Tag Archives: Arizona

Kaibab National Forest to begin marking trees in early March in Government Prairie Project north of Parks

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WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest will begin marking trees in early March within the 1,400-acre Government Prairie Project north of the community of Parks in order to prepare the area for a future timber sale as part of ongoing forest restoration efforts.

The project area is located about 5.5 miles north of the intersection of Forest Road 141, also known as Spring Valley Road, and Historic Route 66 between Government Mountain and Government Hill. Much of the broader Government Prairie area includes large grassland and savanna ecosystems that have become less healthy over time due to significant encroachment by trees and other vegetation not historically found there.

Crews recently began painting the boundaries of the Government Prairie Project area. Next week, they will start marking trees within those boundaries with a leave-tree mark, meaning that the trees that are intended to remain post-treatment will be marked with paint. Forest Service marking crews make every effort to limit the visibility of tree marking paint where possible, such as along roadways and adjacent to private property, so as to not impede the views of residents and visitors.

There are varying treatments within the 1,400-acre project footprint, which are based on historic conditions in different units. In historic grasslands and savannas, the vast majority of encroaching conifers will be removed in order to encourage species diversity, reduce dwarf mistletoe infection, promote understory grasses and forbs, restore connectivity between grassland habitats for wildlife species, and move the entire area closer to historic and healthy ecological conditions.

Grasslands play an important ecological role, especially for various wildlife species such as pronghorn antelope, and are known for their high biodiversity. Healthy grasslands are better able to carry out natural processes such as nutrient cycling and provide increased water availability and habitat quality.

Other treatment units within the broader project boundary are dominated by stands of ponderosa pine trees. These stands have become overly dense due to fire exclusion and other factors. In these units, treatments will focus on removing trees in order to more closely resemble historic stand structures, which include more openings between groups of trees and fewer areas of interlocking crowns. Goals of these treatments include reducing threats to lives, private property and forest resources posed by unnaturally severe wildfire; improving the overall health of the remaining stand by increasing tree age and species diversity; and enhancing wildlife habitat through improved grass and understory vegetation growth.

Once the project has been marked, which will likely be completed by this summer, it will be offered as a timber sale. Implementation of the Government Prairie Project is anticipated to begin in early 2021, depending on the contractor selected to complete the work as well as weather conditions at the time.

The Government Prairie Project is one of several grassland restoration projects that have been implemented or are planned across the southern two districts of the Kaibab National Forest. Forest managers monitoring the effects of these projects have already documented increased use by a variety of wildlife species.

The efforts to improve conditions in the Government Prairie area are part of the broader Four Forest Restoration Initiative, which seeks to accelerate forest restoration treatments across 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest on the Mogollon Rim of northern Arizona. The project area was part of almost a million acres that were analyzed under the 4FRI 1st Environmental Impact Statement, which approved forest restoration work across more than 580,000 acres of the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests.

To learn more about 4FRI, visit www.fs.usda.gov/4fri.

Grand Canyon School receives approval for ‘game-changing’ fiber project

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GRAND CANYON VILLAGE – A three-year effort by the Grand Canyon School District and the Town of Tusayan to bring high-speed Internet to the region has finally paid off.

A new 60-mile fiber line from near the City of Williams to the School will deliver bandwidth to students whose access to high-speed Internet lags badly behind other Arizona schools.

The $5.6 million project will be funded by the federal E-rate grant program that provides high-speed Internet to schools and libraries, along with a State of Arizona broadband initiative grant contained in Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s fiscal year 2019 budget. Commnet Wireless, a telecommunications company with other projects and assets in Coconino County and the Navajo Nation, won the contract to build the fiber system.

Since its approval in late 2018, the project faced several hurdles, requiring appeals and a federal waiver to extend the project’s time frame. Representatives from the Grand Canyon School District and members of the Tusayan Town Council successfully worked with Arizona’s Congressional Delegation and federal agencies to secure the final approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

“I am beyond thrilled that this game-changing project was approved,” said Grand Canyon School District Superintendent Dr. Shonny Bria. “Our students will finally have the broadband access they desperately need to excel in school and into their future careers and lives. I am thankful for the Town of Tusayan’s teamwork and support in getting this across the finish line.”

Tusayan Mayor Craig Sanderson echoed Bria’s comments. “Since I’ve been Mayor, one of the top needs of local residents, businesses and tourists has consistently been high-speed Internet. This is a great start.” Sanderson said. “I’m proud that the Town of Tusayan could play a role in getting this project going for local students. In the long run, this will benefit us all.”

According to Commnet Wireless, the project is expected to commence in the coming weeks and will take 18 months to complete.

78 Acres of Piles on Government Hill to be Burned Wednesday This Week

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WILLIAMS — Kaibab National Forest fire crews on the Williams Ranger District will be igniting 78 acres of hand built slash piles located approximately rwo-miles south of Spring Valley on the northwest slope of Government Hill on Wednesday this week.

Precipitation received over the weekend has produced beneficial conditions allowing crews to continue with fuels reduction treatments of this type that occur during the winter months of the year. Smaller units such as this pile burn will generally be short in duration and will generate less smoke with very little risk of spread due to dampened surfaces on the landscape.

Smoke is expected to move to the west during the day and may occasionally impact forest road 141 to the north. The burn will be visible to residents in Spring Valley, Pumpkin Center, and Parks including the I-40 corridor to the south, and Route 64 to the west. Ventilation is predicted to be very good with the majority of smoke dispersing by late afternoon leaving only minor impacts by early evening. Air quality will be monitored closely and actions will be taken as necessary to minimize the effects to all adjacent residential areas.All prescribed burns are subject to approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Members of the public may view approved prescribed burns for any given day on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s website at smoke.azdeq.gov/

To learn more about smoke and public health, visit http://bit.ly/SmokeHealthAwareness

Notifications of upcoming prescribed fire projects are provided regularly by news releases throughout the year and through the following sources:

• InciWeb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5922/
• Kaibab National Forest Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF
• Fire Information Recorded Hotline: (928) 635-8311

Man Arrested on Multiple Charges Related to Shooting Incident in Kaibab Estates West

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Chad Anderson – CCSO Booking Photo

ASH FORK – On February 24, 2020 around 8:30 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting that a person fired shots at residences in the Kaibab Estates West community, which is west of Williams, AZ.

Several people had been gathered at a residence when a disagreement occurred between two individuals. Witnesses and victims advised that the suspect went to his vehicle where he obtained a handgun and fired multiple shots toward the home. He then left the scene and went to a nearby residence where he fired multiple rounds toward another home. Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office also responded to assist in locating and taking the suspect into custody.

Chad Anderson, 46-year-old resident of Kaibab Estates West, was taken into custody and booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility on charges including Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Endangerment, Assault Drive by Shooting, Prohibited (Weapons) Possessor, Disorderly Conduct with Firearm, and Criminal Damage.

No one was injured by the gunfire. The investigation is still on-going and no further information is available at this time.

Kaibab National Forest and Red Rock Ranger District announce March archaeology month events

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WILLIAMS — This March, the Kaibab National Forest will continue its more than decade-long tradition of offering stimulating presentations and outdoor excursions in the Williams area as part of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month. In Sedona, ancient cultures and their technologies are celebrated during planned events throughout the month at the Red Rock Ranger District.

In Williams, Wednesday evenings throughout March, experts will present a series of lectures starting at 6 p.m. at the Sultana Theatre in Williams covering topics such as the history of sheep ranching in northern Arizona, Fred Harvey’s original farm-to-table legacy, and the role of the Forest Service in shaping Arizona and its lands.

On all four Saturdays in March, Kaibab National Forest archaeologists will lead fun and educational hikes to the Keyhole Sink petroglyph site near the Parks community starting at 2 p.m. The Keyhole Sink Trail offers a short, relatively flat hike to a scenic box canyon where prehistoric residents left their mark carved into the canyon’s gray volcanic walls.

Close-up image of some of the petroglyphs at Keyhole Sink. Photo by Dyan Bone. Kaibab National Forest.

A special addition to the 2020 archaeology month offerings is the Stone to Steel Dam Trail hike, which will be held both March 14 and March 28. Guests should arrive at 9:30 a.m. at the Ash Fork Museum in Ash Fork. The trail is an easy, winding path between two historic dams. The first large steel dam in the nation was built in Ash Fork in the late 1890s by a railroad company. Less than a mile upstream is another dam dating from 1911, which was also constructed by the railroad but with stone blocks.

“We are so fortunate to live in an area that is so rich with history and culture,” said Neil Weintraub, archaeologist for the south zone of the Kaibab National Forest. “There is no better time than archaeology month to learn about and explore the incredible diversity of special places that make the Kaibab National Forest and northern Arizona so unique.”

Archaeology month is intended to generate understanding of and support for the state’s archaeological heritage. Celebrations and events focus on promoting the preservation of archaeological resources and illustrating ways the public can help in protecting and appreciating them.

For detailed information about the Kaibab National Forest archaeology month offerings in the Williams area, download the PDF schedule.

In Sedona, attend one or all of the planned presentations to learn about how Native Americans have thrived in this area for hundreds of years.

March 6: Peter Pilles, Coconino National Forest archaeologist, will give a presentation on the Rock Art of the Verde Valley by describing the many cultural groups that have lived in the Verde Valley and the styles of rock art each created. This event begins at 11 a.m. at the Red Rock Visitor Center and will last about an hour.

March 13: Visitors can learn how natives used agave for food and fiber. A presentation by Wendy Hodgson and Andrew Salywon, entitled Pre-Columbian Agaves in the Southwest – Discovering Lost Crops among the Hohokam and the Verde Valley Cultures, will begin at 11 a.m. at the Red Rock Visitor Center and is slated to last an hour.

March 21: People who are interested to learn about the natives of the V Bar V Ranch area may see more than 1,000 petroglyphs at this site and understand how they used the solar calendar to plant their crops. Jake Newhouse will give a presentation on the Spring Equinox, beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the V Bar V Heritage Site. The presentation will last until 2 p.m.

March 28: Join a demonstration of Ancient Technology, witnessing a wide variety of ancient tools commonly used by Native Americans of the region. Bob Erb will give a presentation at the V Bar V Heritage Site beginning at 10 a.m. until about 2 p.m.

The Red Rock Ranger District visitor center located at 8375 state Route 179, in Sedona, AZ 86351.

Petroglyphs at the V Bar V Heritage Site in Sedona

The V Bar V Heritage Site located 2.5 miles southeast of Interstate 17, Exit 298 on Forest Road 618. Drive east past the Beaver Creek Day Use Picnic Site, then turn right into the V Bar V Heritage Site driveway. Each vehicle requires a Red Rock Pass or equivalent to park, as explained on the V Bar V Heritage Site web page. Passes may be purchased at a vending machine in the parking lot.

For more information about the Coconino National Forest and its heritage sites, please visit www.coconinonationalforest.us. For more information about these events, please contact the Red Rock Visitor Center at (928) 203-2900.

Body Discovered by Camper Near Sunset Crater National Monument

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FLAGSTAFF – February 21st, at approximately 3:47 pm Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an area off of Forest Service Road 545 North of Flagstaff along Highway 89, for the report of a possible dead body found by a camper.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from the Wupatki Ranger station, that an individual camping off Forest Service Road 545 had found what was believed to be a dead body near the individual’s camp. While deputies from the Flagstaff district were responding to the area, assistance was requested from National Park Service and Forest Service Officers who were in the area to help locate the area given by the camper and secure the scene.

Once on scene, deputies were able to locate and confirm a deceased female. Coconino County Criminal Investigations and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office were notified and responded to the area. Investigators worked through the night and into the next day before clearing the scene.

The victim was transported by the Medical Examiner’s Office to Flagstaff on Friday evening. The Medical Examiner’s Office will investigate to determine the identity of the deceased female. Due to the ongoing investigation, no further details are currently available. More information will be made available as the investigation progresses.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance with this incident. Anyone who may have recently seen anything suspicious in the area of Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument is asked to contact Silent Witness at (928) 774-6111 or Coconino County Sheriff’s Detective Jones at (928) 226-5038, with any information to help solve this crime.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service for their assistance in this matter.

A piece of history found

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The Owens Bottle Company Trademark “O” in a square from around 1929.

WILLIAMS – As I walked through the forest today, I came across a bottle. I sometimes pick up trash to clean the forest, but this time I grabbed this one for some reason. A little Internet research revealed that the Owens Bottle Machine Company was founded in 1903. It was chanced to Owens Bottle Company in 1919.

One side of the bottle is marked in metric.

One side of the bottle is marked in English standard.

The “3xxxii” mark on the bottle.

One source claims that Owens started using the “O” inside a square around 1911, but the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office data shows that “Owens claimed first use was actually in the year 1919.”

The Owen Bottle Machine Company was the brain child of Michael J. Owens who worked for New England Glass Company. At the time, bottles were made by glass blowers. He invented a machine to create bottles and formed the Owens Bottle Machine Company in 1903. The company changed its name to Owens Bottle Company in 1919. The company is credited with the growth of the soda and beer industries.

It makes a good addition to the W.H. Hutchinson and Sons Bottlers Suppliers flask I got several years ago.

Although this is not exactly “ancient history,” this is what Archaeology is all about. Finding things and researching to find out how it fits in history. It is also a good lead-in to let you know that March is Archaeology Month in Arizona. The Coconino and Kaibab Forests have tours and lectures planned for all of next month.

A word of caution, however. If you find something really ancient, such as pottery or petroglyphs, do not disturb them. These type of objects are best reported to the forest service. These things are best researched in the area they are found.

The old bottle sets well with my W.H. Hutchinson and Sons Bottlers Suppliers flask I found years ago in some junk.

Sheriff’s Office Receives Grants from Governor’s Office of Highway Safety

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FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has received two grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to increase roadway safety and improve the accuracy and timeliness of traffic related data.

The first awarded grant is in the amount of $46,666 to purchase driver’s license scanners and in-car printers to be used with the Arizona Traffic and Criminal Software (AzTraCS). The Sheriff’s Office deputies currently hand write accident and traffic citation documents. Copies of the accident reports are sent to the state and entered into a database. ADOT receives an average of 600 papers reports a week. The reports are then scanned into a storage program and then entered into the State database.

The AzTraCS system is a mobile accident reporting software system, that can be used for electronic traffic citations, developing traffic accident reports and other report/forms. It allows the deputies to swipe driver’s licenses, complete the documents electronically and upload to the state. The AzTraCS system, driver’s license scanner and electronic transfer of information provides a more efficient use of Sheriff’s Office staff time. The documents have a higher accuracy and are completed quickly. AzTraCS will fully integrate to our Records Management System.

The only cost to agencies will be the equipment needed to operate and use the software. This includes scanners, printers and installation in Sheriff’s Office vehicles. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is providing funding through a grant to purchase the equipment needed. This project will provide faster, more accurate documents and a higher level of deputy safety.

The second grant awarded from GOHS will be used to purchase two radar speed trailers, in the amount of $20,000. The equipment will enhance our ability to address the problems of speed violators and traffic accident investigations.

The combination of large population of high school and college students, the high number of recreational visitors, and the availability of rural party areas contribute significantly to the number of traffic violations, driving under the influence, and accidents on our roadways. Speeding is one of the highest activity categories for our deputies. The radar message board trailers will provide educational sign messaging, as well as current speed of vehicles.

The goals of these projects funding by GOHS are to address critical roadway safety issues such as impaired driving, speed related crashes, and related injuries and fatalities.

Coconino SAR rescues injured skier on Fremont Peak

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FLAGSTAFF – On February 16th at approximately 6:10 PM the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call about an injured skier on the north side of Fremont Peak on a path known as Telemark. The 25-year-old male from Flagstaff had been skiing down the path and fell causing a shoulder injury which made impossible for him to continue to ski down. The group that he was with requested rescue and began to assist him down to the toe of the path where the terrain was less steep.

CCSO SAR rescue injured skier on north side of Fremont peak. – CCSO Photo

An Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter was requested to assist with the rescue, however due to the winds in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks and the location of the injured party, they were not able to land to conduct the rescue. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team responded to the area and were assisted by an ambulance crew from Guardian Medical Transport. The SAR team and the Guardian Medical crew drove the Sheriff’s Office snowcat to the Lockett Meadow campground in the Interior Valley.

The injured skier and his party were able to make it to the Inner Basin snow study cabins and waited there for rescuers. Due to the snow conditions in the area, the snowcat was not able to make it to the cabins, so a SAR team with the Guardian Medical crew hiked from the Lockett Meadow Campground to the cabins, which were approximately one and a half miles away. Upon arrival at the cabins at approximately 1:30 AM patient care was initiated by Guardian Medical and the SAR team prepared the patient for transport in a litter using a “hypothermia wrap” system to keep him warm and dry during the litter carry to the snowcat. The patient was loaded into the snowcat at approximately 3:30 AM and then transported down to the base of Lockett Meadow Road to be transferred to the ambulance for transport to the Flagstaff Medical Center.

This mission was another example of the close coordination and relationships between Northern Arizona emergency responders. The patient and his party were also well prepared and experienced in backcountry travel which allowed them to adequately manage the emergency until rescuers could arrive. Emergencies that occur in the wilderness areas require that the parties involved be able to manage the situation for an extended period of time as access is often difficult or time consuming. Being prepared for emergencies in the winter backcountry requires the proper clothing and equipment as well as experience using that equipment.

Summer ramada reservations available for County parks

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FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County Parks and Recreation will begin accepting summer ramada reservations on February 18, 2020. There are 11 ramadas at four County parks available for rent.

Ramadas can be used to host parties, reunions get-togethers and other events. They are available for rent seven days a week, for half or full days throughout the year, including holidays. Reserving a ramada for a party or special occasion will guarantee space and ensure utilities are active.

Customers may reserve a ramada online by going to Coconino.az.gov/Parks/Ramadas or by going to the Parks and Recreation Administration Office located at Fort Tuthill County Park, 2446 Fort Tuthill Loop, Flagstaff, AZ. Regular business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.

Prices range from $46-$114 for ramada rentals. Staff will follow up with a confirmation within one business day. For reservations less than 24 hours in advance, or for additional questions, please call the Administration office at (928) 679-8000.