Category Archives: State Government

Arizona Wins EPA’s Air Quality Flag Program Challenge

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PHOENIX — Arizona schools won the EPA’s Spring Air Quality Flag Program Challenge to protect people’s health. Schools state-wide are raising brightly colored flags to help students and members of the community be aware of daily air quality conditions. The colored flags correspond to the Air Quality Index to inform community members about air quality forecasts so they can take steps to protect their health.

The Spring Challenge aimed to increase the number of participating schools and organizations and raise awareness about the Air Quality Index colors and associated health messages.

“We applaud Arizona for enrolling 63 new schools in the Flag Program and winning the nationwide challenge,” said Alexis Strauss, EPA’s Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “These flags give community members information to make smart choices about their outdoor activity levels.”

“As one of the first schools in Arizona to participate in the Air Quality Flag Program and now going on nearly a decade, our K-8 students have learned how air quality affects their daily activities and lives from the color of the flag and what they can do to protect themselves from poor air quality,” said Annette Heasman, Registered Nurse, P.L. Julian School, Phoenix, Arizona.

“Having served as the model for EPA’s nationwide Air Quality Flag Program, Arizona is proud to continue to be a leader in this effective voluntary public health program, which makes a difference in the lives of some our most vulnerable children and adults,” said ADEQ Air Quality Division Director Timothy Franquist.

Each day a flag is hoisted above schools, or other community sites, that participate. In the school setting, recess and physical education are sometimes held indoors on days with particularly poor air quality, especially for sensitive populations, like children with severe asthma. The program also contains an environmental education component with teacher lesson plans about air pollution, and the science behind air monitoring technology.

Our daily lives are affected by local air quality, which can change from day to day, season to season, and even vary depending on the time of day. The EPA’s Air Quality Index provides information about the health effects of common air pollutants, and how to avoid those effects. The flags alert people to that particular day’s air quality, so they know when to modify their outdoor activities.

“As participation in Arizona’s Flag Program continues to grow, we are hopeful that community awareness too will increase and positively impact both children’s and public health,” said ADEQ Children’s Health Program Lead Julie Finke. “Our success in Arizona is due to our community’s ongoing commitment and the tireless promotion work of our partners and local coordinators, whom we recognize and thank for their participation and efforts.”

Getting up-to-date air quality information is easy by subscribing at www.enviroflash.info or downloading the AirNow app. You can get the daily air quality forecast sent to your email, cell phone or Twitter. This is especially helpful for those who are sensitive to the effects of air pollution, such as children, adults who are active outdoors, people with heart and lung disease, and older adults.

For more information on the Air Quality Flag Program visit EPA’s AirNow website at www.airnow.gov/flag.

For more information about the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality program, please visit: http://www.azdeq.gov/node/603.

Surface treatment to begin on SR 64 south of Valle

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VALLE — Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) crews will be applying surface treatment on an 8-mile segment of State Route 64 just south of Valle (milepost 205 to 213) during daylight hours on Wednesday (June 15) through Friday (June 17). During construction the roadway will be reduced to one lane of traffic with a pilot car escort to allow for alternating travel through the work zone.

Delays to the Grand Canyon can be anticipated during construction. ADOT advises travelers to allow for extra time for travel in the area, and to watch for crews and equipment in the work zone.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned roadway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule.

Arizona Antelope Foundation seeks volunteers for project June 25-26

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Pronghorn_-_Buck_1_2GREER — The Arizona Antelope Foundation is seeking volunteers for a fence modification project June 25-26 near Greer, adjacent to River Reservoir in the White Mountains.

This area has been identified as a pronghorn migration route between higher elevation summer and lower elevation winter ranges. The project activity includes removing about 1.5 miles of existing four-strand fencing and modifying about 0.3 miles of fencing by removing the bottom strand of barbed wire and replacing it with a single strand of smooth wire 16 inches above the ground.

The project begins at 7 a.m. both days. The Arizona Antelope Foundation will provide dinners Friday and Saturday nights, as well as continental breakfasts with coffee and juice Saturday and Sunday mornings. Volunteers are asked to provide their own lunches to eat in the field. Volunteers also should bring work gloves, snacks, water and personal gear.

Sign up by Friday, June 17, by e-mailing info@azantelope.org. For more information, contact Glen Dickens at (520) 247-4907. For a printer-friendly map to the campsite, visit www.azantelope.org.

Closure of bridge at I-40 Twin Arrows (Exit 219) on Tuesday

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Arizona Department of Transportation crews will be applying asphalt overlay on the bridge for the Twin Arrows Traffic Interchange (milepost 219) Tuesday (June 14) from midnight to 10 a.m.

Access across the bridge will be closed for traffic during construction; however a detour will be in place to allow for travel in the area and to Interstate 40. Please see information below for details:

Detour for I-40 Eastbound exiting north (Twin Arrows Casino)

  • Travel east on I-40 past the Twin Arrows exit to Buffalo Range exit (milepost 225), then continue westbound on I-40 to Twin Arrows exit (milepost 219).

Detour for traffic exiting Twin Arrows Casino to travel eastbound on I-40

  • Travel west on I-40 to Winona exit (milepost 211) and exit eastbound onto I-40 at this location

Please observe reduced speed limits and allow for extra travel time while traveling through the work zone.

Summer Wildlife Series moves from terrestrial to aquatic

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Roundtail_ChubKINGMAN — The Summer Wildlife Series, presented by the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s regional office in Kingman, has remained on solid ground – until now.

After kicking off the ninth season of its popular program last month with a presentation on the desert tortoise, department personnel will shift from land to water and conduct a one-hour lecture on native Colorado River fishes, beginning at 6 p.m. June 16 at the Kingman Mohave County Library, 3269 N. Burbank St., in Kingman.

The event is free, although seating capacity is limited to 52 on a first-come, first-served basis.

David Partridge, aquatic wildlife specialist, will discuss different species of native fish, provide biological information, explain which fish can be caught by anglers, and the importance of reintroductions and protections. Partridge also will provide tips on where species that qualify as sport fish can be caught, as well as the best types of bait.

Some of the fish to be discussed will include roundtail chub (photo), various species of suckers and dace, and the relationship between many fish species. Matt Chmiel, the region’s aquatic program manager, said most Arizona residents know little about the state’s native fish.

“This presentation will provide people of all ages with an opportunity to come and learn about these species of fish that have learned over years how to survive in the harsh Arizona environment,” Chmiel said.

The series continues with mountain lions (July 8) and Habitat and Wildlife (July 29). For more information, call (928) 692-7700.

Four states sign pact to create I-10 Corridor Coalition

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PHOENIX — In a move to make travel on Interstate 10 safer and more efficient, the transportation leaders in four states have created a coalition supporting innovation along the corridor.

An agreement establishing the voluntary I-10 Corridor Coalition, proposed by Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski, was signed June 2 by Halikowski and:

• Malcolm Dougherty, director of the California Department of Transportation
• Tom Church, cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Transportation
• James Bass, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation

“The efficient flow of commerce in Arizona drives our state’s economic vitality,” Halikowski said. “This agreement with our transportation partners in California, New Mexico and Texas will work to build a reliable, friction-free I-10 corridor to support Arizona’s businesses and export industries.

“We want to see the day when a truck or a non-commercial vehicle can travel the 1,700 miles between Los Angeles ports and Houston ports – safely, efficiently and without delay,” Halikowski added.

The I-10 Corridor Coalition is modeled after a coalition involving 15 states that govern Interstate 95 between Florida and Maine. For Arizona, the partnership is designed to remove what transportation officials refer to as “friction” – such as the variety of commercial vehicle permitting and inspection practices in each state along I-10 – that makes the movement of goods less efficient than it could be.

Commerce flowing on Interstate 10 across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas is the engine of a powerful economic region. I-10 is the primary trucking route to and from the Port of Long Beach, which connects to Asian markets, and connects the trillion-dollar markets of Southern California and central Texas.

If the four states were combined, the region would have the 10th largest economy in the world.

“Someday we want the I-10 Corridor to be filled with truck platoons and connected vehicles, weigh-in-motion sensors and automated truck parking lots,” Halikowski said, outlining a vision for the safer, more efficient movement of commercial and non-commercial traffic.

The coalition will employ the transportation expertise of the states collectively to enable resource sharing, joint testing and economies of scale, Halikowski said. It will apply best practices to improve safety and efficiency along the corridor, improve freight movement, expand and coordinate the use of technology along the corridor, and promote cooperative planning.

The coalition also will engage other levels of government and private stakeholders throughout the corridor to achieve the goals of friction-free travel.

Game and Fish biologists offer small-group bighorn sheep viewing experience June 18 and 19

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BHS_drinking_at_river_webThe Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering two unique opportunities to view one of Arizona’s most iconic arid land animals, the desert bighorn sheep, in an intimate, small-group setting on Canyon Lake. The three-hour morning boat tours will take place on June 18 and 19.

Participants will board department work boats to explore the canyons and bluffs of this scenic lake in search of these spectacular animals. Biologists aboard each of the boats will share and interpret bighorn behavior and biology during the trip. Due to limited space on the boat, attendance is restricted to 22 people per tour.

“Arizona’s hotter months provide the best opportunities for seeing sheep up close,” says Joe Yarchin, Game and Fish’s watchable wildlife program coordinator. “Sheep stay close to the water during June and July, and since the mating season is still under way, we occasionally see rams fighting or chasing ewes. But, the thing I enjoy most is watching lambs born earlier in the year cavorting around near their mothers; their agility is a marvel.”

Game Management Units 22 and 24B are home to some of the largest bighorn rams found anywhere in North America. Canyon Lake forms the border between these two administrative areas, and animals from both areas congregate near the lake’s shore at this time of year. This is an excellent opportunity to view, photograph, and enjoy bighorn sheep in their native environment.

The tour will leave Palo Verde Recreation Area at 7 a.m., heading up lake towards the dam to look for sheep. In addition to bighorn sheep, bald eagles, herons, and a variety of waterfowl are often seen. The area is also home to a myriad of other wildlife including deer, mountain lions, javelina and numerous small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Parking for the event will be at Acacia Recreation, a short 5-minute walk to the west. Participants will need a $6 Tonto Pass for each vehicle they park at the lake. Tonto Passes are available at a variety of convenience markets and sporting goods stores around the Phoenix Metro area or from the Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District Office at 5140 E. Ingram Street in Mesa.

“It’ll be warm out on the lake,” warns Yarchin. “People should dress comfortably and appropriately for a summer’s morning outdoors, including bringing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, water and snacks, and don’t forget your camera and binoculars.”

Each boat will have an ice chest for the participants to use.

The cost is $75 per person, payable by check or money order only. For more information or to register, contact Joe Yarchin at (623) 236-7589 or jyarchin@azgfd.gov from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information, contact Randy Babb at the department’s Mesa regional office at (480) 466-1334 or rbabb@azgfd.gov.

Lake Powell boat, watercraft users swap old life jackets for new

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Lake Powell in Page, Arizona. --- AZGF photo

Lake Powell in Page, Arizona. — AZGF photo

PAGE — The Arizona Game and Fish Department, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, will hold a life jacket exchange event at Lake Powell on Saturday, June 11.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Wahweap Marina at Lake Powell, where the public can swap their old, less-effective life jackets for new ones (while supplies last).

In addition to the life jackets, the public can also receive free vessel safety checks, boating safety literature and items for the kids, such as safety whistles, coloring books and t-shirts. The life jackets and giveaway items are provided by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

On average, the typical life jacket in Arizona should be replaced every three to five years because the sun and heat greatly reduce its buoyancy.

The department began the life jacket exchange program in 2008 to help save lives and to encourage watercraft users to remain safe on the water. The program is funded through a U.S. Coast Guard grant to purchase new jackets in a variety of sizes.

All boats in Arizona must have a life jacket aboard for every passenger and those 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket at all times, under state law.

Also during Saturday’s event, the public can visit and walk through the Coast Guard’s RB-S 25-foot vessel, which is used to patrol Lake Powell.

Comments sought on reptile, raptor, amphibian and mollusk regulations

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The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking public comments on draft 2017-2018 regulations for reptiles, raptors, crustaceans and mollusks, and amphibians.

Public comment will be accepted from now through July 5, 2016. If warranted, public meetings on the proposed changes to these commission orders may be held in Phoenix, Tucson and/or Flagstaff.

The proposed changes being considered for the 2017-2018 commission orders include:

  • In Commission Order 25, an increase in the number of peregrine falcon permits available to nonresident falconers from one to two based upon 2015 post-delisting monitoring results.
  • In Commission Order 42, prohibiting applesnails (genus Pomacea) for intentional transport and closing the seasons on the following species: Pinaleno talussnail (Sonorella grahamensis), mimic talussnail (S. imitator), Clark Peak talussnail (S. christenseni), Pinaleno moutainsnail (Oreohelix grahamensis), shortneck snaggletooth (Gastrocopta dalliana), and cross snaggletooth (G. quadrigens).
  • In Commission Order 43, the addition of banded watersnake (Nerodia fasciata) to the list of invasive species for which the bag limit would be unlimited dead and open the entire range of shovel-nosed snakes (Chionactis occipitalis) with a bag and possession limit of four per year or in possession, live or dead.

The draft commission orders can be viewed at the links below:

Reminder: June 14 is deadline to apply for 2016 fall hunts

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PHOENIX — Time is running out for hunters to apply for 2016 hunt permit-tags issued through the draw process for deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall bison and pheasant.

All online and paper applications must be received by the department no later than 11:59 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, June 14. Postmarks do not count.

Applicants are encouraged to use the online service at https://draw.azgfd.gov/ (scroll down to “Apply for a Draw”). Purchasing a hunting license and filling out an application online is fast and easy. The online service also dramatically reduces the chances of making errors that could result in a rejected application.

Paper applications can be mailed to: Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn.: Drawing Section, P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052, or dropped off at department offices statewide.

The department is announcing an exciting, innovative program beginning with the 2016 fall hunt application period. “PointGuard,” the newest benefit for AZGFD Portal customers, ensures that if a successful applicant is unable to participate in a hunt for any reason, the accumulated bonus points that were expended to draw that hunt permit-tag will be reinstated.
 
PointGuard is available to applicants who apply online for a hunt permit-tag. All applicants must sign up for a free AZGFD Portal account to purchase PointGuard (visit www.azgfd.gov, click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the home page, then select the “Create an Account” option). PointGuard is $5 per species, per applicant, purchased at the time of completing the online application, or prior to the application period deadline.

For more information about PointGuard, visit https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/pointguard. Applicants who encounter issues related to PointGuard are encouraged to call the department at (602) 942-3000.