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On May 20, 2012 Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument staff in partnership with Dixie State College, The Virgin River Program, and the Washington County Water Conservancy District will offer a rare event titled, "Ring of Fire," a solar eclipse viewing experience for the local community. The City of St. George will be in a prime viewing area for this rare annular eclipse to see the moon pass fully between the earth and sun, leaving only a ring of the sun visible around it. One thousand custom designed solar viewing shades will be issued free to the public to promote safe eclipse viewing. Telescopes will also be available for public viewing and children's astronomy activities will be conducted.
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During the week of May 13-20, 2012 the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (VCNM) manager and staff, along with Arizona Strip District’s lead Law Enforcement Officer will participate in the 6th Annual Amazing Earthfest in Kanab, Utah by hosting events during the week. On May 15 the BLM VCNM manager and staff will feature the newly produced 17- minute video titled “Paria Canyon Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness: A Lasting Legacy” which features safety highlights and orientation to the Wilderness Area. The film will be shown every hour from 11am to 3pm every hour with a question and answer period to follow. On May 16 from noon to 3 p.m., the BLM VCNM manager and staff will host an event showcasing the successful interagency recovery efforts of the California condor which will be held at the Condor Viewing site and feature interpretive talks by specialists from the Peregrine Fund and BLM. Spotting scopes will be available for the public to view the condors. Activities include presentations by scientists and specialists on significant discoveries and resources on neighboring public lands, cultural activities, art displays, award-winning documentary films, and live entertainment. On May 18, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument staff will host a presentation highlighting the magnificent natural and cultural resources within the monument. Amazing Earthfest is a community celebration of National and State Parks, Forests, Monuments and Public Lands of the Western Colorado Plateau and offers a full week of free, exciting events centered on the land, wildlife, and cultures of the region. Amazing Earthfest is sponsored by the Kane County Office of Tourism, Kanab Chamber of Commerce, Dixie State College, regional federal and state agencies, non-profits, business owners and individuals.
Havasu Club helps BLM Close Mine Sites (April 2012) _______________________________________________
The excitement of excavation was shared with a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) film crew who had traveled to Safford especially for this project. The BBC is currently producing a three-part series on the Ice Age that will be narrated by Dr. Alice Roberts, who was onsite during the filming this week. She said that they had already filmed at the La Brea Tar Pits in California and that she was thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this Glyptodont excavation. These distant relatives of present-day armadillos lived in the San Simon Valley during the Pleistocene, about two million years ago. Leading the excavation project were Robert McCord from the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa, Dave Gillette from Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, and Rich White from International Wildlife Museum in Tucson in Tucson. Local contractors with proven expertise were recruited to assist with the arduous task of moving the fossil into a truck for transport to Mesa, Arizona. Researchers in Mesa will soon begin the slow process of recovering the fossil from its protective plaster case. Meanwhile, filming will continue on the BBC’s Ice Age series, which is expected to be completed in 2013.
BLM WILL SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ARIZONA!
As part of the Natural Resources Pavilion area at the Centennial Best Fest this weekend, BLM will feature an information table, the Off Highway Ambassadors display, the BLM Fire Prevention team, and the Wild Horse and Burro program including a (now-tame) adopted wild mustang and burro. Stop by on your way to the Natural Resources Pavilion for a photo op with Smokey and Seymour Antelope! There will be a sign posted when the kids can meet Seymour Antelope and Smokey Bear.
It is a grueling species of racing: trucks or other vehicles with oversize tires and pliable suspensions race through the desert at speeds up to 80 miles an hour, vaulting over rock piles and sailing off natural dirt ramps, with drivers sometimes blinded by clouds of dust kicked up by the vehicles in front of them. Yet it is so captivating and entertaining that thousands of families and other fans turn out for these off-road races and make them into weekend campouts. The participants will race around the course three times totaling approximately 143 miles. The Parker 425 Race started in 1972, known then as the Big River “400,” on to the Dam “400,” then Parker “400,” and has grown to become a legend in off-road desert racing.
RESTORATION PROJECT WAS GREAT SUCCESS
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Public Lands Foundation Honors the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Ambassador Program
Ten years ago when volunteers began asking how they could help keep trails open for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use, they had grand visions of a statewide program, involving both agency personnel and volunteers. That’s exactly what the Ambassadors OHV Program has accomplished. Since 2007, the Ambassadors have trained 99 volunteers who provide peer-to-peer education on rider safety, outdoor ethics, and who appear at popular recreation sites to “meet and greet” riders. The Ambassadors have visited with over 6,682 sportsmen while participating at 172 events. When not talking to OHV users, these volunteers spend their time working on BLM and Forest Service lands, over 4,300 hours to date, monitoring 4,908 miles of trail, removing 25 trailer loads (50 cubic yards) of trash from public lands, locating and recording 68 abandoned mines, repairing 1.5 miles of fence, locating and reporting 10 fresh cut trails, installing a kiosk and repairing two others, installing 124 signs and reporting 17 downed signs, reporting 4 abandoned vehicles to Law Enforcement, and reporting 11 significant public safety trail hazards, all with an estimated value of $111,000. Ambassadors, who serve in a non-law enforcement capacity, bridge communications between the recreating public and land managers. Each Ambassador seeks to bring about positive changes in rider behavior providing an invaluable service to both the agencies and the public.
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Graham County- A County of Bounty
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Friends of the San Pedro River Volunteers Offer Walks, Hikes, and More!
Many of the walks focus on birding in the amazing San Pedro RNCA which is known worldwide for its diverse birdlife. Most walks begin at either the San Pedro House or the Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park. Friends volunteers also operate a visitor center, gift shop, and bookstore at the San Pedro House and at the historic Fairbank Schoolhouse. A calendar of upcoming hikes and walks is posted at: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=fspr@sanpedroriver.org&gsessionid=OK
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National Public Lands Day - Volunteers Tackle Walls, Windows, and Weeds
Birding Festival Features San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area  The 20th annual Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival, Arizona’s longest running nature festival, began on August 3 and will continue through Saturday in Sierra Vista. As always, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and its amazing natural and cultural resources are a focus of the festival.For details about this year’s festival, visit http://www.swwings.org/index.html. There are dozens of free lectures offered over the four days of the event, with the following talks and tours that feature the San Pedro. Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
The festival also includes guided tours to the San Pedro RNCA. San Pedro River Specialties will focus on focus will be on a variety of riparian specialties, such as Gray Hawk, Vermilion Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, and Abert’s Towhee at the RNCA. The San Pedro RNCA includes 400 avian species and is known as a critical migration corridor. For more information about the San Pedro, visit http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/ncarea/sprnca.html _______________________________________
“This is the largest deployment of local fire department resources in Arizona history,” explains David Geyer, the State Fire Management Officer. “We felt fortunate to watch well-equipped, well-trained firefighters answer the call to duty, at times putting their own lives on the line.” There’s been an unprecedented sense of teamwork this season, with more than 200 fire engines/water tenders deployed on behalf of local fire departments and private organizations throughout the state, protecting lives and property. " Resources from 250 rural Arizona fire departments and state resources from Arizona, Colorado, California, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were brought to Arizona to be dispatched to fires. Firefighting resources from federal agencies, including the Bureaus of Land Management and Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service, also strategically staged crews for dispatch to new fire starts.
BLM wildlife biologists Codey Carter and Paul Sitzmann, range technician Andrew Cordery, and Agua Fria National Monument Manager Rem Hawes partnered with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Audubon Society to conduct fish and riparian surveys in Larry and Lousy Canyons on June 9-10. Both canyons are in the southern portion of the Agua Fria National Monument. BLM staff members donned wetsuits and snorkels to evaluate the condition and the number of endangered Gila chub and Gila topminnow fish in the cold pools. One pool was estimated to be 40 feet deep. Fin clips were also collected for genetic analysis at a later date. While populations of Gila chub and Gila topminnow are thriving in the remote canyons, the survey team traversed boulders, thick and thorny vines, cactuses, cliff faces, waterfalls, and 15-foot-tall grass, to accomplish the day’s work!
Resource Advisory Council members tour grazing allotments during Standards and Guidelines Training, June 2, 2011
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Phoenix Youth Get Physical as They Gather Data for BLM
On two consecutive Saturdays in May, students from an inner-city Phoenix high school were up their waists in water, surveying animal and plant life in the riparian areas of the Agua Fria National Monument. The students – from South Pointe High School – are participants in the River Pathways Program, which is intended to get young people familiar with the outdoors and give them a taste of what it takes to manage public lands. The program is also intended to stimulate career interest in resource management and provide a path to higher education in that field. River Pathways is a partnership involving the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona, the Rio Salado Audubon Center, and the Phoenix Union High School District. The students from South Pointe are among 218 young people who participated in the Rivers Pathway in the past school year. They completed a one-week course in riparian ecology and natural resource management in the classroom and got one-day additional training at the Audubon Center. From there the focus was on field work. High school science teachers, Audubon staff, and BLM professionals directed the students in methods of data collection. The students used BLM technical manuals and procedures to monitor and evaluate three miles of the Agua Fria River riparian area. The collected data will serve as a baseline for future studies as the program continues. The information will help track trends and areas of concern. The students in the program’s first year monitored nesting sites and breeding territories in the Agua Fria National Monument for the seldom-seen yellow-billed cuckoo. Participants in Rivers Pathways are encouraged to consider pursuing a two-year certificate at Phoenix College in environmental and natural resource stewardship. Those in the certificate program are eligible for jobs under the BLM’s student temporary employment program.
Vehicle Barrier to be installed on the Agua Fria National Monument
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Tribal Youth Win Environmental Awards
Wild Horse and Burro Information and Adoptions
Recently, the Border Patrol in Arizona introduced several wild horses to their team and joined the ranks of other mounted patrols using mustangs while patrolling sectors in New Mexico, California, and Washington State. The mustangs were gathered from western public lands in the normal course of herd management. They were trained by inmates in a rehabilitation program at a Colorado correctional facility in Cañon City, and then adopted by the Border Patrol. For more on this story, go to: http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/features/blm_and_border_patrol.html.
Seymour debuted at Arizona Game and Fish Expo, March 26 and 27 at the Ben Avery Shooting Range in Phoenix, Arizona, on a perfect Arizona spring day. Seymour put in his first Arizona appearance on Saturday and attracted many children of all ages for photo opportunities. He appeared at the Bureau of Land Management booth, which was conveniently located across the aisle from the Arizona Antelope Foundation! On Sunday he arrived for more photos, high threes, and hugs. Kids received, “I Met Seymour Antelope,” bookmarks.
Attended by 42,000 outdoor enthusiasts including young families with children of all ages, this annual event provided many educational activities including watchable wildlife classes; live animals and birds; Apache Trout in a chilled aquarium; Adobe Mountain’s display of eagles, owls, and other birds; a native fish aquarium used for a fishing demonstration; a tank where the kids could fish; hands-on booths where children could learn the skills of hunting. Additionally, many trail groups and wildlife associations were in attendance distributing educational and safety materials. Mark your calendar for next March’s Expo.
Ten-year-old Sophia Caporale of Safford, Arizona, became the first young explorer to earn her Gila Box Junior Ranger badge. Caporale completed all the activities in the Junior Ranger Handbook that was recently published by the BLM. She and her mother Jessica visited the Safford Field Office on March 2 to present her completed handbook and receive her Junior Ranger badge and a Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area poster. Sophia’s workbook included a journal entry about a day spent with her grandmother along the water’s edge and the birds they observed there. Sophia's accomplishment and award was featured in the Eastern Arizona Courier on March 9:
BLM/Phoenix Union School District Partnership Recognized: Approximately 150 people attended theFebruary 15, 2011, event held at the Phoenix Union High School District to honor the Bureau of Land Management’s Phoenix District (PDO) for its initiative to employ, educate, and engage youth from all backgrounds in America’s natural and cultural heritage. The PDO’s Youth Initiative Program at the Franklin Police and Fire High School was the focus of the recognition ceremony, which included BLM Arizona State Director Jim Kenna as honored guest speaker. The BLM/Phoenix Union partnership provides education and employment opportunities to urban-based youth. BLM instructors have taught several wildfire training courses, certifying 40 students for seasonal employment. Dean Fernandez, BLM-PDO firefighter and Franklin High instructor has played a key role in this partnership. Several Metro-Phoenix media outlets covered the event, including the Arizona Republic and Channel 3 TV, highlighting the hands-on fire training and career opportunities for current and past students of Franklin Policy and Fire High School.
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The first of two fossil Glyptodonts was hoisted onto a truck for delivery to its new depository at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa on March 29. This was the final step in a weeklong excavation project that brought more than 20 volunteers to the San Simon Valley east of Safford. The fossils had been discovered by BLM Safford Field Office geologist Larry Thrasher, who has done extensive research into the Ice Aged fossils found in that area. 
Arizona Centennial Best Fest will be held this weekend February 11 and 12th in downtown Phoenix. This free event will feature several informational pavilions, an American Indian Village, an Hispanic Village and lots of food, music and fun. The Family Fun zone will provide much entertainment for the younger folks.
The 41st annual Parker 425 Desert Race is scheduled for February 4, 2012. Over 200 vehicles are expected to participate in this off-road race on BLM land south of Parker, Arizona. Upwards of 5,000 spectators are expected to attend this exciting race. 
Volunteers from several conservation organizations joined the BLM Tucson Field Office for a morning of habitat restoration, collaboration, and healthy outdoor exercise on December 3, 2011, at the Waterman Mountains Restoration Project. Participants in the project included the Arizona Native Plant Society, Arizona Chapter of the Sierra Club, Tucson Chapter of the Audubon Society, Sonoran Desert Weedwackers, and University of Arizona Soil, Water, and Environment Club.
Arizona’s Off-Highway Vehicle Ambassador Program is the recipient of this year’s national Public Lands Foundation’s (PLF) Landscape Stewardship Award and Citation. The PLF honors citizens and organizations annually that work to advance and sustain community-based stewardship on public lands. “This year, we recognize Arizona’s OHV Ambassadors and call public attention to individual and group efforts to promote natural resource protection of the Nation’s National System of Public Lands,” explains Beau McClure, PLF vice president for operations.
Roger Naylor, a freelance feature writer for The Arizona Republic, showcased the bounty of Graham County in his 
The Friends of the San Pedro River, a volunteer organization that assists the BLM at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (RNCA), is offering many weekend activities this fall. These include guided interpretive walks and hikes along the river and the adjacent area. 
The Bureau of Land Management was presented with certificates in appreciation of its support providing crews, engines, firefighters and equipment. The Phoenix Interagency Dispatch Center, jointly staffed by the Arizona State Division of Forestry and the Bureau of Land Management, has been busy assisting the state of Arizona in the biggest deployment of firefighting resources in history. Arizona firefighters have responded to major wildfires, including the Wallow, Horseshoe 2 and Monument fires. The Phoenix Interagency Dispatch Center has processed resource orders to get firefighters and equipment to where it is most urgently needed.
Arizona Resource Advisory Council members touring grazing allotments on the BLM Phoenix District’s 
Students in the Rivers Pathways program get hands-on training while getting their feet wet in the Agua Fria River.
Installation of fencing along portions of the Agua Fria River began on May 24 to prevent off-highway vehicle damage to the riparian area. The quarter-mile of river, known as the “River Bend” site, is a popular recreation destination and home to a wide variety of native wildlife, including sensitive fish species. More vehicle damage has occurred in this area than any other part of the 71,000-acre 
Over the past several years, students from the Sacaton School have been learning about the environment through hands-on monitoring projects. Jony Cockman, lead natural resource specialist in the BLM Safford Field Office, has mentored these students and assisted their science teacher JoEllen McKinnon. Sacaton, part of the Gila River Indian Community, had been granted a National Landscape Conservation System award to study water quality at the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area; their study area included the Gila River from its headwaters in New Mexico to San Carlos Reservoir. At 13 sampling stations, they used the BLM’s hydrolab to collect water quality data they studied and collected macroinvertebrates and examined mesquite bosques. Now, the students’ work is paying off. On March 24-26, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) hosted its national competition in Albuquerque; two of the students competed and won. Tiana Blackwater, a 10th-grade student scientist who has participated in the program for several years, won first place in the Environmental Sciences division for “Macroinvertebrates Along the Gila River in New Mexico and Arizona.” She also won the very prestigious New Mexico Hazardous Material Manager’s Award. Seventh-grade student David Nez placed third in the Plant Sciences division for his paper “Depletion of Mesquite Bosques Along the Gila River of Arizona.” It was his first year in the 
The BLM hosts wild horse and burro adoptions throughout Arizona. Join us for the next adoption in Tucson, April 22-24, at the Pima County Fairgrounds. For details, call the BLM toll free at 1-866-4MUSTANGS (that’s 1-866-468-7826) or visit our website at 
First Gila Box Junior Ranger Honored