Patrice Horstman — May 2022 District One Newsletter

Hello District One Resident:

Unfortunately, our fire season started early this year with the wind-driven and drought-fueled Tunnel Fire in the Timberline/Fernwood community off of Highway 89. Once again, our neighbors rallied together to assist in this time of need. Although 31 homes were destroyed, there were no lives lost and horses, livestock, dogs and cats have all been accounted for. Even the lost pot-bellied pigs were found and have been reunited with their owners.

A big thank you to our first responders, our firefighters, the Sheriff’s office, the County Emergency Management team and County employees! A big shout out to High Country Humane and it’s volunteers that were able to evacuate the animals from their shelter and reestablish a shelter at Fort Tuthill County Park. Also, thank you to the Coconino Humane Association which also did an incredible job sheltering animals that had been evacuated during the fire.

Once again, our Coconino County community rallied in the time of adversity. Proving that together we build the community where we want to live and where we want to raise our children.

As summer approaches and with windy, dry conditions continuing, I encourage everyone to be proactive in creating a defensible space around their home and being fire smart. I’ve included some tips in this newsletter.

Onward together.

Patrice

A fast-moving wind-driven wildfire ripped through the Fernwood and Timberline communities and traveled north to Sunset Crater and Strawberry Crater. Many homes in the Timberline and Doney Park neighborhoods were evacuated and over 31 homes were destroyed by the fire and numerous other structures and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Just under 22,000 acres burned before a Type One incident team wrestled it under control. As of this newsletter, the fire was 98% contained. Unfortunately, the disruption and destruction of homes for hundreds of residents in the Fernwood and Timberline area will require months of rebuilding. The cause of the fire, on Forest Service property, is still under investigation. There is an independent investigation team that is investigating the source of the fire and it is expected that the results will be made public once they have completed their investigation.

The Southern Baptist Recovery Team (SBRT) is in the area to assist with individual cleanup of all burned homes. Also, United Way of Northern Arizona (UWNA) will have volunteer events scheduled on the weekends at least through the months of May and June (excepting Memorial Day weekend). To sign up to volunteer visit: https://nazunitedway.org/get- involved/take-action/.

At the commencement of the Tunnel Fire, Coconino County received an outpouring of support. Our representatives, Senator Mark Kelly, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and Congressman Tom O’Halloran, and Navajo President Jonathan Nez and their staff were on the scene offering their assistance. As in Museum Fire, the County will be seeking federal NRCS funding for necessary flood mitigation efforts in the Tunnel Fire area.

Good news for the areas affected by the Tunnel Fire and for Coconino County is that initial studies indicate that the Tunnel Fire did not significantly increase the flood risks for the area and that the existing Schultz Fire flood mitigation apparatus should handle the projected increase watershed flows. Further analysis is being conducted. This together with the low to moderate burn severity caused by the Tunnel fire will help in the recovery of this area.

Coconino County in the City of Flagstaff have joined the Forest Service’s implementation of a Stage One fire restrictions. These fire restrictions are currently in effect in our National Forests, throughout the unincorporated areas of Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff. Stage One fire restrictions prohibit campfires and charcoal and liquid fuel fires. Petroleum fueled stoves, grills or fire rings with an on/off switch are exempted. As may be needed, Coconino County may impose additional fire restrictions known as Stage Two and Stage Three restrictions.

Additionally, in conjunction with the upcoming fire season Coconino County adopted it’s Wildfire Defense Ordinance imposing a Class One misdemeanor for violations of the fire restrictions. The Wildfire Defense Ordinance also says for the provisions that allow for written permits or variances for certain prescribed activities.

Additional information about the stages of fire restrictions, Forest Orders, and general forest conditions can be found at https:// www.coconino.az.gov/2595/Fire-Restriction-Information

More information on all Arizona state and federal fire restrictions, including an interactive map, is available by visiting wildlandfire.az.gov/ fire-restrictions.

Now is the time to make sure you are prepared for Wildfire season! Make sure you have a Wildfire Emergency Go Kit prepared in the event you are put on evacuation alert. https://ein.az.gov/get-prepared/prepare

Create defensible space around your home–even if you live in the city. Most of Coconino County is either rural or in the urban/wildlands interface so wildfires can spread quickly into developed areas. There is no fee to dispose of green waste at the County’s Willard Springs Green Waste Site. It is located about 14 miles south of Flagstaff and just west of Interstate 17 at the Willard Springs Road exit (Exit 326). https://wildfirerisk.org/

Northern Arizona is experiencing a megadrought, the worst of which we have seen in over 1200 years. The severe drought, together with fire- exclusive practices have created unhealthy forests that have subjected Coconino County to wildfire and post wildfire flooding. The hundreds of millions of dollars spent for fire suppression and the personal devastation and loss to individuals and property is not sustainable. We must invest in forest restoration and forest management to reduce the risks of these devastating wildfires. Coconino County has embarked on a commitment to reducing the risk of wildfire and post-wildfire flooding through their award-winning Coconino County Forest Restoration Initiative.

Coconino County participates in the Four Forest Initiative (FRI), to engage in landscape scale forest restoration projects and to assist in the building of sustainable forest industries. The newly passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $5.6 billion for forest restoration, fuel reduction, and vegetation management across the country and specifically commits $54 million to Coconino County’s forest restoration projects through 4FRI.

Recently, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated money to the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program which would allow applicants to seek funds to assist in private property forest fire fuel reduction. Coconino County is awaiting guidelines on eligibility and how we can apply to assist our property owners and implementing community wildfire protection plans. Stay tuned for further information as the County receives updated information.

As promised, the Coconino County Flood Control District, well ahead of the upcoming monsoon, is underway on the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) project on the Forest Service lands above and below the Mt. Elden Estates area.

Funded by the US Forest Service, the $3.5 million project includes grade stabilization on the Forest Service lands and watershed restoration work to reduce sediment production. This includes the current construction of alluvial fans above the Mt Elden Estates areas. Vice Chair Vasquez and Chair Horstman had an opportunity to tour the alluvial fan construction areas above Mt. Elden Estates with Flood control District Director Lucinda Andreani, other County employees and NRCS representatives.

From May 13 through July 1, 2022, the Coconino County Flood Control District and the City of Flagstaff are helping residents in neighborhoods downstream of the Museum Fire burn scar prepare for the 2022 monsoon season by placing pallets of new sandbags and trash bins throughout neighborhoods, that residents can use to repair their sandbag walls.

Materials, including a self-fill sandbag station and pre-filled sandbags are located in the lot just north of Coconino County Health and Human Services, 2625 King Street. Find more information on the Coconino County Website at https://www.coconino.az.gov/2134/Sandbag- Information.

Supervisor Horstman was recently elected by the County Supervisor’s Association of Arizona to be their Alternate Representative to the Western Regional Interstate Conference Board of Directors. She will continue to work closely with Supervisor Richard Lunt, from Greenlee County, who is the WIR Representative from Arizona. Supervisor Lunt and Supervisor Horstman are a good team in serving, representing, and advocating for rural Arizona on the WIR Board.

The recent wildfires and post wildfire flooding underscore the need for western counties to have a strong voice at the national level in the creation and implementation of critical legislative and regulatory issues. It is important that our unique Western issues are heard in Washington and that we develop strong partnerships in the use, management, and development of our public lands and our National Forests. It is essential for the success of this and similar initiatives that we continue to advocate for decision-making authority at the county level.

Chair Horstman will be moderating a panel on Investing In & Supporting America’s Tourism Economies at the Western Regional Interstate Conference (WIR) in Anchorage Alaska this month. The WIR conference is an opportunity for county leaders throughout the Western United States to come together to focus on the unique opportunities and challenges of our Western counties. County officials will participate in educational sessions with Federal, Regional and State policymakers to develop partnerships and engage in meaningful solutions to address the unique needs of our Western states.

Supervisor Horstman was honored to be invited by Senator Kelly’s staff to join them to meet with the Havasupai Tribal Council at their home in Supai. It was a special trip with a helicopter landing in the Village, a welcome blessing with a gift of a split twig figurine, a meeting with the Tribal Council, a tour of Supai’s special waterfalls Little Navajo, Havasupai Falls and Mooney Falls, a drink from Fern Springs and sharing a meal of Indian tacos with the Chair and Tribal Council.

Discussing the concerns of District 1 residents in their home in the heart Grand Canyon and amidst the blue green waters was especially important. Supervisory Horstman looks forward to a continued partnership with the Havasupai Tribal Council working on behalf of Supai Village to address common concerns including COVID management and recovery, veterinary care, the need to protect springs and groundwater of the Havasupai homeland and passage of Grand Canyon Protection Act.

Chair Horstman attended the Flagstaff Shelter Services (FSS)Open House at the historic landmark Crown Hotel on Route 66! During the pandemic, FSS successfully housed people in need of shelter at local hotels to keep them safe and alive. The effectiveness (albeit expensive) of the program led to the idea of FSS purchasing a hotel to invest in their clients’ future and the community. Funding to purchase the old Howard Johnson Hotel came from State Recovery Funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act ,the Forest Highlands Foundation, and the Arizona Diamond Backs Foundation.

Ms. Cleo’s Tea Party returned this year! The High Tea is an annual fundraising event celebrating the unique culture and community of Flagstaff’s Southside. Proceeds from the event support community programming of the Murdoch Community Center, an inter-generational and multicultural center reflecting the different cultures represented in the Southside.