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Learn about the GOOD STEWARD LITTERBAG and VOUCHER PROGRAMS

 

Good Steward Litterbag Flyer

 

 

Currently the Stewards have a Forest Project Funds Grant from Yavapai County Supervisor Chip Davis and the County Board of Supervisors. Dave and Judy Miller are administering this grant. If you are cleaning up forest lands or any other public lands, and need help with dumping fees, email Judy or Dave Miller about the Good Steward  "Voucher" program,  dvnjdymlr @ cableone. net. Or, call Jim and Lynn Sweitzer of Camp Verde, 567-3010; Diane Joens of Cottonwood, 634-4112, Tim Costello, Cottonwood, 634-8033; Debbie LaFrance for Clarkdale/Verde Village, 639-4774; and Charles Mackey, 639-1768, Verde Village, can also assist with vouchers.

 

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February 13: Stewards of Public Lands to Conduct Beaverhead Flat Gravel Pit Cleanup  

Click here for flyer.

               The Stewards of Public Lands are seeking volunteers for a cleanup project near Beaverhead Flat Road on Saturday, February 13, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The project includes a gravel pit and surrounding area on Coconino National Forest.  The pit is located near SR 179, just off Beaverhead Flat Road, where chronic dumping has been a problem for years.   Heavy equipment will be brought in early in the morning to load large material into a dumpster.  Later, volunteers will arrive to clean up smaller debris and disperse outward over the surrounding area to get scattered junk and litter. 

            The project is made possible through the cooperation of the Coconino National Forest, groups and businesses.  Red Rock Ranger District personnel will provide direction, equipment and supplies.  The Stewards of Public Lands volunteer group, in cooperation with Yavapai County, is providing a 40-yard dumpster from Taylor Hauling.  Uni-Source Energy is bringing a loader and volunteer operators.   Friends of the Forest, Keep Sedona Beautiful, and Central Arizona Sportsmen are all recruiting and sending volunteers, as well.  Some equipment will be provided; but volunteers are particularly asked to bring buckets, flat shovels and/or rakes to handle small debris.    

            To reach the project site from Cornville Road, drive northeast 5-1/4 miles on Beaverhead Flat Road (CR 120).  From State Route 179, drive 3/4 mile southwest on Beaverhead Flat Road.  Watch for signs.  Volunteers should wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, hats, gloves and sturdy shoes.  Eye protection such as goggles, glasses or sunglasses is needed. Participants should bring water, a snack, sunscreen, and cleanup tools (e.g. rake, hoe, shovel, grabbers).   For information about the cleanup, contact coordinators Dave or Judy Miller at 649-1916. 

            “Stewards of Public Lands” is a volunteer action group that coordinates cleanups throughout the Verde Valley. The Stewards bring together concerned individuals, businesses, local governments, State agencies and the Forest Service to provide the dumpsters, equipment, and other resources necessary to clean up and maintain public lands and enforce the laws that govern them.  More information is available at www.verdestewards.org or by calling Stewards of Public Lands Co-Chairs Diane Joens at 634-4112 or Jess Tyler at 649-0023.

 

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To bring you up-to-date, on Dec. 12 Paul Holguin led a small group including Jess and Joan Tyler, Warren Den Dekker, Charles Mackey, Dave and Judy Miller and Jim Sweitzer, in a cleanup of the Cherry Road, Wingfield Mesa and old airport areas of Camp Verde. Troy Christensen from Arizona Game and Fish also assisted. Jess estimates they picked up 300 pounds of litter.
 
Dave and Judy Miller have hauled in 5 trailer loads since September 25, mostly from State Trust Lands. They report that the dumping is still occurring, but they are finding it to be simpler and quicker to get junk off the land in small loads. They have managed to identify dumpers in a couple cases; and Bill Webster of AZ State Lands is quick to make follow-up contacts.  With help from fellow Stewards Karen Harwood, Warren Den Dekker, Charles Mackey, Debra LaFrance and Dale Torgerson, Judy reports, “We're "keeping up.”
 
According to Judy Miller: After five years of cleaning up State and Federal lands throughout the Verde Valley, the Stewards of Public Lands have adopted a different approach. Instead of staging major cleanups almost monthly, the volunteers are now cleaning up dump sites one load at a time. We're finding it effective to go after smaller quantities of trash when it is reported, using pickups and small trailers. By using this "as needed" approach, junk is not left on the land awaiting the next big cleanup day; it is easier to schedule a few volunteers to pick up small loads, and it's easier to get to scattered sites. Stewards are monitoring public lands regularly and urging recreational users and others to report litter and dumping as quickly as they find it. Area coordinators then find the help and equipment necessary to pick up illegal junk and haul it to a local transfer station as soon as possible. Stewards coordinators, by area, are: Cottonwood-- Diane Joens, 634-4112 or Tim Costello, 634-8033; Verde Village--Charles Mackey, 639-1738; Verde-Village-Clarkdale--Debra LaFrance, 639-4774; Cornville--Dave or Judy Miller, 649-1916; Camp Verde--Jim or Lynn Sweitzer, 567-3010 or Marvin Buckel, and Beaver Creek-- Kayo Parsons-Korn, kayo@kayodesign.com.
              
Since Stewards of Public Lands first organized in 2005, volunteers have picked up tons of junk on hundreds of acres in the Verde Valley. Some areas have been cleaned repeatedly. Now, more areas are closely monitored; illegal occupancy is reported; and law enforcement has increased. While the overall situation is better than it was five years ago, illegal dumping is still a problem.
  

 

Stewards Chronology     Click here for Stewards Collage


 

 

"We want to set a good example for others in the community,” says Stewards Cochair and Mayor of Cottonwood, Diane Joens. “We're sending a positive message that our public lands are special and we need to work as a community to maintain them."

Click for final report on the Forest Project Funds 2007 Grant



Stewards of Public Lands did a wide-sweep clean in the upper Verde Valley cleanup Jan. 12. Charles Mackey and Clarkdale Police Chief Pat Haynie load an illegally dumped couch into a dumpster on Ogden Ranch Road. The Stewards began cleaning public lands in the Verde Valley in 2004. “The year 2008 is a lot cleaner in the upper Verde Valley than 2004, thanks to all the Stewards,” says Cochair Jess Tyler.

 


 
$5,000 Forest Project Funds Grant No. 2 from Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Read More...
 
We have disbursed all funds for the Enforcement Grant: $1000 to Sedona, $1000 to Cottonwood, $1000 to Camp Verde, $1000 to Jerome and $1000 to Clarkdale. Many thanks to Supervisor Chip Davis and staff for their support of the Stewards of Public Lands. Stay tuned for more information about the benefits of this grant from the Police Chiefs and Marshal of the respective communities.
 
$5,000 Forest Project Funds Grant No. 1 from Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Read More...
 
Many thanks to Judy Miller who completed the final grant report for the first Forest Project Funds grant.
Stewards of Public Lands Receive Forest Service's
First Annual Verde Valley Stewardship Award

Photo by Joan E. Tyler

The Stewards of Public Lands were awarded the first annual "Verde Valley Stewardship Award" by the Coconino and Prescott National Forests. The award was presented by Dee Hines, Verde District Ranger, and Heather Provencio, Red Rock District Ranger, at the Camp Verde, Copper Canyon Cleanup March 10. From left to right, Charles Mackey, Ranger Dee Hines, Jess Tyler, Ranger Heather Provencio and Debbie LaFrance show the award plaque.

Stewards Goals

Protecting people and property from wildfire by cleaning up illegal dump sites on public lands, and protecting the Verde Watershed and its aquifers.


The Stewards of Public Lands are committed to maintaining Verde Valley public lands clean of illegally dumped trash and litter so valuable land resources may be safely enjoyed by all. Stewards believe in “leading by doing.” Goals are to provide significant volunteer effort and coordinate with local businesses, municipalities, county resources and state and federal land management organizations to make area cleanups successful and affordable, “publicizing” efforts and successes, attracting additional resources and educating the public about the efforts and need to keep public lands clean and accessible by all. Stewards also work with law enforcement organizations to deter further dumping by posting signs in targeted cleaned areas that indicate dumping is illegal and provides a phone number to call if illegal dumping is observed. The Stewards work to set a good example for fellow community members. "The activist is not the person who says the lands are trashy. The activist is the person who cleans up the lands." Diane Joens, Stewards Co-chair


Stewards Work Across Jurisdictional Boundaries

The Stewards of Public Lands work to clean up local Arizona public lands, to keep them enjoyable and accessible for the public by removing litter and illegal dumping. Acknowledging that no one single governmental entity has the financial or human resources to clean up and manage rampant illegal dumping on public lands, the Stewards find creative ways to coordinate existing programs at the federal, state and local level to address the issue of overlapping jurisdictions. The Stewards maintain and monitor areas to keep them clean and support public education to reduce further dumping and littering. Stewards support affordable dumping alternatives, and encourage and assist law enforcement to deter littering and dumping on public lands. Stewards clean up the Verde River Watershed for everyone’s health and safety. By cleaning up the lands, the landscape is restored to its former beauty and enjoyable and safe recreational opportunities are restored for residents who enjoy hiking, running, bicycling, hunting and sightseeing. Great partnerships enable, empower, and encourage people to work together toward achieving success. --Prescott and Coconino National Forests

Stewards of Public Lands...

Removing fire fuels from public lands

Preventing wildfires on the urban rural interface

Protecting people and property

Cleaning the watershed

Protecting water quality

Setting a positive example for change

A Collage of Stewards' Work


Contact Stewards for more information


HELP WANTED! 

Great partnerships enable, empower, and encourage people
to work together toward achieving success. --Prescott and Coconino National Forests

This Web site made available through a Forest Project Funds Grant from Supervisor A.G. "Chip" Davis and the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors. This Web site developed and maintained by Diane Joens as a public service project. Charles Mackey donated funding for the ongoing domain name and hosting costs.
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