Coconino County Enacts Stage Three Fire Restrictions

Coconino County will be entering Stage Three Fire Restrictions at 8 a.m. on May 23. The restrictions will be enacted for all of Coconino County up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

This ordinance applies to unincorporated areas and residences in the County that are not under the jurisdiction of a fire district. Sherwood Forest Fire District will be following the county’s fire restrictions.

“The County is implementing common sense restrictions, in coordination with our regional partners, to mitigate the catastrophic damage of wildfire,” said Chairman of the Board Matt Ryan. “We live in a forested ecosystem and our forests provide jobs for our economy, trails for our adventures and comfort for our homes. We must be extremely firewise this dry and dangerous season.”

Stage Three Fire Restrictions prohibit any combustion, open fire, charcoal, propane, shooting of firearms and camp fires in unincorporated areas and residences in the County unless:

• People have written permits or variances from their fire district (except on Red Flag Days).
• Personal use of tobacco products is restricted to inside closed vehicles or buildings only.

Update: Gas grills and portable stoves for the use of cooking food that have an on/off switch are still allowed on private property within the County.

While activities, that don’t involve mechanical operations, such as lawn care, home construction and community clean-ups, are not specifically prohibited, residents and visitors should use their best judgment when considering whether to engage in any activity that could spark a fire. Anyone engaging in these activities could be held legally responsible.

For the full Wildfire Defense Ordinance 2017-5 and to sign-up for emergency notifications, go to www.coconino.az.gov/ready.

There are several projects in Northern Arizona that might impact your travel to and from Sherwood Forest this summer.

I-40 reconstruction. Currently traffic on I-40 is narrowed down to one lane in each direction from slightly west of Sherwood Forest Road to slightly west of Garland Prairie Road. All traffic has been moved to the southern (formerly eastbound) lanes. Two exits are closed. You cannot exit onto Pittman Valley (Exit #171) nor Garland Prairie (Exit #167) when traveling westbound. So if you are coming to Sherwood from Phoenix be sure to exit at Parks (Exit #178) and take Old Route 66 (north of I-40) to Sherwood Forest Road. If you don’t exit at Parks, you will have to drive to the first Williams exit (#165) at State Route 64 to turn around and return to Sherwood. Traveling eastbound on I-40 from Williams, all exits are currently open, as of May 17^th, 2018.

To get to Williams from Sherwood you can use the back roads. Take the Deer Farm Road past the Deer Farm and Davenport Lake. Once you get to the Garland Prairie overpass cross over I-40 and take the first right. This road will bring you into Williams near Bearizona.

I-17 to west I-40 transition. Currently, the cloverleaf exit from I-17 north to I-40 west is closed. The posted detour takes you east on I-40 to Butler to turn around and head west. Savvy travelers know that there are several more efficient ways to do this turn around. Try heading into Flagstaff and flipping a U-turn at the first light or try taking the McConnell exit towards NAU and left turn at the bottom of the ramp and then left turn again to join the ramp for I-40 westbound.

We hope that even though travel to Sherwood is challenging, you will join us for the semi-annual pancake breakfast on Saturday, May 26 from 8am-10am to help support our firefighters.

Due to the extreme fire danger this year, the Poker in the Pines Fun Run has been cancelled.

Sunflower RX News Release 04_20_18 FINAL

Green Waste Disposal Site Opening Dates Announced

Williams, Ariz., April 17, 2018—For Immediate Release. The Kaibab National Forest in cooperation with the Parks Area Connection and Sherwood Forest Estates Fire District are announcing dates the green waste disposal site will open to residents for dumping of woody debris materials from private property.

This alternative site is being offered to the local community as a result of the temporary closure of the Moonset Pit while undergoing construction to expand capacity for future operations.

The green waste disposal site located at the old dump site off forest road 900 north of Pittman Valley will be staffed and open between the hours of 08:00am and 2:00pm on the following dates. Users will only be allowed to access and discard herbaceous material on these dates while staff is present.

Saturday, May 12
Sunday, May 27
Saturday, June 9
Saturday, June 23
Saturday, July 14
Saturday, July 28
Saturday, August 11
Saturday, August 25
Saturday, September 8

 Residents are encouraged to take advantage of these services in order to make their private property more defensible against the threat of wildland fire. No garbage, household trash, building materials, lumber or other items will be allowed. Materials should not be bagged.

Bob Blasi
(928) 635-5653
bobblasi@fs.fed.us

County urges people to sign up for emergency notifications

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Following the Copley Fire, which occurred April 8, County officials are encouraging all residents to sign-up to receive emergency notifications at coconino.az.gov/ready. Emergency Notifications have proven to save lives.

The fire started in the area of North Copley Dr., an unincorporated area of Coconino County, east of Flagstaff, Ariz. According to the Summit Fire Department, the Copley Fire reached approximately 80 plus acres. Several structures were lost and approximately 75 residents were evacuated during the fire. “This could be a very active, long and dangerous fire season,” said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Matt Ryan. “The Copley Fire is a reminder of the crucial importance of emergency notifications during wildfires and when evacuations are enacted. We strongly ask everyone in the County to sign up for these important alerts.”

During an emergency, the County’s notification system sends calls, emails or text message alerts directly to people’s mobile device or landline if they have signed up. “The best way to help ensure the safety of all our constituents during a wildfire or other emergency, is for people to sign up for our emergency notification systems,” said Coconino County Emergency Management Director Todd Whitney. Despite the Red Flag Warning issued that day by the National Weather Service (NWS), the Copley Fire was suspected to have started due to illegal burning. Prior to any burning, citizens are reminded to pay attention to weather warnings and to contact their local fire district or the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for burn permits. Burning is not allowed on Red Flag Days, which are announced on the NWS page, www.weather.gov/fgz.

Residents are also encouraged to follow the Ready, Set, Go! program including keeping gutters and yards clear of debris, creating a defensible space around your home and by keeping grass mowed short, and trimming vegetation. For more information on emergency preparedness go to coconino.az.gov/207/Emergency-Management. Visit ein.az.gov to learn more about hazards in the state and how to prepare.

The US Forest Service will be working this year to enlarge the Moonset Pit area that has provided free disposal of woody debris for Sherwood and Parks area residents. Since Moonset Pit will not be available this summer, an alternate site is being made available. This site is north of the Pittman Valley exit, off FSR 74  at the old Williams dump site (FSR 900). Work is still being done on staffing and exact dates the sites will be open. As soon as the flyer with dates and times is available, it will be posted here. The full news release from the USFS is below. 

News Release

Moonset Pit Renovations Begin, But Will Remain Closed For Public Safety

Williams, Ariz., April 3, 2018—For Immediate Release. Officials on the Kaibab National Forest, are alerting local residents in and around the communities of Parks and Sherwood Forest Estates, that Moonset Pit will undergo an expansion project set to begin this month.

The purpose of the project is to open up the space within the pit which will allow for separation between the cinder operations and the woody debris piles ultimately providing for a much safer environment for all users. It will also provide for a larger capacity which in turn will accommodate more users for this popular site in the future.

The work will involve a Forest Service contractor who will clear timber from an additional 5 acres adjacent to the existing area. Once the timber has been safely removed, Coconino County Public Works will continue with the surface expansion creating a larger, safer area between the personal use cinder materials and the debris pit used for public disposal of natural woody materials.

Unfortunately, due to the hazardous nature of the site undergoing construction, the entire pit will remain closed for public use for the remainder of the year to ensure public safety. Kaibab National Forest and Coconino County officials hope to complete the entire project by spring of 2019 and expect the Moonset Pit to be fully operational and open for both uses by the summer of 2019.

In the interim, alternative locations have been designated to provide residents options to access personal use cinders and provide a location for dumping of herbaceous materials from cleanup of private properties.

The W-Triangle Cinder Pit just north of Spring Valley will be available to residents for personal use cinder collection. Personal mineral material permits are available at the William Ranger District office at 742 S Clover road during regular business hours Monday through Friday.

The alternative green waste disposal site will be at the old dump site off Buggy Wheel road on forest road 900 north of Pittman Valley off forest road 74. Scheduled days and hours of operation at this temporary location will be made available by early next week. Access will only be permitted during open hours of operation.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of these services in order to make their private property more defensible against the threat of wildland fire. No garbage, household trash, building materials, lumber or other items will be allowed. Materials should not be bagged.

The success of this community provision is largely attributed to the volunteers of the Parks Area Connection and Sherwood Forest Fire District who staff these pits during open hours of operation. This annual service is also supported by the Kaibab National Forest and the Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership.

For more information on the about the Moonset Pit expansion project contact Deirdre McLaughlin at damclaughlin@fs.fed.us 928-635-5662.
For additional information on creating defensible space, visit  www.firewise.org  or fireadapted.org/

Bob Blasi
Fire Information Officer

Forest Service

Kaibab National Forest / South Zone

p: 928-635-5653
c: 928-606-7491
f: 928-635-5690
bobblasi@fs.fed.us

742 S Clover Rd
Williams, AZ 86046
www.fs.fed.us