9/9/15 – Wildfire season may be over for 2015, however there are always things that can be done to prepare for next year! Start this fall by making sure to clear out dead debris in rain gutters, under decks and around the yard. Make sure that the trees and shrubs are trimmed.

Now is also a good time to check your Ready Kit. Make sure to use up items that are about to expire or dispose of anything over its expiration. Re-stalk any items needed such as batteries.

Stay tuned this month for more helpful tips on how to be prepared for any emergency not just wildfires.

9/8/15 – The Navajo County Board of Supervisor’s adopted a proclamation today at the regularly scheduled meeting declaring September as National Preparedness Month. This year “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” is the theme.

We encourage all of our citizens to make a plan of action in case of an emergency. The plan should include details such as a meeting place in case family members are separated. Additionally citizens should have a 72 hour ‘Ready kit’ with enough food, medications and supplies for their family (including pets) for 3 days.

Finally, staying informed is an Important part of emergency preparedness. Listening to local radio and or television information, visiting 311info.net or other vetted and accurate websites or for Navajo County citizens, signing up for Ready Navajo County to receive urgent alerts directly.

There is much more to learn about preparedness and being ready for any emergency weather it is a wildfire, winter storm, chemical spill or train derailment. Hazards of all types can and do occur so being prepared is one way to make them less stressful and much more manageable.

Stay tuned to 311 for more information this month on the ways you, your family, friends and even co-workers can get prepared!

U.S. Forest Service
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests
30 S Chiricahua Drive
Springerville, AZ 85938

Web: www.fs.usda.gov/asnf
Twitter: @A_SNFs
www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnf

News Release
Media Contact: Marta Call
928-333-6280
martaicall@fs.fed.us

Temporary Closure of Black Canyon Lake Day Use Facilities
Heber-Overgaard, AZ, September 4, 2015; The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Black Mesa Ranger District announces today that access to Black Canyon Lake, and the day use facilities at Black Canyon Lake will be closed beginning September 8, 2015 for public safety while crews are on site rehabilitating the facilities. The access road into Black Canyon Lake will be closed at its junction with Forest Road 86 throughout the construction period, which is anticipated to conclude by March 1, 2016. Visitors in the area also should anticipate heavy truck traffic on Forest Road 86 in the vicinity of the lake.
This project, implemented in coordination with the Arizona Game and Fish Department through its Arizona Boating Access Program (ABAP), includes rehabilitation of the parking lot, improvements to day use facilities for boaters, and installation of a new boat ramp that will allow visitors to launch when lake levels are low.
ABAP has been actively funding and improving boating facilities statewide since 1985, including many cooperative projects on the National Forests. ABAP is an outstanding example of a “user pays—user benefits” program. In this case, anglers and boaters are responsible for payment of fishing tackle excise taxes, motorboat fuel taxes, and import duties on tackle and boats. These monies are collected by the sport fishing industry, deposited in the Department of Treasury, and are allocated the year following collection to state game and fish agencies for sport fisheries and boating access projects. The benefits provided by these projects to recreational boaters complete the cycle between “user pays—user benefits.”
Please call Black Mesa Ranger District at 928-535-7300 for up-to-date information on this closure and access to the lake.
For more information about the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests go to www.fs.usda.gov/asnf. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs and Twitter at @A_SNFs
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