Leaders:
Executive Commitee & Contacts
Your questions answered, call or e-mail us:
Chair: Tom Slaback, (928) 778-4233
Vice Chair: Carolyn York: (928) 541-1952
Secretary: Joe Wenzel, (928) 771-0838
Treasurer (acting): Joe Wenzel
Political: Bob Grossman (928) 778-4919
Member Doris Cellarius, (928) 778-6724
Committee Chairpersons
Conservation: Tom Slaback
Membership: Doris Cellarius
Outings (acting co-chairs): Carolyn York, Gary Beverly (928) 636-2638
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YAVAPAI GROUP
Grand Canyon Chapter, Sierra Club
The Verde River Water Sentinels has purchased a second flow meter and
it is now located in Prescott. We
will now need volunteers to form a second monitoring team
to measure stream flow at the three upper Verde sites on a monthly basis. Every other
month the Sentinels collect chemical and biological samples for laboratory analysis
and take flow measurements at seven sampling sites between the headwaters
and Beasley Flat. In alternate months we measure flow only at the
upper three sites. Now that we have the new flow meter, we will
need to have two teams taking flow measurements on the months we collect
water samples, cutting the work time in half. Our next flow monitoring
of the upper three sites will take place in mid to late March. If
you are interested in volunteering to help save the Verde River from
the pressures of local over-development, please contact Tom Slaback at
PrescottKid@peoplepc.com or (928)778-4233.
The Executive Committee of the Yavapai Group meets
the first Wedsnday of the month at 6 PM (Mar 5, Apr 2 and May
7). All
Sierra Club members are invited to attend. For location and information
contack Tom Slaback.
The Yavapai Group General Public meeting will be held April
30 (Wed), 6:45 - 8:45 PM in the Founders Room of the Prescott Public Library (215
E. Goodwin St., use west entrance, bottom floor.) Light refreshments
will be provided.
TREASURER: We need a volunteer to serve as the full time group
treasurer. Contact Tom Slaback.
FILM NITE: A new year of our monthly film nites
will begin on March 12. We have a social hour and food the first hour
followed by the movie. Afterwards we discuss the movie. Stay tuned
for the announcement of film titles and place of showing and dates. If
you have or know of an environmentally themed movie that you think
we should show, contact Tom Slaback.
Outings:
Learn about the issues that potentially affect the flow and water quality
of the Verde River on these Yavapai Group sponsored day hikes.
Feb 23
(Sat) Stillman Lake "C" (3 mi., 200 ft.
EC) Entering
with permission through private property we will hike down to Granite
Creek on a trail, and follow the creek to its confluence with the Verde
River. Then upstream along the shores of Stillman Lake to view
birds (bald eagles a possibility) and petroglyphs. Time permitting,
we may walk downstream into the new Nature Conservance property to
look for otter and beaver. We will meet in Chino Valley at 10:30
AM. For
reservations and information contact Gary Beverly at (928)636-2638
or gbevpurch@cableone.net.
Mar 15 (Sat) Hell Point-Upper Verde River "B" (3
mi., 400 ft. EC) Carpool two miles on rough roads (high clearance
or 4x4) to Hell Point and then, on foot, bushwack down to the Verde River
at the confluence of the Verde, Hell, and MC canyons. View an old
ranch ruin, big trees, tall cliffs, and riparian habitat. Look
for endangered fish. Bring lunch. 10:30 AM departure. Contact
info as above.
Apr 5 (Sat) Woodchute Mountain "B" (7mi.,
400 ft. EC) Meeting at 10:: AM, we will hike a good trail
through the Wilderness to the top of Woodchute Mountain. There
will be numerous views of the Verde River watershed, Bill Williams Mountain,
the San Francisco
Peaks, Sycamore Canyon, the Verde Valley and the red rocks of Sedona. Keep
a look out for a super tall, straight trunked alligator juniper
tree. Bring lunch and water. Contact information as above.
Prescott National Forest General Plan Revision Vision
A group of local organizations (see list below) has been meeting
over the past several months to develop a community vision for the Prescott
National Forest and surrounding landscape in the Prescott, Prescott
Valley and Chino Valley area. On November 5th, 2007 they held
a public meeting attended by 95 community members to
find out what the community envisions for the future of the forest
in this area. Based
on the results of this meeting, this organizing group developed a draft
vision that they would now like to share with the wider community for
feedback and validation. The link below will take you to a simple
online survey where you are asked for your level of agreement with
each element of this draft vision. It should only take 5-20 minutes
of your time, and all responses are completely anonymous.
Your input will be extremely helpful in determining which vision elements
to maintain, modify or eliminate. This is the communitys
vision for the future of your forest!
To begin the survey
Please click on: Online
Survey. (a
link is also posted on www.swdresources.com)
If you have any trouble accessing the survey, or other questions,
please contact the independent visioning facilitation team Southwest
Decision Resources - at info@swdresources.com. The survey will
be open through March 14, 2008.
Survey Results
If you are interested in seeing the online survey results-to-date,
please click on: Survey
Results.
Or go to www.swdresources.com and
click on "Survey results-to-date". Combined
results for the online and hard copy surveys will be posted on
the SDR website in mid-March.
Community Meeting: You are invited!
The final Prescott Landscape Vision
will be presented and next steps discussed at the upcoming community
meeting:
" Your Forest Vision and the Way Forward"
April 17, 2008, 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the Highlands Center (1375 S. Walker
Rd. Prescott, AZ)
Local Issues:
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ENVIRONMENT
DAMAGED AT LOEWS CONSTRUCTION SITE: You may
have seen this work in progress on Highway 69 East of
Prescott. The 9 springs that feed the riparian area
running through Prescott Canyon Estates, flowing into Granite
Creek, have been reduced and at times eliminated due to the
construction at the Loew's site. This has also caused
flooding down the creek resulting in road, culvert, and sewer damage
through the Estates when drainage off the site has overflowed their
retaining wall creating a waterfall; and flooding going across Hwy 69
from the hillside erosion, adding even more storm runoff through the
culvert. Letters are needed to be sent to the Prescott City
Engineer and the Army Corps of Engineers requesting on the ground
inspection. In December, during a two week period, three sections of the
wall facade on the sixty foot tall fill collapsed. This month an additional section
collapsed.
Contact Tom Slaback (see above) for more information.
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SUPERFUND CLEANUP NEEDED FOR IRON KING MINE SITE: The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) recently contacted Governor Napolitano saying they would
like to list the Iron King Mine and smelter site in Humboldt for
federal clean up under Superfund. The Yavapai Group of the
Grand Canyon Chapter has written to Gov. Napolitano urging her to agree
to this listing. Her agreement is necessary for the site to
be cleaned up by EPA.
EPA's Expanded Site Investigation found that contamination from the
site has migrated into residential areas and has impacted both the
groundwater and surface water in the area. Arsenic and lead contaminate
millions of tons of tailings adjacent to the Ironite fertilizer plant,
the waste rock pile at the Kuhles property, and mining waste at the
smelter. Severe episodes of blowing dust from the Ironite
tailings piles have worried the Humboldt community for years.
EPA proposed this listing because although the state has issued notices
of violations, there has been little compliance.
Until the sources of contamination identified by EPA have been cleaned
up, a healthy future for the Humboldt community cannot be
assured. Listing on the Environmental Protection
Agency's National Priority List would provide the Humboldt community
with the benefits of a more comprehensive investigation and cleanup,
increased public participation, availability of
federal technical assistance grants, federal health
studies, and implementation of innovative cleanup
technologies. For more information contact Doris Cellarius
(see above).
Please contact the Governor indicating your
support for an EPA cleanup: Phone toll Free 1-(800)
253-0883; e-mail:
http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp; or write Office of the
Governor, 1700 West Washington, Phoenix, Arizona 85007
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URANIUM MINE PROPOSED FOR YAVAPAI COUNTY:
Anderson Mining Company of
Wickenburg, AZ, is proposing a conventional uranium mill near
the Anderson Mine in Western Arizona. Concentric Energy
Corp. is planning to develop the Anderson mine and
build a uranium mill on site. A pre-licensing meeting was held by the
NRC on June 6, 2006. According to
Concentric Energy Corp., former site owner Unocal was planning a huge
open pit mine and intended to mine 500 million tons of waste
rock and leave a huge hole. Yavapai
County does not need another toxic uranium mill such as those located
in Tuba City and Moab. The Yavapai Group will sponsor a field
trip in October to the site, which is located near the Santa
Maria River, Peeples Canyon and the Arrastra and Tres Alamos Wilderness.
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VERDE RIVER RANKED AMONG AMERICA'S "MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS"
The Upper Verde was ranked #10 on American Rivers "2006 Annual List" Click
here for more information...
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LOCAL WATER QUALITY:
Yavapai Group Water Sentinels monitor the waters of Granite Creek and
its tributary streams. They work with the Club's Verde River
Sentinesl to test water in the Verde River. We need more
volunteers to help. Contact Doris Cellarius
(928-778-6724) or Tom Slaback (see above) for information.
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DRAKE CEMENT PLANT
A limestone quarry and coal-fired cement plant are planned North of
Prescott near Paulden. Construction of the kiln located on private property
has begun. The Prescott National Forest is
negotiating its permit with a Peruvian cement firm. Mercury
emissions from the plant threaten water quality as cement plants are
very poorly regulated by EPA and the state.
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THE BOUNDARY PROJECT:
Monitoring contiues to make sure the Boundary Project properly protects
the urban interface from forest fires and does not log deeper into the
Prescott National Forest.
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BIG CHINO JWK WATER RANCH & VERDE RIVER IMPACT
The Yavapai Group particpates in local and regional meetings to
advocate wise planning and prevent extractions of groundwater that
threatend the environment and the Verde River. RESOLUTION:
THE YAVAPAI GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB OPPOSES ANY NEW LAND ANNEXATIONS IN THE
TRI-CITY AREA UNTIL THE PRESCOTT AMA (ACTIVE MANAGEMENT AREA) IS IN SAFE YIELD.
Adopted December 1, 2004.
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SNOW BOWL ARTIFICIAL SNOW USING TREATED EFFLUENT:
Treated sewage effluent, which contains hundred of unregulated
environmental and public heath pollutants, is to be used to create
artificial snow for
the beneift of the Snobowl ski resort near Flagstaff. Sewage treatment
does not remove
them, though their ecological threats have been documented. Sierra Club
opposes this for these reasons and because it would desecrate this site sacred
to Native Ameircans. Latest
news:
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the local Federal Court
decision and, for the moment at least, the Forest Service Permit is
denied.
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GRANITE DELLS LAKE:
We are monitoring efforts to restore damage done to the riparin areas.
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BELLA TERRA-OAK CREEK DEVELOPMENT:
Sierra Club presented testimony against the preferred effluent disposal site, which would damage water quality in Oak Creek. Click each date to read the January 29, 2007 and February 28, 2007 press releases on this issue.
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PRESCOTT DUMPING SEWAGE SLUDGE AT HEADWATERS OF THE VERDE
RIVER IN PAULDEN: Prescott City contractor Southwest
Land Reclamation is dumping city sewage sludge at four locations
along waterways outside of the Prescott city limits. It
took FOIA requests at the state level to determine where Prescott's
sludge was being dumped: at the confluence of Big Chino and
Williamson Valley washes, on both sides of the Verde River below
Camp Verde and along Ash Creek near the I17 Dugas Interchange. ADEQ
inspected the Ash Creek site and found the contractor to be in
violation of the law. They have since inspected the Verde
River headwaters site and released their report listing several
violations. They did find that the sludge field was
sited at a legal distance from the Big Chino Wash. In January
and February the Big Chino overflowed the sludge field, washing
sewage sludge into Sullivan Lake and down the Verde River. Yavapai
County lists this field as being within a 100 year floodplain and
rates it class A, that which is most at risk for flooding. There
have been spills on the road and it goes into the air when it is
tilled into the silt, with much of it remaining on the surface. In wet years the area becomes a bog with water backing up the wash, under highway 89 from Sullivan Lake. We are currently monitoring the Verde River for nitrogen, phosphate, and E.coli.as part of the Verde River Water Sentinels Project.
During February's monitoring we added the Big Chino Wash, along the sludge field, and Sullivan Lake to our chemical and biological testing.
This page was last updated on 02/18/2008
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