the heritage site.

V Bar V is a rock art/ ceremonial site that features more than 1,000 petroglyphs and is largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley.

Red Rock Ranger Station Visitor Center:

The Red Rock Ranger Station Visitor Center, located at 8375 Highway 179 in Sedona, will reopen June 14.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday, and noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The Arizona Natural History Association Gift Shop will be open Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Several COVID-19 restrictions will be in effect. Capacity inside the building will be limited to 20 visitors at a time, and social distancing is encouraged. Visitors who have not been vaccinated are asked to wear a mask, and visitors who wish to remain outside are welcome to call 928-203-2900 for assistance, or to visit the informational kiosk outside the building next to the parking lot.

Slate Fire at 6,248 acres, 17 percent containment

Posted on June 11, 2021 by GCD

FLAGSTAFF — The Slate Fire, located 23 miles northwest of Flagstaff along both the east and west sides of Highway 180, is now at 6,248 acres and 17 percent containment.

Windy and active wildfire conditions, along with burnout operations, are the main factors in the growth of the fire, which is still moving in a northeastern direction.

Crews plan to spend Friday conducting firing operations on the west side of Slate Mountain to bring the fire out to control lines. The firing operations are expected to last 24 to 48 hours, and will allow crews to hold control lines on the west side of Slate Mountain and then shift remaining resources to the east side of the fire. Crews also plan to utilize natural fuel breaks and allow the fire to burn thicker fuels.

Highway 180 remains closed between mileposts 235 and 248 due to smoke impact and crew work in the area. The Arizona Department of Transportation will install a new guardrail, and crews will need to remove potentially hazardous dead trees alongside the road before the stretch of 180 can be reopened. ADOT estimates the earliest the highway could open is Sunday, but that is still to be determined.

Crews continue to secure Cedar Ranch and several archaeological sites in the area. Recreation sites in the area remain closed, including the Red Mountain and Slate Mountain trailheads, Kendrick Cabin and a portion of the Arizona Trail from Kelly Tank (mile 603.3) to Cedar Ranch (mile 616.2).

About 140 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, including three Hotshot crews, two hand crews, seven engines, two water tenders, two dozers, one helicopter and miscellaneous overhead.

The fire was called in by a Coconino County Sheriff’s Officer at 3 a.m., and the cause is still under investigation. Motorists should avoid Highway 180 north of Kendrick Park, and visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park should use Highway 64 from Williams to access the entrance to the Park.

Current size: 6,248 acres
Containment: 17 percent
Reported: June 7, 2021 at 3 a.m.
Cause: Under investigation.
Origin location: Roughly 23 miles northwest of Flagstaff. (35.492, -111.847)
Fuel types: Pine, pinyon, juniper, brush.
Current resources: Three Hotshot crews, two hand crews, seven engines, two water tenders, two dozers, one helicopter, miscellaneous overhead personnel. Total personnel: Approximately 140.
Predicted smoke impacts: Southwest winds will push smoke across Highway 180 in the area, as well as impact Cedar Ranch and possibly areas of Kendrick Park and Wupatki National Monument.
Current closures: Highway 180 from MP 235-248. Portion of the Arizona Trail from mile 603.3 to 616.2.
Recent and current operations: Burnout operations west of Highway 180 and indirect tactics east of Highway 180, along with structure protection around Cedar Ranch.

EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION OPENS FOR ALLIANCE OF ARIZONA NONPROFITS’ ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Posted on June 10, 2021 by GCD

PHOENIX — Early-bird registration has opened for the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofit’s 2021 Engage Conference featuring four half-days of virtual programming throughout August to engage and inform nonprofit staff, board and volunteers in effective leadership and collaboration to rebuild, strengthen and succeed.

Conference sessions are scheduled every Wednesday in August (4th, 11th, 18thand 25th) from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The conference will feature four keynote speakers and 24 educational sessions covering eight topics including advocacy; board development; executive; program/volunteers; development; marketing; diversity; equity and inclusion; and HR/finance. There will be more than 30 hours of content for registrants to hear from national and local thought leaders in the world of nonprofit management.

During early-bird registration through June 30, the cost for Alliance members is $109 ($149 after June 30). Each additional registrant pays $85 through June 30 and $125 after. Nonmember cost is $159 through June 30 and $199 after. Additional registrants will pay $135 through June 30 and $175 after. Scholarships are available courtesy of the Vitalyst Health Foundation.

Registration includes admission to sessions all four days, access to a post-conference video library and keynote speeches.

The full schedule of keynote and discussion speakers will be announced shortly.

The current schedule features real-time networking and discussions on “Wonder” and includes:

August 4

8-8:30 a.m.

• Keynote address

8:30-9 a.m.