Category Archives: Amusement

Kaibab National Forest announces release of wildland fire video

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firevideo-1WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest is announcing the release of an informational video explaining the importance of wildland fire in the ecosystems of northern Arizona from the perspectives of various natural and cultural resource specialists.

Over the last decade, the Kaibab has managed both wildfire and prescribed fire to treat approximately 300,000 acres for a variety of objectives. That work wouldn’t have been possible without employees from all program areas actively engaging in the management of fire across the landscape, according to Kaibab fire staff officer Art Gonzales. Because of those ongoing efforts, Gonzales thought it important to highlight a part of the wildland fire world that most people never get to see.

“Typically, most fire videos provide a fire management officer, fuels specialist or fire ecologist perspective on why we believe fire across the landscape is essential for a number of reasons,” Gonzales said. “I wanted to take this video in a new direction, a direction in which those folks who are often the critical link in a successful program do not remain behind the scenes or go unnoticed. I was looking for a video about fire but from a non-fire perspective.”

To that end, Gonzales teamed with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and producer Josh McDaniel to create a 10-minute video entitled “Keeping Fire on the Ground: Resource Specialist Perspectives on the Kaibab National Forest,” which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/IpFWb5NDyPI.

“I am hopeful this is a product that can be used to help educate, raise awareness, and highlight the collective efforts necessary to build a successful wildland fire management program,” Gonzales said. “On the Kaibab, we have been fortunate to have past and present employees at all levels of the organization who truly understand fire and who have helped build an extensive history of using wildland fire to achieve benefits to many resource areas across the forest, from protection of the wildland urban interface to ecosystem restoration to cultural and heritage site preservation and more. It is critical that this important work continue, and I hope the video will help spread the word about our efforts.”

Santa Fe freeze

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Snow-15-12-17-2WILLIAMS — Weather in Williams has warmed up to the mid-30s. Santa Fe is frozen over and visitors are enjoying the snow.

Tomorrow and Saturday temperatures may rise to nearly 50, but higher winds could roll in Saturday with gusts up to 30-mph making the jackets still necessary. There is a 10% chance of showers Saturday night and Sunday morning before 11 a.m. Weather should clear Monday and chance of showers return Tuesday, according to the latest forecast.Snow-15-12-17-3In the meantime, the Zipline is open for business until it is actually snowing or raining. Visitors are enjoying the weather with special construction projects.Snow-15-12-17-4

Kaibab National Forest hiring window opens soon

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640_jobopsFREDONIA — It’s that time of year again; time to dust off and update the resume in preparation for the USDA Forest Service annual hiring of qualified applicants for 2016 temporary seasonal spring and summer positions. These seasonal job opportunities may include positions in wildland firefighting as well as other challenging and rewarding fields like recreation, range, engineering, archaeology, timber and visitor services.

At nearly 1.6 million acres in size, the Kaibab National Forest is a large area of land to care for with plenty of job opportunities to offer during the spring and summer months.

Please note that most vacancies will only be open for seven days. Applicants should refer to the positions listed in the table below for open/close dates. Specific duty location contacts are identified by each district, and multiple positions may be offered at each duty location. Interested applicants should contact duty locations for additional information regarding vacancies.

Applicants must apply through USAJobs prior to the deadline and are encouraged to apply for multiple locations if interested. This is the first and most important step to working for the USDA Forest Service. After creating an account, the process will enable applicants to apply for future positions, follow up after applying, and streamline the overall process for future applications an individual may submit.
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Wow on Wild Wonderland at Bearizona

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800-Bearizona15-12-13-039WILLIAMS — When I first saw the video with the press release for the Wild Wonderland lights at Bearizona, I was less than impressed. I went to see them. Wow.

The Wild Wonderland is an event separate from the normal park tour that is similar to Zoo Lights. The first show starts just after it starts getting dark around 5:30. The show repeats every half-hour after. You can find special coupons for the event at businesses, such as Circle K, Hotels and the Grand Canyon Railroad—now hosting the Polar Express through January 2.
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The addition that made this show was the snow. With a fresh blanket of at least 3″ so far today, and more expected, you should get out to see this show. The snow reflects the light from the show making it even more spectacular and bright. One staff member informed me that more lights are intended for next year. The center of the attraction is the Christmas tree.

While waiting for the show, you might want to stop in the warmth of the gift shop and take in the train diorama created by Colonel Jim Garvey. Colonel Garvey has been building this diorama for years. A staff member told me the El Tovar Hotel took nearly 15-years.
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You can get a cup of coffee while waiting for the arrival of Mrs. Clause who tells stories to children of all ages. They also bring out animals to see.
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The Wild Wonderland will continue every evening, now, until December 27. The only exception is that they will be closed December 24 and Christmas Day. We have been told that Santa has some sort of prior engagement those dates.

If you are coming for Polar Express, you need to add this show to your agenda. Add a daytime visit to the Deer Farm Petting Zoo to get up close to animals. The Deer Farm is located about five-miles east (toward Flagstaff) of WIlliams. Then you can check off all the slots on your Christmas To-Do list.

Last Advent Concert next Sunday

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640-advent15-12-13-01WILLIAMS — The Advent Concert Sunday was a beautiful mix of voices from St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran Church and St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. Occasionally it included the voices of the guests who joined in for some of the songs.

The music was directed by George Albers and included the combined voices of Father’s Marc McDonald of St. John’s and Kilian McCaffery on O Holy Night.

The music was a mix of old gospel favorites from around the world with a few contemporary songs.
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A reception was held after hosted by Sally Burcham.
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The last free Advent Concert will be Sunday, December 20 at 4 p.m.

Williams Winter Wonderland causing problems

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WILLIAMS — High winds began about 9:30 this morning and by 8 a.m., Williams had a covering of about 3″ from the overnight storm. It is not over yet. NOAA predicts snow throughout the day. The sun peeked out for a couple of hours, but clouds began to reappear by about 10:45.

Road conditions are reported to be hazardous. Social media reports that one person had to turn back to Williams at Parks because of white out conditions. Another report is that the plowing between Williams and Ash Fork had not started.

The crews of the City of Williams were out about 8 a.m. clearing the roadways.

Only two more Advent concerts left for the season

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advent-concert-15-12-12-10WILLIAMS — There are only two more free Advent concerts at St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran Church this season. The Church is located at 202 W. Grant Street next to the Williams City Christmas Tree.

The next concert is this Sunday at 4 p.m. The choirs of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and St. John’s will join together in a selection of Christmas favorites. If Reverend Marc McDonald is there to sing, you won’t want to miss it.

The last concert will be Sunday, December 20 at 4 p.m. It will feature guest musicians Anthony Flesch on the flute and Joel Rieck on acoustic guitar.

St. John’s hosts a reception after each concert. The concerts are free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

City snow removal ordinances in effect

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Saturday Snow 2015-12-12 034WILLIAMS — With the recent snowfall and more expected in the coming months, it seems a good time to cover the snow removal plans and the ordnances pertaining to that plan.

The City of Williams adopted a snow removal plan structured to open most City streets within 7 hours after a major storm. The city workers have, in the past, done an excellent job in getting the street clear after a snow storm.

The city watches the weather report and when snow acumulations 3-inches or more are predicted, they activate the plan and snow ordnances go into effect.

The clearing of streets is based on the following schedule of priorities:


    All emergency routes to include:

  1. hospital, ambulance service, fire stations, and police department. This includes main thoroughfares through town.
  2. Downtown streets, side streets located in the main part of town, residential streets and school bus routes.
  3. Outlying areas to include such places as Echo Canyon, Country Club Drive, South Road and other major collector streets.
  4. Airport Facilities

The ordinances in effect for snow removal are as follows:

SNOW & ICE REMOVAL FROM SIDEWALKS:

Article 8-7.02 0 Every person in charge of any building or lot of land fronting or abutting on a paved sidewalk shall remove and clear away, or cause to be removed and cleared away, snow and ice from a path of at least 36″ in width. Snow and ice shall be removed from sidewalks in all business districts in the City within 24 hours after the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain. Snow and ice shall be so removed from all other sidewalks within the same day of the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain within the first 6 hours of daylight after the cessation of any such fall, whichever period is longer. If snow and ice on sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be
removed. without damaging the sidewalk, sand or other abrasive must be put on the sidewalk to make travel possible. As soon as possible a path must be cleared.

PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Per the City of Williams Ordinance 626, the public is responsible for the following during snow storms:

PARKING:

Article 8-7.07 No person shall park or be permitted to park any vehicle on any public street, boulevard or alley during snow removal.

FAILURE TO PERFORM:

Article 8-7.08 If a vehicle is parked in violation of this code the Police Department is authorize to remove the vehicle, or cause it to be removed at the expense of the person owning or
controlling such vehicle.

Article 8-7.06 In the event of the failure of any person to perform the requirements stated above, the Public Works Director may cause such work to be done by the City and the responsible person shall be charged the cost of the work plus a 10% charge.

Snow makes for a beautiful Williams morning

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640-Snow-15-12-12-01WILLIAMS — If you reserved your tickets for the Polar Express tonight, you picked a winner. With little snow yesterday, Williams woke up to a fine blanket of snow which made for a beautiful morning.
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Williams received about an inch of snow overnight. By afternoon the city had received about three-inches. It is expected to clear up overnight with the chance of snow picking up Sunday night through Monday night. Another 2-4 inches is possible.640-Snow-15-12-12-04I do not usually wake up early especially on a weekend. I had to take an exam in Flagstaff, however, and was pleasantly surprised by the winter wonderland. If you plan to visit Williams, plan a tour around in the early morning or early evening to check out the city lights.

I-40 this morning was slick and heavy with snow, but amazingly clear of accidents. On the return trip leaving Flagstaff about 12 p.m., we encountered only one accident which did not block or delay traffic.

Flagstaff received about the same amount of snow, but likely Snow Bowl is benefiting from the eight-inches predicted above 8000′. The snow is not finished, however, and an inch or two more might fall before the evening.

More photos on our Facebook page.

State Route 67 to Grand Canyon’s North Rim closed for winter season

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation has closed State Route 67 between Jacob Lake (US 89A) and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for the winter season effective Tuesday, Dec. 1.

ADOT doesn’t clear snow from SR 67 during the winter since North Rim visitor accommodations are closed. The highway reopens each spring, usually around mid-May. US 89A remains open during the winter.

In addition, State Route 473, a 10-mile-long highway that provides direct access to the Hawley Lake recreational area in the White Mountains region, is closed for the winter.

ADOT reminds motorists heading into snow country to drive with caution and follow this advice:

• Slow down. Drive defensively. Be patient and allow additional time for your trip. Never pass a snowplow.
• Pack an emergency kit, a fully charged cellphone, extra clothing, water and snacks.
• Leave sufficient space between your vehicle and those ahead of you. Give yourself plenty of room and time to stop or to avoid hazards.
• If stopped on the roadway, leave room for emergency vehicles to get around you.
• Make sure your vehicle has plenty of fuel.
• If you slide off the roadway, stay with your vehicle. The Department of Public Safety or ADOT will respond.
• Check weather and road conditions before you travel. Let someone know your route.
• Bring a small bag of sand (or cat litter) for wheel traction.

Additional information on winter driving is available at azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

Before heading out on the roads, drivers are encouraged to call 511 or visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Center at az511.gov for the latest highway conditions around the state. The website features camera images along state highways that give drivers a glimpse of weather conditions in various regions.