Daily Archives: August 28, 2019

ADOT: No highway closures over Labor Day Weekend

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PHOENIX – Arizona drivers can look ahead to open highways and no scheduled construction closures over Labor Day weekend. The Arizona Department of Transportation and contractors will not schedule any construction or maintenance-related closures along state highways between Friday afternoon and late Monday, September 2.

Motorists should still plan ahead and expect heavy traffic during peak travel times on highways to and from popular destinations, including the state’s high country and California beaches.

ADOT also will work with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and local first responders in clearing crashes, disabled vehicles or other incidents that can cause travel delays.

Drivers have the most important role in keeping highways safe at all times, including holiday weekends. Motorists should focus on safe driving behavior, including using seat belts, obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions and not allowing impaired people to get behind the wheel. Being prepared for changing weather conditions, including blowing dust and potentially heavy rain, is another important safety measure as the summer travel season winds down.

Last year, nine people were killed in eight fatal crashes on Arizona roadways, including local streets, over Labor Day weekend. Four of those fatal crashes involved alcohol.

ADOT will position personnel and equipment in areas along heavily traveled highways during peak times this weekend, including I-17 and State Route 87 north of the Phoenix area. Those crews will be prepared to assist AZDPS troopers and local emergency responders in clearing travel lanes if crashes or other incidents occur.

While no weekend closures are scheduled along state highways during the Labor Day period, motorists should be prepared to slow down and merge safely in existing improvement project work zones.

Free Wood Cutting Opportunity at Game and Fish Wildlife Area

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FLAGSTAFF — The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has authorized by permit only, fuel wood cutting and removal on the Lamar Haines Wildlife Area (LHWA).

The permits, which are free to the public, help to decrease the threat of a catastrophic wild fire, protect the area’s unique cultural and historical value and to improve the area’s wildlife habitat. The LHWA is located approximately three miles up Snow Bowl Road northwest of Flagstaff.

The public can only obtain a permit from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) Flagstaff regional office at 3500 Lake Mary Road. The wood cutting season opens Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 15.

Anyone obtaining a permit must adhere to several requirements:

● All permit holders must sign an agreement and waiver of liability forms and carry the agreement form with them while cutting, gathering, and transporting firewood.
● Fuel wood cutting is for personal use only and the wood may not be sold. The permit is only issued for the LHWA and does not include other department wildlife areas, public, or private lands.
● Vehicle access is authorized only within the LHWA while actively engaged in wood cutting and gathering, no off-road driving is allowed.
● Fuel wood cutting is only for dead and down wood, no live standing or dead standing wood may be cut.
● All permit holders must be 18 years or older.

“The department has decided to provide this unique opportunity in an effort to maintain a healthy wildlife area, while giving the public the chance to collect free firewood,” said Rob Nelson, AZGFD habitat program manager. “There is a lot of dead and downed wood at Lamar Haines and we need help removing it.”

More detailed directions to LHWA will be available when obtaining the wood cutting permit.

The LHWA is owned by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and consists of approximately 160 acres of relatively undeveloped old-growth forest and wet meadow.

The property was originally patented under the Homestead Act by Ludwig Veit in 1892, and purchased by the Jenks family in 1928. It was acquired by the department in 1948 as a water source for wildlife on the southwest slope of Agassiz Peak.

Currently, the property is a valuable wildlife area located in old growth forest habitat.

Last chance: Space still available for “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” workshop

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PRESCOTT — There are still a few spots available for the “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” (BOW) workshop on September 6-8 at Friendly Pines Camp near Prescott.

The program introduces women to outdoors skills in an enjoyable, non-threatening environment with expert instructors. Classes include horsemanship, rappelling, wilderness medicine, birding, hiking, archery, fly and warmwater fishing, paddling a kayak, and shotgun/rifle/pistol shooting, among more than 30 others.

Evenings and mornings are filled with fun and entertainment, including bird walks, yoga, fly tying, night fishing and presentations. Participants stay in rustic cabins, but there are showers and bathrooms in each cabin, and a central dining hall for meals.

Class materials, food and lodging are all included in the $275 registration fee (horsemanship and ropes challenge are $50 extra each).

The program is sponsored by the Arizona Wildlife Federation in partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

For more information and to register, visit https://azwildlife.org/bow or contact Kim at (480) 201-7456 or Linda at (623) 979-4612.

Elk workshop at Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area scheduled for October 5

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PINETOP — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is again partnering with the Arizona Elk Society White Mountain Chapter (AES) to offer an elk natural history and viewing workshop Saturday, October 5, 2019 at Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area near Eagar.

Workshop presentations will begin at 11 a.m. and are followed by an early dinner AES. Maps will be provided to nearby areas with likely elk viewing opportunities. Sipe Wildlife Area has several hiking trails where you might see elk or other wildlife.

Late September to early October is breeding season, making it the best time of year to view local elk. The bulls will bugle as they battle to gather cow elk into harems and it is truly an awesome time of year to experience this unique wildlife event.

The workshop will be limited to 150 participants and costs $20 per person for each reservation. The dinner is a fundraiser for the AES, whose mission is to enhance the quality of wildlife habitat as well as teaching our next generation the importance of being responsible stewards of our national heritage our great outdoors.

Dinner will include a hamburger, side and dessert. Water and refreshments will also be provided. Children must be at least 12 years old to participate.

Workshop topics covered include:

  • Elk natural history
  • Elk management in Arizona
  • History of Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area
  • How to choose the best optics for wildlife viewing or hunting
    Elk calling
  • Wildlife Photography by AZGFD photographer George Andrejko OR
  • How to get started hunting by AES​​​​​​​

Directions to Sipe
Take Highway 191 south to Eagar towards Alpine; you’ll see the turnoff signs just two miles outside of Eagar. Follow the graded dirt road, suitable for passenger cars, about five miles to the property.

Additional information
If you plan on looking for elk after the workshop, please wear long pants and hiking/comfortable shoes. Participants might be walking distances of a quarter-mile or more in low light conditions.

Be prepared for a cool night and possible rain; layering would be best. Also, try to wear dark or camo clothing. White or bright clothes will alert wildlife when participants are near. Bring a headlamp or flashlight, binoculars or spotting scope if you have one, a camera and water.

For more information contact Diane Tilton at the Arizona Game and Fish Pinetop Office at (928) 532-3691 or email dtilton@azgfd.gov. To register for the event, visit www.arizonaelksociety.org.

New mobile app with hourly air quality forecasts for certain Arizona cities

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) launched new hourly forecasts for Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Nogales and surrounding areas on the Air Arizona mobile app. These forecasts can be used to help residents and visitors better plan their outdoor activities through the day to minimize the impacts of air pollution.

“A team of meteorologists at ADEQ creates the hourly forecasts every morning,” said acting Air Quality Division Director Daniel Czecholinski. “Our meteorologists provide expertise on the factors that affect air quality, producing a more accurate picture of how it fluctuates through the day and impacts people’s daily lives and that of their families.”
Available in English and Spanish, Air Arizona provides information for the following areas of the state:

Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Nogales and surrounding areas

  • Hourly air quality forecasts for the next 5 days
  • Alerts sent to your device’s home screen when a High Pollution Advisory or Health Watch is in effect
  • Tips for how you can help improve air quality | 5 Things You Can Do To Help Improve Air Quality

Globe/Miami and Hayden/Winkelman

  • Air quality forecasts, alerts and notifications sent to your device’s home screen for pollutants emitted during mineral processing activities
  • Pollution reduction efforts
  • Historical pollution data