Category Archives: National Government

Williams remembers those who passed

Posted on by

20150525aaWILLIAMS — After the graduations, the parade, the roping and all of the other Memorial weekend activities, Williams ended with a memorial service to honor those who went to serve our country and did not return.
20150525x
Veterans and the families of loved ones who have passed gathered in the Williams Cemetery to honor their memory. The solemn occasion was accompanied with a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps by Lu Carle. Volunteers assisted in the placing of flags to mark the resting places of veterans. Some with only a small marker to indicate their presence.
20150525e
The event was scheduled by “Perico” Avila and the American Legion Cordova Post #13. Father Killian of St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Church gave the invocation.

Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, we could not get the names of all of the participants.

Kaibab urges campfire safety this Memorial Day weekend

Posted on by

FREDONIA — Kaibab National Forest managers urge the public to use extreme caution with campfires and any recreational activity that could potentially cause a wildfire.

As spring moves into summer, visitation to Kaibab National Forest is expected to increase. The Memorial Day weekend has historically marked the beginning of that transition, with campers and other visitors looking to enjoy the unique recreational opportunities the forest has to offer.

Fire managers would like to remind visitors that even though no fire restrictions are in place, fuel moisture levels can rapidly change in a very short timeframe, so there is always a need to be responsible with campfires.

Fire crews are ready to respond to any fires and will be patrolling the forest to inform visitors about weather and potential fire conditions.

The following suggestions will help ensure a safe visit to the Kaibab National Forest:

  • If you don’t need a fire, don’t build one.
  • Have a shovel and plenty of water on hand to put it out.
  • Have more water than you think you will need.
  • Never leave a campfire unattended.
  • Use existing campfire rings to minimize impact to the surrounding soil.
  • Ensure the area surrounding a campfire has a bare dirt buffer surrounding it.
  • Be responsible with cigarettes and charcoal grills, and only dispose of resulting materials in an ashtray or ashcan.
  • Always supervise children around a campfire.

As weather conditions become warmer and drier, fire managers will continue to assess the need to implement fire restrictions. Forest visitors may call the Kaibab National Forest fire information phone line at (928) 635-8311 for current conditions and the status of fire restrictions. To find out if fire restrictions are in effect anywhere in Arizona, visit www.firerestrictions.us/az.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and US Forest Service Offer Woods Watch Training and Orientation

Posted on by

Coconino-County-3FLAGSTAFF — Concerns regarding very dry conditions and the impending Wild Land Fire Season are on the minds of many community members who live in cities and unincorporated areas throughout Coconino County. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and the US Forest Service are offering “Woods Watch” training and orientation.

This volunteer program is similar to Neighborhood Watch and is of vital importance in residential areas that interface with forested land. Volunteers are trained to assist local officials in watching for and properly reporting people accessing closed areas or people who are using fire carelessly or against fire restrictions, especially on forested lands.

Woods Watch has been very successful in years past. Volunteers assist Northern Arizona law enforcement officers in watching access points to the forest. By providing additional sets of eyes in our community, Woods Watch Volunteers assist law enforcement officers in keeping unlawful fire activity under check. With the extremely dry and windy conditions our communities often experience, a fire start may spread very quickly endangering lives and property.

This year, we are offering Woods Watch re-certification and new volunteer training on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 6:00 pm at the Law Enforcement Administration Facility located at 911 E. Sawmill Rd. Citizens who have attended this training in previous years are asked to attend again as a review and to receive updated information. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will also provide Woods Watch training to our established volunteer groups such as Search and Rescue, existing Neighborhood Watch Programs, and CERT during their regular meetings. The training takes approximately one hour.

The Woods Watch Program is a commitment to join local law enforcement officers with community members to keep our communities and our forests beautiful, safe and free of wild land fires. For any additional questions or information, please contact Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-226-5089 or Sergeant Margaret Bentzen at 928-556-2300.

Big Springs Cabin Rentals now available for public use

Posted on by

Kaibab Forest Service Photograph

Kaibab Forest Service Photograph

FREDONIA — The North Kaibab Ranger District has seven cabins available at Big Springs as part of the Kaibab National Forest’s cabin rental offerings, which are now available as part of the Arizona Cabin Rental “Rooms with a View” program.

Reservations must be made at Recreation.gov, and may be found by searching for “Big Springs Cabin Site, Kaibab National Forest, AZ.” A complete listing of available amenities is available here. The rental rate is $65 per night per cabin. The cabins can be reserved from May 1 to Nov. 30.

The Big Springs cabin site is located approximately 30 miles from Fredonia, Arizona, on Forest Service Road 22, about an hour drive from the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The cabins are about a 35-minute drive from the Rainbow Rim Trail, a winding 18-mile hiking and mountain biking trail on the forest that offers stunning views from five scenic overlooks along the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Individual cabins vary in occupancy from two to four people per cabin and include use of the shared shower house, fully furnished kitchen and dining hall. There are toilets on site but not in the cabins. There are no laundry facilities. Each cabin has two twin-size beds and one full-size bed. Please bring your own linens, towels, and pillows.

See more photos of the Big Springs cabins at Kaibab Cabin Rentals.

Kaibab National Forest seeks public input on Town of Tusayan Proposed Roadway Easements

Posted on by

TUSAYAN — The Kaibab National Forest is seeking comments on a proposal to provide roadway and utility easements across National Forest System lands to the Town of Tusayan. The public scoping period will run for 40 days through June 2.

The easements, if approved, would allow the Town to make improvements to segments of existing forest roads and construct new segments to provide all weather access and utility service to two inholding properties within the Kaibab National Forest that are in the incorporated limits of the Town. The Ten-X Ranch and Kotzin Ranch properties are not owned or managed by the federal government but are surrounded by federal lands administered by the Kaibab National Forest. The only access to the Ten-X and Kotzin properties is through National Forest.

A scoping packet is available at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46776 that provides specifics of the project including a description of the proposed action. Additional information on the Town of Tusayan Proposed Roadway Easements project is available at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/TusayanEasement. The following public scoping meetings are scheduled to provide information about the proposed action:

  • May 18, 5 to 8 p.m., Williams Elementary-Middle School, 601 N. 7th St., Williams
  • May 19, 5 to 8 p.m., Grand Canyon Squire Inn, 100 Highway 64, Tusayan
  • May 20, 5 to 8 p.m., Doubletree Hotel, 1175 W. Route 66, Flagstaff

Comments on the proposed action may be provided in the following ways:

Online:
www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46776  (Click “Comment on Project”)

Email:
comments-southwestern-kaibab@fs.fed.us

Subject Line: Tusayan Roadway Easements

U.S. Mail:       
ATTN: Deirdre McLaughlin
Kaibab National Forest
Williams Ranger District
742 S. Clover Rd.
Williams, AZ 86046

Fax: (928) 635-5680
Subject Line: Tusayan Roadway Easements

Forest Service and local communities open Moonset Pit

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest, in cooperation with the communities of Parks and Sherwood Forest Estates, is providing the public with access to a cinder pit on Forest Service land on specific Saturdays from May through September in order to encourage local residents to create defensible space around their homes.

Moonset Pit is located just west of the Parks community on a dirt road east of Spitz Springs on the north side of old Route 66. On the following Saturdays, the pit will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the disposal of natural, woody debris such as tree limbs and pine needles:

May 9, 23, June 13, 27, July 11, 25, August 8, 22, September 12 and Sept. 26

“We encourage everyone to take advantage of this community service in order to make their private property more defensible against the threat of wildland fire,” said James Pettit, fire management officer for the Williams Ranger District. “We work with our partners to provide this opportunity each year because a little planning and preparation can make a big difference to community safety. Neighbors are linked by wildfire risk. If one home is inadequately prepared, the risk to the whole neighborhood increases.”

Only natural forest debris will be accepted at Moonset Pit. No garbage, building materials, lumber or other items will be allowed. Items should not be bagged.

This annual service is offered by the Kaibab National Forest and the communities of Parks and Sherwood Forest Estates in coordination with the Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership.

For more information or to volunteer to staff Moonset Pit on open dates, contact Anne Dudley at (928) 635-0417 or Joanie Raetzel at (928) 635-0059.

North Kaibab Ranger District opens campground sites on May 14

Posted on by

FREDONIA — Recreational campgrounds on the North Kaibab Ranger District will open May 14 and remain open until Oct. 29.

Both the Jacob Lake campground and the DeMotte campground will be open and available for public recreation and overnight camping. The Jacob Lake campground is situated as roughly 8,000 feet and is located 30 miles southeast of Fredonia, Ariz., on U.S. Route 89A. The DeMotte campground is located about 25 miles south of the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center on Arizona Highway 67 at roughly 8,700 feet.

A complete list of amenities may be found at Recreation.gov by searching for the specific campground. Campers are reminded to be mindful of any rules associated with the campground and always maintain fire safety when making a campfire. To stay current with any fire restrictions in Arizona go to firerestrictions.us/az.

Additionally, the Kaibab Camper Village, which is privately owned and managed but surrounded by Kaibab National Forest, is also scheduled to be open from May 14 through Oct. 15. Kaibab Camper Village offers full RV hookups and tent sites, and is located just 40 miles from the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim.

For more information on Kaibab Camper Village, please visit kaibabcampervillage.com or call 928-643-7804.

To make reservations at the Jacob Lake campground or the DeMotte campground, please visit Recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.

For additional information on all of the Kaibab National Forest recreational sites please visit fs.usda.gov/recmain/kaibab/recreation.

Kent Nutrition Group, Inc. Initiates Recall of Poultry Feed

Posted on by

IOWA — Kent Nutrition Group, Inc. is recalling one lot of its Blue Seal Home Fresh Starter Amp Medicated Poultry Feed. The recall is being implemented due to the discovery of excess salt in the feed concerning lot number 1015072.

Salt (sodium chloride) is an essential nutrient for all animals. However, excess salt intake can be dangerous especially if access to clean water is limited. Salt toxicity in birds results in thirst, trouble breathing, fluid discharge from the beak, wet droppings, weakness or paralysis of the legs, and even death. Customers should contact their veterinarian if their birds experienced adverse health effects while consuming the affected product.

The poultry feed being recalled was manufactured in Columbus, Nebraska. Beginning March 18 through March 25 the product was distributed to six dealerships in Nebraska. Product is sold in 50lb bags. At this time, 64- 50lb bags of Blue Seal Home Fresh Starter Amp Medicated Poultry Feed Lot 1015072 remains unaccounted for. The lot number of the product is located on the tape of the sewed-end of the bag.

The recall is the result of routine sampling by Kent Nutrition Group which indicated an excess amount of salt in the feed. Kent Nutrition Group’s products that are not from this specific lot are not affected by the recall.

US Senate votes against UN Small arms treaty

Posted on by

Gun-and-GavelWASHINGTON — According to an article on The Hill,

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment that would prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty in order to uphold the Second Amendment. His amendment passed on a 53-46 vote.

The vote was along party lines with Democrats voting against the Constitution and Republicans voting for Second Amendment rights.

The Hill did report:

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) offered an alternative amendment that clarified that under current U.S. law, treaties don’t trump the Constitution and that the United States should not agree to any arms treaty that violates the Second Amendment rights. His amendment passed by voice vote.

The Supreme Court has ruled in The Cherokee Tobacco Case (78 U.S. 616, 20 L.Ed. 227, 11 Wall. 616 in 1870) and United States v. Wong Km Ark, (169 U.S. 649, 18 S.Ct. 456, 42 L.Ed. 890, 1898) that treaties cannot supercede the Constitution of the United States of America.

Texas Governor orders Texas State Guard to monitor Jade Helm

Posted on by

mrap-mohaveThe Raw Story web site proclaims:

Paranoid Texans grill Army spokesman on Jade Helm 15 exercise that’s sparking fears of military takeover

At least in their headline. In the text they become “concerned citizens.” They continue on expressing the believe that United Nations Agenda 21 is a “conspiracy theory” even though it is clearly documented (PDF) by the United Nations itself. Interestingly they even use an Alex Jones video of the event.



Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

The concerns expressed by the Texans, however, seem to have reached the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott who has ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor the Jade Helm operation. The statement from the office of the governor reads, in part:

Following discussions aimed at ensuring Texans are fully informed on Operation Jade Helm 15, Governor Greg Abbott today met with Major General Gerald “Jake” Betty, Commander of the Texas State Guard, and directed him to monitor the Operation.

It also provides a link to Governor Abbott’s full directive to General Betty.

The Texas State Guard is not to be confused with the Texas National Guard. The Texas State Guard is one of the true militias formed in compliance with 32 U.S.C. §109.