Category Archives: National Government

Moonset Pit green waste disposal to begin May 4

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WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest, in cooperation with the communities of Parks and Sherwood Forest Estates will be re-opening Moonset Pit on May 4, 2024 for residents to dispose of green waste materials from private property.

The pit will be open every other Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. until September 7, 2024. Moonset Pit is located just west of the Parks community, east of Spitz Springs on the north side of old Route 66.

Green waste may be disposed at the pit only while staff is present. They may close due to lightning.

Local area residents are encouraged to take advantage this free opportunity as they make their private property defensible against the threat of wildfire this season.

Users may discard natural woody debris such a logs, limbs, branches, brush, needles, and leaves. Stumps/roots must be clear of dirt and rocks.

No bagged substances, lumber, construction material, household garbage or any other items can be deposited at the site.

This service would not be possible without the volunteers who have helped manage the site over the last 15+ years. For additional information or to volunteer to staff Moonset Pit, contact community coordinators Kathie Krushinksy, Sue Hamilton, or George Chambers. See attached flyer for contact information.

Kaibab NF firewood permits start Apr 15 and May 1

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WILLIAMS – The Kaibab National Forest will soon be offering fuelwood permits for the 2024 season. On the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts, the Forest Service will begin issuing permits April 15, 2024 and permit holders will be able to collect firewood April 13, 2025. On the North Kaibab Ranger District only, permit sales and firewood collection will run from May 1 through December 31, 2024.

Paid Permits are $20 for 10 cords of wood (limit 20 cords per year) and can be purchased by credit/debit card, check, money order, and cash with exact change. Credit/debit card is the preferred payment method. A valid ID is required to obtain a permit. A Free Permit is available for the Tusayan Ranger District and allows for gathering 10 cords of dead and/or down pinyon pine.

Details such as tree sizes and species will be outlined in the cutting regulations issued with each permit. Permit holders will also receive maps and load tags which must be physically attached to each ¼ cord of firewood and visible from the rear of the vehicle.

Customers can obtain permits at the following offices. Office hours are listed on the Kaibab NF website; However, hours are subject to change and customers should call first.

For Williams District and Tusayan District permits:
· Williams Ranger District Office, 742 S. Clover Road, Williams; 928-635-5600
· Tusayan Ranger District Office, 176 Lincoln Log Loop, Tusayan; 928-638-2443
For North Kaibab District permits:
· North Kaibab Ranger District Office, 430 S. Main St., Fredonia; 928-643-7395

It’s important to remember that many forest roads are extremely muddy and unsuitable to travel at this time; and may remain that way for the next several weeks. Regardless of the time of year, forest visitors are expected to use good judgement when traveling in the woods. Plan ahead, contact the district office for conditions, and remember that causing resource damage – such as ruts from driving on saturated roads – is illegal.

A wealth of information can be found on the Kaibab National Forest website, including additional details that will be added about the forest’s 2024 Firewood Permit Program.

Walnut Fire located east of Flagstaff fully contained

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FLAGSTAFF — The small Walnut Fire, located east of Flagstaff along Interstate 40, is fully contained at a quarter of an acre.

Three engines and two hand crews responded to suppress the fire, which was originally estimated at two acres, but determined to be a quarter-acre at the time of containment.

The interior portion of the fire may continue to produce minimal smoke and may remain visible from I-40 for a short period of time.

I-40 motorists are asked to remain cognizant of fire suppression efforts along the roadway as firefighters continue to monitor the fire.

The Walnut Fire was first reported the morning of April 10. Its cause is unknown.

Firewood permit sales begin April 15 as seasonal road closures begin to lift

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FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino National Forest will begin selling 2024 season firewood permits at its ranger stations and headquarters Monday, April 15 as seasonal road closures begin to lift for roads suitable for motorized travel.

The minimum cost for a permit is $20, with a maximum purchase of 12 cords per household. Permits allow for the cutting of down and dead wood or standing wood that meets certain criteria in specified areas. The cost for oak, aspen, juniper and maple will be $5 per cord, and the cost for pine and mixed conifer will be $2.50 per cord.

Even though some forest roads across the Flagstaff Ranger District will be opening throughout next week, there are still some that will be closed due to wet and muddy conditions which can be the cause of people getting stuck and cause damage to the roads.

All forest roads in the Mogollon Rim area remain closed due to the amount of snow that is still present. Personnel are assessing conditions regularly and the status of forest roads can be checked on the Forest Roads Status web page.

Many lower elevation roads, such as those in desert areas of the Red Rock Ranger District, have been open for a while, as they are often ready for vehicle use several weeks before higher elevation roads are ready for use.

The public should remember to only stay on open and authorized roads that are shown on the latest Motorized Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). The are no changes from the 2023 to 2024 version, so either may be used.

The MVUM contains essential information about road, trail and area designations for drivers. It includes road allowances, restrictions, and prohibitions as they pertain to dispersed camping, campfires and off-highway vehicles.

Paper copies of the MVUM are available for free at all Coconino NF offices, and an Avenza version of the MVUM can be downloaded to smartphones and tablets and used offline.

Forest Service hosts community meetings for proposed Yavapai-Apache Nation Land Exchange

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PRESCOTT — The Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab, and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests have begun the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process for a proposed land exchange with the Yavapai-Apache Nation and a Draft Environmental Assessment is available for public review and comment. The Forest Service is hosting two informational community meetings: January 17 in Camp Verde and January 18 in Prescott. These are open house format. Agency leadership, subject matter experts, and resource specialists will be on hand to answer questions and provide instructions for submitting formal comments.

Camp Verde Open House
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Phillip England Auditorium, 210 Lincoln Rd.

Prescott Open House
Thursday, January 18, 2024,
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
The Center, 1280 E. Rosser St.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation Federal Land Exchange involves the proposed exchange to the United States of approximately 4,782 acres of inholdings within the National Forest System, owned by the Yavapai-Apache Nation. The Nation’s exchange lands include six parcels located in four national forests – Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab, and Apache Sitgreaves – all of which are surrounded by National Forest System lands. In exchange, the Nation would receive approximately 3,201 acres of federal land, most of which is in the wildland-urban interface, and nearly all of which is contiguous to the Nation’s existing lands near Camp Verde, Arizona.

The Draft Environmental Assessment and supplemental materials can be found on the project website at fs.usda.gov/project/prescott/?project=63848. Additional information is also available at yavapai-apache.org/land-exchange/.

Christmas tree permit sales to begin October 12

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WILLIAMS — Christmas tree permits for the Kaibab National Forest will be available to purchase online through Recreation.gov beginning Thursday, October 12 and permit holders may begin cutting their trees on Wednesday, November 1, 2023.

Permits will be available for purchase through the Kaibab NF on Recreation.gov for trees, which also lists details about designated cutting areas, maps, dates, and sizes of trees that may be cut. Information can also be found on the Kaibab NF Christmas tree webpage.

When purchasing an online permit, it is important to carefully read the overview and need-to-know information prior to purchasing. Visitors will also need to set up a login account to Recreation.gov to complete the transaction. Permits are limited to one recreation.gov online account and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out. Up to 5 trees may be purchased on a single permit at
$15 per tree. A small processing fee will be applied to the transaction.

Fourth-grade students can get a free Christmas tree pass through the Every Kid Outdoors program by entering their pass ID they acquire on that website then enter it on Kaibab NF Recreation.gov when going through the acquiring process.

The tree cutting areas are in general areas and the trees are not individually marked. It is up to the permit holder to select the tree that is harvested. It is helpful to use the species map to predetermine what type of tree you would like and in what area they are growing before you start your adventure. The trees that are for sale grow in the wild and are not cultivated to be a fully filled-in tree like the ones that are bought from your local store or a private Christmas tree farm. However, it is the experience of finding and cutting a tree and having an adventure with the memories being priceless.

Permits are valid to cut trees between November 1 through December 31, 2023.

Free use firewood collection area open near Flagstaff

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FLAGSTAFF — Free firewood is available on a new area of the Coconino National Forest’s Flagstaff Ranger District for valid permit holders.

The free use area is located roughly 1.5 miles down Little Elden Springs Road (Forest Road 556). Directions are included in the attached map.

Collection areas are clearly marked. Free use permits are needed to collect wood and can be obtained by calling or visiting the Coconino National Forest’s Flagstaff Ranger Station located at 5057 N. Highway 89 during business hours.

The Flagstaff Ranger Station is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays.

Due to limited staffing, permit seekers are advised to call the Flagstaff Ranger Station at 928-526-0866 before arrival to ensure permits can be processed that day.

Permits are currently unavailable at the Supervisor’s Office.

Only dead and down wood may be collected in the free use area, which includes slash piles from a recent timber sale contract.

Free use permits are separate from personal use paid permits. Free use permits are valid only for collection within the designated area. Free use permits allow the cutting of up to five cords of dead and down wood in specified areas, and a maximum of five cords per household per year is allowed under free use.

Permit holders are asked to keep safety in mind and be considerate of other forest visitors. Please leave unused wood stacked in slash piles. Drivers should remain wary of tight turns on roads and in collection areas and watch for uneven surfaces both on forest roads and in collection areas.

Little Elden Springs Road is accessible by most vehicles, and high clearance vehicles are not required. There are about half a dozen cords of wood in the collection area, with more becoming available as crews continue work along the road. The wood is all small diameter (less than 9 inches) and is stacked along the side of the road.

Kane Fire at 100% containment

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FREDONIA — The Kane Fire will go to 100% containment today as crews continue suppression repair and rehabilitation work around the perimeter of the burned area. Management of the fire will transition from the local Type 3 organization to a smaller Type 4 managed by the Forest. Crews will continue to patrol and respond to any new starts as thunderstorms continue to move through the area.

Fire crews were able to quickly establish a perimeter on the Kane Fire with the assistance of the onset of the monsoonal weather pattern. Daytime cloud cover, higher humidity, and precipitation all moderated fire behavior, allowing crews to protect valuable cultural resources ahead of and in the vicinity of the fire. Although more rain is in the forecast through the weekend and into next week, smoke may still be visible from the Kane Fire area as pinyon pine and juniper stumps smolder.

This will be the last update on the Kane Fire.

Drake land grab grows

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PARKS — An email from Steve Dudley of Williams reports Drake Cement, a foreign owned company, has now claimed an additional 1416 acres of Kaibab National Forest land for yet another Pozzolan open pit site.

These most recent claims are called the Spring Valley claims and are located in Parks immediately behind Spring Valley Cabin, west of Spring Valley Road. Any development of this site into an open pit mine will result in loss of some very beautiful habitat and result in an immense increase of mining truck traffic down Spring Valley Road, through Parks.

Mr. Dudley wrote in the email, “If you have any concerns about this potential future development and you live in and around Parks, now is the time to say something. Once the trucks start rolling, it will be far too late.”

The Williams Grand Canyon Newspaper is developing an article on this recent development and would like to hear from and interview interested parties from Parks regarding their feelings about this.

According to Wikipedia, “The general definition of a pozzolan embraces a large number of materials which vary widely in terms of origin, composition and properties. Both natural and artificial (man-made) materials show pozzolanic activity and are used as supplementary cementitious materials. Artificial pozzolans can be produced deliberately, for instance by thermal activation of kaolin-clays to obtain metakaolin, or can be obtained as waste or by-products from high-temperature process such as fly ashes from coal-fired electricity production. The most commonly used pozzolans today are industrial by-products such as fly ash, silica fume from silicon smelting, highly reactive metakaolin, and burned organic matter residues rich in silica such as rice husk ash. Their use has been firmly established and regulated in many countries.”

He wrote, “Please feel free to share and alert the citizens of Parks to this. We need to hear from you! If you live in the Parks area and would like your voice heard please contact the Williams Newspaper at (928) 635-4426; (928) 699-8874 or write whowell@williamsnews.com.”

Cathedral Rock Trailhead closed Wednesday

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SEDONA – The Cathedral Rock Trailhead on the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest will be closed to the public on Wednesday (July 19) due to the City of Sedona conducting work along Back O’ Beyond Road and the necessity to close the road which accesses the trailhead.The trail itself is open for hiking, but the public will need to access Cathedral Rock Trail through alternate trailheads, such as Baldwin Trail Trailhead or Little Horse Trailhead. The city’s work consists of installing a new concrete box culvert system at the low-water crossing along Back O’ Beyond Road.