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Prescott National Forest fire officials have scheduled 4 possible prescribed burn projects during the week of October 6 through the 10; weather conditions permitting. Burns will be decided based on favorable weather and fuels conditions in each area.
The following prescribed burns are planned:
Ash Creek - approximately 2000 acres is scheduled. The burn is located in the Ash Creek area south of Palace Station. Possible road delays on Forest Road 52 and County Road 177. (T12N, R1W, S19, 31, 32, 33)
Minnehaha - approximately 1000 acres of broadcast maintenance burn is scheduled. The burn is located west of Crown King and east of Minnehaha Flat. Possible road delays on Forest Road 52. (T10N, R1W, S8, 9, 16, 16, 18)
Cherry - approximately 500 acres of broadcast maintenance burn is scheduled. The burn is located near the community of Cherry. (T14N, R3E, S7, 20)
Mingus - approximately 80 acres of broadcast maintenance burn is scheduled. The burn is located just south of Mingus Mountain. (T15N, R2E, S21)
A broadcast maintenance burn consists of fire applied within well defined boundaries in an area that has been treated previously.
Prescribed burns help remove 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.
As always, public and firefighter safety is our top priority. 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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Prescott National Forest fire officials plan to treat approximately 1,100 acres of a broadcast maintenance burn south of Crown King in the Horsethief Basin Recreation Area (T9 1/2N, R1E, S28, 29, 32, 33; T9N, R1E, S4, 5, 6) and 500 acres north and east of Minnehaha Flat (T10N, R1W, S8, 9); weather conditions permitting, during the week of September 29 through October 3. A broadcast burn consists of fire applied within well defined boundaries. We ask that all visitors please be cautious as smoke will be visible in the area along with possible delays on Forest Road 52.
Prescribed burns help to remove dead vegetation, 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 an ongoing fuels reduction project to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire on the Prescott National Forest.
As always, public and firefighter safety is our top priority. 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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Prescott National Forest will waive the $2.00 parking fee at all day-use facilities on Saturday, September 27 and Sunday September 28, in celebration of National Public Lands Day.
National Public Lands Day is an annual event to encourage visitation to our nation’s national forests and grasslands as well as lands managed by Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Good Gun Foundation of Prescott along with the Embry Riddle University Wrestling Team has organized their 6th Annual Prescott National Forest Clean Up Event with free lunch, a gun safety session and 1 day passes to National Forests and National Parks. For more information on the Good Gun Foundation or their clean-up event, visit www.goodgun.org or call Pat at (928) 713-9737.
Prescott National Forest and the Highlands Center for Natural History are collaborating to bring the first “Take A Hike” Hiking Spree which will be kicked off on NPLD, September 27th. The Spree will highlight twelve different hiking trails throughout the Prescott National Forest. Hikers will have until November 15 to complete eight of the twelve hikes. For more information call our Cortez Office at (928) 443-8000 or view on line at www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott.
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Fire officials plan to treat 300 acres on Friday, July 18 through Thursday, July 31, weather conditions permitting. The burn area is located in the Ash Creek area south and east of Palace Station. The prescribed burn is expected to last only two days. Specific days to burn are determined by appropriate air temperatures, wind conditions, humidity and expected weather patterns. No smoke impacts are expected in the surrounding communities and no road closures will be in place.
This project is part of an ongoing effort to improve forest health by reintroducing fire into the ecosystem, reducing hazardous fuels, and creating defensible space around residential and high use areas.
As always, public and firefighter safety is our top priority. 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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Climbing and other cliff-face past times at Granite Mountain and Thumb Butte will once again be open to the public starting Wednesday, July 16. Peregrines in residence at both Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain this year kicked the climbers out during their presumptive nesting period. Volunteers reported sightings of peregrines this summer, however, it is not yet known if the peregrines successfully nested.
“I want to thank our dedicated volunteers and the supportive forest visitors who made these closures successful,” said Wildlife Biologist Noel Fletcher. “The peregrines were able to use the unique cliff habitat for nesting during the late winter and spring. Now climbers can enjoy their pursuits on these same unique areas during the summer and fall.”
If you have any questions about the peregrines and their management on Bradshaw Ranger District, please feel free to call Noel Fletcher, (928) 443-8020. |
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The Prescott National Forest will lift the closure restrictions around the east side of Lynx Lake because the bald eagles and their twin fledglings have left the Lynx Lake Area. The trail had been closed to public entry since December to provide protection to nesting bald eagles. Now, with the eagle's departure, the Lynx Lake 'playground' swells back to its eagle-free dimensions.
“The eagles took longer this year to leave the area because raising two nestligs took more time and energy than raising one nestling in the past. The bald eagles are still protected by the Endangered Species Act and we wanted to ensure their success with these two fledglings.,” said Wildlife Biologist Noel Fletcher.
The sacrifice was well worth it; Bald eagles have used Lynx Lake as a nesting site for the last eight years and this year's closure paid off in a very successful nesting season for the bald eagles.
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Continued moisture and high humidity have sufficiently lowered fire danger levels throughout the Prescott National Forest allowing officials to lift current fire restrictions on Wednesday, July 9 at 6 a.m.
Forest officials are reminding visitors to be safe when recreating on the Forest. Always use caution with all campfires; never leave your campfire unattended and ensure your fire is completely out before leaving.
For current information on fire restrictions, closures or wildfires on the Prescott National Forest, call 928-777-5799, or visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott. For further information about fire restrictions on public lands in Arizona and New Mexico, call toll free 1-877-864-6985 or visit http://gacc.nifc.gov/swcc/.
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 Arizona’s bald eagle management plan is paying off: the state’s population is soaring to new heights. Bald eagle numbers over the past 30 years have grown more than 400 percent with the number of breeding pairs increasing in that time from only 11 pairs to 56 in 2008.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, a leading partner in recovery efforts for the species, attributes the success to cooperative on-the-ground management. Through the Southwest Bald Eagle Management Committee (SWBEMC), a broad coalition of 23 government agencies, private organizations and Native American tribes, a plan is in place to help ensure the continued success of the bald eagle population in Arizona.
The plan includes regular monitoring and survey flights; banding and visual identification; contaminants analysis; cooperative partnerships with the other committee partners; and a nestwatch program to protect breeding activities. |
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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 http://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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