DIY – Mountain Bike Repair
Friday, June 2 and
Saturday, June 3
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Learn essential mountain bike repair skills and what tools you should carry for trail-side repairs.
Mountain Bike – Learn more and register!
Discover Flagstaff publishes Flagstaff 365 Happenings on a weekly basis to highlight local events happening in and around Flagstaff. “Flag Happs” is distributed throughout Downtown Flagstaff, displayed in kiosks and storefronts, and also available at the Flagstaff Visitor Center. Below are some highlights of the week.
Coconino County will celebrate the 74th Annual Coconino County Fair on Labor Day weekend, September 1 – 4, 2023, at the Fairgrounds at Fort Tuthill County Park in Flagstaff, Ariz. County residents are invited to join the fun and tradition by entering a public exhibit. Every year the fair showcases the best recipes, artwork, crafts, collections, livestock, home grown vegetables, flowers, and more to the over 40,000 visitors who attend the fair every year.
The Fair features exhibits from all ages and skill levels and many departments give out special awards and prizes, including ribbons and gift cards for exemplary exhibits. Cash prizes are available in many areas thanks to sponsorship from the Friends of Coconino County Parks. Public, private, charter, magnet, and home schoolteachers are encouraged to save student portfolios to exhibit in the schools building. Any participant who submits five entries or more in one department will receive a complimentary fair admission ticket.
Sophia Swainson was working as a server when she got a text message that changed her life—a job posting for a student worker position at NAU’s Office of Sustainability. It was a big change, but she took it and never looked back. As she prepares to graduate, she’s looking at jobs in the sustainability nonprofit sector, confident that the perseverance that got her through the challenges of college will help her as she takes on conservation.
COCONINO COUNTY —
Hundreds of visitors experienced a variety of STEM-related activities and exhibits during 2023 STEM Celebration held Saturday, April 29 at Fort Tuthill.
Presented by Flagstaff STEM City, the 10th annual event featured more 70 indoor and outdoor exhibits offering a variety hand-on activities and demonstrations including robotics, mini rocket launches, a trebuchet catapult launcher, helicopter and heavy equipment displays.
Sponsors included Tgen, APS, Coconino Community College, Coconino County, KSC and the Flagstaff Unified School District.
Some of the exhibitors included Coconino High School and its CocoNuts Robotics Team, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, W.L. Gore & Associates, Northern Arizona University, Tynkertopia Inc., the Flagstaff Police Dept. Bomb Squad, Grand Canyon Youth, the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth, the U.S. Geological Services Geology and Biology departments, City of Flagstaff Open Spaces, the Museum of Northern Arizona, Lowell Observatory, Guardian Air, Mountain Line, the Phoenix Truck Driving School, the Flagstaff Fire Dept., City of Flagstaff Public Works and the KAFF Radio Remote.
FREE Event AWWE Presents: A Bird Walk
Join wildlife experts in this season’s first bird walk! We will meet at Rogers Lake County Natural Area (7 miles SW of Flagstaff on Woody Mountain Road / Forest Road 231, at the first Rogers Lake entrance sign as you arrive at the County Natural Area). Bring your binoculars, sturdy shoes, a sunhat, a notebook and pencil, and perhaps your camera! This event is free, but registration will be required.
Notes: We will hike up to 3 miles. Bring whatever you want for hiking, and dress appropriately for the weather. Bring binoculars and bird guide if you have them – we will have some binoculars for those that don’t.
Senior Trevor Geiger is a passionate animal lover who has fostered four dogs through High Country Humane Society. Despite challenges, he persevered with patience and empathy, successfully helping dogs find furever homes while pursuing his studies in biology and chemistry. He finds joy in seeing the progress and transformation of dogs in his care, and his heartwarming experiences with fostering have brought him happiness even when it meant later nights and earlier mornings. For National Pet Foster Care Month, learn more about Geiger’s dedication to animals and his future strengthening the human-animal bond as a veterinarian.
The Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and public recycling drop-off located at 1800 E Butler Ave remains closed, and while the City of Flagstaff continues to evaluate recycling alternatives, the pause on the collection of residential recycling carts will continue until further notice. Residents are asked to not put their recycling carts on the curb as they will not be collected. In the interim, alternative public recycling drop-off locations can be viewed in Google Maps here. However, the City encourages the public to hold their recyclables until further notice.
You’re Invited to the
10th Annual STEM Celebration!
Saturday, April 29, 2023
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Fort Tuthill Fairgrounds
STEM City and its partners are pleased to sponsor
this community-wide event to
celebrate Flagstaff’s designation as
“America’s First STEM Community.”
Hands-on activities and demonstrations
engage children and adults in the broad range of
STEM opportunities throughout northern Arizona.
In just a few weeks, I’ll walk out of the offices at 1515 E. Cedar Ave. in Flagstaff for the last time as the President and CEO of United Way of Northern Arizona, my professional home for the past 24 years.
While I’m looking forward to retirement and am excited about the plans I’m making with my husband for this next chapter in our lives, the truth is it’s hard to say goodbye.
Being part of this organization for almost a quarter of a century has been an incredibly meaningful part of my life and walking away from something like that is never easy.
Free admission for all Coconino County residents! 12 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at Lowell Observatory
Grand Canyon National Park is required to annually distribute a consumer confidence report for the park’s drinking water. This year Grand Canyon Water Utilities is distributing this report electronically to reduce paper consumption. The purpose is to allow consumers to make educated decisions regarding any potential health risks pertaining to the quality, treatment, and management of your drinking water supply.
Each year in the spring (April – June), Grand Canyon National Park experiences an increase in turbidity in the drinking water. This increased turbidity is caused by the snow melt and by the spring rains recharging the aquifer and the increased water flows through the rock formations to the point of supply for the Grand Canyon National Park Public Water Supply System.
COCONINO COUNTY —
The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth celebrates April as Child Abuse Prevention Month with its final free “Thriving Families” training on April 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 at the Page Unified School District boardroom, 500 S. Navajo Road, Page.
The series “Community Healing Change — Training, Meal & Discussion,” were also presented on April 17 in Fredonia and April 18 at Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff and in partnership with Fredonia Elementary School, Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff and the Page Unified School District.
You can register to attend the live viewing parties where food, discussion and prizes are available.
To attend the Page training, register with Penni Case at pcase@pageud.org
Art Classes & Workshops Coming Soon at Sedona Arts Center
Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years. Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
Every year, hundreds of undergraduate students in all disciplines become researchers—either joining a professor’s lab or creating their own research project, including getting their own funding. That work culminates at the Undergrad Symposium, a daylong event in which students present their research to the NAU and Flagstaff communities. Experience the 15th annual symposium on Friday at the High Country Conference Center. All events are free and open to the public.
This is National Volunteer Week, a time to appreciate and celebrate the people who invest their time and talent to better their communities.
United Way of Northern Arizona (UWNA) is blessed to have many individuals who work tirelessly to improve early childhood development, promote positive youth development, and assist neighbors in times of crisis.
Their work ranges from leading our Board of Directors, to serving on Community Investment Teams that evaluate grant requests, to filling sandbags before monsoon season.
One of the most remarkable volunteers to ever lend his talents to UWNA and numerous other organizations was Eugene Marvin Munger Jr., who we lost last month at the age of 88.
When he received the Arizona Daily Sun Citizen of the Year Award in 2013, Gene was asked why volunteering was important.
“Volunteering is important because it gives everyone the opportunity to give back,” he replied.
Tuesday, April 24
Sammy Kershaw, The Orpheum
Disciple Live Events Presents Sammy Kershaw LIVE at the historic Orpheum Theater in downtown Flagstaff! 6:30 p.m.
Learn More
California Condor Update
Free-flying California condors in Arizona continue to be confirmed with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
As of April 17, 2023, 20 condors have died in the Arizona-Utah flock; HPAI has been confirmed for 10 of those condors. Eight birds were captured and brought in for supportive care. Four of those condors died shortly thereafter and are included in the total of 20 deceased birds. Four condors are still receiving supportive care and have shown improvement.
Report bird mortalities to NPS wildlife immediately so that bird die-offs can be investigated and tested for avian influenza. Report dead wild birds to Grand Canyon Dispatch at 928-638-7805 and they will call the on-call wildlife specialist to assist.
A resilient forest needs a little less tension
We know how hard winter was for us. How was it for the trees? How do our forests and their complicated, interconnected, life-giving ecosystems react to the sun, the wind, the drought, the rain, the cold? For Earth Day, creative writing professor Nicole Walker, who authored Sustainability: A Love Story and dozens of articles and essays on nature, reflects on the complicated relationships that exist in a forest ecosystem and how the smallest processes and organisms keep the largest trees—and all the rest of us—alive.
COCONINO COUNTY —
In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — in partnership with Fredonia Elementary School, Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff and the Page Unified School District — is presenting the series “Community Healing Change — Training, Meal & Discussion” in recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
You can register to attend the live viewing parties where food, discussion and prizes are available.
A dozen parents and community members attended the Fredonia training on April 17, with a second training session held on April 18 at Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff.
The Page training will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 at the PUSD boardroom, 500 S. Navajo Drive, Page. Register with Penni Case at pcase@pageud.org
Read More
The National Park Service (NPS) has scheduled meetings to provide information to the public and respond to questions about multiple construction activities at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
The meetings will include a presentation by NPS staff featuring the Transcanyon Waterline (TCWL), Bright Angel Substation and the substation access road projects with a question-and-answer period. These meetings will be an opportunity for community members to learn about construction updates and anticipated impacts to park operations, residents, and visitors. Questions are being accepted in advance at: https://forms.office.com/g/RM8ZVq7X4t.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Emergency Management announce the creation of evacuation zones in Coconino County. In an effort to further enhance emergency messaging to the public, the evacuation zones focus on neighborhoods, communities, and residential areas throughout the county.
Prepare to be engulfed in a larger-than-life choral sound when NAU Shrine of the Ages Choir, directed by Timothy Westerhaus, joins the FSO to perform Haydn’s hopeful Missa in Angustiis (Mass in Troubled Times), also known as the “Lord Nelson” mass.
Growing up in a mostly white community, Cate Cameron was almost a teenager before she truly felt curious about her Chinese heritage; not until she was around people with similar backgrounds did she feel comfortable exploring her roots as an adopted Chinese American. That journey continued in Flagstaff; during her four years at NAU, she found a community and learned more about her birth culture. In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which NAU celebrates in April, Cameron talks about how she first explored and then embraced her Chinese heritage through Chinese language classes, the Chinese Culture Club at NAU and spending a year studying abroad in Hong Kong.
Friday, April 14
Star Party, High Country Motor Lodge
Explore the universe with astronomers from Lowell Observatory. 7:30 p.m.
Learn More
COCONINO COUNTY — The City of Flagstaff proclaimed April 2023 as Child Abuse Prevention Month on during an official ceremony attended by members of the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth on April 4 at the Flagstaff City Council chambers.
The proclamation was presented by Mayor Becky Daggett to CCC&Y Board members Heather Marcy, Deputy Director, Northland Family Help Center; Laura Rosensweet, M.Ed, Community Impact Manager, Education Forward AZ; Jacelyn Salabye, MSW, Native Americans for Community Action; with CCC&Y Executive Director Virginia Watahomigie attending via Zoom.
Read More
At their regular meeting on April 11, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) unanimously approved a proclamation designating April 2023 as Earth Month in Coconino County.
“Coconino County affirms that all that inhabit the Earth have a right to a healthy, sustainable environment,” the proclamation reads. “… as humans we are caretakers of the planet, and have an obligation to change human behaviors that contribute to climate change and environmental degradation and work to preserve the Earth’s beauty and its resources.”
President José Luis Cruz Rivera recognized and honored outstanding students at NAU with the President’s Prize, Gold Axe and Distinguished Senior awards. The ceremony, held on April 10, celebrated the hard work and accomplishments of students selected from a pool of applicants representing different colleges. NAU honored 50 Gold Axe winners, including five President’s Prize winners—the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students. Additionally, nine students were honored as Distinguished Seniors of their colleges.
Starting April 22nd and meeting one Saturday evening a month through August, we invite you to “pro-vision” ways to shape robust community life.
Pro-visioning is the intentional practice of planning for the future, preparing for its challenges and possibilities, and providing for generations to come. It is a practice of care, foresight, and positive action.
In the tradition of salon gatherings where cutting-edge conversations encouraged friendship and creativity, we’ll share a meal and learn how to re-frame our thinking, write our own public narratives, and understand how to leverage our power for social change.
Most of all, we’ll inspire each other to initiate the changes we’ll need in the years ahead.
In this Edition…
Message from Jeronimo
Preparation, Prevention, and Information: Our Surrounding
Environment
District 2 Highlights
Special Spotlight: Areina Contreras
Service Positions & Job Listings
Services and Programs
Community Events & Resources
And more!
The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open on Friday, June 2 at 6 a.m. to mark the official start of the 2023 season. Following a record-setting snow season, this delayed opening is necessary to ensure the safe plowing of State Route 67 and allow staff to reopen visitor facilities on the North Rim.
“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our neighbors and visitors with this delay as our partners and park staff work to open the North Rim roads, trails, and facilities safely,” said Superintendent Ed Keable.
Key changes this 2023 season include:
Fair Book
The digital Fair Book is here!
The 2023 Fair Book is now available online!
It’s time to start prepping your exhibits for this year’s Coconino County Fair!
Printed books will be available at the Fairgrounds and distributed around the County early this month.
Introducing the 4 Rs of recycling: Recycle right, reap rewards
NAU is revamping its sustainability efforts with a new recycling program intended to increase recycling rates while decreasing landfill waste. The bin system is getting an upgrade, making it easier for everyone to know where to put which materials. Funding from the Green Fund, including new waste sensors, will allow the team to track how much waste is generated on campus to analyze and ensure effectiveness. The team hopes to encourage everyone to recycle correctly and reduce our environmental footprint. This program will enable us to do our part and be recycling superheroes!
First Friday ArtWalk, Downtown Flagstaff
Join us in Downtown Flagstaff on the First Friday of each month for art and music! 5 p.m.
Learn More
There needs to be a word to refer to the vibrant cultural community we are part of, in the same way we can refer to an ecosystem. Like organisms in an ecosystem, the many arts organizations in Flagstaff interact and create a stronger, more vibrant place for us all to thrive. That’s why this month’s Museum News includes upcoming events put on by the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestraand Theatrikos Theatre Company. We often work together with these and other arts organizations and decided to reach out to our mailing lists together. Strengthening existing partnerships and broadening our engagement with the community is all part of MNA’s Strategic Plan.
Art Classes & Workshops at Sedona Arts Center
Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years. Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
COCONINO COUNTY —
The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth was one of four organizations in Arizona to be selected this year for the Vitalyst Health Foundation’s System Change Grant.
We will receive $175,000 over three years to develop, in conjunction with the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County, a mental model change ensuring trauma-informed and resilience information is understood at City and County levels and enacted as policy change. The goal is to improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, health outcomes and provider and staff wellness.
Join us at the Flagstaff Aquaplex on Friday, April 7th from 7 a.m. to noon. Open to the public, the health fair features free health screenings, fitness advice, health insurance and wellness information, healthy snacks from local businesses and much more.
Since 1995, the first full week of April has been recognized as National Public Health Week (NPHW) to champion the health of all Americans.
Locally, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) recognized this observance and proclaimed the week of April 3 – 9 as Public Health Week in Coconino County.
During this week, we celebrate the efforts of public health and social services professionals, their achievements, and the impact they make on the wellbeing of all. Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS), whose Mission is: empowering people, confronting inequities, influencing policy, and bettering lives, is at the forefront of this important work.
At their regular meeting on April 4, 2023, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proclamation designating April 2023 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Coconino County.
April 2023 is the 22nd year that Sexual Assault Awareness Month has been nationally recognized, but its history goes back to the fight against race- and gender-based violence of the mid-20th century. This social activism increased awareness for sexual assault and directed public focus toward supporting survivors. It also culminated in survivor-focused legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1993.
4–6pm at Sedona Arts Center
Sponsored by: City of Sedona
Music: Mother Road Trio
Food: The Cheesy Javelina
Artist Demonstrations & Special Exhibition:
Jan Sitts: A Retrospective
SAC Ceramics Department Demos & Sale
COCONINO COUNTY — Ninety Arizona cities and towns and all 15 Arizona counties signed onto a framework in August 2021 called the One Arizona Memorandum of Understanding, now known as the One Arizona Agreement.
The current settlement involves opioid distributors McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson-Janssen, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen, and Janssen.
COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Public Works will reopen the Willard Springs Green Waste Site on Saturday, April 1, 2023 for free green waste-only disposal all season long to support residents’ efforts to clean up their properties for wildfire season.
Residents will be allowed to dump acceptable green waste such as pine needles, branches, leaves, and brush free of charge with no load limits on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through the end of the season on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
Fundamentals Program returns to Albright Training Center
A redesigned NPS Fundamentals Program has relaunched! The staff of Horace M. Albright Training Center (HOAL), a National Park Service employee development facility located within the park, are excited for the return of NPS’s keystone Learning and Development program: NPS Fundamentals. The NPS Fundamentals Program has been redesigned into a three-part training opportunity for new permanent employees in agency. The program serves as the foundation for all careers in the NPS. The program’s mission is to invest in new employees, deepen their understanding of the NPS mission and operations, and build their commitment to the NPS core values.
Thursday-Saturday, March 30-April 2
The Northern Arizona Book Festival, Flagstaff
A festival of literary art, culture, and community on the Colorado Plateau.
Learn More
Here are two statistics that should make you proud to be a United Way of Northern Arizona supporter, courtesy of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL).
Last month, the Imagination Library passed a remarkable milestone with 200 million books gifted to children since its inception in 1995!
Then there’s this fun factoid – 1 in 10 children under the age of five in the United States receives Imagination Library books. That’s a lot of Little Engines that Could and Llama Llamas in Red Pajamas.
Mom, mental-health advocate, and self-described vintage curator, Callee Torrey is no stranger to the art of juggling. This mama can now add marathon runner to her title. Even more impressive, running the 26.2 miles for the first time all the while having to balance breastfeeding her baby. She literally stopped at mile 13.1 to breastfeed her baby and still managed a respectable time of (6:02) hours. She is unstoppable. This month’s HERstory is a celebration of motherhood and a testament to the strength and resilience of women.
COCONINO COUNTY —
The Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth provides a variety of free online training programs for parents, caregivers and all community members.
Our free Thriving Families webinar is a great starting place for parents, caregivers and community members brand new to the topics such as brain development, adverse childhood experiences, resilience and mindfulness. It is a great jumping off place to go deeper in knowledge and support through the rest of our library of webinars.
With thousands of views across our various topics, we are sure there is something for all community members and professionals. Whether you are seeking the best info for your family, your community or a program you work for, get a taste for our research supported prevention and community work.
This summer Sedona Arts Center is launching Gallery 928, a unique art apprenticeship program for teens ages 15 to 18. Based on Chicago’s infamous Gallery 37 summer public art program started in the 1980s, students will be hired to apprentice with master artist Leonardo Beltran to create a public art mural for Sedona Arts Center.
This job opportunity is open to 12 artistic teens interested in expanding their skills and knowledge in the public art field as well as learning other art mediums and techniques. In partnership with Yavapai College, the students chosen to participate in the program will receive 4 free college credits. Students will also be paid a stipend of $500 from Sedona Arts Center for their participation. Gallery 928 is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and desire to consider a future as a professional artist.
Rockfall frequency increases; flash flood warnings remains in effect throughout Northern Arizona
Recent storm impacts have created near impassable road conditions throughout much of Coconino County, especially in flooded roadways adjacent to creeks. Although these areas are limited within park boundaries, please be aware of the increased likelihood of rockfall and flash flood activity within the inner canyon as temperatures rise and active snowmelt occurs.
This week there were three reported sizeable rockfalls along the Bright Angel Trail reported by staff at the Backcountry Information Center. The trail remains passable to hikers. It is likely these events will occur on a routine basis in the coming weeks/months.
If you observe an active rockfall along a trail, please notify Grand Canyon dispatch as soon as possible at 928-638-7805. If you have a camera or phone, photos of the rockfall can be helpful to staff on Trails and the Backcountry Information Center.
For a more comprehensive list of backcountry trail updates, visit our park website here.
Right now, two UWNA volunteer groups are evaluating more than 50 requests for grants from either the Community Impact Fund or the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Earlier this year, the City of Flagstaff chose UWNA to administer $700,000 in ARPA funds on behalf of the City.
In This Issue
Hello from Supervisor Horstman
Short Term Rentals
Hearing on Coconino County Fair Fees
BOS Adopts New Fort Tuthill Management Plan
Upper Rio de Flag Watershed Forest Restoration
County Receives $10.9 Million State Funding for
Flood Mitigation
County Comprehensive Plan and Flagstaff
Regional Plan Explained
Community Meeting on Proposed Forest
Restriction Plans and Emergency Preparedness
NACo Legislative Conference
Fort Valley Gets Its Sign!
Fort Valley Community Meeting on Rain and
Snow Melt
Valle It Is!
County Parks and Recreation Receives Arizona
Forward Environmental Excellence Award
Congratulations to Jim Driscoll, Western States
Sheriff of the Year!
Community Events
Sedona is surrounded by a magical landscape of red rock formations and high desert hills with beautiful Oak Creek meandering through it all. Come experience the Shangri-La of the Southwest, a beautiful learning environment with Art Colony roots going back nearly 100 years. Click here to see all of our classes and workshops
Coconino County Parks and Recreation is inviting you to attend presentations to learn more about the proposed Coconino County Fair fee updates.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22 beginning at 6:00 PM through Microsoft Teams. We expect these presentations to last approximately 1 hour including the Q&A. You can learn more, RSVP to those meetings, and provide comments at coconinocountyfair.com/feeupdate. The public may also post comments and questions to the Fair’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CoconinoCountyFair.
