____________________________________________________________________

   

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.    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=   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.