After weeks of hopping and flapping, nestling bald eagles are growing up and beginning to take to Arizona’s skies. The first 2008 bald eagle fledgling took flight recently from a cliff-side nest along the waters of Lake Pleasant.
 The first fledgling’s sibling is expected to take its initial flight shortly, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department continues to keep a vigilant eye on bald eagle nesting activity around the state.
“Bald eagles are sensitive to human activity, so this is a critical time of year for nestlings,” says Kenneth Jacobson, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Bald Eagle Management Program. “Game and Fish asks recreationists to stay away from bald eagle nests so that they don’t prematurely scare a nestling from the nest. If a bald eagle is found on the ground, report it to Game and Fish promptly as a rescue team will be deployed immediately.”
Eaglets demonstrate pre-flight behaviors of hopping up and down in the nest; flapping their wings; and hovering over the nest slightly. These exercises help prepare them for a successful first flight.
Thus far in 2008, over 60 bald eagle eggs have hatched with more eggs expected to hatch in the coming weeks.
Outdoor recreationists are asked to help protect important breeding areas by honoring the closure of 16 areas across the state, most of which end in June. Various land and wildlife management agencies close the breeding areas from December through the spring to protect the state’s 48 breeding pairs of bald eagles. Some of the closure areas are located near popular recreation sites. For a list of closure areas, visit www.azgfd.gov.
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Folks have a few more days of climbing opportunities before Prescott National Forest officials implement restrictions on climbing and other activities on the cliff faces of both Granite Mountain and Thumb Butte on Friday, February 1, 2008.
For Granite Mountain, the closure will be the same as it has been for the past thirteen years. It is prohibited to be upon any part of the Granite Mountain rock cliff face or the rim above the rock face and extending 100 feet back from the edge of the cliff face by rock climbing or any other means of access. Trail 261 will remain open. Maps of the closed areas will be posted throughout the Granite Basin Recreation Area.
On Thumb Butte, both the north and south climbing faces, the top of Thumb Butte, and the areas at the base of the climbing faces will be closed to entry. Trail 33 will remain open for hiking. For the past six years, this closure has provided the protection peregrines need to produce young birds from their nest on Thumb Butte. Maps of the closed area will be posted around the Thumb Butte Area.
The closures will begin February 1st and last until July 15th to provide peregrines the quiet environment needed for successfully nesting and raising young birds.
If you have any questions about the peregrines and their management on Bradshaw District, please feel free to call Noel Fletcher on the Bradshaw Ranger District, (928) 443-8020 or Larry Bright at the Prescott National Forest (928) 567-1170.
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 How does your neighborhood score?
Somebody once said that solving traffic congestion by building more roads is like solving obesity by buying a bigger belt.
The design criteria of our tri-city area are most obvious amidst local traffic. Add continuous construction of buildings and roads to the ever-increasing number of automobiles, and getting around here by car can be maddening.
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Prescott National Forest fire officials, without explanation, have canceled the Nov. 14-16 2,300-acre Goat prescribed burn south of Mingus Mountain.
Prescribed burns help remove dead fuel on the forest floor, invigorate the plant and animal communities, promote a healthy watershed and help return fire to its natural role in the ecosystem. These burns are part of the Prescott National Forest’s ongoing fuels reduction project to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
For current information on prescribed burns visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott or call the Prescott National Forest fire information line at 928-777-5799.
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Firefighters are being cautious in calling the August Fire contained, but as of Friday, Nov. 9, expected to have it 100 percent contained by Sunday, Nov. 11.
“Forecasted winds along with drought conditions and remaining hot spots in the interior could cause additional spot fires outside of the control line, PNF spokeswoman Debbie Maneely said in a press release. “Firefighters will continue to patrol and mop-up 200 feet inside the exiting control line through the weekend.”
Maneely said PNF would not issue another report on the August Fire until Tuesday, Nov. 13.
The human caused fire, which started on Oct. 30 and is still under investigation, burned approximately 630 acres of forest 10 miles south of Prescott. Beetle-killed pine trees were the major fuel for the fire.
Officials reopened Forest Road 52 (Senator Highway) and Forest Road 52B Friday, November 9 at 5pm. Forest Road 70 will remain closed until further notice.
The City of Prescott reopened Goldwater Lake Friday, November 9.
The Prescott National Forest will conduct the Goat prescribed burn south of Mingus Mountain Wednesday, Nov. 14 through Friday, Nov. 16, weather conditions permitting.
The 2,300-acre Goat Burn is west of Goat Peaks and approximately two miles east of Kendall Peak. Forest Road 132 will be closed from Powell Springs to Kendall Peak. Emphasis is to burn Ponderosa pine and chaparral between Ash Creek and Forest Road 132.
Prescribed burns help remove dead fuel on the forest floor, invigorate the plant and animal communities, promote a healthy watershed and help return fire to its natural role in the ecosystem. These burns are part of the Prescott National Forest’s ongoing fuels reduction project to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
For current information on prescribed burns visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott or call the Prescott National Forest fire information line at 928-777-5799.
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As containment progressed on the August Fire 10 miles south of Prescott yesterday, Prescott National Forest fire officials pulled some resources away to fight a new fire.
The November Fire is approximately seven miles south of Crown King in the Castle Creek Wilderness Area on the Prescott National Forest. Roughly seven acres in size, the fire is burning in chaparral. Two air tankers and two helicopters were able to get a wet line around the perimeter of the November Fire and stop the spread as a fire crew and two engines were diverted to begin the suppression efforts. Firefighters will continue constructing a hand line around the perimeter of the fire and mop-up today.
As of this morning, Wednesday, Nov. 7, the August Fire near Prescott is about 80 percent contained, PNF spokeswoman Debbie Maneely reported in a press release. Other details on the August Fire include:
Size: 630 acres
Cause: Human, under investigation
Date Started: October 30, 2007
Location: 10 Miles South of Prescott, AZ
Fuels: Heavy dead/down Ponderosa pine, timber, slash
Terrain: Steep, rugged
Total Personnel: 214
Resources: 7 Crews, 7 Engines, 2 Water Tender, 2 bulldozers
Air Support: 2 Helicopters, 2 Air Tankers
Structures: No structures threatened
To ensure public and firefighter safety, road closures in the area of the fire remain in effect. Forest Roads 52B and 52 from Union Saddle (below the junction of FR 52 and FR 261) to County Road 177 are closed.
For current information on the wildfire visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott or call the Prescott National Forest fire information line at 928-777-5799.
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 November 6, 2007, 7:00 am
Working day and night over the last two days, firefighters have succeeded in establishing a fireline around the August Fire between Ash Creek Ridge and Senator Highway northwest of Palace Station on the Prescott National Forest. Fire managers expect full containment tomorrow, Wednesday, November 7, before an anticipated wind event forecast for Friday or Saturday.
Burning operations along the established dozer lines north and south of the fire and along the Senator Highway completed the containment lines. Firefighters are now conducting patrol and mop-up operations, cooling hot spots within 100 feet of the line.
To ensure public and firefighter safety, road closures in the area of the fire remain in effect. Forest Roads 52B and 52 from Union Saddle (below the junction of FR 52 and FR 261) to County Road 177 are closed. There is still active fire within the perimeter and there is heavy traffic along the roads and fire lines.
“Unburned islands of fuel within the perimeter of the fire will continue to burn in the coming weeks,” PNF spokeswoman Debbie Maneely said in a press release. “Residents are advised that smoke will continue in the area for several days.”
Firefighters will continue to patrol and monitor the fire.
Drought conditions are continuing across the state of Arizona. To prevent additional wildfires, officials ask visitors to the Prescott National Forest to exercise extreme caution with fire.
Details of the fire released by officials this morning, Tuesday, Nov. 6 include:
Fire size: 620 acres
Containment: 60percent
Cause: Human, under investigation
Time/Date Started: October 30, 2007
Location: 10 Miles South of Prescott, AZ
Fuels: Heavy dead/down Ponderosa pine, timber, slash (debris left behind from woodcutting operations)
Terrain: Steep, rugged
Total Personnel: 214
Resources: Seven crews, seven engines, two water tender, two bulldozers
Air Support: Two helicopters, two air tankers
Structures: No structures threatened
For current information on the wildfire visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott or call the Prescott National Forest fire information line at 928-777-5799.
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PNF updates August fire near Prescott
Smoke for the August Fire has been visible to Prescott residents all weekend, turning the blue sky white in the south. Prescott National Forest officials said that most of the burning is due, not to the wildlfire, but to 'burnout' fires deliberately set by firefighters to contain the blaze.
“As planned, firefighters working on the August Fire on the Prescott National Forest conducted multiple burnout operations on Sunday,” PNF spokeswoman Debbie Maneely said in a press release Monday morning. “Working within the perimeter set by their objectives, they burned south from the dozer line established on Saturday between the Ash Creek Ridge Road and the Senator Highway. While the fire continues to burn actively, much of the increase in reported acreage is due to he burning operations. Plans for today call for monitoring of fire behavior and holding of the fire lines.”
The fire is still no threat to structures. Details of suppression efforts as of 7am Monday, Nov. 5 include:
Size: 420 acres
Containment: 40 percent
Cause: Human, under investigation
Time/Date Started: October 30, 2007
Location: 10 Miles south of Prescott, AZ
Fuels: Heavy dead/down Ponderosa pine, timber, slash (piles left behind by woodcutting operations)
Terrain: Steep, rugged
Total Personnel: 195
Resources: seven crews, six engines, one water tender, two bulldozers
Air Support: two helicopters, two air tankers
Structures: No structures threatened
Closures: Forest Road 52B and FR 52 from Union Saddle (below the junction of FR 52 and FR261) to County Road 177 is closed.
For more information on the wildfire visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott or call the Prescott National Forest fire information line at 928-777-5799.
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Fire fighters made excellent progress on the August Fire yesterday, Oct. 31. With some activity overnight on the northwest side, fire mangers estimated the size of the wildfire to be 50 acres; the fire is still no threat to homes in the area.
Today fire fighters will continue reinforcing the containment line and extinguishing hot spots. Resources assigned to the fire include one engine, two hand crews, one helicopter and one air tanker. Officials remind the public that Forest Road 52B is closed.
The August Fire, which was reported on Tuesday, October 30, is burning in an area with heavy dead/down fuels and oak brush approximately 10 miles south of Prescott. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
For current information on fire restrictions, closures or wildfires on the Prescott National Forest, call 928-777-5799.
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Workers begin paving in the Thumb Butte Recreation Area on Wednesday, Oct. 31 and will continue through Friday, Nov. 2. Expect increased truck and heavy equipment traffic along Thumb Butte Road;be cautious while traveling in the area. To ensure public safety, PNF officials are closing Trails 315 and 316 south during the paving. Trails 33 and 326 will remain open but officials encourage people to hike elsewhere due to limited parking and increased road congestion.
For more information on trails please stop by the Bradshaw Ranger District office at 344 S. Cortez St. in Prescott or call (928) 443-8000.
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Prescott National Forest officials have closed the following campgrounds for winter as of Sunday, October 28, 2007: Lynx Lake, Hilltop, Lower Wolf Creek, Upper Wolf Creek Group, Groom Creek Horse Camp, Granite Group, Hazlett Hollow, Playground Group, Turney Gulch Group, Mingus Mountain and Potato Patch. The campgrounds reopen in April of 2008.
The Yavapai, White Spar, Powell Springs and Alto Pit Campgrounds remain open throughout the winter. For more information call the PNF Prescott office at (928) 443-8000 or visit www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott/.
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Prescott National Forest fire officials have scheduled prescribed burn projects near Camp Wood , Horsethief , or Crown King during the week of October 15 through October 19, weather conditions permitting. Workers will conduct a prescribed burn one to two days at a time. Weather conditions will determine which area is treated. The prescribed burns are:
Camp Wood Burn; approximately 1000 acres scheduled. The burn is located three miles west of Camp Wood. There may be delays on County Road 68 and Forest Road 9 during the burning period. The vegetation within the burn area is Ponderosa pine.
Horsethief Burn; approximately 1100 acres. The burn is located near Horsethief Lookout Tower. There may be delays and possible closure on Forest Road 52. The vegetation within the burn is Ponderosa pine mixed with chaparral.
Crown King Burn; approximately 60 acres. The burn is located one half mile south of the community of Crown King. There may be delays on Forest Road 52 during the burning period. The vegetation within the burn area is Ponderosa pine.
Prescribed burns help remove much of the dead vegetation, invigorate the plant and animal communities, promote a healthy watershed and will help return fire to its natural role in the ecosystem. These burns are part of an ongoing fuels reduction project to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire on the Prescott National Forest.
For current information on prescribed burns visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott or call the Prescott National Forest fire information line at 928-777-5799.
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