Category Archives: Phoenix

AZGFD accepting applications for desert tortoise adoptions

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PHOENIX – Nearly 100 desert tortoises will soon awaken from their winter slumber and the Arizona Game and Fish Tortoise Adoption program will be once again be looking for good adoptive homes. There is no charge to adopt a tortoise.

The desert tortoises up for adoption are a wide range of ages and sizes. AZGFD is accepting applications for those willing to provide a special home. Adoption application packets and general information can be found at www.azgfd.gov/tortoise.

Adopters need to have a securely enclosed yard or separate enclosure in their yard, free from potential hazards such as a dog, fire pit or unfenced pool. The enclosed area must include an appropriate shelter for the tortoise to escape Arizona’s extreme summer and winter temperatures.

All of the desert tortoises eligible for adoption will be given health checkups before going to their new homes. Tortoises are only available for adoption to residents living within the species’ native range, which includes the Phoenix, Bullhead City, Kingman, Prescott, Lake Havasu, Tucson and Yuma areas.

Desert tortoises offer a unique alternative to more traditional family pets and can teach many of the same life lessons to children, including responsibility, compassion and commitment. Contrary to many assumptions, desert tortoises can be interactive and provide companionship without as many demands as a cat or dog.

AZGFD, ‘Spring Aboard’ campaign encourages watercraft users to complete boating safety course

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PHOENIX — Safe boaters are educated boaters, that’s why the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is encouraging all watergoers to take a boating safety course during the national Spring Aboard campaign March 19 to 25.

Those who complete one of AZGFD’s two classroom courses March 18 or an online course during the Spring Aboard campaign, will be entered in a drawing to receive a free watercraft rental generously donated by one of the following businesses:

• Phoenix ATV and Jet Ski Rental
• Jet Action Rentals in Tempe
• Havasu Adventure Company in Lake Havasu City
• Laughlin Watercraft Rentals in Bullhead City
• Parker Canyon Lake in Elgin

“This is an exciting time of year for our boating community,” said Josh Hoffman, AZGFD Boating Safety Education program coordinator. “Another great boating season is on the horizon and everyone is looking forward to when they can get out on the water. Before doing so, people should make sure they are prepared by taking a boating safety course.”

AZGFD offers free monthly classroom courses in Phoenix and Lake Havasu City to provide water users the information and tips needed to stay safe while on the water. The department also offers pay and free online courses. Below is a list of classroom boating safety courses scheduled for March:

Arizona Boater Education Course
• 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. March 18, Apex Arms Facility – Green Building, 2176 McCulloch Blvd. N. Suite 8, Lake Havasu City
• 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. March 18, Arizona Game and Fish Headquarters, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix

Courses cover basic skills needed to safely operate a boat or personal watercraft, trailering your vessel, navigational rules, buoys, anchoring, legal requirements, boating emergencies, watersports and paddling. In addition, most insurance companies offer a discount on boat or watercraft insurance rates for completing a course.

The department also reminds watercraft users that all boats, including paddleboards, must have a wearable life jacket for every passenger aboard and those 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket at all times, under state law. Users should also check to make sure a life jacket fits properly by ensuring there is no excess room above the openings of the jacket and that it does not ride up over the chin or face.

Spring Aboard is a national campaign coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) to encourage the state’s boating and watercraft users to complete a safety education course.

In 2015 nationwide, 71 percent of the 626 watercraft-related deaths involved a vessel where the operator had never taken a safety course, according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics. It’s with that statistic in mind that NASBLA developed and produced Spring Aboard, utilizing a grant from the U.S. Coast Guard.

For more information on boating in Arizona or to sign up for a safety course, visit www.azgfd.gov/boating and click “Boating Safety Education.” To learn more about Spring Aboard, visit www.nasbla.org/spring.

ADEQ Announces $37,734 Brownfield Grant Award to the City of Cottonwood, Yavapai, AZ

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PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today a $37,734 Brownfields Grant award to the City of Cottonwood to revitalize the downtown area by performing an Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Abatement on the Cottonwood Civic Center. The remodeling of this historic building is a step in the process of bringing new life to the historic Old Town Cottonwood district.

The Cottonwood Civic Center was built in 1939 using local sandstone and river rock and partially funded by the Works Progress Administration. The building has fallen into disrepair due to the expense of removing the lead-based paint and asbestos found in the construction materials. The Brownfields Grant abatement was scheduled for completion March 3, 2017.

ADEQ Announces $97,630 Brownfield Grant Award to the Town of Camp Verde, Yavapai, AZ

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PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today a $97,630 Brownfields Grant award to the Town of Camp Verde to revitalize the downtown area by performing an Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Abatement on the old library building, removing it and making way for expanded parking for the newly constructed Camp Verde Community Library.

The abatement will allow the library to safely park more patrons and hold more community events. Since opening the new 17,000 square-foot facility in November 2016, the Camp Verde Community Library has seen more than 26,700 visitors, issued 500 new library cards and held more than 124 community events. The Brownfields Grant abatement of the old library building is scheduled for completion by mid-March.

ADEQ Announces $16,635 Brownfield Grant Award to the Desert Hills Fire District, Mohave County, AZ

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PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today two Brownfields Grant awards totaling $16,635 to the Desert Hills Fire District in Lake Havasu to support redevelopment of Fire Station No. 1. The redevelopment will bring the aging structure up to building code and remove harmful contaminants such as mold, asbestos and lead-based paint.

Funds will be used to perform a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and asbestos and lead-based paint survey. The ESA and survey will address both the underlying land and physical improvements to the property by identifying potential or existing environmental contamination and the presence, type and amount of building materials that contain asbestos and lead-based paint, which require cleanup or abatement to protect public health and the environment. The ESA and survey are expected to be completed by the end of March.

Redeveloping brownfields has the potential to reduce environmental hazards, mitigate public health threats, create new business opportunities, increase tax revenue and restore habitats and blighted areas to productive use. Program funds are limited and available to eligible applicants.

Learn more about the ADEQ Brownfields Assistance Program and apply for a grant at azdeq.gov/brownfields.

Pavement repairs continue on northern Arizona highways after storm

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PHOENIX – After another snowstorm earlier this week, Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance crews are patrolling northern Arizona highways to locate and address potholes while they conduct more involved pavement repairs on stretches of Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff.

Crews will lay asphalt over existing pavement to smooth rough sections of I-40 at milepost 86 westbound and milepost 98 eastbound between US 93 and Seligman, as well as between mileposts 170 and 177 eastbound, about 10 miles east of Williams.

In addition, maintenance workers are patrolling the following stretches of highway to locate and fill any potholes:

  • I-40 between mileposts 82 and 139, from approximately 10 miles east of US 93 to six miles west of SR 89;
  • US 180 between mileposts 215-248, from Flagstaff to 13 miles past Kendrick Park;
  • and State Route 89A between mileposts 375-386, from Sedona to a couple miles before the switchbacks.

Potholes can pop up quickly when moisture seeps into and below asphalt, which in northern Arizona can be stressed by the combination of freezing overnight temperatures and daytime thawing. The Flagstaff area usually experiences more than 200 daily freeze-thaw cycles each year. Add heavy traffic, and this stressed pavement can break away.

ADOT has two projects coming later this year along I-40 between Flagstaff and Williams that will add a new layer of pavement in both directions.

AZGFD monitoring threadfin shad die-off at Apache Lake

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department recently investigated a fish die-off of thousands of threadfin shad at Apache Lake in the Tonto National Forest.

AZGFD collected water samples on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and determined the die-off was caused by a golden alga bloom largely restricted to the riverine portion of Apache below Roosevelt Lake.

Golden alga is not harmful to humans, and therefore Apache Lake remains safe for water activities, including fishing.

“Golden alga thrives on elevated salinity associated with drought conditions,” said Marc Dahlberg, Water Quality Manager at AZGFD. “Therefore, recent heavy rains will hopefully knock down salinity levels and help control golden alga blooms.”

At this point, AZGFD believes the fish kill has been restricted to threadfin shad and a few gizzard shad, both of which are highly sensitive to the toxin produced by golden alga.

The last such fish die-off in this region occurred in 2007, also in upper Apache Lake. However, there were significant fish kills caused by golden alga in Saguaro, Canyon and Apache during the early-to-mid 2000s that affected all fish species.

Fisheries biologists for the Department will continue monitoring water quality and fish health on all Salt River-chain lakes.

SR 260 improvement project to begin next week near Camp Verde

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PHOENIX – To enhance safety and improve traffic flow in a growing area of the Verde Valley, the Arizona Department of Transportation is set to begin upgrading nine miles of State Route 260 to four-lane divided highway between Camp Verde and Cottonwood west of Interstate 17.

The $62 million project, scheduled to start Monday, March 6, also will create seven roundabout intersections at Thousand Trails Road, Coury Drive, Cherry Creek Road, Horseshoe Bend Drive, Wilshire Road and two locations that will accommodate future development.

The work will pick up from the two miles of divided highway that stretch from the edge of Cottonwood down to Thousand Trails Road and also tie in to the roundabout construction on SR 260 east of I-17 at Industrial Drive, a busy commercial area of Camp Verde.

“Once completed, the project will provide safer and easier travel for local residents and visitors in the Verde Valley region,” said Alvin Stump, district engineer for ADOT’s Northwest District.

Crews will start just west of I-17 at Wilshire Road and will begin dirt excavation. One travel lane in each direction, the current number, will be maintained throughout the project. ADOT will work to keep drivers up to date on any necessary closures or restrictions.

The project is expected to be completed in approximately 18 months.

ADOT programs making international commercial traffic more efficient

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PHOENIX – Education and cooperation on both sides of the international border make for safer and more efficient movement of commercial truck traffic between Arizona and Mexico.

That’s the theme of meetings, events and programs the Arizona Department of Transportation offers for transportation leaders, elected officials and heads of trucking firms on both sides of the border. ADOT’s goal: educating the trucking industry about how safety compliance can reduce inspection times and make roads safer.

“There is a great spirit of cooperation among law enforcement agencies and the transportation industry on both sides of the border, and we want to continue that with educational programs and other efforts that will help everyone involved,” said Tim Lane, director of ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division, which conducts safety inspections at Arizona’s commercial ports of entry in addition to making sure commercial vehicles follow federal and state regulations.

In 2015, $30 billion in both imports and exports moved through the state’s border ports, supporting 100,000 Arizona jobs.

“These innovative programs that make our border inspections more efficient have a direct impact on international commerce and Arizona’s economy,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “They are helping improve the flow of commercial traffic while keeping Arizona’s highways safe.”

ADOT, in partnership with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, holds commercial vehicle industry days to provide information about safety regulations, permitting and the inspection process. ADOT has future plans to conduct commercial motor vehicle training in Mexico to help improve the cross-border experience for Mexican companies and stakeholders.

Members of ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit hold regular meetings in Yuma and San Luis, Nogales and Douglas on topics including permits, weight limits, inspection procedures, brakes and securing loads. The unit also plans annual workshops to discuss crucial issues for cross-border traffic.

Soon, ADOT’s outreach will include sessions in Mexico offering an International Border Inspection Qualification program, in which drivers can receive a certificate documenting their training to help streamline the inspection process and allow ADOT inspectors to focus on those who haven’t completed the program.

“Drivers, trucking companies and law enforcement all agree that safer vehicles are good for both the industry as well as for the public sharing the roads with commercial trucks,” Lane said. “The Border Liaison Unit and the International Border Inspection Qualification program are designed to make that happen.”

Also part of outreach in Mexico will be introducing innovative social media technology to improve communication between drivers and inspectors. In a pilot program, the WhatsApp application will allow drivers to check on border wait times, ask questions and share photos of their vehicles with ADOT inspectors to find out whether something could delay them in the inspection process.

To learn more about the Border Liaison Unit and Arizona-Sonora border relations, visit azdot.gov/BorderLiaisonUnit.

Thousands of Arizonans help shape ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan

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PHOENIX – Playing the part of a transportation planner isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to balancing priorities for Arizona’s highway system with the realities of limited funding.

When the Arizona Department of Transportation turned to the public and stakeholders last fall to tell us what’s most important to them over the next 25 years, nearly 6,000 people statewide responded through a quick and interactive online survey.

The survey allowed participants to rank six transportation priorities: preservation, expansion, safety, technology, accessibility, and maintenance and operations. They worked with a budget and determined how much of it would go toward each priority. Then they decided on trade-off scenarios that further defined priorities.

The results show a mixed bag. Safety, expansion, and maintenance and operations ranked highest, in that order. However, when it comes to allocating funds for those priorities, expansion, preservation, and maintenance and operations got the most dollars, with safety dropping to fourth.

Trade-off scenarios show participants prefer more roads (expansion), smooth roads (preservation) and connected roads (improved accessibility). Much like real-world transportation planning, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to ranking and funding priorities. All survey results will help develop a draft update to ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, which will be available for public review later this year.

The Long-Range Transportation Plan, also known as “What Moves You Arizona,” is updated every five years. While the plan isn’t project-specific, it does identify investment priorities based on current and projected transportation funding over the next 25 years.

The full report detailing results, responses and ADOT’s outreach in metropolitan, rural and tribal areas is available at azdot.gov/WhatMovesYouArizona under the documents tab.

It’s up to the public, policymakers and communities to tell ADOT what’s important to them throughout the long-range planning process, and to prioritize projects and funding.

Visit azdot.gov/WhatMovesYouArizona for more information on ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan and to leave a comment.