On December 29, 2008, at approximately 4:45 P.M., Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Communications received a cell phone call from two hikers stranded in an area near the Turkey Creek Trail, Village of Oak Creek. The hikers, identified as 30-year-old Amy Benson and her friend, 29-year-old Rochelle Lablanc who are both from Wisconsin, indicated they were at least 3 miles from the nearest road and lost. Although dispatchers and a Forest Patrol Sgt. told them to remain stationary, both hikers continued to move in an attempt to find a road out. The hikers had already been out on the trails for over 4 hours.

After a decade of research, monitoring and planning the restoration project in Watson Woods Riparian Preserve has begun. Prescott Creeks, a local not-for-profit organization and preserve manager, has secured most of the necessary funding through a series of grant and private donations.

Watson Woods Restoration Project is a five year project designed to restore, enhance and recreate the riparian (creek side) habitat just south of Watson Lake. Re-establishing a functional riparian habitat will help enhance water quality in the lower portion of Granite Creek and Watson Lake. This will be accomplished by allowing riparian vegetation to naturally filter out bacteria and other toxins that may have been collected upstream.

Project activities will include relocating four sections of the creek, creating a tiered floodplain that will encourage backwater and wetland habitats and the planting of over 15,000 cottonwood and willow trees, as well as, native grasses and wetland plants. Exotic weeds and illegally buried trash will also be removed during the construction phase. Long term habitat and water quality monitoring will be done to measure the success of the project and to help future projects.

Ever wonder where eagles go during the wintertime?  Find this out and more at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s annual Bald Eagle Workshop in Flagstaff on Saturday, Jan. 17.

The free workshop will be divided into two sessions; each one will include a lecture followed by a field trip to observe eagles. The first session will begin at 9 a.m. and the second at 11 a.m. The lectures will be held at the Arizona Game and Fish Department office at 3500 S. Lake Mary Road.

Guest speakers James Driscoll, raptor management coordinator, and Valerie Horncastle, research biologist, will talk about Arizona’s bald eagle program, wintering bald eagles, the state’s resident eagle population, and eagle identification.

License encourages sportsmen to mentor others, assist hunter recruitment effort in Arizona

Effective Jan. 1, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a new “Apprentice Hunting License,” at no charge, to encourage existing hunters to become mentors and introduce a friend, neighbor, relative, or co-worker to the traditions and importance of hunting.

The Apprentice License allows an already licensed hunter to take a beginner on an actual hunt—without the beginner having to buy a hunting license. The Apprentice License is free for residents and nonresidents and is valid for two consecutive days for the take of small game, fur-bearing, predatory and nongame mammals, nongame birds, and upland game birds. (To take migratory birds or waterfowl, the appropriate stamps are required at normal costs). The license is not valid for the take of big game.

Garden-raised vegetables are probably the tastiest, and eating food raised from seeds you planted yourself always gives a deep sense of satisfaction. But nothing beats hunting for connecting you to the land.

I came to this conclusion recently. Over most of my life, I equated hunting with killing, even though I was raised in Montana, where it's normal to see antlers and hooves in pickup truck beds every fall. My family ate game meat every year, mostly courtesy of one of my aunts and her husband. Our freezer often had white-paper-wrapped packages of antelope, deer and elk.

How to describe my awakening? About four years ago, I hiked into one of Montana's western valleys below pine-covered mountains. Flurries of light snow fell from a low and cloudy sky. I followed a set of deer tracks, stepping slowly over brush, the rifle heavy and cold in my hands.

Brackets offered for men, women and children

Finding a safe and challenging place to shoot your bow and arrow is getting tougher each year. To help archers keep their skills sharp, the Ben Avery Shooting Facility is offering an eight-week long winter archery league starting Jan. 7, 2009.

Every Wednesday night, under stadium lights, on the FITA Range shooters can safely shoot 3-spot or single targets at 20 yards. Archery classifications for men and women include compound unlimited, compound bowhunter and recurve/longbow. A junior class is also available for shooters ages 8-17 to encourage family participation.

Leagues run from Jan. 7 – Feb. 25, 2009. There will be a cookout and an awards banquet on March 11.