Annual Report Available Online

• Trail Operations Report
• Mission Responsibility Highlights
• Financials & Membership
• Volunteer Program Report
• Youth Outreach Report
• and much more!

Summit for Arizona Trails

Campfire Prohibitions Near Flagstaff

The Flagstaff Ranger District recently updated and renewed an important forest order for camping and campfire restrictions around the Flagstaff area that will help reduce the number of abandoned campfires and keep communities safer.
 
Forest Order 03-04-20-5-F prohibits any camping and campfires within Coconino National Forest around Flagstaff and its surrounding communities. A detailed map and explanation of exact boundaries can be found under the Forest Orders link on the Coconino National Forest website, or by viewing the official forest order here. It has also been added to the Arizona Trail Guthook app.
 
Forest Service personnel will begin placing “No Campfires or Camping” signs in and around the restricted areas to remind the public of these important prohibitions and to help identify the area boundaries. Boundaries have been expanded by more than 25,000 acres and redefined to account for the expansion of communities, while using features such as forest roads as boundaries that are easily recognized on a map. The expansion and redefining of these boundaries is also more cohesive and conjoined with areas that have already been defined by the state and city as areas where camping and campfires are prohibited.
 
“Prohibiting campfires, and sometimes camping, within areas of Coconino National Forest that surround Flagstaff and its communities are important steps in lowering the number of abandoned campfires and mitigating wildfires so close to town,” said Fire Staff Officer James Pettit. “This doesn’t eliminate the threat of severe wildfires, but it will definitely lower it. This forest order also helps reduce unsanitary conditions found on the forest near town from people illegally using the forest for residential purposes.”
 
In addition, Coconino National Forest renewed and updated a forest order in August 2019 that prohibits campfires in the Mount Elden/Dry Lake Hills area, expanding that particular area of campfire restrictions by 2,000 acres, to include popular camping areas such as the Freidlein Prairie Dispersed Campsites. That forest order was originally signed and implemented nine years ago.
 
“In 2011, after we implemented the Mount Elden/Dry Lake Hills forest order, we saw a 90 percent reduction in human-caused fires in that area,” said Pettit. “So, we expect to see a significant reduction in the number of abandoned campfires and human-caused fires with this updated forest order prohibiting camping and campfires around the Flagstaff area.”
 
Coconino National Forest encourages the public to report illegal activity on the national forest and can do so by calling the local Forest Service law enforcement office at (928) 527-3511, or by contacting Coconino County Sheriff at (928) 774-4523.

New Trail Skills Institute Classes for 2020

• Why trails?
• Seeing the trail and the surrounding landscape
• Erosion and deposition, which forces are at work
• Identifying problems and causes
• Documenting trail condition

• Reopening the trail corridor through brushing, log outs, rock obstacles
• Slough, berm and tread
• Drainage – dips, knicks, reversal, checks, waterbars
• Hardening the trail

• Why build structures?
• Principles of dry stone masonry
• Moving, splitting shaping and stacking stone
• Steps, walls, rock armoring – tread and drain pans
• Drainage structures
• Technical trail features (TTFs)

• Why, who, what of trail design
• Design factors (use, site conditions, climate and weather)
• Construction design criteria (Trail Management Objectives)
• Control points (positive and negative)
• Trail corridor identification (GIS and visual assessment)
• Tight flaggin
• Construction prescription

• Corridor clearing
• Tread and backslope
• Climbing turns and switchbacks
• Retaining Structures
• Drainage
• Rehabilitation and finishing

• Closing trails (why, when, how)
• Decompacting and scarifying
• Reestablishing hydrological flow
• Closing sight lines
• Seeding and organic material

Saddlebrooke Hiking Club Continues Their Commitment Stewardship

Trail Jobs

The Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF) is seeking a Field Operations Manager, who will be based in Poncha Springs near Salida, Colorado. General duties are to plan and support the CTF Volunteer Trail Crew program and coordinate the CTF Adopt-A-Trail program. Qualifications and specifics include:

• Ability to work independently
• Good project management skills 
• Good written and verbal communication skills 
• Trail work experience
• Good computer skills, including email, MS Word and Excel, GPS/GIS software 
• GPS skills desirable 
• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Familiarity with The Colorado Trail desirable
• Employee-only health insurance paid 100% by CTF
• 27 days of paid time off
• Laptop computer and cell phone provided by CTF
• Salary range: $50,000-$55,000

For complete details and to apply, please visit this website.
 
The Florida Trail Association seeks an Executive Director. The primary focus of the Executive Director (ED) will be increasing the development/fundraising activities to promote mission achievement and financial sustainability. In addition, the new ED will be responsible for organizational stability, membership growth and volunteer management. While actual working knowledge of trail association related issues is desired, a strong nonprofit executive with an understanding of that sector, proven development skills and a love for the outdoors, would also be someone that we would look at closely.
 
The compensation consists of a base salary of up to $90,000 and is based in Gainesville, Florida. This is a great opportunity for someone who loves the outdoors and is a high energy, roll-up-the-sleeves development leader.
 
Interested candidates should reach out to Krickett Simonton at (904) 434-3249 or krickett@sterlingsearchjax.com. Learn more about the Florida Trail Association here.